Great story, until a totally gratuitous and irrelevant Trump reference was thrown in. A much bigger threat to our economy than Trump is that our entire political class is obsessed with him, rather than our own manifold problems - most self-created.
I've gotten to the same place with Trump that I got with Justin Trudeau ...slotted somewhere in the rear sections of my mind so I spend less time in the stress zone.
Did the mention of Trump trigger you? Do you have a bad case of ‘TDS’? It was a non part of the story, but it got you. You don’t have to feel the need to defend him everytime he’s mentioned. He’s a big boy. He’s earned all the hate.
Exactly! Whenever I say that it’s time for our current government to stop the Trump fixation as it helps them politically. Canada needs to fix many problems now …. A decade ago the decline of Canada was already evident.
And NO Mr. Carney this is not a “new” government you are the leader of an old tired government with many of Trudeau’s incompetent cabinet ministers.
The fact that he creates constant chaos, exists as this weird embodiment of corruption and sleaze, operates in transparent total self-interest and bad faith, exudes equal parts bravado, ego fragility, and rank incompetence, and yet has so much power over everyone on the planet, rightly causes a lot of people a lot of stress. I pull my hair and wonder why we have to endure this man, hear about him so much, and can't seem to get rid of him. I think he has proven in the last year that he is actually an evil person who revels in the misery of others. We are all worse off for ever having ever heard of him. I hope he dies in office soon or loses power and endures the wrath of everyone he has screwed over for the rest of his days.
Trump also causes an exaggerated madness and derangement in a lot of people, which magnifies the damage he does. I think he stokes this deliberately by playing up his chaos tactics and acting like a sadistic bully and a pro wrestling heel. The fact that it's reasonable to use these kinds of terms for a US president reflects the mad times we live in.
At the same time, he has ruined our domestic politics and done more unintentional damage to Canada than he probably ever could deliberately. He's the perfect excuse for our own despicable and corrupt ruling class to cling to power and blame for every problem that they have created. These assholes effectively ruined a lot of our lives - my prime earning years have been a damp squib largely thanks to Liberal policies - and they are getting away with it using Trump as cover and propaganda boogeyman. Our domestic tormentors would be out on their asses right now if Trump hadn't been re-elected in 2024.
And I think the actual threat Trump poses is exaggerated. He's not Hitler, he still faces political constraints, and I think things are going to end badly for him, possibly soon. But he has still done a lot of damage to the US, Canada, and the world through his insane rhetoric and chaotic ill-considered actions.
Actually, that is not the fault of DJT; it is the fault of Canadian politicians and voters who cannot deal with the fact that our problems are REAL and are of our own making. DJT is simply a sideshow but our chattering folk simply cannot figure that out and obsess about him rather than their own (lack of) performance.
Opportunistic politicians, idiotic voters, and especially a captive media frothing at the mouth to create an anti-Conservative narrative all share the blame for the debacle we are in by boosting and distorting Trump's threats.
But it's really obvious that Trump has done and said things that are absolutely fucking insane, and continues to do that almost every day. And sure, the majority of what he threatens is meaningless hot air, but isn't that also a problem? A US president shouldn't be obsessed with economically sanctioning his allies, threatening to annex their territory, and lately conducting random unprovoked military adventures seemingly designed to shore up his own threat credibility as much as achieve any actual objective.
I'm also pretty sure he deliberately interfered in our 2025 election to Mark Carney's benefit and they came to some kind of deal when they first officially spoke, playing along with esteemed "Prime Minister Carney" and letting him "run against him". Great job of his reminding everyone about "51st state" on the morning of election day. He knows how to play our voters, and it's not in a way that will let us ever get free of the worst government we have ever had.
Fuck Trump. I don't care if you or I agree with his some of his stated positions on things like immigration. That's America's problem. He needs to go.
Quote from story: “Another thing that is stressful and difficult is managing the fact that our largest trading partner has morphed into something resembling an existential threat to the economic sovereignty of our nation, necessitating a generational realignment of our strategic interests and priorities.”
