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Articles by Tom Goldsmith
Province calls for Great Lakes funding applications
The province is calling for applications for $1.8 million in funding for community-led projects to protect and improve the health of the Great Lakes. It’s the fourth round of funding for the Great Lakes Local Action Fund, which has offered $5.5 million to 107 projects that have restored habitat, improved water quality, and helped communities protect local waterways since 2021.
October 2026 solunar calendar
Dark green: Days when fish and game are most active in October 2026 Light green: Days when fish and game are more active than usual in October 2026 OFAH key date reminder: Oct. 1 General Ontario deer bow opens; wild turkey bow opens Oct. 13 Turkey gun season opens Oct. 18 Elk report deadline Major AM/PM: Daily times when fish and animals are likely to be most active. Periods also last two hours, beginning at listed time.
The Ontario gun dog
Ask any group of dedicated gun dog enthusiasts which is the best breed of hunting dog for small game hunting in Ontario and the opinions will overwhelm you. It's like asking which flavour of ice cream is the best. The difference is, ice-cream is at best a 10-minute investment, a dog is more like a ten-to-fourteen-year commitment. For this reason you’ll want to be as well informed as you can get.
Ask a CO: Flooding fields for waterfowl
Q: Is it legal to plant and flood corn for the purposes of waterfowl hunting? Brett Butler, Kanata A: Under the federal Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022, it is generally unlawful to hunt for migratory game birds within a radius of 400m from any place where bait has been deposited unless the place has been free of bait for at least seven days. Standing crops, whether flooded or not, are not considered baited areas.
Nicky 10 hunting stand
Nick DiPardo got the idea for the Nicky 10 hunt stand while sitting in one while moose hunting near Thunder Bay in 2019. Another hunter approaching on an ATV hauling a tree stand stopped in front of him to re-attach a trailer wheel. The hunter ended up flipping the trailer upside down to complete the repair.
Innovate? In this economy? With these profit margins?
Happy Wednesday, everyone. Today, I want to expand on one thing I mentioned in Monday’s post—Canadian corporate profits and their implications for innovation. Long story short, the financialization of Canada’s economy and the high levels of rent extraction that accompany it are barriers to innovation. We are impoverishing ourselves over the long term to support short-term financial gains.
Government-led innovation strategy requires a more mission-driven approach
Canada faces numerous complex challenges: accelerating the transition to net-zero, adapting to a more hostile and unpredictable climate, addressing the health impacts of an aging society, and bridging the digital divide in rural and remote communities to name just some. What these all hold in common is the need for both new research learning to technological innovations as well as regulatory, governmental, and social innovations.
Back on Their Feet
3:24 pm• Excerpt, Health, November December 2024, Online-only, Online-only Content, Stories HomeExcerpt, Health, November December 2024, Online-only, Online-only Content, StoriesBack on Their Feet This excerpt was featured as our monthly pass along email blast. Sign up to receive future emails. “Jax isn’t walking.”Sean Pesesky stood in the Detroit airport, his mind racing with a million different thoughts. He’d just left his seven-year-old chocolate Lab at the kennel.
How Parliament Works
Table of Contents Book Description Critics' Reviews 9th Edition By Nicolas Besly, Tom Goldsmith Copyright 2023 434 Pages 37 Color Illustrations by Routledge 434 Pages 37 Color Illustrations by Routledge Continue Shopping Written by expert insiders, How Parliament Works is a straightforward and readable analysis of one of the country’s most complex – and often misunderstood – institutions.
Remembering the last time America was on the eve of a civil war Original
In 1860, on the eve of our nation's Civil War, Walt Whitman wrote his celebrated poem, "I Hear America Singing." My interpretation is that the poem spoke to an underlying harmony among all Americans despite the inevitably tragic bloodshed about to be spilled. Whitman cites hearing "varied carols" sung by laborers and professionals, urban and rural Americans, all who ultimately share pride in their respective vocations as Americans.
Surreal in America
click to enlarge When René Magritte painted an exact replica of a pipe in 1929 with the inscription "Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe)," he may have been prescient. Ninety-two years later, America's political right-wing base has taken this surreal premise to its extreme, claiming that "Joe Biden is not the President." The deconstruction of reality also applies to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Will God put out the fires?
Our tiny blue and green sphere has revolved dutifully around the sun for billions of years. We can safely assume that the earth's unimaginable journey through the universe will continue indefinitely, either with or without us on board. Our slow response to the devastation of global warming, as though we were ambushed by unexpected news, places the human ride through space in grave jeopardy.
