Shayna’s first entry from the road appears below. From here on in, she and Dominique will be posting directly to the Alternate Routes blog. Enjoy! We are somewhere in the middle of Quebec, on the Trans-Canada Highway. It’s about 10 p.m. We’ve been on the road since 8 this morning. We are looking for a […] More »
I can only describe my mood today as “infuriated, but not surprised.” Yesterday, Ottawa City Council voted to shut down a crack pipe exchange program, despite the strenuous objections of city health officials and local community workers. This came on the heels of an anti-drug demonstration staged by the Sandy Hill Business Improvement Association, who […] More »
Throughout the summer, This Magazine is presenting a special blog chronicling the cross-Canada travels of Shayna and Dominique, a pair of wanderers who are setting out to discover what community is all about. Here, in their own words, is an introduction to the project: We are thinkers, dreamers and poets, continuously questioning our place in […] More »
This week’s installment is a little late. I blame this very cool flash map that tells you the history of the Middle East from 3000 BCE to today, all in about 60 seconds. Here in Toronto, one of my favourite neighbourhoods gets turned into a pedsetrian zones on Sundays during the summer. This little gem […] More »
William Shatner portrait by Zina Saunders Calgary’s Uppercase Gallery is currently hosting a collection of artwork by Canadian and American artists depicting my favourite Canadian, William Shatner. The show runs until August 31 and features some beauties by This Magazine visual alum Raymond Biesinger and Dushan Milic. Many of the illustrations are for sale (I’ve […] More »
A few weeks ago, North American media outlets started running stories about the worst thing either law enforcement or parents could imagine. A new formulation of crystal meth had appeared on the scene, one that was pink and sweetened, dubbed “Strawberry Quik” and aimed at schoolkids. According to police, it was poised to sweep the […] More »
We love libraries, all those books! But every once in a while we get impish and think, “man wouldn’t it be fun to race book carts? Or play games of jenga with the books?” Apparently there’s a competition for people like me. There is one mysterious quote here: “It’s all about the image that librarians […] More »
(book image courtesy Amazon.ca) I’m just back from a courtroom on University Avenue in Toronto where a judge in the Robert Baltovich re-pre-trial threw out a subpoena demanding a local writer hand over his research materials. It’s a very good day for a free press in Canada. Derek Finkle, former editor of TORO Magazine, succeeded […] More »
Ottawa pols care more about working on their seasonal tans than getting AIDS drugs to the global poor, according to the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Jean Chretien’s outgoing humanitarian gesture, the “Pledge to Africa” (now called the Access to Medicines Regime), has amounted to nothing. The law passed three years ago with the alleged aim […] More »
Francis Bacon, Self-Portrait (image courtesy The Telegraph) On a day when even the stodgiest of media crews, the CTV television folks, covered the Toronto Pride parade like Santa Claus might show up at any minute, I enjoyed a few hours touring the closet. I happened to be in Buffalo, New York (great town, everyone should […] More »
In the hands of Al Gore Powerpoint is a force for good but in the hands of thousands of middle-managers everywhere the ever-present Microsoft program is downright insipid and evil. Professor Edward Tufte would probably agree with me. Read this New York magazine article to find out more about the design guru. Marketing guru Seth […] More »