Photo by Jesse Winter, The Globe and Mail

Olympic race walker Evan Dunfee hopes to take lessons of success on the track into local politics

Published in The Globe and Mail | September 10, 2022

Evan Dunfee began race walking when he was about 10 years old because he wanted to be the best at something. Twenty years later, he crossed the finish line at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, with a record-breaking gold medal.

Photo by Jeff Mcintosh, The Canadian Press

The housing crisis in Canmore, Alta., is driving out doctors, families and development

Published in The Globe and Mail | September 10, 2022

Housing has long been an issue in Canmore, a former mining town of about 16,000 about an hour’s drive east of Calgary. A combination of a seasonal workforce, vacation properties and several failed attempts at building new housing have pushed up prices and squeezed supply.

Photo by Geoff Robins, The Canadian Press

Universities take diverging paths on COVID-19 mask, vaccine mandates

Published in The Globe and Mail | September 5, 2022

Universities across Canada are taking divergent approaches to COVID-19 mandates, as students and faculty return to classrooms in the third academic year to begin during the pandemic.

Photo by Crystal Mercredi, The Globe and Mail

Elders want historic church in Alberta’s Fort Chipewyan rebuilt, chief says

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 26, 2022

The chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation says the fire that destroyed one of Alberta’s oldest churches this week is a significant loss and that elders in the community want it rebuilt.

Photo by Crystal Mercredi, The Globe and Mail

Historic Catholic Church in Alberta First Nation community burned to ground in suspicious fire

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 25, 2022

One of Alberta’s oldest churches has been burned down in a northern First Nation community, a fire that the RCMP are treating as suspicious.

Photo by The Associated Press

Indigenous filmmakers, artists react to Sacheen Littlefeather’s Oscar apology

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 20, 2022

Ms. Littlefeather’s determination to share the truth about Indigenous peoples’ representation in Hollywood had a lasting legacy for many Indigenous women, youth and artists. But reactions from Indigenous people in the film and television industry to the apology have been mixed.

Photo by The Canadian Press

Newfoundlanders prepare for possible evacuations, more road closures as forest fires hold steady

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 10, 2022

Newfoundland residents are preparing for the possibility they may have to evacuate their homes as two large forest fires continue to rage through the central parts of the province, with thick smoke forecast to cover some areas in the coming days.

Photo by Gavin John, The Globe and Mail

Indigenous designer transforms Hudson’s Bay blankets into coats

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 8, 2022

For Stephanie Crowchild, sewing is a healing practice, a process for revitalization and a way of reclaiming her identity as an Indigenous woman after a period of personal darkness.

Photo by Jason Franson, The Canadian Press

Indigenous survivors look to move past anger after papal visit

Published in The Globe and Mail | August 1, 2022

For some survivors, the meeting with the Pope was an opportunity to voice demands for further justice. For others, like Noella Robinson and Joan. St. Denis, the meeting was a chance to put aside anger and move forward with healing.

Photo by Vatican Media, Reuters

Pope Francis renews his residential schools apology in Quebec

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 27, 2022

In a province where Catholicism once dominated many facets of life, Pope Francis renewed his apology to Indigenous people for the harms caused by many Catholic members in government-funded residential schools.

Photo by Todd Korol, Reuters

Chief Littlechild’s headdress gift to Pope Francis carries heavy significance

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 26, 2022

Made of mostly eagle feathers, the type of headdress commonly known as a war bonnet is a sacred, traditional item that has been worn by Prairie First Nations leaders for hundreds of years. The bestowing of a headdress can carry multiple meanings, knowledge keepers and elders say, and there was a purpose to placing it atop Pope Francis after he apologized on Monday for decades of abuses at Catholic-run residential schools.

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon, AFP, Getty Images

Support workers to aid residential schools survivors during Pope Francis visit

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 25, 2022

300 cultural support workers will be on hand in Alberta to aid residential school survivors during the Pope’s historic apology

Photo by The Daniels Corporation

This couple spent eight years searching for a condo in Toronto that fit their accessibility needs

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 22, 2022

Eager to move from an apartment with a shower kept together by duct tape, the Roses went on the hunt for an accessible home.

Photo by Cole Burston, AFP, Getty Images

First Nations chiefs hope to hear truths in apology from Pope Francis during next week’s papal visit

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 22, 2022

A group of First Nations chiefs say next week’s papal visit offers an opportunity for healing and is an important step toward reconciliation, but that it must also include truth and justice for residential school survivors and their families

Photo by Vatican Media, Reuters

Indigenous nations, organizers struggle to secure space for residential school survivors for papal visit

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 18, 2022

Indigenous groups say they are worried that many residential school survivors will not be able to attend Pope Francis’s appearances across Canada later this month, owing to ticket shortages and poor communication from the Catholic Church and the federal government.

Photo by Patrick Doyle, Canadian Press

Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge wants to break the culture of silence around abuse in sports

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 15, 2022

Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge wants to be a “change maker” in Canadian politics. She’s starting with the Canadian sport landscape, working to break the culture of silence surrounding abuse and to bring joy back to sports.

Photo by Amber Braken, The Globe and Mail

Papal visit organizers say survivors will be given priority at Alberta events

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 15, 2022

With only 10 days to go until the first papal visit to Canada in 20 years, organizers of the papal visit are scrambling to prepare for his arrival as thousands of people expect to attend.