Considering kennel or couch for your gun dog
There was a time in our collective recent history when the term “house dog” was common. This term implies that the dog has no purpose other than companionship for their owners and that they live within the confines of a house. The alternative was “outside dog,” again, not a term we hear much anymore, implying that the dog was a working dog with a sole purpose, like hunting. The question is how different are they really? Is a house dog capable of being a stellar gun dog?
Falconers welcome revised regulations
Red-tailed hawk perched on a fence post. (Photo by Tracy Smith) Ontario’s licensed falconers are welcoming recent changes to provincial regulations that simplify the process of trapping and hunting with a raptor that was captured from the wild. Previously, licensed falconers, who wanted to trap and train an indigenous raptor, needed to enter a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) draw process.
Tom Goldsmith: They sought refuge in our Salt Lake City church. ICE fined them $500,000.
The Biden administration must allow these families to live freely and without fear. (Kim Raff | The New York Times) Vicky Chavez and her daughters at First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 2, 2021. By Tom Goldsmith | Special to The New York Times | April 16, 2021, 2:00 p.m. Vicky Chávez and her two young daughters have lived at First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City for three years.
Opinion | Immigrants Seeking Sanctuary in Churches Don’t Deserve Fines
The new administration must allow these families to live freely without fear. By Tom Goldsmith Photographs by Kim Raff Mr. Goldsmith is the senior minister of Salt Lake City’s First Unitarian Church, which has housed an undocumented immigrant mother and her children since 2018.
Examining the costs of gun-dog ownership
So, you’re thinking about buying a gun dog to share your days in the field with? You find yourself in the exciting fantasy stage where your future dog picks up game scent like a vacuum and the retrieves are straight and in the order of your priority falls: winged and blind falls first, gimmes second. That’s great. I’ve been there too. However, I feel I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t bring up hard truths you will face as you develop your dream dog.
Avoiding bear encounters
Over decades of reporting for Ontario Out Of Doors, I’ve interviewed at least seven victims of bear attacks. In talking with the victims, I’ve come to see a concerning common denominator in several of these unwanted bear encounters — dogs. Ironically, many people mistakenly believe that as long as they’re accompanied by a dog, their risk of an encounter is lessened, or at least they will be safely alerted to a bear’s presence.
Lake Simcoe anglers are recycling fishing line
Dozens of fishing line recycle receptacles are springing up in locations around Lake Simcoe. The initiative to build and place the containers where anglers can dispose of old fishing line was brought to fruition with the help of Bob Bowles. Bob is a well-known local naturalist and conservationist who worked in cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Hunter orange protects dogs, too
There is little doubt that since September 1997, hunter orange apparel has prevented countless hunting accidents and saved many lives. It’s such a valuable in hunter safety, why not step up and afford your dog the same protection? There is little doubt that since September 1997, hunter orange apparel has prevented countless hunting accidents and saved many lives. It’s so valuable in hunter safety, why not step up and afford your dog the same protection?
Hunter orange: the dos and don'ts
This is the minimum amount of hunter orange you should wear (no matter your quarry) to stay legal when a big game gun season is open. What legal hunter orange looks like Ontario’s hunter orange (formerly called blaze orange) regulations came into effect on September 1, 1997. That’s almost twenty years ago, yet each autumn at hunt camps around the province, debates continue about what kind and amount of hunter orange clothing and gear are legally required. I get it; old habits die hard.
English Springer Spaniel: Dog of All Trades
It seems we live in a world dominated by specialists. Hunters and their dogs are no exception. These days, there are specific breeds for every kind of hunting in our province. You name it — grouse, ducks, geese, rabbits, or deer — and there’s a pointer, retriever, or hound that has had its ancestral abilities honed by dedicated breeders to excel at hunting specific quarry.
Tom Goldsmith: Faith communities must participate in social change
Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Rev. Tom Goldsmith speaks as the First Unitarian Universalist Church celebrated their 125 year anniversary at the Marriott School of Dance, Sunday, February 28, 2016. Freedom will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear… Freedom is a strong seed planted in a great need.
Bicyclists should think twice about using Cottonwood
Once again, the weather is becoming favorable, and once again bicyclists are enjoying the freedom and exercise of getting out. Some are using Cottonwood Road, south of Huffine, leading to or from the mountains. Yet perhaps they may want to reconsider this route. Cottonwood Road is narrow, only 24 feet wide. There is no paved shoulder and, indeed, at times no shoulder whatsoever. The edge of the road often abuts a deep ditch. Traffic continues to increase, corresponding to the area’s growth.
Tom Goldsmith
Tom Goldsmith Tom Goldsmith is the founder and principal of Orbit Policy. Previously he was director of innovation policy for Mitacs and was the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s policy director for innovation and technology. Before moving to Canada, he worked as a policy adviser for techUK and the Royal Society.
