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Articles by John Longhurst
Stocking up on food matter of course for LDS members
Last month, the British government issued a warning that hasn’t been heard in that country since the Second World War: stock up on food. As reported by columnist Gwynne Dyer in this newspaper, the warning came from environment minister Angela Eagle when she was talking about the impact this year’s El Niño could have on food supplies in the United Kingdom.
Faith at city hall
In September, longtime faith columnist John Longhurst surveyed the leading Winnipeg mayoral candidates about how they would work with the city’s faith community if they were elected. Incumbent Scott Gillingham and his two main challengers, Kevin Klein and Mike Vogiatzakis, were asked the following questions. 1. As mayor, what will you do to recognize and support the efforts of Manitoba faith groups that serve the most vulnerable in the province? 2.
From country pulpit to national council: Canadian church council gets new director
Read: 2 min It is a long way from a little country church to the head of the largest Christian ecumenical body in Canada. But Janet Anstead is ready for the change. On Sept. 1, Anstead became the new general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches. The council represents 85 per cent of Canadian Christians in 26 member organizations from the Protestant, Orthodox, Eastern and Roman Catholic traditions, the council’s website says.
A spiritual vision will help anchor a health civic outlook
We have an election coming up. With that in mind, the Free Press asked some of their columnists to write about the challenges ahead and how the city can become better. For Tom Brodbeck, the main challenge is finances — and how candidates will pay for their many promises for fixing roads, improving public safety and making transit better. Rebecca Chambers said that the concerns of inner-city residents need to be taken seriously by those who aspire to work at city hall.
A middle power adrift? Experts lament Canada’s diminished peacekeeping role
Read: 3 min For decades, peacekeeping has been part of Canada’s identity — internationally and at home. Through the Cold War years, Canada provided about 10 per cent of the 800,000 or so peacekeepers with the United Nations. In 1993, there were over 4,000 Canadian peacekeepers deployed around the world. Altogether, over 125,000 Canadians have served with the United Nations as peacekeepers since the 1950s.
A middle power adrift? Experts lament Canada’s diminished peacekeeping role
3 hours ago New Google Maps images show the scale of Israel’s destruction of Gaza, where more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed. Newly updated Google Maps satellite imagery shows the scale of destruction across the besieged Gaza Strip nearly three years into Israel’s genocidal war. With neighbourhood …
Prayer times are a-changing: How time shifts affect religious groups
Read: 3 min Last week, Manitoba announced it is moving to permanent daylight time. In doing so, it joins Alberta and B.C., which also moved to permanent daylight time this year. Similar changes could be on the horizon out east too. In 2020, Ontario said it would switch to permanent daylight time if Quebec and New York State did so as well. These changes stand to impact everyone in certain ways.
Prayer times are a-changing: How time shifts affect religious groups
Canada 8 hours ago TOP FIVE Winnipeg Indian restaurants, by the Google numbers winnipegsun.com - By Heather Klein • 8h Winnipeg offers plenty of butter chicken options, but the city's top Indian restaurants excel in more than just that dish, ranking based on extensive … Canada 12 hours ago Winnipeggers waiting hours outside Dynacare locations for testing on rainy morning CBC News - Lauren Scott • 12h Some Winnipeggers waited in the rain for hours, standing in long lines that snaked around...
Monty Python homage: What have migrants ever done for us?
John Longhurst pays homage to Monty Python in this tale of Mick and his mates deciding to create their own political party, the "Had A Gutful Party", and first item on the agenda is migrants. The banner ‘HAG FOR FUTURE VISION’ adorned the back wall and Australian Flags seemingly sprouted at will around the room, as Mick slammed the gavel and called for silence.
Whether it’s coffee or tea, think of what’s holy
I was an instructor at a week-long event for aspiring Catholic journalists in Toronto in August. Whenever journalists gather, there will be conversation — and coffee. Lots of coffee. In this case, Catholic coffee. “Catholic coffee?” you ask. “What is that?” Catholic Coffee is the name of a small family business in Charlotte, N.C. Its goal is to use a daily habit of drinking coffee, especially in the morning, to focus attention on God through devotion and prayer.
A tale of hope, endurance, rebirth
One hundred years ago, 1,700 Mennonites left Manitoba for new lives in Paraguay. Now a new film is under production to tell the story of their journey. Titled Under the Lapacho Tree, the film is being produced by Toronto filmmaker Dale Hildebrand. It follows his 2025 documentary, Where the Cottonwoods Grow, which marked the 150th anniversary of Mennonites coming to Manitoba from Ukraine/Russian Empire.
