author:this staff - This Magazine

This Magazine picks five Canadian flicks to see before Hot Docs ends

Brave New River Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m. TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 WHAT: Director Nicolas Renaud takes us to James Bay, where hydroelectric development has been a controversial topic for decades—especially between the government and the Cree there who’ve called the area home for centuries. WANT MORE? Check out our September 2011 story by… More »

Will your donated change help solve the problem of homelessness? Creative commons photo by Flickr user Alex E. Proimos

Ethics Test: Should you give change to panhandlers? We asked the experts

By Mary Dirmeitis and Megan Harris You’re walking down the street when you see a panhandler on the sidewalk, holding out a cup for passersby to give change. You can feel the loonie in your pocket left over from the coffee you bought earlier — but do you give it to the person? If you live… More »

Killed bills

Here's what will happen to 5 bills that died when the election was called

We profile five legislative initiatives that died on the docket—and find out which of them will be re-attempted after the election Compiled by Dylan C. Robertson & Victoria Salvas This election means death. Not only have Ottawa scrums, filibusters, and drawn-out committees been killed, pieces of legislation making their way through parliament have all met… More »

The four biggest employers in the world

Who knows if the global economy is recovering, stagnating, or double-dipping? To most around the world, however, the state of the economy can be reduced to two simple metrics. Do you have a job or not? Is it a good job? With that in mind we’re looking today at some of the world’s largest employers,… More »

The 7 private members' bills that shouldn't die in parliament, but probably will

Compiled by Kevin Philipupillai and Simon Wallace Parliament resumes today.  Over the next few weeks we’re going to hear a lot about the gun registry and the census and the economy and the economy and the economy.  Often overlooked are the small, less flashy, things that parliamentarians do. Like propose private member’s bills, legislation that individual MPs… More »

Q&A: "Cycling for Human Rights in Iran" founder takes on Ahmadinejad

Almost one year ago Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the currently contested President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, delivered his infamous speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Putting aside for a moment that the U.N. has failed its mandate to prevent wars between countries and, therefore, is rather debunked as an institution, it has also been a… More »

Queerly Canadian #7: LGBT Blog Roundup

It occurred to me this week that if you’re reading this, whether you’re queer or not, chances are you have at least some interest in, you know, gay stuff. So, this column being but a tiny drop in the queer blogging ocean, I thought I’d round up some other sites that deserve a spot in… More »

Bring it on, Spring! Seedy Saturday events gaining ground

It occurred to me that this retro CBC special from 1987 on organic farming could just about have been broadcast yesterday. Methods of organic farming, including building up the soil using compost and covercropping, remain essentially the same, and so does the message: keep it simple and local. If you’re a gardener or farmer, checking… More »

ThisAbility # 18: Breaking Bad and Breaking Barriers

You’re a genius level chemist with terminal lung cancer, stuck teaching the periodic table to high school students. No teacher’s salary can pay mounting medical bills and still have money left over for your family after you’re gone, so the only obvious thing left to do is cook meth. This is the premise behind AMC’s… More »

Redesign Diary #5: Spread 'em

The March-April 2009 issue arrived at the office yesterday and will be in stores next week; subscribers will also receive it very soon. This will be my last entry on the redesign for now, although we’ll continue tweaking details and refining the look as we go. There will also be some exciting news about our… More »