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September-October 2023

Catching up to the crisis

In Montreal, harm reduction groups push for decriminalization

Madison McLauchlan

A pride flag flaps defiantly in the wind above a welcoming front porch. A basket of free naloxone kits hangs on the front door. On the wall upstairs, a poster reads “Activities to avoid dying sad/to make you happy” and lists acupuncture, bowling, and picnics. This is the home of Dopamine Montréal. Just like its […] More »
July-August 2018

This art series is a post-capitalist fantasy

Artist Dana Prieto seeks to hold Canadian mining executives accountable for extractivism in Argentina

Jillian Morgan

Glazed in black, the beauty of Dana Prieto’s hand-crafted ceramic vessels forces the viewer’s attention—but what they wouldn’t be able to tell at first glance is that the artwork may contain traces of arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Prieto, an Argentine visual artist based in Toronto, describes the vessels as an “inhospitable gift,” made with soil from […] More »

How a treasure hunt helped unveil the injustices present in the mining industry

On the floor at the world's largest mining conference, activists asked the tough questions

Caitrin Pilkington

When people talk about fantasy worlds, they often mean worlds populated with dwarves, elves, and magic. But in a way, stepping onto the convention floor of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference did feel like a fantasy. As the biggest mining conference on Earth, it’s frequented by some of the wealthiest in […] More »
January-February 2018

Students vs. Big Oil

Canadian universities are investing in oil giants, and students are putting up a fight. Inside the battle for divestment on campuses across the country

Madi Haslam@madihaslam

On a February morning in 2017, Tina Oh and more than 50 students are waiting impatiently in Mawita’mkw, a small gathering space for Indigenous students and community members at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B. Anxious chatter fills the room until suddenly, it’s silent. “It’s time,” Oh tells them, and the students, dressed entirely in […] More »
January-February 2018

ACTION SHOT: Fighting racism in Quebec

Photo by Christopher Curtis

This Magazine@thismagazine

The past few months in Quebec have been tough for activists fighting against racism. In October, the government passed Bill 62, a highly controversial piece of legislation that aims to “neutralize” Quebecers’ religious garb while receiving public services. The bill appeared to target Muslim face coverings in particular, including the niqab and burka. The legislation […] More »

Toronto’s Disability Pride sheds light on municipal shortcomings for those with disabilities

In its seventh year, the march serves as a reminder of just how much change still needs to be made

Emily Macrae

“My disability is not your punch line.” This hand-lettered sign set the tone for the seventh annual Toronto Disability Pride March. On a sweltering Saturday afternoon in September, disabled activists and allies gathered in the shade of Queen’s Park for politically-charged speeches and personal celebrations before marching down Bay Street. The event emerged from Toronto’s […] More »

Canada 150: Resistance, empowerment, calls for change

A special feature by Indigenous writers and writers of colour

This Magazine

This year, Canada celebrates 150 years since Confederation. It’s a milestone that’s been marketed since the clock struck midnight on January 1: There are parties to go to, maple leaf-encrusted foods to buy, special landmarks to take selfies with. Celebrating Canada’s birthday this year should be, according to many, a fun time. But it’s hard […] More »
March-April 2017

Why aren’t there more changing tables in men’s public washrooms across Canada?

Our country is even lagging behind the U.S.

Blair Mlotek@blairmlo

Single dad Kyle Bachmann was tired of having to change his son on a blanket next to a urinal on a dirty bathroom floor. It’s a situation all too common for dads stranded in public without access to a baby changing table. Fed up, Bachmann started a local campaign in his home of Penticton, B.C., […] More »

Linda Christina Redgrave: One year after Jian Ghomeshi’s acquittal, I’m keeping the conversation going

She was Witness 1 in Ghomeshi's trial. She feared the dialogue around sexual assault would fizzle out. It's not.

Linda Christina Redgrave

It’s been a year since I took my final police escorted ride to hear Judge William B. Horkins deliver the verdict for the Jian Ghomeshi trial. Lucy, Witness 3 (still under publication ban) and I gathered in the Victim/Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) room accompanied by lawyers and friends to hear the outcome of this much […] More »
March-April 2017

From hearing to hard-of-hearing to deaf: A journey through sound

Sarah Vermette

There are many videos online of people hearing for the first time through a cochlear implant. The adult recipient typically cries tears of joy. This was not my experience. When the sound was turned on at age 24, it caused physical and emotional discomfort. It shook my world. I spent the next few days sleeping […] More »
January-February 2017

Migrant detainees use hunger strikes to enact change in Ontario correctional centres

In 2013, more than 7,300 migrants were detained in Canada without charges or trial

Pema Tsering@PemaTsering1

Macdonald Scott’s client called him on October 17, 2016 to tell him that he, along with the other detainees at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., had stopped eating again. It was the third hunger strike in less than a year—an act of defiance that both encouraged Scott, an immigration lawyer, and worried him. […] More »