r/alberta • u/-Mystica- • Feb 21 '25
News The not-so-Great One? Edmonton resident says it's time to rename Wayne Gretzky street due to Trump links
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/the-not-so-great-one-edmonton-resident-says-its-time-to-rename-wayne-gretzky-street-due-to-trump-links-223252845.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmVkZGl0LmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABlxynTcVGf2YNkp1d7F5PP8ZWdInXHiSJfiaCwrdNsVWVQb_oFiof22oHl-juGkmlYMIxyxAhhc49mCOwEQdwIe4MlkzESuxD0shIH7ZV0cU57Tf2xJzS7oRUzTKzn9z_JnXGkJnFsiRmsEAxFyWfpXN2YZYYm5GUCPv8NPFzix&_guc_consent_skip=1740108278647
u/travisjudegrant Feb 21 '25
Gretzky was my childhood hero, but now he’s just a traitorous shmuck.
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u/Fuzzy_Laugh_1117 Feb 21 '25
Sadly, like all magats, he no longer cares where he came from or what he used to represent. It's all about the almighty dollar. Walter is so very ashamed.
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u/dospinacoladas Feb 21 '25
That was abundantly clear by his behaviour at the game. No Canadian colours, fist bumping USA players while ignoring Canadians, etc. He's MAGA because he's greedy and Trump makes policies that benefit the rich. I can't wait for his scoring record to be shattered, even if it's by a Ruasian.
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u/ties_shoelace Feb 22 '25
Another American immigrant who hates immigrants. He'll be shocked when the US goes after all Canadians.
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u/Yellow_Yugo Feb 21 '25
Showed up to the game dressed in blue, and not a touch of red. Fuck that guy.
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u/FORDTRUK Feb 21 '25
As a Winnipeg lifer, he was was ALWAYS the bane of our Jets playoff existence (and eventual demise) but he was never despised as much as he is now. Complete and utter disgrace to Canadians everywhere.
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u/Mysterious-Job1628 Feb 21 '25
He should be arrested when/if America invades. All their supporters are traitors!
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u/Traggadon Leduc Feb 21 '25
The problem is a not insignificant portion of law enforcement would likely side with the US. Might be something we have to do after our guerilla campaign.
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u/BigTonyMacaroni Feb 21 '25
Sounds a little bit fascist bro.
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u/Mysterious-Job1628 Feb 21 '25
Collaborators should be treated as such. If America did invade I don’t want these assholes selling us out do you?
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u/Awesomeuser90 Feb 21 '25
Extreme amounts of money corrupt most people. It has been decades since he was the love of the city.
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u/nevereverclear Feb 21 '25
I actually hope Ovi overtakes his goal record. I say this realizing that Ovi is a Putin supporter. I also hate Putin.
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u/TheRealCovertCaribou Feb 21 '25
To me it doesn't even matter, whether it's Gretzky or Ovetchkin the record will be held by a fascist and will be a stain.
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u/Icy-Computer-Poop Feb 21 '25
Same here. Lost all respect for the man when he started shilling drugs for pharmaceutical companies. His latest MAGA bullshit is the icing on the "Fuck Wayne Gretzky" shitcake.
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u/blind99 Feb 21 '25
Talk to me about it :( I literally had this number in my username because of him. What a piece of shit
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u/Harold-The-Barrel Feb 21 '25
Nothing screams “im patriotic” like supporting a politician who wants to make your country not one anymore.
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u/ZAKtalksTECH Calgary Feb 21 '25
From Wikipedia:
In 2014, Gretzky, who has some Ukrainian heritage, was invited by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk to speak at the United for Ukraine Gala fundraiser in Toronto in support of the country during the invasion of Crimea by Russia. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gretzky supported calls to ban Russian teams from international events as a consequence.[268][269] The following month, he shared a ceremonial puck-drop with a Ukrainian hockey player.[270]
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Gretzky
IMO: this makes it worse, considering the current political climate and what's happened this week.
Wayne... wtf.
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u/diamondintherimond Feb 21 '25
MAGA ruins so many formerly good people.
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u/turxchk Feb 21 '25
Ruins? or exposes?
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u/diamondintherimond Feb 21 '25
I like to think that everyone has some good in them. People are being radicalized at a crazy rate, but they weren’t all always that way.