Revitalizing the Archdiocese of Winnipeg
Revitalizing and energizing the Archdiocese of Winnipeg is a big job. But Father Darrin Gurr says he’s up to it. Gurr, who was parish priest at St. Gianna Beretta Molla Parish in southwest Winnipeg for 22 years, started a new job this summer to lead a new initiative of the archdiocese called Together in Mission.
Trade war a ‘problematic recipe’ for Canada’s nonprofit sector
Read: 3 min As the prime minister seeks investment to counter the U.S. trade war, Canadian nonprofits and charities hope he’ll also invest in their sector to address the conflict’s human costs. That is the message delivered by Bruce MacDonald, CEO of Imagine Canada, which represents 670 Canadian charities and nonprofits, and Dan Clement, CEO of United Way Centraide Canada, the national body that supports United Way organizations.
Media centre brings faith coverage to global audience
Jehovah’s Witnesses jailed in Russia. A shortage of clergy in the United Kingdom. A dispute between the Catholic Church and the Trump administration over a sacred site in New Mexico. Baptist churches in Ukraine providing warmth to people in that country in winter. These are stories you likely don’t know about. But you could have known about them if you subscribed to the Religion Media Centre.
Billboard evangelism may look outdated but group says it’s effective
Maybe you’ve seen them in Winnipeg — billboards that say things like: “Jesus is alive!” “Are you prepared to meet Jesus?” “After you die, you will meet God.” They include a phone number to call: 844-FIND-TRUTH. There are two billboards in Winnipeg. One is on Henderson Highway in Elmwood. The other is on Balmoral Street, by Cumberland. Have you ever wondered who is behind them, and why they do it?
Muslim aid groups squeezed by Canada’s anti-terror financing rules: report
Read: 3 min Measures by the federal government to prevent terrorist groups from receiving funding from Canada are hampering the international aid efforts of Muslim charities. That is the finding of a new report titled Humanitarianism and the Exclusion of Muslim Charities from the Financial Sector, which was co-produced by the University of Toronto and Institute of Islamic Studies.
The economics of religious belief
Read: 3 min What role does religion play in whether countries are rich or poor? That was the question addressed by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin, which conducts research into economics and global challenges to inform public debate and policymaking. In an article titled Religion and Economic Growth: What We Know and Why It Matters, economists Sascha O.
The economics of religious belief
4 hours ago On Monday, Bitcoin.com News posted to its 3.2 million followers that Tom Lee's Bitmine “buys 53,501 $ETH (~$131M), its largest weekly purchase since June". The post added that the firm now holds 5.9M ETH, representing 4.9% of total supply. Ethereum's supply stands at 120.7 million coins. Thomas Lee, …
Gaza reporter’s Muslim faith helps him as journalist
That’s what Diaa Ostaz, a reporter in Gaza for ONE Magazine — the official publication of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association — and for ABC News, said earlier this month during a Zoom recording from the territory. Ostaz, 26, was speaking about the many who have died in Gaza since October, 2023. According to the United Nations, that’s over 73,000 people killed and more than 173,000 injured since that time. At least 20,000 of the dead are children, with more than 44,000 injured.
Members of Baha’i faith suffer intense persecution in Iran
The war between the U.S. and Iran has put some of us in an uncomfortable position. On the one hand, we can feel like cheering on the Iranians as we watch them stand up to the American bully. It’s like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old saying goes. On the other hand, Iran doesn’t feel like much of a friend because of its terrible human rights record — including its treatment of religious minorities in that country such as Christians, Jews and Baha’is.
Churches make collective gift toward fostering reconciliation
Three Canadian denominations have taken another step towards reconciliation with Indigenous people. At a June 18 gifting ceremony here in Winnipeg, the United, Anglican and Presbyterian churches made a collective gift of $1.5 million towards the construction of a new permanent home for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus.
‘Every hand goes up’: How charities are rethinking their strategy and vision
Overview: This is the third and final article in a series exploring shifting trends in charitable giving in Canada. Read: 2 min When Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Imagine Canada, speaks about generosity, he often asks for a show of hands from those in the audience who have benefitted from a charity. When he starts, only a few hands go up.
Faith groups concerned by growing military spending
In response to growing threats around the world, Canada is increasing its military spending. In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country had met its NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, with plans to spend five per cent by 2035. Is this the right direction? Is the money being spent in the best way possible? And what about other forms of international engagement such as aid, diplomacy and peacemaking?
World Humanist Congress comes to Ottawa — after U.S. plans fall through
Read: 3 min Humanists from around the world will be meeting in Ottawa on Aug. 7 to 9 for the World Humanist Congress. The congress, which is sponsored by Humanists International, based in Scotland, is being held in Canada for the first time.