The piece is infinitely stronger without that bit. And Jen knows it. The grade I’ve given stands. There’s nothing wrong with getting an A.
Absolutely on point comment … no need for the gratuitous swipe at Trump. Far too many Canadians are far too obsessed with Trump, and ignoring our owe issues, created by ten years of idiotic policy, which Carney has yet to reverse. Trump is not Canadas worst problem, and has not been at any time. Canadian voters willing to be gaslit with lies are our biggest problem.
The politicos are obsessed with the USA because it is easy to do, free and a sure fire vote getter. It's a kind of virtue signaling. The real question should be who's fault is it? I'll put voters front and centre because of this wooly, shallow feel good by slagging someone else that is such a Canadian trait. Hell it's probably bigger than......sorry!
Until they put a bullet in his head he should be mentioned at the end of every public statement. I want it said at the conclusion of every statement on zoning or tax policy or agriculture subsidies, "and furthermore, Trump dalenda est".
The funniest thing about this is nobody had an issue with it until it was exposed to the public by a reporter. 🤣
You’d think by this point in time that governments at all levels would own their decisions they think are important enough to do - rather than erase them at the first sign of criticism.
I’m more amused by how fast it disappeared rather than anything else. Also - taxpayer dollars are paying for therapy dogs and therapists because citizens are expressing their concerns? Yikes.
Very bad decisions result in fixes that take decades, generations? We have an insanely long list but just like with helping the drunk/drug addicted, they need to admit they have/there is a problem 1st.
Your discovery of the adult toy room is good reporting. You went to the seat of municipal government in Calgary, had a look around and learned something about the use of taxpayer dollars that the public might want to know about. Well done.
Don't forget the on-site therapist - the city should post that contract on their website.
Is there any evidence that the investment in workplace coddling does any good? Does it result in fewer sick days and increased productivity? Or is it counterproductive and keeps everyone focused on how shitty their workplace can be and creates the expectation that employees can be psychologically damaged simply by interacting with the public - or by simply being within hearing distance of the dirty and disheveled souls who attend these things.
Play is good, especially when stress is high (one of my key duties is to keep my InfoSec team members “loose” enough to stay at the top of their threat hunting game, and injecting fun periodically is key).
I sense a trend. My much smaller municipality frequently frames social media and even roadside signage about the future of our town in polyanna language that seems designed for 3rd graders (and I'm pretty sure I've known even 3rd graders who would read such things with cynicism). Instead of 'these are complex choices, let's find intelligent, mature ways to get through them together' it's 'this stuff is hard, let's try to sound playful and make failed attempts at humour in the infantilizing hope that no one will notice they are fed up and we haven't solved a thing.' I have a theory--utterly unprovable--that this all traces back to when 'to adult' became a verb, and then a noun, i.e. 'adulting.'
We handled it without children's toys, spending money on 'safe' spaces, and having timeouts during work hours. No wonder the City is so inefficient and Canadian GDP is almost zero. When BlackRock bails on DEI, you know it's a losing proposition. And I'm no fan of BlackRock.
Why not have a fully stocked bar? That would be understandable, but no less inappropriate. I don't get this preoccupation of some adults with children's play. Why not a pickup game of ball after work?
Who actually thinks this was a solution to the challenges of governance? Governing means compromises and hard choices and work. To quote Red Forman "If it wasn't work, they wouldn't call it work. They'd call it super wonderful, crazy fun time."
I don't have a clue what you are talking about. What is having some gadgets in a room have to do with taking ownership of your life? Also, you don't have to tell me what being an adult is. I raised four children to adulthood, one of whom is a doctor.
Sorry, Donald, for the snarky reply. I very rarely mention to anyone that I have a child who is a doctor because I consider it to be bragging and I was raised in the era where that was definitely frowned upon and I still feel it should be. My bad. ( Aren't I the with it oldster using that saying?) I must be missing something, though, because as much as I appreciate the writing of Jen Gerson, being a subscriber for a few years now, I see this totally as a non issue.