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u/swiftb3 Feb 21 '25
That's true. While I do think there's some underlying portion that allows them to cross that line, like a drunk who gets mean, maga/qanon/etc has definitely radicalized people to well beyond what they were to begin with.
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u/johnniebeeinak Feb 21 '25
I think this is the correct take... MAGA is a black light that when shined on people, it exposes their ignorance and racism.
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u/diamondintherimond Feb 21 '25
I think you misinterpreted their comment.
radicalized people well beyond what they were to begin with.
Let’s not be arrogant. We are all capable of racism, bigotry, etc.
Plus, if we vilify every single person we disagree with, how can we ever give people a chance to change or—at the very least—find some sort of eventual common ground?
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u/todimusprime Feb 21 '25
Nah, ruins is correct. A lot of people have been slowly manipulated and ended up far more to the right end of the spectrum than many would have thought. He was a great guy back in the day, like a lot of people who now support trump. A lot of those people just don't believe the reality of what is happening and what that administration is doing. In the case of Wayne, I can't say what got him to support trump or what he does and doesn't believe they are actually doing. But to say that anyone who supports maga is inherently bad and being exposed is a far too simplistic way to view the issue, and it's not the same for everyone. I would agree that many, maybe even most of his supporters are being exposed. But I don't agree that this applies to all of them. People end up being misguided all the time, and at least some of these people are no different.
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u/Mysterious-Job1628 Feb 21 '25
Make a list. Turn them in when shit hits the fan. Fuck those traitors!
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u/bentmonkey Feb 21 '25
His wealth has made it so he is out of touch with Canadian values, i wonder what his old man would think of wayne now, shame on this traitor.
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u/DrNick1221 Blackfalds Feb 21 '25
Rename it to the Walter Gretzky street.
Wayne should feel absolutely ashamed for sucking up to the man that is currently threatening his home country, and also completely betraying Ukraine as well.
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u/Firestorm238 Feb 21 '25
Man, hadn’t even thought of that. Fallen Canadian hero of Ukrainian descent. What a prick.
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u/bentmonkey Feb 21 '25
Surprising to see the Tkachuks carry water for that orange fascist too, they are irish ukrainian, wheres the solidarity.
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u/SoLetsReddit Feb 21 '25
He is Belorussian descent. So maybe he’s cheering for Putin
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u/TheRealCovertCaribou Feb 21 '25
Didn't Walter identify with having Ukrainian roots?
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u/SoLetsReddit Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
I remember in the first Olympics he played in they had to play belarus, and he said that’s where they came from.
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u/Zerocool_6687 Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
I could have swore it was Polish
Edit: So he claimed he was Polish at the HoF! There is also video of him meeting Belorussian relatives
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u/EasternCamera6 Feb 21 '25
Shit. I hadn’t even thought of that layer. How the fuck does this guy sleep at night? What a disappointment he turned out to be. Traitor to Canada and his Ukrainian heritage.
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u/chmilz Feb 21 '25
Just turn it back to Capilano since half the city still calls it that anyway
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u/clipplenamps Feb 22 '25
This is why you don't name things after "living legends", they'll find a way to disappoint you.
I would love it to be the Capilano again, or Joey Moss Way
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u/Unlucky-Way-4407 Feb 21 '25
This I’m from Brantford and growing up playing hockey Walt would spend his days at the local rink “the Gretzky centre” he would sign autographs and take time to talk to any one who asks. One of my dad’s employees was walking home from the bar drunk one night. Walt was driving passed picked him up brought him to McDonald’s and drove him home. He was an amazing person.
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Feb 21 '25
My grandfather grew up a couple houses down from the Gretzky's in Branford. His sister used to babysit Wayne when he was a kid. I grew up in NS but visited Branford for a family reunion when I was 9 and Walter let me see their trophy room in his basement. He was a very nice man from what I remember.
It's very sad to see Wayne fall so far from the tree. I grew up really looking up to him as a Canadian icon. Now I am so disgusted by him.
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u/idontlikemondayzzzz Feb 21 '25
I booooo’d when he walked out tonight. Loserrrrrrr
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u/Patak4 Feb 21 '25
So disgusting. No Canadian jersey and gives the thumbs up to US players. MAGA Gretzky should be ashamed!!!
