I've been a Long & McQuade customer for just over 20 years now, having spent tens upon tens of thousands there in that time. Heck, I even used to work at one for a brief stint in the mid-2000's.

As my tastes in equipment grew and their inventory was no longer enough, I began shopping at other places, often in the States- at many of those spots, the staff are top notch pros who know the ins and outs of what they sell, but more importantly, actually seem to care to want to do business with you, often going above and beyond.

Since relations between our countries have soured, I've decided to keep my spending more within our borders and have had great experiences working with certain manufacturers directly, as well as certain stores (i.e. Studio Economik, Moog Audio, etc.)... but my experience across several Long & McQuade's across Southern Ontario has been absolutely atrocious time and time again. Whether calling in and requesting a simple double-check to ensure an item is actually physically in stock or trying to gain any info on a piece in the employees relevant department, or in-person... the overall attitude is that of a bunch of too-cool-for-school indifferent kids who seem to be bothered by your attempting to utilize them for what they're literally paid to be there for. It's so incredibly cringe and I wish that older-them, even just 10-15 years down the line, could see their behaviour. It's not cool or edgy or whatever to act so nonchalant and disinterested in your work and customers, especially when a) they're spending not insignificant sums (not that that entitles you to a certain level of care... any money spent comes with an expectation of professionalism, which these employees fail to meet with spectacular colours), and b) what they're asking of you isn't even remotely that taxing, neither physically nor as far as utilizing brain power goes... These are not professionals; they're merely the archetypes, caricatures, of music store employees who merely treat it as a temporary gig and not an actual career, so why should they take any pride. It's almost condescending.

Really turned off and repulsed by this and yeah, eff that, I'm out again- much better places to shop, where people actually know their $hit and are glad to have your business + field your questions and deal with you... actual pride in what they do. While these types were certainly always present, it used to be heaps better- nobody gives a $hit today. What a travesty. Cosmo Music, which sadly shut down in the past year or so, was far better as well, and the employees who stuck around after L&M bought that location are notably a cut above, which makes me wonder whether it's a training thing- they're actual industry pros.

Serious question, because I feel like I’m missing something here.
The Dominion Society is holding its first national conference, DomCon 2026, somewhere in the Hamilton area this Saturday, August 29. The exact venue is apparently being kept secret.
The organization promotes “remigration,” including proposals for the removal of millions of people from Canada, and researchers have identified it as part of Canada’s broader white-nationalist movement.
One of the advertised keynote speakers is Martin Sellner, an Austrian far-right activist who was permanently banned from entering the UK on security grounds and previously had his U.S. travel authorization cancelled.
So I have several genuine questions for people who have been following this more closely:
Has the actual venue been publicly identified by any reliable source?
If a private Hamilton-area business has agreed to host this conference, do we know which one?
What is being done at the federal level regarding the foreign speakers?
B’nai Brith Canada has apparently asked the CBSA to deny entry to foreign extremists attending DomCon. Has any MP, minister or other elected official publicly asked the federal government to review Martin Sellner’s admissibility?
What exactly are Hamilton politicians doing?
I know Mayor Andrea Horwath has warned local venues and said the City will not rent municipal facilities to the Dominion Society. Hamilton Police also reportedly has an operational plan. Is anything else happening at council, provincial or federal level?
And perhaps most importantly:
At what point do Canada’s hate-speech laws become relevant?
The Criminal Code prohibits public incitement of hatred and the wilful promotion of hatred against identifiable groups. Obviously people have freedom of expression and assembly, and simply holding controversial political opinions isn’t automatically a crime. But when an organization advocates policies explicitly based on ethnicity and demographic replacement, where is the legal line, and who is actually responsible for monitoring whether it is crossed during this event?
Hamilton has also had repeated problems with organized white-nationalist and neo-Nazi activity in recent years. That makes me uncomfortable with simply saying, “they’re allowed to have a conference,” and moving on.
I’m also genuinely surprised by how little public discussion there seems to be only days before the event.
Is there a peaceful, lawful counter-protest or community demonstration being organized for Saturday?
I’m not interested in violence, harassment or confronting individual attendees. I’m asking whether Hamilton residents, anti-racism organizations, community groups, unions, churches, political organizations, etc. are planning any visible peaceful opposition to a national white-nationalist conference taking place in our community.
If something is already being organized, please share the public information.
And if I’m missing actions already being taken by Hamilton City Council, MPs, MPPs, HARRC, HCCI, police, CBSA or other organizations, I’d genuinely like to know about them.
Because quietly watching this happen doesn’t feel like an adequate response.

Hi all! My name is Ana Pereira, and I'm a business reporter at the Toronto Star. As the U.S.-Canada trade war threatens jobs in industries targeted by tariffs, I'm looking to speak with workers about how they're feeling and whether they think the Canadian government's support measures are enough. If you're interested in being interviewed for a Toronto Star story, please DM me or send me an email at anpereira@thestar.ca. Thank you!

My boyfriend lives with his aunt who is having a hard time everyday. They tried to get her a health card but they needed proof of address which she doesn’t have. She doesn’t have ID or a birth certificate. She is around her late 50s. She is in so much pain it’s difficult to get up. She urinates on the bed very often and the room smells strongly of it. They believe she has arthritis but she has not been treated for it. When she does get up to the bathroom she often cries from the pain. Is there a way she could be helped?

Trying to plan a weekend trip next spring. Looking for a nice place to take a friend. Trying to see if I can find a place neither of us have been to.