Grooming Your Dog for the Field
If you were among the legions of hunters who fell in love with long-haired breeds like golden retrievers, springer spaniels, or any of the setters, you’ve already learned there’s no such thing as a quick, easy hunt in the Ontario uplands or marshes. Even 20 minutes off leash can mean hours of burr removal, which can take twice as much time as the hunt itself.
How to use collars to train your canine - Ontario OUT of DOORS
Properly used, collars support good training. Collars are often overlooked as training equipment, which is a mistake. A good collar, made to handle the rigours of an active there is a wide variety of styles and materials to choose from. What follows is a run-down of some of the most popular collars in the marketplace, along with their advantages and disadvantages as an essential, albeit basic, piece of canine equipment. If the collar fits The standard collar is only as good as its fit.
Garmin enters Canadian gun dog market - Ontario OUT of DOORS
Garmin International Inc. has finally introduced a legal GPS tracking device option for Canadian hound and pointing dog enthusiasts. Previously, Canadian hound and gun dog owners using older Garmin GPS collars and tracking systems were doing so illegally, since they relied on certain restricted radio frequencies. Owners of these older Garmin units circumvented federal laws by purchasing the U.S. Garmin GPS tracking devices across the border. Aside from the illegality, this posed other problems.
Automating a Lego Tower Bridge Model – Tom Goldsmith – Medium
Here is a basic design file for Stud.io and below is what it looks like rendered in software: After browsing through the Lego piece catalogue I settled on a design that would incorporate similar supports while using a mechanism that used a gearbox ( 32239 ), worm gear ( 4716 ), and a driver gear to push the bridge up. The meshing on the worm gear means that the driver won’t turn on its own, and therefore the supports can hold the bridge at any position easily.
Bear encounters end badly - Ontario OUT of DOORS
Two separate bear attacks within the same week in late April by a female bear with three cubs prompted the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) to issue warnings regarding potential encounters. The attacks took place close to each other, causing police to speculate the same bear might be involved in both attacks.
Bloody Brilliant Women: The Pioneers, Revolutionaries and Geniuses Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention - Cathy Newman;
`A litany of fresh heroes to make the embattled heart sing' Caitlin Moran A fresh, opinionated history of all the brilliant women you should have learned about in school but didn't. In this freewheeling history of modern Britain, Cathy Newman writes about the pioneering women who defied the odds to make careers for themselves and alter the course of modern history; women who achieved what they achieved while dismantling hostile, entrenched views about their place in society.
Enforce fines on idling engines across London
Force ALL London councils to enforce on-the-spot fines for drivers whose engine is running unnecessarily while stationary on a public road. The air in London is dangerously polluted - and a significant proportion of that pollution comes from vehicles that aren't even moving. Stationary idling is an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and some central London councils are already issuing fines to inconsiderate drivers who break this law and unnecessarily pollute.
Know your rover, know its range - Ontario OUT of DOORS
“Here, Penny. Come here, girl. Whoa. Now Whoa!” The panicked expletives started the minute I turned my brittany, Penny, loose to quarter the covert. The problem was, it wasn’t me shouting the commands. It was my hunting partner who had only hunted upland birds over his labs. He didn’t understand that the range for a pointing dog was vastly different than that of a flushing dog, (but really shouldn’t have been commanding or cautioning my dog at all).
Hunter orange: The do's and don'ts - Ontario OUT of DOORS
What legal hunter orange looks like Ontario’s hunter orange (formerly called blaze orange) regulations came into effect on September 1, 1997. That’s almost twenty years ago, yet each autumn at hunt camps around the province, debates continue about what kind and amount of hunter orange clothing and gear are legally required. I get it; old habits die hard. A well-worn and faded vest or coat may be thought of as lucky or just plain comfortable, but it might be past its days as a legal hunting garment.
The Check Cord: A Dog Trainer's Best Friend
One tenet of training is that a dog must fully understand a command before it can be expected to comply with it. Yet, we’ve all seen a frustrated owner trying to round up a rebellious dog. As he gets just within reach of the scofflaw, the dog bolts, the owner screams repeated — albeit ignored — commands, and the chase resumes. The longer this continues, the more the dog is convinced that we’re willing participants in its game.
Mysteries of woodcock revealed
Perhaps due to their nocturnal tendencies or maybe their ability to sit motionless, camouflaged against the upland floor while hunters walk within inches of them, woodcock are among the least seen and understood of Ontario’s game birds. Indeed, most hunters’ exposure to them is limited to a few chance encounters while grouse hunting or perhaps bumping one while sneaking into a deer stand in the pre-dawn.
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