Churches that ran residential schools help fund new reconciliation centre
Read: 3 min The Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the United Church of Canada have collectively donated $1.5 million to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg. The donation, which was announced at a June 18 gifting ceremony in Winnipeg, will be used to assist in the creation of a new permanent home for the centre at the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba.
Churches that ran residential schools help fund new reconciliation centre
Richard Tice tried to mansplain Christianity to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and these 18 takedowns were a testament to people’s irritation with him The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally has just made an emotional visit to Ghana and Cameroon, at the invitation of the Anglican Church in …
Canada experiencing religious decline
Over his 50 years of writing and researching about religion in Canada, Reg Bibby has written books with the titles Fragmented Gods (1987), Unknown Gods (1993), Restless Gods (2002), Beyond the Gods (2011), and Resilient Gods (2017). If Bibby was to write another book about religion in Canada today, the retired University of Lethbridge professor said he might title it: Vanishing Gods. “Religion in Canada has known something of a golden era,” he said.
Humanist conference to promote compassion, respect
Daniel Dacombe is looking forward to the World Humanist Congress in Ottawa. “I’m going to network with other humanists from around the world,” said Dacombe, who works for Shared Health and lives near Niverville.
A solid span and an apt metaphor
Laughter — that’s one of the main things Phil Helmuth remembers from the joint Mennonite Disaster Service and Islamic Relief USA bridge-building project in May and June in Hendersonville, N.C. “We had so much fun working together,” said Helmuth, who was the project director at the site located around 100 miles west of Charlotte.
Canada’s culture of generosity dries up
Overview: This is the second article of three exploring shifts in charitable giving in Canada. Read: 3 min Every year since 1991, the number of Canadians who claim charitable deductions on their income tax has gone down. In 1991, it was 29 per cent. In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, the number was just under 17 per cent. “It’s been a straight-line decline,” said Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Imagine Canada, an umbrella organization for Canada’s charitable sector.
Canada’s culture of generosity dries up
Every year since 1991, the number of Canadians who claim charitable deductions on their income tax has gone down.In 1991, it was 29 per cent. In …
Soccer game days treated as religious events by some
The World Cup concludes Sunday with the final match to determine the winner. It’s not a religious event, but it has religion-like elements. This includes things like pilgrimages to matches, shared songs and rituals, “saints” like Messi and Ronaldo and, for many, a deep devotion to a team. Religion has been evident during games, too. Some players from the Christian tradition crossed themselves after scoring goals.
The ‘precarity mindset’: Why fewer Canadians are giving to charities
Overview: This is the first article of three exploring shifts in charitable giving in Canada. Read: 3 min For most of the postwar period, Canada was a country of relatively stable expectations, according to pollster David Coletto of Abacus Data. “People believed that if they worked hard, saved responsibly, and made reasonably good decisions, things would unfold along a path that felt predictable,” Coletto wrote in his newsletter in May.
Growth in number of people with dementia challenges faith groups
There are over 770,000 people in Canada today living with dementia. By 2030, that number could be more than a million — a “tsunami” of dementia cases, according to Hope for Dementia, a Canadian advocacy organization. “Current trends in growth of the number of people affected by dementia present an unsustainable trajectory,” the organization states, adding the cost of dementia care will rise from $12 billion in 2020 to $16.6 billion by 2031.
One idea, two crises: Pairing jobless grads with lonely seniors
Read: 2 min Young people in Canada need jobs. Seniors in the country feel isolated and lonely. Mima Mahmood wants to bring the two together to help solve both challenges. Mahmood, 27, has created Bridge Generations, a 12-month pilot project that would pair unemployed or underemployed university graduates with isolated seniors for weekly companionship and support.
‘Plautdietsch, baby! It’s a thing.’
Low German speakers in Canada were surprised in May when the 2026 census included Plautdietsch in the list of officially recognized languages. Plautdietsch came up on the online version of the census when it asked what language, other than English or French, respondents knew well enough to conduct a conversation.
Churches face challenges but hope remains, meeting hears
What is the future of the Christian presence in Canada? That was the topic of discussion in May when representatives from various Canadian Protestant denominations met in Winnipeg. The meeting, which brought together leaders from the United, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Salvation Army, Anglican, Christian Reformed and Disciples of Christ, was organized under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Churches.
Ottawa to match individual donations to Venezuela crisis
Read: 2 min The Canadian government will match donations for Venezuelan earthquake victims given to the Humanitarian Coalition and the Canadian Red Cross. The announcement was made June 30 by Randeep Sarai, the secretary of state for international development. “Every day brings a clearer picture of the immense needs of people affected by this disaster,” he said of the earthquakes, which hit a minute apart in the country of 28 million people on June 24.
