When Donald Trump announced that he would raise “the tariff on Canada” by 10 percent “over and above what they are paying now,” Ottawa’s response was instant: surprise, frustration, and confusion.The spark this time? An Ontario government ad...
Aaron Patella – Home Blog Français English When Communications Go Sideways When communication breaks down, it’s rarely because the facts are wrong — it’s because the tone, framing, or intent becomes defensive. In municipal or inter-organizational contexts, this can...
Small towns often appear quiet on the surface, but beneath that calm lies a constant balance between care and capacity. In places like North Hatley, governance isn’t abstract — it’s personal. Each decision touches familiar faces, familiar streets, and the shared...
Academics — myself included — sometimes hide behind complexity. We dress ideas in dense language, not always out of pride, but often out of insecurity. Complexity can feel comforting; it creates distance and gives the illusion of control. The same is true in...
At our family Thanksgiving, we go around the table and say what we’re thankful for. We measure that grace, in a way — we pause, we notice, we give it form. Then we carry that awareness forward into the year that follows. In a community, the same principle applies....
