“I want to be in a position to average out 1.5 [million dollars],” says Don Meehan, a National Hockey League player agent, as he argues with Bill Watters, assistant to the president for the Toronto Maple Leafs, over a new contract for Tie Domi. “Jesus Christ!” responds Watters. He pauses. “Well, that’s not a bad… Continue reading Ethics On Ice
Category: The Magazine
Whine and Cheese
One afternoon in Italy, part way through yet another day crammed with too many winery visits, my fellow wine writers and I went on strike. We had tanker loads of wine coursing through our veins, stomachs that bulged from five-hour-long meals and eyes that drooped from lack of sleep. We had warned our hosts that… Continue reading Whine and Cheese
Poll Position
November 26, four days before the 1998 Quebec election: A smug Jacques Parizeau, arms folded across his ample girth, looks out from the front page of the Ottawa Citizen under the headline “Parizeau: Take the ‘Booty’ and Run.” Under the photo caption is the first half of the story titled “Separatists Poised for Landslide.” It’s… Continue reading Poll Position
We’re Here, We’re Queer. But Are the Dailies Used to It?
Inside the boardroom at Xtra: Toronto’s Gay and Lesbian Biweekly, Eleanor Brown takes refuge far from the raucous production-night chatter to proof a story. “How do you spell palette?” she asks without looking up. She has the focus of a Tibetan monk at prayer. Nothing short of Mike Harris declaring himself to be queer, I… Continue reading We’re Here, We’re Queer. But Are the Dailies Used to It?
Saturday’s Child
Two people arrived at their new jobs at Saturday Night magazine last September. Both wore a tie and a dress shirt tucked into chinos. Both looked like recent university graduates although both were a few credits short of a BA. Twenty-nine-year-old Duff Wallis walked to Saturday Night‘s downtown Toronto office carrying an attaché case. He… Continue reading Saturday’s Child