Leni Spooner
@lenispooner.bsky.social
Canadian from Southwestern Ontario by way of Edmonton.
Writer at between-the-lines.ca — power, policy & kitchen-table politics with clarity + context.
Helping you read the system behind the story.
lenispooner.substack.com
Writer at between-the-lines.ca — power, policy & kitchen-table politics with clarity + context.
Helping you read the system behind the story.
lenispooner.substack.com
Two diets. Two futures. One food-rich country that never built a nutrition system of its own. #cdnpoli #food #canada between-the-lines.ca/canadas-two-...
Canada’s Two‑Tier Diet: How a Food‑Rich Nation Became a Lagging G7 Outlier on Nutrition - Between the Lines | Canadian Politics, Food Systems & Sovereignty
Canada grows enough food to nourish entire continents — yet at home, we’re splitting into two diets with two very different futures. This isn’t about willpow...
between-the-lines.ca
December 10, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Two diets. Two futures. One food-rich country that never built a nutrition system of its own. #cdnpoli #food #canada between-the-lines.ca/canadas-two-...
More Than Defence: Canada’s Quiet Struggle at Home - a chapter about power, responsibility, and the hard work of building a country that can act with purpose again. between-the-lines.ca/more-than-de... #sundayread #booksky #cdnpoli #Canada
More Than Defence: Canada’s Quiet Struggle at Home | A Quiet Reckoning Chapter 8 - Between the Lines | Canadian Politics, Food Systems & Sovereignty
Canada’s alliances and defence plans matter — but they won’t hold if the country beneath them is quietly coming apart. Chapter 8 looks at Canada’s fraying so...
between-the-lines.ca
December 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
More Than Defence: Canada’s Quiet Struggle at Home - a chapter about power, responsibility, and the hard work of building a country that can act with purpose again. between-the-lines.ca/more-than-de... #sundayread #booksky #cdnpoli #Canada
Very disturbing. Infuriating. "The bill also gives broad legal immunity to the province, municipalities and corporate directors against lawsuits tied to water governance changes. This narrows avenues for legal challenges if something goes wrong, such as spills, contamination or rate increases."
Hardly surprising from the Ford government. The trick will be to identify which of his buddies will benefit the most. It certainly won’t be Ontario’s taxpayers!
Ford government dives into municipal business as it eyes water services www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/28/n...
Ford government dives into municipal business as it eyes water services www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/28/n...
Ford government dives into municipal business as it eyes water services
The province has assumed sweeping new powers to seize control over municipal water systems — one of Ontario’s largest public assets, worth $175.8 billion — raising fears the move could pave the way fo...
www.nationalobserver.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Very disturbing. Infuriating. "The bill also gives broad legal immunity to the province, municipalities and corporate directors against lawsuits tied to water governance changes. This narrows avenues for legal challenges if something goes wrong, such as spills, contamination or rate increases."
Reposted by Leni Spooner
How can anybody not find Doug Ford grossly irresponsible and harmful to our Province???
open.substack.com/pub/canadian...
open.substack.com/pub/canadian...
Doug Ford’s Taxpayer Betrayal and the Billion-Dollar Bill
Doug Ford’s decisions have cost Ontario billions. How his policies wasted public funds and hurt the environment, healthcare, and education.
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 8:38 PM
How can anybody not find Doug Ford grossly irresponsible and harmful to our Province???
open.substack.com/pub/canadian...
open.substack.com/pub/canadian...
Alberta’s healthcare scandal isn’t just an #abpoli scandal — it’s a warning for all of Canada. If public procured health care can be reshaped by access and influence in one province, none of us are immune. Read the full breakdown.
#cdnpoli #abpoli
lenispooner.substack.com/p/alberta-he...
#cdnpoli #abpoli
lenispooner.substack.com/p/alberta-he...
#BehindthePaywall Newsbrief – Alberta’s Health-Care Procurement Scandal December 3, 2025
How one Globe investigation pulls back the curtain on power, access, and a public system bent out of shape.
lenispooner.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Alberta’s healthcare scandal isn’t just an #abpoli scandal — it’s a warning for all of Canada. If public procured health care can be reshaped by access and influence in one province, none of us are immune. Read the full breakdown.
#cdnpoli #abpoli
lenispooner.substack.com/p/alberta-he...
#cdnpoli #abpoli
lenispooner.substack.com/p/alberta-he...
