By Brady Tighe We’re now officially in the aftermath phase of the northern Alberta wildfire crisis. The fire is long gone, and everyone with a home to return to is back in its cozy confines. The money has been raised, the relief cheques have been sent out, the insurance claims are in, the liquor stores are operational, and […]
The fish hotel
By Nicholas Heather One time, me and the kids had a fish hotel. It was my idea. My original idea. For some reason we’d acquired a 20-gallon fish tank. Of course, the kids wanted to get fish. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, you guys,” I said, as we were discussing what I was […]
Our selective sympathy
By Brady Tighe It is a powerful thing to see the destroyed homes of the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Fort McMurray — husks of buildings that once contained a family, their possessions, their memories, their keepsakes, their records, and their favourite throw pillows; everything minor and major, wiped out by an implacable force. The destruction […]
Fort McMurray’s caustic cycle
By Brady Tighe When I fly up to Fort McMurray for a seven-day shift in camp, there are some things I expect: Bad coffee, salty food, miserable weather that ranges from vicious heat to teeth-shattering cold, profanity, talk about sports teams that suck, bugs the size of Buicks, country music that makes me want to […]
Write off
Once upon a time, there were people known as Public Letter Writers. They sat in market places, had a storefront in frontier boom towns, operated out of the back booth of a coffee shop where their clients would not be embarrassed to meet with them. Public letter writers […]
BC Ferries and the attack dog
By Frank Moher I first noticed the dog in August of last year. Apparently it had been posted after an incident earlier that summer at the small ferry terminal that I pass through in order to get home to the small island I live on, Gabriola, one of the Gulf Islands in BC. Apparently it […]
The Jets tickets that weren’t
By Chris Turcotte So a funny thing happened on a recent Wednesday evening. It was funny for a few minutes and then it ended up causing me a lot of grief and wasted time. I was mad, like really, really mad. I’m all for a practical joke, anyone that knows me, knows that I have […]
All singing, all blogging, all farming
By Jim Henshaw For a long time (and for all I know it’s still there) –- there was a lop-sided sign just off the highway as you headed north and left the urban comforts of Toronto for the countryside. It was rough and hand-painted and said simply, “If you had something to eat today, thank […]
Before the selfie was . . . the selfie
By Jim Henshaw Some social media memes utterly escape me. Taking pictures of your feet or whatever you’re about to eat are part of that list. But topping them is the Selfie. Surprising as it might be to Millennials and their overlapping generations, taking a picture of yourself with your own phone is not something […]
Gluten, and amusement, free
By Jim Henshaw I’m not sure if this was a good month or a bad one for the people who enjoy annoying other people. On one side, actress Ashley Judd, after being threatened with sexual violence by Twitter trolls who didn’t like her playfully dissing their basketball team, sued her attackers. On the other, actress Eva […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 14
- Next Page »