G8 and G20: Steph Davidson’s Final Thoughts

 The headlines beckon to newsstand passersby: “Budget watchdog probing summits’ $1-billion price tag,” “Tories defend $2M fake lake,” “Faux Canada,” “Summit security, $1B; fake lake, $57K; jokes, priceless.” The press, the opposition and public alike have spent the months leading up to June’s G8 and G20 – in Muskoka and

Truth and Reconciliation and a Need for Change

 A solemn air swept through Winnipeg on June 16 as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) launched its first national event to raise awareness of the horrific crimes of the Indian Residential Schools. The four day gathering provided the opportunity for survivors to share their traumatic and painful

Woe Is Ottawa

 Weighing in on City Plight Before Going to the Polls As Ottawa’s population swiftly approaches 1 million, we have a chance to redefine ourselves. Do we want to continue our urban sprawl and house a massive suburban area? Do we want to build up — not out — and increase

The Art of Choosing

 The Art of Choosing By Sheena Iyengar • Twelve Publishing, 2010 • 329pp. What is freedom? Freedom is the right to choose: the right to create for oneself the alternatives of choice. Without the possibility of choice, a man is not a man but a member, an instrument, a thing.

Ottawa Life Magazine’s ARCTIC SERIES: Explores the stewardship and challenges of the Canadian Arctic

 The explosion onboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20 in the Gulf of Mexico, a drilling rig owned by British oil company BP, has been dubbed by experts as the worst oil spill in the history of the United States. An estimated 2.5 million gallons of oil are leaking from