About Werner Patels

Werner Patels – My Two Canadian Cents is an independent online publication and is not affiliated with any political party or movement. This online publication is a collection of editorials and essays on a wide range of topics, expressing opinions and views about what is right and what is wrong.

Readers are welcome to share their feedback and thoughts, but trolls and spammers will be deleted and banned.

Also note that this site adheres to the principles under the Code of Practice of the Alberta Press Council

Werner Patels - Canada's leading web columnist

About the author: Werner Patels (with stress on the second syllable: pa-TELS) is a freelance translator, interpreter and writer in Calgary, Alberta. He holds degrees in translation/languages and political science. Werner Patels is a keen observer of politics and society. With an academic background in political science and experience inside a number of (federal and provincial) political parties, he has developed a good sense for all things political.

Werner Patels has an extremely international background: he spent his formative years in Austria, Britain and Canada before finally settling down in Canada.

As one of the last few defenders and guardians of common sense, Werner Patels looks at the issues out there and speaks his mind — he calls them as he sees them.

Author of a weekly column for The Prince Arthur Herald

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What others are saying about Werner Patels:

Featured in Canada’s number-one national newspaper, Globe and Mail (see excerpt below)

• He was great to work with. (CBC Newsworld)
• One of the best blogs in the Calgary area. (Editor-in-chief of a major newspaper)
• He should work for the United Nations. (Professor of political science)
• Werner Patels for mayor. He hit the nail on the head. (Reader of National Post in response to one of Werner Patels’ columns)
• A wonderful writer, and a very gracious man. (Freelance writer and columnist)
• One of the “leading bloggers and opinion-makers in the West”. (Garth Turner, former Member of Parliament, July 8, 2008)
• That’s one of the most well written and discussed things I’ve seen on these forums for quite some time. (National Post-Full Comment reader in response to one of Werner Patels’ columns)

Werner Patels on the Charles Adler show on Sun News TV

Werner Patels on the Charles Adler show on Sun News TV – time to evict the Occupy Calgary squatters

From the Globe and Mail:

In the Calgary home of Werner Patels, all eyes were not on the Olympic Games TV behemoth in recent days. As his mother-in-law watched the lavish opening ceremonies, Mr. Patels and the others in the household sat it out in protest.

“Awarding the Olympics to China was certainly motivated and inspired by a noble idea, but the experiment has failed,” says Mr. Patels, who also blogs about politics at Wernerpatels.ca and has written notes of support to other abstainers, such as Laura Kaminker, a Toronto-based American who outlined her own boycott plans back in March on her blog. Since then, he has grown more sure of his decision.

“China is not any more open or transparent or democratic, and from the looks of it, it may actually take a few steps backwards after the Games are over,” Mr. Patels says.