Gotta admit, if you hadn't made it clear right away with your narrative and photo, the first thing that would have occurred to me re. "adult toy room" would have been rather different.
We all need outlets for our stress. Calling it a Toy Room is not helpful but understanding the need to decompress and providing a means for that decompression is not a bad idea. Optics count in politics. There are many healthy ways to deal with stress. The question is did City Council ask for this or did a bureaucrat decide for them?
Great story, until a totally gratuitous and irrelevant Trump reference was thrown in. A much bigger threat to our economy than Trump is that our entire political class is obsessed with him, rather than our own manifold problems - most self-created.
Trump is crack for mainstream media. They're hopelessly addicted.
I've gotten to the same place with Trump that I got with Justin Trudeau ...slotted somewhere in the rear sections of my mind so I spend less time in the stress zone.
That is the precise coping mechanism I use. It numbs the sense that I am living in the matrix.
Did the mention of Trump trigger you? Do you have a bad case of ‘TDS’? It was a non part of the story, but it got you. You don’t have to feel the need to defend him everytime he’s mentioned. He’s a big boy. He’s earned all the hate.
I wasn't defending him. I want a better future for Canada, and the Trump obsession of the political class is impeding that.
Precisely.
Exactly! Whenever I say that it’s time for our current government to stop the Trump fixation as it helps them politically. Canada needs to fix many problems now …. A decade ago the decline of Canada was already evident.
And NO Mr. Carney this is not a “new” government you are the leader of an old tired government with many of Trudeau’s incompetent cabinet ministers.
Trump sure stresses me out.
The fact that he creates constant chaos, exists as this weird embodiment of corruption and sleaze, operates in transparent total self-interest and bad faith, exudes equal parts bravado, ego fragility, and rank incompetence, and yet has so much power over everyone on the planet, rightly causes a lot of people a lot of stress. I pull my hair and wonder why we have to endure this man, hear about him so much, and can't seem to get rid of him. I think he has proven in the last year that he is actually an evil person who revels in the misery of others. We are all worse off for ever having ever heard of him. I hope he dies in office soon or loses power and endures the wrath of everyone he has screwed over for the rest of his days.
Trump also causes an exaggerated madness and derangement in a lot of people, which magnifies the damage he does. I think he stokes this deliberately by playing up his chaos tactics and acting like a sadistic bully and a pro wrestling heel. The fact that it's reasonable to use these kinds of terms for a US president reflects the mad times we live in.
At the same time, he has ruined our domestic politics and done more unintentional damage to Canada than he probably ever could deliberately. He's the perfect excuse for our own despicable and corrupt ruling class to cling to power and blame for every problem that they have created. These assholes effectively ruined a lot of our lives - my prime earning years have been a damp squib largely thanks to Liberal policies - and they are getting away with it using Trump as cover and propaganda boogeyman. Our domestic tormentors would be out on their asses right now if Trump hadn't been re-elected in 2024.
And I think the actual threat Trump poses is exaggerated. He's not Hitler, he still faces political constraints, and I think things are going to end badly for him, possibly soon. But he has still done a lot of damage to the US, Canada, and the world through his insane rhetoric and chaotic ill-considered actions.
"... he has ruined our domestic politics ..."
Actually, that is not the fault of DJT; it is the fault of Canadian politicians and voters who cannot deal with the fact that our problems are REAL and are of our own making. DJT is simply a sideshow but our chattering folk simply cannot figure that out and obsess about him rather than their own (lack of) performance.
Yes, far far too many Canadians voted against a foreign leader, than actually voted for Canada. We will pay a steep price for this idiocy.
Opportunistic politicians, idiotic voters, and especially a captive media frothing at the mouth to create an anti-Conservative narrative all share the blame for the debacle we are in by boosting and distorting Trump's threats.
But it's really obvious that Trump has done and said things that are absolutely fucking insane, and continues to do that almost every day. And sure, the majority of what he threatens is meaningless hot air, but isn't that also a problem? A US president shouldn't be obsessed with economically sanctioning his allies, threatening to annex their territory, and lately conducting random unprovoked military adventures seemingly designed to shore up his own threat credibility as much as achieve any actual objective.