Canada’s Food Banks Are at a Breaking Point
Shelves are thinning early. Demand is soaring. A look at why Canada’s food banks are under such strain this season. #Canada #Food #Christmas between-the-lines.ca/canada-food-...
Shelves are thinning early. Demand is soaring. A look at why Canada’s food banks are under such strain this season. #Canada #Food #Christmas between-the-lines.ca/canada-food-...
Canada’s Food Banks Are at a Breaking Point This Christmas - Between the Lines | Canadian Politics, Food Systems & Sovereignty
Food banks across Canada are preparing holiday hampers weeks early because shelves are already thinning out. Rising demand, stagnant incomes, and higher wint...
between-the-lines.ca
December 1, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Canada’s Food Banks Are at a Breaking Point
Shelves are thinning early. Demand is soaring. A look at why Canada’s food banks are under such strain this season. #Canada #Food #Christmas between-the-lines.ca/canada-food-...
Shelves are thinning early. Demand is soaring. A look at why Canada’s food banks are under such strain this season. #Canada #Food #Christmas between-the-lines.ca/canada-food-...
If you’ve been wondering why feeding a family in #Canada feels harder than it should, here’s the deep dive.
What’s driving food costs — and what you can do. Includes a letter template for elected reps. #cdnpoli #food #grocery
Read here ⬇️
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-can...
What’s driving food costs — and what you can do. Includes a letter template for elected reps. #cdnpoli #food #grocery
Read here ⬇️
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-can...
Canada Can Feed the World. So Why Are So Many Canadians Struggling to Eat?
Canada grows enough food to feed nations, yet food insecurity is soaring at home. A deep dive into the Prairie Disconnect and Canada’s broken food system.
lenispooner.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM
If you’ve been wondering why feeding a family in #Canada feels harder than it should, here’s the deep dive.
What’s driving food costs — and what you can do. Includes a letter template for elected reps. #cdnpoli #food #grocery
Read here ⬇️
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-can...
What’s driving food costs — and what you can do. Includes a letter template for elected reps. #cdnpoli #food #grocery
Read here ⬇️
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-can...
This week’s #SundayRead: Chapter 7 of A Quiet Reckoning. Alliances, autonomy, and the world shifting faster than our institutions can adapt. Canada’s choices matter now more than ever. #BookSky #Canada #Cdnpoli
between-the-lines.ca/alliances-an...
between-the-lines.ca/alliances-an...
Alliances and Autonomy | A Quiet Reckoning Chapter 7 - Between the Lines | Canadian Politics, Food Systems & Sovereignty
Canada’s alliances have always shaped our choices — but in a more volatile world, they also shape our risks. Chapter 7 explores how NATO pressure, AUKUS excl...
between-the-lines.ca
November 30, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This week’s #SundayRead: Chapter 7 of A Quiet Reckoning. Alliances, autonomy, and the world shifting faster than our institutions can adapt. Canada’s choices matter now more than ever. #BookSky #Canada #Cdnpoli
between-the-lines.ca/alliances-an...
between-the-lines.ca/alliances-an...
Canada’s Arctic is becoming the hinge of our sovereignty, climate resilience, and economic future. Part 2 of my Tidewater series looks at what’s changing — and what Canada must do now.
#Arctic #Canada #Sovereignty
LINK: open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
#Arctic #Canada #Sovereignty
LINK: open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
Why Canada’s Arctic Access Will Shape Our Future
Part 2 of 2 — How climate pressure, Arctic change, and shifting geopolitics will define Canada’s sovereignty in the decades ahead.
open.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Canada’s Arctic is becoming the hinge of our sovereignty, climate resilience, and economic future. Part 2 of my Tidewater series looks at what’s changing — and what Canada must do now.
#Arctic #Canada #Sovereignty
LINK: open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
#Arctic #Canada #Sovereignty
LINK: open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
We say Canada is “framed by ocean,” but most of us don’t realize how hard it actually is to reach one.
Part I breaks down why tidewater access might be our most overlooked national vulnerability. #Canada #cdnpoli #economy open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
Part I breaks down why tidewater access might be our most overlooked national vulnerability. #Canada #cdnpoli #economy open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
How Canada’s Ocean Access Will Shape the Next 50 Years
Part 1 of 2 — A kitchen-table explainer on how Canada’s access to its oceans shapes our economy, climate policy, and national resilience.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
We say Canada is “framed by ocean,” but most of us don’t realize how hard it actually is to reach one.
