Indulging in classics just how holidays roll

Indulging in classics just how holidays roll

It’s Day 7 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, so it’s high time to throw another log on the fire.

A Yule Log, that is.

That’s right. Today’s recipe is this Christmas classic, although, admittedly it is more of a cake than a cookie. But if you’re like those in Denise Comeault’s family, your tastebuds will forgive the culinary transgression.

“It’s something they look forward to, and now I have grandchildren, and I’m hoping they continue the tradition,” Comeault says.

The new normal in Canadian politics

“Nothing happening, all at once.”

Welcome to the new normal of Canadian politics, where normality is the new normal. Routine and stable are in; disruptive and excessive are out. Exhibits A and B are the Alberta referendum and the British Columbia election. Voters opted for stability over volatility.

The opposite of being normal is being different from the norm. In politics that means different from where we’ve been and what we’ve come to expect. Two competing trends have dominated our politics for the past decade and a half — progressivism and populism. Think Justin Trudeau and liberal, progressive identity politics in Canada, and Donald Trump and conservative, populist MAGA politics in America. We are now experiencing a swing away from both those trends.

Representing this “new normal” are Prime Minister Mark Carney, for one, and newly elected British Columbia premier, Lorne Doerksen, for another. Both are considered normal because they talk and act like adults in a childish political world. Their political flair is to not have any political flair. They stand out for not standing out.

Doctor’s departure stressful for teen

Morgan Walker is a typical teen — but only because a piece of his brain the size of a deck of cards was removed four years ago.

Walker, who had seizures multiple times a day before his surgery, fears other people might not be so lucky.

That’s because his surgeon, Dr. Demitre Serletis, is leaving the province and Health Sciences Centre. Serletis will start practising at the Cleveland Clinic in the new year.

“I was kind of shocked, but I understood why,” Walker said from his home in Brandon. “The government really hasn’t been respecting doctors.”

Affordable southwest Winnipeg attached two-storey home designed with families in mind

Those in the market for a new entry-level home tend to have one main thought in mind. That thought, in most cases, centres on how much value a dwelling delivers — in both price and livability.

Spencer Curtis, owner of Hilton Homes, says he and his design team are acutely aware of how meticulously prospective buyers scrutinize entry-level new house options, which in most cases are attached two-storey models.

“That’s why we keep tweaking plans to make those homes better,” Curtis says. “This model, the Wilkens, is by far our most popular plan. We put a lot of thought into its design, and are always working at making it as functional and family-friendly as possible.”

Right from the get-go, the Wilkens distinguishes itself from other attached two-storey homes with its square footage.

The long and winding road

As theatre goes, it sent a strong message.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, standing in front of microphones and television cameras, holding up his Indigenous status card and saying that he didn’t feel Canada should have “a race-based form of identification in this country, but that is a reality,” adding that it was time to abolish the Indian Act.

“I think it’s time to abolish the Indian Act, get rid of the Indian Act, move past the Indian Act, and it needs to be done with First Nations people and First Nations governments, of course. I think it’s long overdue that we have a relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Canada that reflects who we are as Canadians today,” he said.

The Indian Act — the name alone suggests how out-dated and out of place the law has become. Originally dating from 1876, the law was put in place to “amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians” and gave the Minister of the Interior the responsibility to “control and management of the reserves, lands, moneys and property of Indians in Canada.”

Olympics Overnight: Canada reclaims gold in women’s hockey, Thompson wins silver in ski cross, and Kamila Valieva struggles in women’s free skate

Here’s what you missed overnight at Day 13 of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.