I’m in the basement and it’s cold. Above the low hum of the ventilation duct and the steady breathing of two elderly men sharing the room with me, I hear creaky wheels approaching. I’ve been waiting for only a few minutes, but not knowing what to expect and being in unfamiliar territory, makes it seem… Continue reading Dear Sylvia
Category: The Magazine
Hot Prospects
Except for his $250,000 grey F430 Ferrari and his equally costly Bentley Arnage, Brian Hunter kept a low profile in Calgary. The 32-year-old millionaire lived otherwise inconspicuously in one of the city’s many sprawling suburbs, waiting for his one-hectare, $3-million house to be built. Hunter traded in natural gas for a Connecticut hedge fund called… Continue reading Hot Prospects
It’s a Crime
Chuckie smashes the metal pipe into the side of Freshy’s face. Freshy hits the cement with a thud. Before the 16-year-old knows what’s happening, he’s pummelled by half a dozen guys wearing heavy winter jackets and thick-soled basketball shoes. Curses fly through the night air near the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue in… Continue reading It’s a Crime
Shining a Light
In a prospector’s camp, Bob Richards reads by oil lamp about the toil behind a modest Newfoundland mine. The story of Duck Pond and its deep sedimentary rocks captivated him – this, he thought, is how Canada was built. The article moved him to contact the author. “Madame,” he wrote, “I bow to your journalistic… Continue reading Shining a Light
The 140-Year War
Sitting in the House of Commons, above and behind the Speaker’s chair, I’m enjoying the 50-yard line view reporters get of all the debating and name-calling in federal politics. It’s Monday, October 30, 2006, and Speaker Peter Milliken declares “case closed” on the Peter McKay-Belinda Stronach “dog-gate affair.” But I’m not here just for the… Continue reading The 140-Year War