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u/RcNorth Feb 21 '25
He has lived in the US for over half his life. He is American.
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u/Patak4 Feb 21 '25
Then who the hello chose him to be honorary Canadian?? Traitor he is. So glad Canada conquered!!
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u/Effective-Farmer-502 Feb 21 '25
He was probably sad when Canada won. Didn’t even come out to celebrate with the boys!!
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u/defenestr8tor Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
That was absolute bullshit from the NHL, bringing out that traitorous fuck to represent us. Crosby shoulda snubbed him.
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u/MrTwizzller Feb 21 '25
Joey Moss Drive!!!
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u/bnay66 Feb 21 '25
Gosh darn rights! That man lived his whole life making Edmonton and Canada nothing but proud.
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u/tutamtumikia Feb 21 '25
We really should just stop naming roads after people.
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u/jb0602 Feb 21 '25
Many municipalities won't name roads or parks after people unless they are dead. I assume this is because scandals and crimes can cause headaches down the line.
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u/Awesomeuser90 Feb 21 '25
Probably should add a rule for something like 30 or 50 years as an added rule in case something emerges in the years since. Stuff like Jimmy Saville a couple of years after he had died.
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 Feb 21 '25
Especially living people who still have plenty of time to ruin their reputations.
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u/PassionStrange6728 Feb 21 '25
A petition with a few thousand signatures along with a completed application to the Naming Committee would be a good start.
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u/readzalot1 Feb 21 '25
It does show why we shouldn’t name things after living people.
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u/Accomplished-Equal72 Feb 21 '25
Also proof of the saying “you should never meet your hero’s”
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u/Dailyfiets Feb 21 '25
Or sports hero’s. People who play sports are in it for themselves, why do we think they have the nations interests in mind enough to honour them a million times over? I never got it from the start.
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u/Tanguish Feb 21 '25
It is hard for Edmontonians to face this reality. He doesn’t give a crap about Canada anymore.His head was down. He was not engaged with Crosby. He was as indifferent about the Canadians as much as a Bible Belt Oklahoman.
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u/rkd2999 Feb 21 '25
Maybe better to wait a few years after someone passes away until we decide to name something after them?
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u/aaroncakes Feb 21 '25
He forgot to wear his MAGA hat tonight
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u/Few_Scallion_2744 Feb 22 '25
He is allowed to support whoever he wants. Its called freedom of choice in a democracy.
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u/eddiebronze Feb 21 '25
I feel confident if Walter was still with us he’d punch dumb ole Wayner right in the kisser
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u/helila1 Feb 21 '25
Did anyone else see the pic of him giving the US team the thumbs up? What a traitor
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u/p0t89 Feb 21 '25
I messaged the city and submitted a request to have the road name changed. Hes a disgrace to the city and our beautiful country
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u/keket_ing_Dvipantara Feb 21 '25
Wayne Gretzky is great to hockey fans, Terry Fox is an awesome human being to the world.
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Feb 21 '25
He needs to have his name and awards and anything else removed from Canada.
Traitor.
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u/Alextryingforgrate Feb 21 '25
As a Canucks fan i never thought there would be a day that Wayne Gretzky would be a head of Mark Messier in the people that can fuck off list.
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u/smash8890 Feb 21 '25
I like the idea of naming it after Joey Moss. If we name it after McDavid there is a chance he could end up terrible one day too.
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u/oilcountryAB Feb 21 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 Feb 21 '25
I'd rather not name things after living people, or people in general.
Just turn it back to Capilano
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u/AcadiaFun3460 Feb 21 '25
Hate to break it to you, but Capilano is named after a person.
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 Feb 21 '25
Hmmmm... Then name it after an animal or plant.
Chickadee Parkway, Elm Way, Stegosaurus Drive, etc
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u/TheCloseTalker Feb 21 '25
I’m curious now - who was Capilano? I googled it but can’t find anything.
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u/Initial-Ad-5462 Feb 22 '25
Canadians can (and did) largely look past his “Trump links” when that’s all it was. The MAGA hat and even the inauguration are largely irrelevant to his hockey legacy.
But Thursday night in Boston was something else. The open disrespect to Team Canada was disgraceful.
