On a late fall morning, Kirk Makin walks out of room No. 13 in Ottawa’s Elgin Street courthouse. His tall, imposing figure stands above a clutch of lawyers and court officials. The hearing he’s covering — Her Majesty the Queen vs. Ontario Power Generation, John Tammadge and Robert Bednarek — has just finished, and Makin’s… Continue reading Heart Attack
Snapshots of Reality
At a smoke-filled bar in the Gulf city-state of Dubai, the Filipino cover band rocks out to Guns N’ Roses as Canadian sailors on leave from patrolling the Gulf of Oman decorate their table with empty long-necked Budweisers. One of the more gregarious sailors is describing the lessons he’s learned since arriving in the Middle… Continue reading Snapshots of Reality
Death of a ”Gotcha” Journalist
The first story I wrote for a national magazine got a successful man fired. He was an accidental casualty, because the sad irony is that this story was titled “How to Stay Hired.” Written for Report on Business magazine, it explored the roles of communication and office culture in determining how long a new executive… Continue reading Death of a ”Gotcha” Journalist
Ants Invade Picnic … Details at 6
Thomas showed up late but didn’t need a formal announcement to know why the Breakfast Television studio was filled with crying colleagues. He received a package: inside was severance information with a letter that read, “As of today, your services are no longer required….” Thomas surrendered his security card and was denied access back into… Continue reading Ants Invade Picnic … Details at 6
Dynamic Duel
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the editor-in-chief’s office at The Vancouver Sun face northeast, beyond the white sails of the city’s convention centre to the North Shore Mountains. In early spring 2000, then editor-in-chief John Cruickshank stared out the windows while his two to p editors argued. A simmering power struggle between managing editor Patricia Graham… Continue reading Dynamic Duel
