Nigara Shaheen’s road to this year’s Paris Olympics has been more treacherous than most. Born in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in 1993, she was just six months old when her parents carried her across the mountainous border into Pakistan, fleeing the country’s raging civil war. In the city of Peshawar, she grew into a fighter, first as part of a rare all-girls karate team and, later, as a champion in judo, a sport she appreciated for its emphasis on intellect over aggression. Shaheen’s love of judo took her all over: back to Afghanistan, where she endured ambient gunfire and harassment to train and e ..read more

Safety and prosperity are this country’s core value propositions. Here, a kid can arrive from anywhere in the world, enter public school and attend a relatively affordable university. They can graduate as a pharmacist or computer programmer or some other desirable professional, equipped to take advantage of the many opportunities Canada has to offer. At least, that’s how it’s been for decades. How realistic is it now? The crushingly high cost of living makes everything harder. Finding an affordable place to live is nearly impossible, especially in major urban areas, especially for new arrivals ..read more

Every day, thousands of immigrants land at Pearson airport in Mississauga, Ontario. Some come on temporary work visas, others on international-student permits. Some are on a pathway to permanent residency, while others claim refugee status as soon as they arrive at customs. All of them want safety, prosperity and freedom. To document these newcomers in their first few months in Canada, photojournalist Ian Brown spent weeks reaching out to settlement agencies, refugee centres and community groups. He met people fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan, Ukrainian refugees who left their families in a ..read more

My brother is getting married this summer. The wedding is in Peterborough, Ontario, and I live in Vancouver. So am I going? I want to be there for him, but these days I always think twice about jetting off. I’m the author of a new book about the environmental impacts of air travel. While researching, I came across some troubling facts: aviation fuel, which is refined from crude oil, makes up two to three per cent of global CO₂ emissions. Atmospheric interactions at high altitude mean its impact on global warming is higher still, accounting for about four per cent. In 2022, humanity burned thro ..read more

In the world of professional sports, strategy is just as important off the court as it is on. Considering the meticulous planning that goes into everything, from training schedules to tailored nutrition programs, it’s crucial that travel logistics also be optimized for peak performance come game day.  Enter Flygreen, a game changer shaking up the private aviation space with its rapid, reliable and responsible premier jet charter services. A trusted North American travel companion among leaders in entertainment, health care, sports and more, Flygreen is all about getting clients from point ..read more

Like many families, mine came out of the pandemic cautiously, dipping our toe into group activities with hesitation, and masks. Ski lessons? Sure, they’re outdoors. Karate? Okay, but only if class sizes are small. Hockey? The cold must kill the germs, right? Now my kids are 11, 13 and 16. Because they’re older, and we have an unspoken desire to give them every opportunity they missed out on during COVID, we are scheduled to the max. Competitive hockey. Several baseball teams. Dance. Scouts. Skiing. Piano. Art classes. Swimming lessons. School sports. A drama festival. We even had a short stint ..read more

Ann doesn’t know how old she is. She thinks she’s probably 40 or 41, but she became separated from her parents as a child, and she has no record of her birth. When she was a child she lived alone on the streets of Kampala, Uganda—one of thousands of homeless youth in the city—and survived by collecting plastic bottles and scrap to sell to recyclers. She slept outside at night, then later in a church, and attended school by day. Remarkably, after years of diligent study, she secured a high school scholarship, saved money and enrolled in university. She earned a degree in international business ..read more

In the spirit of National Indigenous History Month, as Canadians celebrate the rich cultures, valuable contributions, and enduring strength of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, many organizations are taking a critical look at their own commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within their workplaces. While DEI has become a common buzzword, prioritizing inclusion through these goals goes far beyond fostering a positive work environment. Research shows it unlocks significant business benefits as well. According to research cited in the Making the case for diversity, equity, and ..read more

The rise of consumer genealogy websites—think Ancestry.ca or 23andMe.com—has created a surprising new industry: investigative genetic genealogy, or IGG. That’s when databases of DNA samples from regular citizens are used alongside genetic evidence from cold-case files to solve seemingly unsolvable crimes from decades past. Leading the exciting new field is Toronto Police Service Detective Sergeant Steve Smith, who’s spent the last five years becoming a genetic genealogy expert, thanks to a $1.5-million grant from the provincial government in 2022.  Recently, Smith’s team used IGG to ident ..read more

In September of 2014, I was one of the first Syrian refugees to make it to Canada. Upon my arrival, I became a newcomer. Then, a couple of years later, I became Canadian. It is awkward to call myself a refugee. I used to be one, but I am not anymore. How can I introduce myself, then, in a simple, succinct way? Should I call myself a Syrian Canadian with refugee experience? That’s a mouthful. When someone lives a life complicated by civil wars, revolutions, homophobia and borders, is there really a way to simply identify? How do I encompass the years of refuge, diaspora and community-building i ..read more