Sure, it hasn't been released yet, but if the success of Carley Fortune’s previous books are any indication, her third novel, This Summer Will Be Different, is going to be huge. You might be familiar with Fortune’s previous lakeside romances, Every Summer After and Meet Me at the Lake (which is being adapted for Netflix by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s production company, Archewell). Both are sweet, compulsively readable novels that flip between two timelines; both are New York Times and Globe and Mail bestsellers. This summer, Fortune is venturing outside of Ontario, where her first two bo ..read more

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s childhood nickname was Tornado. And if the half-hour I spent with her in March over Zoom is any indication, that hasn’t changed. The woman has supernova energy. She looks serene—blouse, soft and cream-coloured; hair, loose and beachy-waved. She sits in the same spare, beige corner where she does her Instagramming. But close your eyes and listen to her voice: It’s forceful, muscular even, with a Quebecois prang in her vowels (she was raised in Montreal) and the conviction of an athletics coach. It’s a jock’s voice.  Grégoire Trudeau has always been a striver, rest ..read more

(Illustration: Sacha Stephan)Taurus April 20-May 20 Hope and optimism can be great sources of resiliency, and they can make your life so much happier to live. When held out of balance, however, they can be a way for you to avoid coping with very real problems that you’re facing here and now. Don’t give up hope, Taurus! But also, don’t turn away from the troubles you’re facing just because they make you feel sad, uncomfortable, or bad. (Illustration: Sacha Stephan)Gemini May 21-June 21 This may sound like an oversimplification, but I promise you that it’s not: what you resist shall persist ..read more

Spring cleaning season is the perfect time to make your space more eco-friendly. According to data from 2020, Canadian households are a significant energy suck, responsible for nearly a quarter of Canada’s energy consumption and 17.5 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. After all, it takes a good deal of resources to power lighting and appliances and keep the hot water running. Plus, heating and cooling our homes eats up tons of energy, especially as the climate crisis drives record temperatures. But if you give your space a once-over, you’ll likely find plenty of spots where you can save ..read more

Meet The Métis Woman Using Fire To Fight Fire (Photo: Amber Bracken) Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson grew up close to wildfires in Northern Alberta. While her family was always involved in firefighting efforts, before colonization, her ancestors “put fire on the ground” in early spring or late fall, when it was cool and damp—safe conditions for burning. Good fire, or “the kind of fire you can walk beside,” as one Elder recently described it to her, cleanses the earth of dead trees, branches and bushes and regenerates the growth of berries, medicinal plants and grass for moose and deer. It preven ..read more

Cheryl* grew up in British Columbia surrounded by nature. It’s no wonder the 54-year-old is such an ardent environmentalist. “I would just go play in the forest, and it was awesome,” she says. But while her parents also love the outdoors, today she constantly argues with them over sustainability. The main point of contention: lawn maintenance. Cheryl visits her parents, who now live in Moose Jaw, Sask., at least once a year and has tried to help by mulching their flowerbeds (which reduces the need for fertilizers) or composting their lawn clippings (which would at least help lower the lawn’s e ..read more

(Illustration: Sacha Stephan)Taurus April 20-May 20 With Jupiter and Uranus meeting in your sign for the first time since 1941, this is a meaningful time for you, Taurus, and one that you should strive to make use of. Consider what you desire and how you can go about making it happen. This actually isn’t the time for slow and steady development, as the energy is present for you to make quick and inspired changes. Just remember to include others in your plans, or you may end up stirring the pot unnecessarily. (Illustration: Sacha Stephan)Gemini May 21-June 21 Your impatience could get you into ..read more

Ask anyone who spent the summer in British Columbia in 2021 and they’ll tell you a story of an oppressive heat that weighed on them like a fiery blanket. A heat dome killed 619 people that summer, exposing the ways urban infrastructure in the generally temperate province is not prepared for such extreme heat. Now, in the aftermath of the deadliest weather event on record in Canada, researchers and urban planners alike are searching for solutions. Caterina Valeo, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Victoria, is one of those researchers. And she’s turning to trees for an answ ..read more

Before I’d even said hello, Audrey had already begun one of our recent calls with a question: “What am I living for, mahjong?” Audrey often calls me with such looming existential questions, as longtime friends are wont to do. When we met at a hospital in Toronto’s west end in 2011, I was prepared to say goodbye—I understood Audrey was expected to die. I was a 34-year-old first-time hospice volunteer, and Audrey, to whom I’d been assigned by the care organization Hospice Toronto, was almost 90. (Audrey is not her real name; to protect her privacy, she’s chosen a pseudonym for this story, which ..read more

When the Grand Rapids Dam was built in the 1960s, it wreaked havoc for First Nations people all along the Saskatchewan River system. As water flooded dry land, it impacted plant ecosystems, animal populations and migration patterns. It changed access to fresh and clean water for the First Nations people who call this land home. It was ultimately what drove Dr. Alex Wilson, who is from Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, into a career in land-based education.  “The dams were an attempt to sever land-based knowledge and access to our traditional foods. So it’s impacted our health a ..read more