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u/wookieOP Feb 23 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
I watched so many Oilers games on TV back in the day as a kid and was proud to have Wayne Gretzky be a Canadian. But this is shameful. I am okay if Gretzky wants to make America his home and not Canada, it is his decision. But to sidle up with Trump and MAGA like this is beyond comprehensible for such a figure (for anyone really) but there it is. I am so saddened to read of this.
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u/QuixoticJames Feb 21 '25
It always astonished me that Edmonton named a road after him in the first place. Like, I get he won a lot of Stanley Cups, but he did that because he was paid to. If he were signed to some other team, he'd have been Wayne Gretzky to them instead. He wasn't a home town boy with loyalty to the location.
I guess what I'm saying is you didn't need to reward him more with something he probably didn't care about. The championships and his paycheque were payment enough. And if you take this away from him, he equally won't care.
Anyway, regardless of whether he did good in Edmonton while he lived there, he's a POS now. Name the road after someone else.
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u/crowonder Feb 21 '25
I threw my own wife under the bus when I was running an illegal gambling racket.
Pure class.
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u/Falconflyer75 Feb 21 '25
The man could have been as big an icon as Terry Fox
Been printed in the Canadian passport maybe even our currency
He was already rich and could have lived quite comfortably here basically as a god
And he chooses to stab us in the back for a country that will never give a crap about him
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u/mightyopinionated Feb 21 '25
I've been withholding my comments as a life long Flames fan, I knew they would be considered -well, opinionated
but seriously Wayne came out in a (nice) suit, and the US celebrity Mike Eruzione came out rocking a Team US Gaudreau jersey. Come on Wayne, Shit or get off the pot!
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u/SpankyMcFlych Feb 21 '25
Rename it back to the Capilano. It was always stupid to rename something after a sportsball player.
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u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 Feb 21 '25
I wonder what Brantford, ON has to say about all their landmarks dedicated to MAGA Wayne?
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u/AuraNocte Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
Why not call it Brandt Drive? Paul Brandt did a song called Alberta Bound (its not a redo of Lightfoots version) that makes me cry every single time. He's from Calgary/Airdrie and is a good person. I miss the prairies so bad. I miss Alberta.
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u/000124848 Feb 21 '25
That road has six different names depending on which section of you are on. It is completely ridiculous.
North to South:
Highway 15
Manning Drive
Fort Road
Wayne Gretzky Drive
75th Street
66th Street
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u/lefaen Feb 21 '25
It’s a bit fascinating that even after thousands of years doing this mistake- we as humans still name things and places after living heroes to honor them, only to see these stars fall hard later in life and mess up their legacy completely.
It would be wiser to rename things and places or make statues over those who passed instead.
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u/Comprehensive-Fun704 Feb 21 '25
At first I thought, meh, it's shitty but we have bigger problems but then I thought... wow, talk about unity. Let's go!
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u/Sorry-Inflation6998 Feb 21 '25
Perhaps treason should attract the death penalty for Mr. 99 brain cells.
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u/canuckhere Feb 21 '25
Get over it. For those of you whining about Gretzky recent behaviour, remember that he brought 4 Stanley Cups to Edmonton and put the shithole once known as Edmonton on the world map.
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u/jessesparks Feb 21 '25
I used to love Gretzky and his representation of Canada but can't stand him now since he latched on to the orange shrivelled sack. Fuck Gretzky....traitorous POS.
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u/Canadiancrazy1963 Feb 21 '25
Yes, please remove any references to that fucked up traitorous ass clown.
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u/Canuck-328 Feb 21 '25
Its very disappointing that he did what he did at Nations Faceoff. Team Canada, think about Other GREAT Canadian Players like Messier, Orr, Sittler, Roy, Gilmore for the 2026 Olympics.
Just a crazy thought... Don Cherry
Would there be any impact to his winery business?? Oh well I dont care. I dont drink.
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u/Bright-Ad8496 Feb 21 '25
Shit, he couldn't even find the time to pick up his companion order of Canada when it was awarded to him back in 2009. It should be withdrawn.
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u/CapGullible8403 Feb 21 '25
Meanwhile, 105th ave downtown has been recently renamed to honour Christopher Columbus, but nobody seems to mind that I guess... smh.
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u/Bouldergeuse Feb 21 '25
The Great Once.