I'm also pretty sure he deliberately interfered in our 2025 election to Mark Carney's benefit and they came to some kind of deal when they first officially spoke, playing along with esteemed "Prime Minister Carney" and letting him "run against him". Great job of his reminding everyone about "51st state" on the morning of election day. He knows how to play our voters, and it's not in a way that will let us ever get free of the worst government we have ever had.
Fuck Trump. I don't care if you or I agree with his some of his stated positions on things like immigration. That's America's problem. He needs to go.
I don't see Trump mentioned in the article?
Not by name, but it's there and it stuck out like a sore thumb.
Unless you're making what seems to me a tenuous connection between toys and the Toddler in Chief book, I don't know what you're referring to.
https://www.amazon.com/Toddler-Chief-Donald-Teaches-Presidency/dp/022671425X
Quote from story: “Another thing that is stressful and difficult is managing the fact that our largest trading partner has morphed into something resembling an existential threat to the economic sovereignty of our nation, necessitating a generational realignment of our strategic interests and priorities.”
The piece is infinitely stronger without that bit. And Jen knows it. The grade I’ve given stands. There’s nothing wrong with getting an A.
Absolutely on point comment … no need for the gratuitous swipe at Trump. Far too many Canadians are far too obsessed with Trump, and ignoring our owe issues, created by ten years of idiotic policy, which Carney has yet to reverse. Trump is not Canadas worst problem, and has not been at any time. Canadian voters willing to be gaslit with lies are our biggest problem.
The politicos are obsessed with the USA because it is easy to do, free and a sure fire vote getter. It's a kind of virtue signaling. The real question should be who's fault is it? I'll put voters front and centre because of this wooly, shallow feel good by slagging someone else that is such a Canadian trait. Hell it's probably bigger than......sorry!
Until they put a bullet in his head he should be mentioned at the end of every public statement. I want it said at the conclusion of every statement on zoning or tax policy or agriculture subsidies, "and furthermore, Trump dalenda est".
does one need to be obsessed with him to think he's an idiot?
(or whatever word works, lol)
The funniest thing about this is nobody had an issue with it until it was exposed to the public by a reporter. 🤣
You’d think by this point in time that governments at all levels would own their decisions they think are important enough to do - rather than erase them at the first sign of criticism.
I’m more amused by how fast it disappeared rather than anything else. Also - taxpayer dollars are paying for therapy dogs and therapists because citizens are expressing their concerns? Yikes.
"... You’d think by this point in time that governments at all levels would own their decisions ..."
It might be "expected" by rational human beings but, then that descriptor does not include our political class.
Very bad decisions result in fixes that take decades, generations? We have an insanely long list but just like with helping the drunk/drug addicted, they need to admit they have/there is a problem 1st.
If adults need toys to cope with the stress of their job could they not bring their own adult toys to work?
OK ... wait a minute ... suddenly that doesn't sound like such a good idea either.
Your discovery of the adult toy room is good reporting. You went to the seat of municipal government in Calgary, had a look around and learned something about the use of taxpayer dollars that the public might want to know about. Well done.
Right. From the look of the toys it was probably a $20.00 purchase at the dollar store.
Don't forget the on-site therapist - the city should post that contract on their website.
Is there any evidence that the investment in workplace coddling does any good? Does it result in fewer sick days and increased productivity? Or is it counterproductive and keeps everyone focused on how shitty their workplace can be and creates the expectation that employees can be psychologically damaged simply by interacting with the public - or by simply being within hearing distance of the dirty and disheveled souls who attend these things.
Well, Garrett, you are right. An on sight therapist would be a much greater expense.
boo, was a lovely story, til last paragrapgh where the toy room got shut down. more kids, n toys in work sites might make our world better. stay well
Play is good, especially when stress is high (one of my key duties is to keep my InfoSec team members “loose” enough to stay at the top of their threat hunting game, and injecting fun periodically is key).
