Ten Good Reads to to Cozy Up with This Winter

 As the year wraps up, the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, why not light your fireplace and curl up with a good book? Here are Ottawa Life Magazine’s top ten reading picks for this season in no particular order. From thought-provoking political memoirs to enchanting and heartfelt

SARSTOCK 2003: The Untold Story of Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto

 ABOVE: Then Toronto-Danforth MP Dennis Mills — a self-propelled tour de force (pictured in 2003) organised Canada's largest concert ever to help Toronto recover from SARS. (Photo: Angelo Persichilli) By Dennis Mills It was the spring of 2003, typically a season of re-growth, colour and beauty. Yet, Toronto—its businesses and

A call for a return to civility in Canadian politics

 ABOVE: NDP Leader Jameet Singh, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Background image: Cole Burston) Former Prime Ministers Joe Clark, John Turner (deceased), Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin, and Stephen Harper all believed that politics was an honourable profession. They were civil towards

The Right Honourable John Turner — A life well lived

 Above: (Clockwise from left) Paul Martin, Joe Clark, Jean Chretien, John Turner, Justin Trudeau at John Turner's 90th birthday celebration. (credit: Jean-Marc Carisse) Former Prime Minister John Napier Turner passed peacefully in his sleep on Saturday surrounded by family. He lived a meritorious and principled life and was one of Canada’s most respected parliamentarians.

I taught myself to play so I could be where people danced — Jim Cuddy’s Countrywide Soul

 My favourite line from all the songs I know is, ‘I taught myself to play so I could be where people danced’. It’s from the song Rena, dedicated to Jim Cuddy’s wife, the actress Rena Polley, and is from Blue Rodeo’s 2005 album Are You Ready. ‘I look in through

The corrosive effect of negative politics

 Illustration by Joe Foster Former Prime Ministers Joe Clark, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper all believed in the merit of public service and that politics was an honourable profession. They were civil towards each other when debating the great issues of the

Canada’s Best Steakhouse is Popular and Influential Beyond Toronto

 Photos courtesy of Harbour 60 Forty-seven percent of Torontonians speak a mother tongue besides English. This multicultural smorgasbord contributes to the immense diversity of Toronto’s food scene and has made it one of the world’s great cuisine cities.  Within ten blocks of downtown Toronto you can choose from a plethora of restaurants

Prime Minister Maxime Bernier? Pourquoi Pas?

 Jean Chretien used to say that the biggest asset any politician has is their ability to be underestimated. He would know. In the early 1990s, Chretien was summarily dismissed by his critics and many members of the national press gallery as “yesterday’s man”. The “pundits” chimed that he would never

Part Two: Horse Sense & Government Nonsense

 Public-Private Partnerships Are Not Subsidies The Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots at Racetracks Program has a detrimental effect for Ontario’s vibrant horseracing and equine industries. This is a serious problem with major ramifications. Dennis Mills, the former Liberal MP whose web site Racing Future builds awareness of Ontario’s horseracing and equine industries,