Photo by Todd Korol, The Globe and Mail

Alberta Boot Company molding local heritage with the modern west through brand expansion

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 12, 2022

The cowboy boot has long been an emblem of life on the Canadian Prairies, but now the western staple has begun to blend with urban wardrobes. Alberta Boot Co.’s new 30,000-square-foot flagship store in the heart of Calgary is part of a concerted effort by the company to win over those city buyers, while showcasing a local manufacturing process it maintains despite struggles to find skilled labour and materials.

Photo by Patrick Doyle, Canadian Press

Hockey Canada’s culture must change in wake of ‘extremely horrific’ sexual-assault allegations, Sport Minister says

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 6, 2022

Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual-assault allegations involving eight Canadian Hockey League members, including players with the gold-medal-winning world junior team, reveals a culture problem within the organization that needs to change, federal Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge says.

Photo by Gavin John, The Globe and Mail

Calgary playwright Col Cseke wants to show the ‘inner emotional lives’ of temporary foreign workers

Published in The Globe and Mail | July 1, 2022

Representation, empathy, joy and, most importantly, hope: This is what Calgary playwright Col Cseke wants audiences to take away from his new show about temporary foreign workers, Parts and Labour.

Photo by Paul Chiasson, AFP

Prince Charles and Camilla meet with Ottawa’s Ukrainian community as royal tour continues for second day

Published in The Globe and Mail | May 18, 2022

Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, embarked on the second day of a visit to Canada on Wednesday, with stops throughout the nation’s capital designed to recognize pressing issues, including the displacement of Ukrainians.

House of Commons to debate NDP bill on lowering voting age to 16

Published in The Globe and Mail | May 3, 2022

The House of Commons will debate Wednesday on whether to lower Canada’s legal voting age to 16 years old. New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said at a press conference Tuesday that the idea – which is being put forward in an NDP private member’s bill – is important as young people are disproportionately affected by the decisions made by politicians, especially on issues such as climate change and the housing crisis.

Photo by Sean Kilpatrick, The Canadian Press

RCMP considered whether to charge Justin Trudeau over Aga Khan trip, documents show

Published in The Globe and Mail | April 25, 2022

The RCMP considered charging Justin Trudeau with fraud over a family vacation at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas, but decided against doing so because it was unclear if the Prime Minister had the authority to approve the all-expenses-paid gift for himself.

Photo by Paul Edwards, Getty Images

Majority of Canadians in favour of abolishing constitutional monarchy, new survey finds

Published in The Globe and Mail | April 21, 2022

A majority of Canadians have a positive view of the Queen but would support separating from the British monarchy after she dies, according to a new public-opinion poll.

Photo by Carlos Osorio, Reuters

Rise in hate crimes connected to pandemic and greater political polarization, Trudeau says

Published in The Globe and Mail | April 20, 2022

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the reported spike in hate crimes in Canada can be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and greater political polarization.

Photo by Geoff Robins, The Canadian Press

Immigration is changing the composition of religion in Canada, survey finds

Published in The Globe and Mail | April 18, 2022

Growing immigration is changing the composition of religion in Canada, an in-depth survey shows, though not all communities of faith feel welcome.

Graphic by Planet Labs, The Globe and Mail

Inuit feminists call for renaming of islands that slur Indigenous women

Published in The Globe and Mail | March 18, 2022

Leader of Qulliit says Nunavut women's group will work to change the current name, which is considered an ethnic and sexual slur.

Photo by David Stobbe, The Globe and Mail

Saskatchewan chief Bear won’t endorse Poilievre, despite being featured in Conservative leadership candidate’s social media

Published in The Globe and Mail | March 13, 2022

The chief of one of Saskatchewan’s most economically successful nations says he is not endorsing Pierre Poilievre even though the front runner in the Conservative party race has been featuring him prominently in social media posts.

Photo by Darryl Dyck, The Globe and Mail

Geographical Names Board adviser wants to remind Canadians of importance of Indigenous naming

Published in The Globe and Mail | March 10, 2022

The new Indigenous adviser to the Geographical Names Board of Canada hopes to revitalize Indigenous place names through his position.

Money-free store fights invisible poverty

Published in The Globe and Mail | Dec. 27, 2021

For 10 years, Savvy Seconds has offered free clothing to women and families in a rural community outside Ottawa as a way to fight invisible poverty and help people cope with everything from unemployment to tornadoes.

Are trendy thrifters a cause for concern or the future of fashion?

Published in The Raging Twenties | Dec. 3, 2021

The second-hand clothing industry has boomed over the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Gen Z and millennials who have made thrifting trendy. How will this impact low-income communities who rely on their local thrift store?

CAJ report shows lack of diversity in Canada’s newsrooms

Published in The Raging Twenties | Nov. 26, 2021

New data from the Canadian Association of Journalists validates what journalists of colour have been saying in recent years – that Canada’s newsrooms are overwhelmingly white.

Everything but the fairy tale ending

Published in CBC Sports | July 29, 2021

I stand at the start line behind my blocks, trying to see through the pouring rain that is beating down on me...

Photo by Fred Lum, The Globe and Mail

Indigenous and Black communities have a shared past of injustice. They deserve a shared future of justice

Published in The Globe and Mail | May 29, 2021

Solidarity in the face of systemic racism and police violence is more than just symbolic; it’s the latest stage in a common struggle against colonialism. What will the next stages be?