Some Essays by Douglas Tennant

  Cedar Lake - By Doug Tennant Originally published in the North Renfrew Times - October 14, 2020  OK, get in, sit down, put your seatbelt on and let’s go. This may cause some to get their knickers in a knot, but if there ever was a time to consider the following, it is now, thanks to the pandemic. Many things are being reviewed and re-jigged these days. Indeed, things are being done that some folks would never have considered doing before the pandemic. The pandemic is offering countless opportunities to seek out new ways of doing almost everything in our society. In many respects we have put our individual and community-based lives on hold since the debut of Covid-19. And now is the time, while so much is changing and being considered, to ask that our local elected officials come together for a deep and wide exploration of how to break down any arbitrary geo-political barriers to help build up our community of North Renfrew. Isle of Skye  By Jeannie Tilson Can this b...

Men must take action in North Renfrew! Photo by Doug Tennant An essay regarding the prevention of violence against women and girls.   It is with sadness and discomfort that my wife attended the virtual funeral today for a friend of hers from secondary school. It is alleged that her friend was killed by her husband of many years. I am concerned that her death and what was occurring during the days, weeks, months and years leading up to it, might have been prevented through intentional acts of dialogue, support and yes, intervention with respect to the topic of violence against women and girls.   Kathryn Marshall, a Toronto lawyer writes   (Marshall 2020) that “[s]ince the COVID-19 pandemic started, violence against women has spiked dramatically. Women’s shelters have reported significant increases in calls and police have reported higher than average domestic violence related occurrences. Isolation and the severing of work and family support networks have no doub...