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January-February 2015

Music makers

Mason Wright

With this his final column in the print edition of This, MASON WRIGHT begins a regular series profiling independent Canadian record labels for this.org. Here is his first, from our Jan/Feb 2015 issue. CANADA IS HOME TO DOZENS of small and independent record labels that nurture the development of emerging artists in every part of […]

This Land is Green

Aaron Cain

Fearless environmental activist Ada Lockridge leads her First Nation’s charge against oil giant Suncor ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND RABBLE-ROUSER Ada Lockridge is the recipient of many whispers. Through her work trying to stem the petrochemical pollution surrounding her home of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, she has become equal parts private detective and confessor. Whether it’s a plant […]

Stories that save us

Hillary Di MennaWebsite@HillaryDiMenna

Writer and advocate Jewel Kats gives life to inspiring characters with disabilities WORDS HAVE CONNECTED THE DOTS of Jewel Kats’ life, keeping her company throughout. She describes writing as a passion that churns from within and comes out by the ink of her pen. An award-winning children’s author and comic strip writer, Kats has penned […]

F is for fun

Julia De Laurentiis Johnson

Editor, designer and professor Sheila Sampath is a refreshing voice for intersectional, accessible feminism IT’S OCTOBER 2014 and I’m sitting on the floor in Sheila Sampath’s Toronto living room, discussing the progress of the newest issue of Shameless, an independent magazine for teen girls and trans youth. Surrounded by communal snacks, the team talks about […]

New Social Justice All-Stars: online only!

Nadya Domingo

We know we missed many of the amazing Canadians who out there doing great social justice work in this issue, so we’ve decided to feature new all-stars online at this.org throughout January and February. In our first online-only profile, we introduce you to Courtney Cliff, a 23-year-old activist who is doing amazing social justice work […]

Beyond Band-Aids

Rebecca Melnyk

Dedicated anti-poverty activist and doctor Ryan Meili tackles the root causes of illness and addiction IN 2010, RYAN MEILI STOOD in the medical clinic where he worked, on the west side of Saskatoon. A girl named Maxine walked in. She was a 20-year-old from the streets who moved as if she were 91. She wanted […]

Through A New Lens

Michelle Kay

Documentarian Nayani Thiyagarajah uses curiousity and compassion to confront shadeism in racialized communities ON A GREY NOVEMBER DAY IN TORONTO, with the sun nowhere in sight and an irritating mix of rain and snow outside, Tamil-Canadian filmmaker and artist Nayani Thiyagarajah is in good spirits—despite being bogged down by a head cold. In between sniffles […]

Sticks and stones

Hillary Di Menna@HillaryDiMenna

Fierce feminist Julie Lalonde won’t let backlash stop her from fighting for women’s rights ATTENTION SEEKING FEMINIST. Extraordinary Franco-Ontarian. Award-winning feminist buzzkill. Both good and bad, Julie Lalonde has heard it all—this is how she knows her feminist action is effective. “The resistance we face to our work is real and palpable,” says Lalonde. “To […]

Voice for the people

Hana Shafi@HanaShafi

No matter what she does, anti-violence activist Farrah Khan is all about collaboration and women’s empowerment ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IN 2008 there was a massive blizzard. Thinking the self-defense workshop she was scheduled to facilitate would be cancelled, Farrah Khan curled up in a blanket, hoping to pass the snowy night with some cartoon […]

Social Justice All-Stars event + This is Not a Ted Talk

This Magazine Staff@thismagazine

Come help us celebrate the launch of our first ever Social Justice All-Stars issue! With this issue, we turn our focus to 30 totally awesome Canadians who are working to make the world a better place. From fighting for feminism, LGBTQ rights, and better mental health services to fighting against racism, discrimination, and harmful stereotypes, […]