Part I breaks down why tidewater access might be our most overlooked national vulnerability. #Canada #cdnpoli #economy open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
Part I breaks down why tidewater access might be our most overlooked national vulnerability. #Canada #cdnpoli #economy open.substack.com/pub/lenispoo...
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—we’re coping.
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Canada: Home of the Protein Orphans
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—they’re surviving differently.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—we’re coping.
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—we’re coping.
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Canada: Home of the Protein Orphans
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—they’re surviving differently.
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Canadians aren’t just shopping differently—we’re coping.
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
Dr. Charlebois’ latest shows food is now our #1 financial stressor, and yet more than half of us still choose local foods when we can. A tough moment, but a revealing one.
Worth the read. #FoodPolitics #Canada
open.substack.com/pub/agrifood...
#SundayRead | #BookSky
Peace isn’t something we just hope for anymore — it’s something we prepare for.
Chapter 6 looks at readiness as Canada’s quiet strength, from SAR crews to cyber defence.
🔗 lenispooner.substack.com/p/prepared-f...
Peace isn’t something we just hope for anymore — it’s something we prepare for.
Chapter 6 looks at readiness as Canada’s quiet strength, from SAR crews to cyber defence.
🔗 lenispooner.substack.com/p/prepared-f...
Prepared for Peace | A Quiet Reckoning Chapter 6
Why Readiness Is the New Quiet Strength (with links to previous chapters)
lenispooner.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:04 PM
#SundayRead | #BookSky
Peace isn’t something we just hope for anymore — it’s something we prepare for.
Chapter 6 looks at readiness as Canada’s quiet strength, from SAR crews to cyber defence.
🔗 lenispooner.substack.com/p/prepared-f...
Peace isn’t something we just hope for anymore — it’s something we prepare for.
Chapter 6 looks at readiness as Canada’s quiet strength, from SAR crews to cyber defence.
🔗 lenispooner.substack.com/p/prepared-f...
Reposted by Leni Spooner
Canada sits on 20% of the world’s freshwater, yet we still treat water like an afterthought. In agriculture we already see how fragile security becomes when supply chains stretch thin. Water will be no different. Efficiency is sovereignty.
Good thought piece by @lenispooner.bsky.social
Good thought piece by @lenispooner.bsky.social
The New Scramble for Canada’s Water and Minerals
Why geography can no longer shield Canada, and how water, critical minerals, and foreign interests are reshaping our sovereignty in the twenty-first century.
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Canada sits on 20% of the world’s freshwater, yet we still treat water like an afterthought. In agriculture we already see how fragile security becomes when supply chains stretch thin. Water will be no different. Efficiency is sovereignty.
Good thought piece by @lenispooner.bsky.social
Good thought piece by @lenispooner.bsky.social
Canada’s future runs through tidewater.
Just published a deep explainer on why our access to the Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic will shape our economy, security & sovereignty for decades.
#cdnpoli
Read here: between-the-lines.ca/tidewater-ac...
Just published a deep explainer on why our access to the Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic will shape our economy, security & sovereignty for decades.
#cdnpoli
Read here: between-the-lines.ca/tidewater-ac...
November 22, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Canada’s future runs through tidewater.
Just published a deep explainer on why our access to the Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic will shape our economy, security & sovereignty for decades.
#cdnpoli
Read here: between-the-lines.ca/tidewater-ac...
Just published a deep explainer on why our access to the Atlantic, Pacific & Arctic will shape our economy, security & sovereignty for decades.
#cdnpoli
Read here: between-the-lines.ca/tidewater-ac...
Free trade was sold as prosperity. Forty years later, we’ve lost industries, leverage, and much of our say.
If a deal isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, why act bound by it? #cdnpoli
Food for thought from @readthemaple.
🔗 www.readthemaple.com/time-to-thin...
#cdnpoli #Trade #Sovereignty
If a deal isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, why act bound by it? #cdnpoli
Food for thought from @readthemaple.
🔗 www.readthemaple.com/time-to-thin...
#cdnpoli #Trade #Sovereignty
Time To Think Beyond ‘Worthless’ Free Trade Agreements: Economists
“Why should we feel constrained by a free trade agreement?”
www.readthemaple.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Free trade was sold as prosperity. Forty years later, we’ve lost industries, leverage, and much of our say.