Ottawa to match individual donations to Venezuela crisis
Honduras 2 hours ago ‘You have to kill people’: The US, Israel, and Latin America’s far right are plotting to crush the left therealnews.com - Marc Steiner • 2h Leaked audio recordings between powerful right-wing figures in Latin America have revealed a massive and shocking conspiracy—involving the United … Finance Now Trump fired the BLS chief last year over 'rigged' data claims.
Canadian aid groups appeal for aid after Venezuela earthquakes
Read: 2 min Canada’s leading aid groups have launched an appeal for victims of the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela. The appeal has been issued through the Humanitarian Coalition, which brings together 12 Canadian aid organizations to respond to disasters in the Global South. The earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, hit a minute apart in the country of 28 million people. As of June 26, the president of Venezuela estimated almost 600 people had been killed and around 3,000 injured.
Canadian aid groups appeal for aid after Venezuela earthquakes
2 hours ago Frustration mounted in Venezuela's state of La Guaira on Saturday as rescuers and civilians used shovels, heavy equipment, ropes and bare hands to look for survivors of the devastating twin earthquakes that killed at least 1,430 people. Many citizens have been critical of what they say is an …
What a time change could mean for religious practices
Manitobans are being asked if they want to end seasonal time changes by making either standard or daylight savings time permanent in the province. So far, three-quarters of those who answered a survey by Winnipeg-based Prairie Research Associates support an end to seasonal time changes. Of those, 34 per cent prefer a move to permanent daylight time — which means the sun would rise and set later each day.
Browse the latest issue
Withdrawing from the world. How stories are essential to Christian faith. Church support for dementia? When pastors retire. Infertility treatments for Christians. The FT interview with The Pastorate director Jason Ballard We select a few articles each issue to appear here – they have blue headlines you can click. Several French translations are also available as noted (online only, not in the print issues). Why not sign up for a print subscription? It's free to Canadian addresses since 2020.
‘True heroes’: Volunteers rebuild homes in destroyed Saskatchewan community
Read: 3 min In late May 2025, Denare Beach, Sask., was devastated by the Wolf wildfire. Over 200 structures in the remote village of 850 people — located about 400 kilometres north of Saskatoon — were destroyed. The southern half of the village was gone. That included the house owned by Steven Harrison, located near the shore of nearby Amisk Lake. Harrison, a volunteer firefighter, was among the last to leave before the fire consumed the community.
History of Doctrine of Discovery is complicated
Graydon Nicholas, a retired lawyer, judge and an elder from the Wolastoqey First Nation in New Brunswick, understands only too well the negative impact of colonization on Indigenous people in the Americas. He also understands the role the Roman Catholic Church played in it through what became known as the Doctrine of Discovery — the idea that by “discovering” the Americas, colonizing countries like Spain and Portugal could claim Indigenous land as their own.
Church archivists swamped with requests for docs
There’s a rule in nature that you can’t only do one thing. If you dam a river to make hydroelectricity, you will impede the fish trying to swim upriver to spawn. If you drain wetlands, flooding usually increases elsewhere. If you remove trees from steep slopes, erosion results. In December, last year, Canada experienced the truth of that rule in another way. That’s when Parliament passed Bill C-3 to extend citizenship to those born outside of Canada.
Kinew’s ‘Old Testament’ remark creates controversy
“As an observant Jew who was celebrating Shavuot, a holiday mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as a time of rejoicing, I was shocked to open my paper on Friday morning to see our premier indulging in an antisemitic Christian trope — apparently being tough on drug dealers is ‘Old Testament,’ and having love and compassion for drug users is ‘New Testament’?” That’s what a writer of a letter to the editor of the Free Press said last week.
New citizenship rules leave Canadian archivists overwhelmed
Read: 3 min In December, Parliament passed Bill C-3, a law that enables people born outside of Canada to claim Canadian citizenship by proving they had a Canadian ancestor. Called the Act to Amend the Citizenship Act, the bill was a response to an Ontario court ruling that held a “first-generation limit” on citizenship was unconstitutional. The new rules retroactively restore Canadian citizenship to someone who can prove that an ancestor, such as grandparent or great-grandparent, was Canadian.
New citizenship rules leave Canadian archivists overwhelmed
Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly curtailed journalists’ access in the Pentagon. The Defense Department has designated its press office as a classified space, off limits to journalists, further restricting interactions between its public-facing representatives and the reporters assigned …
Religion on census needs a rework, group says
Did you get the long form of the census? If you did, then you are among the 25 per cent of Canadians who had a chance to tell the government about your religious identity. The federal government has been collecting information about religion in Canada since 1871; it’s one of the oldest efforts to track religion in the world. Since that time, the religious landscape in Canada has changed a lot.
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