Canada's first Black police chief gets rough reception

But of course it has nothing to do with his skin tone. No, it goes so much deeper than that.

The (need I say, white) critics are in a flap over Devon Clunis' Christian faith. Yup, apparently it's the first time a Canadian city has had a Chief of Police from the Christian faith.

Chief Clunis had the temerity to tell a Christian magazine that it might not be a bad idea if the folks in his town spent a little more time in prayer.

Well, that's a no-brainer. That's what any proper member of any theistic cult would tell anyone in any context. That's just what religious people do.

Clunis just became Chief of the Winnipeg police. Winnipeg has the distinction of being not only the murder capital of Canada, but the leader in child poverty and gang violence.

Now I'm more or less an agnostic, but by God, I think when your city has a reputation like that maybe Chief Clunis is onto something. Hell, I'd be praying too if I lived in Winnipeg!

Winnipeg is an odd little town. Guy Maddin made a great film about coming up there. I've spent some time there myself. (Oxford Arms, mid '70's, home of dozens of down and out alcoholics, drug addicts, etc... ) It's also the home of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, an edifice steeped in multiple levels of irony which will most likely declare bankruptcy long before it opens its doors to the public.

Oddly enough, the Chief's most vocal critic is also one of the Museum's most vocal defenders! Arthur Shafer is an academic at the University of Manitoba, exactly the kind of guy whom one would expect to be celebrating the ascent of a Black man to the post of Chief of Police.

But it's a crazy world! Canada, the country that ships her citizens to Syria to be tortured, and then condemns Syria for not respecting human rights, builds a museum dedicated to human rights, but in the very city that is home to said museum, a Black man cannot be Chief of Police because he is a Christian?

Anyway, congratulations on your promotion Mr. Clunis. It's a tough gig you've got, and I wish you well.

I'll be praying for you!

Winnipeg: Child Poverty Capital of Canada

This ain't Guy Maddin's Winnipeg. It's the other one.

According to the most recent Manitoba Child and Family Poverty Report Card Winnipeg has a higher percentage of children living in poverty than any other Canadian city. Guess what else Winnipeg leads the nation in? Gangs. By coincidence, Winnipeg also has the largest urban aboriginal population in the country.

Child poverty. Gangs. Indians. Coincidence?

Here's what a couple of people who should know have to say about it. "The gangs are brought on by poverty". That's RCMP Sgt. Merle Carpenter.

"It's all about education and employment. If we don't get youth educated and participating in the workforce we're going to continue to watch this deterioration". That's Steve Koptie, an aboriginal social worker.

Sure glad I wasn't born native in Winnipeg.