If a deal isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, why act bound by it? #cdnpoli
Food for thought from @readthemaple.
🔗 www.readthemaple.com/time-to-thin...
#cdnpoli #Trade #Sovereignty
If a deal isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, why act bound by it? #cdnpoli
Food for thought from @readthemaple.
🔗 www.readthemaple.com/time-to-thin...
#cdnpoli #Trade #Sovereignty
Reposted by Leni Spooner
This is our country, and we decide what happens next. #Canada #cdnpoli #ViveLeCanada 🍁
Prime Minister Mark Carney
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV-G...
Prime Minister Mark Carney
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV-G...
This is our country, and we decide what happens next.
YouTube video by Mark Carney
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is our country, and we decide what happens next. #Canada #cdnpoli #ViveLeCanada 🍁
Prime Minister Mark Carney
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV-G...
Prime Minister Mark Carney
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV-G...
Canada’s trade future isn’t North–South anymore — it’s East–West.
My latest piece looks at PM Carney’s ASEAN trip and how Canada is building new trade bridges across the Pacific. 🌏🇨🇦
🔗 Read: lenispooner.substack.com/p/the-asean-...
#Canada #ASEAN #Trade #Economy #dcnpoli
My latest piece looks at PM Carney’s ASEAN trip and how Canada is building new trade bridges across the Pacific. 🌏🇨🇦
🔗 Read: lenispooner.substack.com/p/the-asean-...
#Canada #ASEAN #Trade #Economy #dcnpoli
Canada’s ASEAN Bridge: A New Era of Trade Resilience
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Indo-Pacific strategy aims to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports, expand energy and tech partnerships, and strengthen leverage before the CUSMA review.
lenispooner.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
When we read deeply, we stop reacting and start relating.
Dinah’s “The Stories That Stay” is a reminder that #empathy isn’t weakness—it’s civic maintenance. #reading #booksky #substack
A beautiful reflection on “othering,” courage, and connection.
🔗 dinahbeingme.substack.com/p/the-storie...
Dinah’s “The Stories That Stay” is a reminder that #empathy isn’t weakness—it’s civic maintenance. #reading #booksky #substack
A beautiful reflection on “othering,” courage, and connection.
🔗 dinahbeingme.substack.com/p/the-storie...
The Stories That Stay
When fear spreads, empathy is how we hold the line
dinahbeingme.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:54 PM
When we read deeply, we stop reacting and start relating.
Dinah’s “The Stories That Stay” is a reminder that #empathy isn’t weakness—it’s civic maintenance. #reading #booksky #substack
A beautiful reflection on “othering,” courage, and connection.
🔗 dinahbeingme.substack.com/p/the-storie...
Dinah’s “The Stories That Stay” is a reminder that #empathy isn’t weakness—it’s civic maintenance. #reading #booksky #substack
A beautiful reflection on “othering,” courage, and connection.
🔗 dinahbeingme.substack.com/p/the-storie...
AI isn’t just tech — it’s power.
Canada stands at a digital crossroads: build our own bridge, or rent someone else’s.
📖 Canada at the AI Crossroads — why digital sovereignty matters more than ever.
#KitchenTablePolitics #AICanada #Canada
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-at-...
Canada stands at a digital crossroads: build our own bridge, or rent someone else’s.
📖 Canada at the AI Crossroads — why digital sovereignty matters more than ever.
#KitchenTablePolitics #AICanada #Canada
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-at-...
Canada at the AI Crossroads
AI isn’t a gadget or a trend — it’s a new infrastructure shaping sovereignty itself. Canada’s task is to build a bridge to digital independence before the tolls come due.
lenispooner.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:44 PM
AI isn’t just tech — it’s power.
Canada stands at a digital crossroads: build our own bridge, or rent someone else’s.
📖 Canada at the AI Crossroads — why digital sovereignty matters more than ever.
#KitchenTablePolitics #AICanada #Canada
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-at-...
Canada stands at a digital crossroads: build our own bridge, or rent someone else’s.
📖 Canada at the AI Crossroads — why digital sovereignty matters more than ever.
#KitchenTablePolitics #AICanada #Canada
lenispooner.substack.com/p/canada-at-...
