Grant Patterson
Grant is a retired law enforcement officer and native of Vancouver, BC. He has also lived in Brazil. He has written twelve books. In 2018, two of them were shortlisted for the 2018 Wattys Awards.
Now, I'm Really Sick
Now, I’m really sick. I’m not sick with Covid. I’m sick of Covid, and I’m quite certain I’m not the only one. In Canada, an incompetent, flailing government, lurching from one crisis to the next, has well and truly bungled our response to the pandemic. From Ottawa comes a constant supply of platitudes and warnings. Vaccines? Not so much. Last time I checked; we were on our way to number 50 in the world in vaccination rates. Canada’s back, alright. Back of the line, that is.
Grant PattersonPublished 20 days ago in The SwampIn Canada, Affirmative Action Becomes a Matter of Life and Death
Last night, I realized something very disheartening about my country. I realized that my life is worth less here, because of the colour of my skin. No, I am not a “minority,” whatever that term means anymore. Waves of immigration over the last forty years have so changed the fabric of Canada, that even the woke set has realized the term has lost meaning in communities that are majority non-white. So, now we use the term “racialized.”
Grant PattersonPublished 2 months ago in The SwampHOW TO KILL A DEMOCRACY IN FIVE EASY STEPS
HOW TO KILL A DEMOCRACY: FIVE EASY STEPS If you were a doctor, and American Democracy was the patient, what would you conclude about the patient’s prognosis, after the shocking events of this week? Would you conclude that the patient, seemingly near death, had been killed by an acute injury, or a chronic illness?
Grant PattersonPublished 3 months ago in The SwampA Violent Society Demands a Peaceful Police
There’s a contradiction central to the movement to, as a group of thoroughly woke Google employees put it, “defang” the police.
Grant PattersonPublished 10 months ago in The SwampOne Baby Bird
Even if you don’t have kids, you can certainly relate to the following statement: “Today, I should’ve hit the snooze button.”
Grant PattersonPublished 10 months ago in Families
A Writer's Surprise
Every so often, I like to re-read my own books. Maybe it’s an exercise in hubris. Actually, there’s no maybe about it.
Grant PattersonPublished 10 months ago in JournalAnother Tragedy, Another Missed Opportunity
Scenes from America’s latest racial outrage: A police officer, surrounded by his fellow officers and a watching crowd, kneels on the neck of a black man named George Floyd until he passes out. By the time the ambulance arrives, it’s too late. George pleads with the officers to stop the pressure on his neck, as does the crowd. But it falls on deaf ears.
Grant PattersonPublished 11 months ago in CriminalPostcards From a Pandemic, Part Six: Bad Times for Little Hitlers
If there’s one group of people who’ve flourished in the global pandemic, it’s the judgy among us. I use the term “Little Hitlers,” an English pejorative for those who never seem happy unless they are pointing out the flaws in others’ behaviour, and making constant suggestions, however unwanted, for the self-improvement of their neighbours.
Grant PattersonPublished 11 months ago in The Swamp