Infantilizing adults not as much.
There’s got to be a reasonable medium.
Cannabis.
Agreed!
There’s also our own Rotem Petranker … shrooms for ptsd 🙏
Yes, the url looks sketchy — but it’s just his last name 🙀
https://www.petranker.com/
This is why I ride a motorcycle.
Greatest stress reliever ever invented.
I sense a trend. My much smaller municipality frequently frames social media and even roadside signage about the future of our town in polyanna language that seems designed for 3rd graders (and I'm pretty sure I've known even 3rd graders who would read such things with cynicism). Instead of 'these are complex choices, let's find intelligent, mature ways to get through them together' it's 'this stuff is hard, let's try to sound playful and make failed attempts at humour in the infantilizing hope that no one will notice they are fed up and we haven't solved a thing.' I have a theory--utterly unprovable--that this all traces back to when 'to adult' became a verb, and then a noun, i.e. 'adulting.'
Good lord, everything is nuts. This adult toy room sounds really very much like the bonkers stuff we are hearing from NDP front runners at the moment.
Never required toy rooms before DEI came along.
What does DEI have to do with it?
When meritocracy was a thing, there was no need for toy rooms.
Yes, because no one ever suffered stress at work before DEI.
We handled it without children's toys, spending money on 'safe' spaces, and having timeouts during work hours. No wonder the City is so inefficient and Canadian GDP is almost zero. When BlackRock bails on DEI, you know it's a losing proposition. And I'm no fan of BlackRock.
after work drinking was the therapy :)
I get the idea of destressing; perhaps a knitting room would work (works for me). xo
I want a nap room.
Okay; this is a great piece of commentary.
Stone cold brilliant.
This is great writing; this is exquisite Canadian journalism.
Well done.
Why not have a fully stocked bar? That would be understandable, but no less inappropriate. I don't get this preoccupation of some adults with children's play. Why not a pickup game of ball after work?
Who actually thinks this was a solution to the challenges of governance? Governing means compromises and hard choices and work. To quote Red Forman "If it wasn't work, they wouldn't call it work. They'd call it super wonderful, crazy fun time."
I don't get the criticism. What's wrong with having a room to de-stress? The only issue I would have is that there didn't appear to be any Lego.
I would ask in reply, why can’t they destress like other folks?
Get a gym membership, you know, like an actual adult.
Oh, I see, putting on shorts and a tank top and riding a bike that doesn't go anywhere,
lifting, pulling and throwing things is being an adult.
Honestly, Janet, if I have to tell you that being an adult is about taking ownership of your life, well, I fear all the rest just falls on deaf ears.
I don't have a clue what you are talking about. What is having some gadgets in a room have to do with taking ownership of your life? Also, you don't have to tell me what being an adult is. I raised four children to adulthood, one of whom is a doctor.
Sorry, Donald, for the snarky reply. I very rarely mention to anyone that I have a child who is a doctor because I consider it to be bragging and I was raised in the era where that was definitely frowned upon and I still feel it should be. My bad. ( Aren't I the with it oldster using that saying?) I must be missing something, though, because as much as I appreciate the writing of Jen Gerson, being a subscriber for a few years now, I see this totally as a non issue.
And pay for it themselves. On their own damned time. Not on my time.
Gotta admit, if you hadn't made it clear right away with your narrative and photo, the first thing that would have occurred to me re. "adult toy room" would have been rather different.
We all need outlets for our stress. Calling it a Toy Room is not helpful but understanding the need to decompress and providing a means for that decompression is not a bad idea. Optics count in politics. There are many healthy ways to deal with stress. The question is did City Council ask for this or did a bureaucrat decide for them?
In my life I would always decompress after work in the same place: it was called home.
Or, some folks might stop at the bar. Or ....
The point is that the decompressing is on the employee's own time and on the employee's own dime.
Pick your employee club: Stitch and Bitch, Try and Cry, and now Play or Pray.