Most people under 40 only know the Cold War as background noise in old movies. But for Canada, it was a test of quiet power — building peace through cooperation, not bluster.
#SundayRead #booksky 👉 lenispooner.substack.com/p/a-quiet-re...
#SundayRead #booksky 👉 lenispooner.substack.com/p/a-quiet-re...
Canada’s Cold Peace | A Quiet Reckoning Chapter 2
How post-war Canada built peace through infrastructure — radar lines, healthcare, pensions, and trust — binding a nation together while shaping a quieter, stronger power.
lenispooner.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Most people under 40 only know the Cold War as background noise in old movies. But for Canada, it was a test of quiet power — building peace through cooperation, not bluster.
#SundayRead #booksky 👉 lenispooner.substack.com/p/a-quiet-re...
#SundayRead #booksky 👉 lenispooner.substack.com/p/a-quiet-re...
We Canadians love to think our lakes are pristine — but the Don River alone sends 500 billion microplastics a year into Lake Ontario.
Maybe it’s time to ask what “clean” really means.
🔗 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#Waterways #FoodPolitics #Canada #environment
Maybe it’s time to ask what “clean” really means.
🔗 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#Waterways #FoodPolitics #Canada #environment
Toronto's Don River sends 500 billion microplastics into Lake Ontario each year: study | CBC News
A new study of one of Canada's most urbanized rivers suggests it dumps the equivalent of about 18 cars worth of microplastics into Lake Ontario every year, a finding that shocked the lead author and u...
www.cbc.ca
October 25, 2025 at 3:58 PM
We Canadians love to think our lakes are pristine — but the Don River alone sends 500 billion microplastics a year into Lake Ontario.
Maybe it’s time to ask what “clean” really means.
🔗 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#Waterways #FoodPolitics #Canada #environment
Maybe it’s time to ask what “clean” really means.
🔗 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#Waterways #FoodPolitics #Canada #environment
Every new home hides a small invoice to the town that built it.
Who Pays for Growth? digs into how development fees keep the lights—and pipes—on. #Canada #Municipal #Developer #Onpoli
between-the-lines.ca/who-pays-for...
Who Pays for Growth? digs into how development fees keep the lights—and pipes—on. #Canada #Municipal #Developer #Onpoli
between-the-lines.ca/who-pays-for...
October 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Every new home hides a small invoice to the town that built it.
Who Pays for Growth? digs into how development fees keep the lights—and pipes—on. #Canada #Municipal #Developer #Onpoli
between-the-lines.ca/who-pays-for...
Who Pays for Growth? digs into how development fees keep the lights—and pipes—on. #Canada #Municipal #Developer #Onpoli
between-the-lines.ca/who-pays-for...
“Care is not a soft word. It’s the operating system of civilization.”
The most important essay I’ve read on what truly holds a society together. Should be required reading for every elected official.
#BookSky
open.substack.com/pub/twvme/p/...
The most important essay I’ve read on what truly holds a society together. Should be required reading for every elected official.
#BookSky
open.substack.com/pub/twvme/p/...
Care Economies as Infrastructure: The Operating System of Civilization
Care is not charity; it’s infrastructure. The feminine economy measures coherence, not profit — the physics of holding as the operating system of civilization.
open.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM
“Care is not a soft word. It’s the operating system of civilization.”
The most important essay I’ve read on what truly holds a society together. Should be required reading for every elected official.
#BookSky
open.substack.com/pub/twvme/p/...
The most important essay I’ve read on what truly holds a society together. Should be required reading for every elected official.
#BookSky
open.substack.com/pub/twvme/p/...
We’ve started playing poker when we should be hosting potlucks.
Why Canada’s debate sounds like a zero-sum game—and what that’s costing us.
📖 #SundayRead #BookSky medium.com/@leni_las/ze...
Why Canada’s debate sounds like a zero-sum game—and what that’s costing us.
📖 #SundayRead #BookSky medium.com/@leni_las/ze...
October 19, 2025 at 4:27 PM
We’ve started playing poker when we should be hosting potlucks.
Why Canada’s debate sounds like a zero-sum game—and what that’s costing us.
📖 #SundayRead #BookSky medium.com/@leni_las/ze...
Why Canada’s debate sounds like a zero-sum game—and what that’s costing us.
📖 #SundayRead #BookSky medium.com/@leni_las/ze...