Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2024 från Maclean's

1 INDIGO WILL GO BACK TO BASICS Indigo, which opened its first store in 1997 as Indigo Books, Music & More, has spent years putting emphasis on “more,” selling barbecues, gardening tools, pinball machines and even sex toys. But the company is starving for stability after a cyberattack ravaged its online database last February. Four of 12 directors left the board as the company’s stock plummeted, and founder Heather Reisman returned as CEO after a one-year hiatus. She says the company will rehabilitate its reputation, and its finances, by doubling down on what made it a giant in the first place: books. 2 YOU’LL FINALLY GET THAT RAISE It’s best to start with the good news: more Canadians will make more money in 2024. A new survey of 700 Canadian…

This November, for the first time since the Apollo missions more than 50 years ago, humans will head for the moon. Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian astronaut, will be aboard NASA’s Artemis II rocket for a lunar flyby that sets the stage for another moon landing—and maybe even a mission to Mars in the 2030s. Trips beyond Earth’s orbit are rare: only 24 people have completed one. But in the coming years, we’ll be seeing more space flights, more space-related research and more chances for regular Canadians, albeit very wealthy ones, to go where few humans have gone before. Last March, the federal government dedicated $2.5 billion to position Canada as a leader in the global space race. This investment builds on Canada’s long history as an active collaborator in exploration—the…

1 CITIES WILL ASK PROVINCES TO CHIP IN FUNDING… Mere months after entering office, Toronto mayor Olivia Chow unveiled a behemoth, $36-billion plan to build 65,000 rental units in the next seven years—more than 20 per cent of the additional 300,000 units needed in the Greater Toronto Area over the next 10 years. The catch? The Ontario and federal governments will each have to kick in a cool $500 to $800 million annually for the rest of the decade, not to mention billions in low-cost loans to the public builder, a.k.a. the city. Provided talks don’t break down, the initiative will soon boost Toronto’s hyper-competitive market with 6,500 more geared-to-income and 41,000 affordable rentals, plus 17,500 units under much-needed rent control. 2 …AND THE FEDS WILL DIAL UP PRESSURE ON…

Any sports fan can tell you that attending games in person is becoming a luxury experience in this country. Prices for some Blue Jays season passes are set to double in 2024. The average ticket price for a Leafs home game now exceeds $200, with the good seats going for far more—try treating a family of four to a game at that rate. And the average price to attend the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal spiked to over $500 last year. There’s no question that the price of being a fan will keep rising in 2024, but the reasons why are more complicated than spiking demand and rising inflation. Yes, standard inflationary pressures, which affect materials, maintenance and salaries, clearly play a role. But there are two bigger factors. First,…

1 PSYCHEDELIC THERAPIES WILL RAMP UP Psychedelics continue to march out of the darkness and into the zeitgeist. The federal government spent $3 million last year studying the benefits of psilocybin therapy for addiction and depression. Alberta now allows medicinal use of psychedelics. Last November, a Senate subcommittee urged the government to study them as a treatment for PTSD in veterans. Clinics that can legally administer psilocybin therapy are steadily sprouting across the country. And then there are the quasi-legal mushroom dispensaries, like Ontario-based chains Shroomyz and FunGuyz, that are multiplying in our cities, just as cannabis stores did prior to legalization. As murmurs grow that the FDA is considering legalizing MDMA and psilocybin in the U.S., we should prepare to see these substances more in therapeutic settings. 2 SUBSIDIZED…

Right-wing extremism in Canada has been on an upward trajectory for the past few years. The reasons are complex: they include the rise of populist figures like Donald Trump; the backlash against public-health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, which helped fuel the convoy movement; and the drive among far-right groups to recruit new converts online. At my university, we’ve identified 325 such groups in Canada that were active between 2016 and 2022, up from 100 only 10 years ago. We’ve also seen an increase in hate crimes in Canada, including 30 murders motivated by extreme-right ideologies, since 2016. In 2024, these movements will grow—and find new causes to exploit. Many will gravitate to the fight against transgender rights. Last year, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick enacted laws requiring parental consent before…

I started teaching law, history, business and politics at a Toronto high school in 2007—right after the Toronto District School Board instituted its first ban on cell phones in the classroom. Back then, enforcement amounted to telling one or two students to put their devices away. As the years went on and smartphones became ubiquitous, half the class had their phones out at any given time. My colleagues and I spent more of our lesson time engaged in emotionally draining negotiations with students. Parents, wanting to stay in touch with their kids throughout the day, were another major source of resistance. By 2011, the TDSB had reversed its ban, partly due to pushback and partly because of a shift toward 21st-century learning, an educational philosophy that incorporates technologies such as laptops…

2023 marks the 85th anniversary of Eli Lilly Canada, the Canadian affiliate of Eli Lilly and Company, one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical companies. Established via a research collaboration with scientists at the University of Toronto, Eli Lilly Canada produced the world’s first commercially available insulin in partnership with the University of Toronto. This safe, stable, and reliable supply of insulin, which became widely available in North America, was accomplished via a shining example of collaboration in biomedical science, and was life-saving for the millions of people globally living with diabetes. This is the mission of Eli Lilly and Company — uniting caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. And while the company has a rich past and a significant list of achievements, today…

WHEN PAOLINA RUSSO was a teen, every hour she wasn’t at school was focused on fashion. She’d scour thrift stores in her hometown of Markham, Ontario, for vintage treasures, have her mom snap photos of the outfits, then spend four hours a night uploading the shots to her blog, Calur Villade. (That’s a jokey, French-sounding spin on Value Village.) After high school, Russo applied to study fine art at Central Saint Martins, the prestigious London fashion school that counts designer Alexander McQueen among its alumni. When a scout flew to Toronto to assess portfolios—and review Russo’s paintings, sculptures and, yes, blog photos—he granted her admission on the spot. By her second year, Russo specialized in fashion, specifically knitwear, channelling her love of hyper-saturated video games into futuristic yet cozy clothes.…

1 THE GOVERNMENT WILL TRY TO LOWER GROCERY PRICES Food prices are up across Canada—and most Canadians believe profiteering grocery companies are the culprits. CEOs from Loblaws, Metro and other grocery chains have told Parliament that they don’t price gouge, but many made record profits while food prices soared. (In mid-2023, baked goods cost roughly 15 per cent more than a year before.) Last fall, CEOs entered discussions with the federal government to help lower costs, under threat of higher taxation. In October, grocers agreed to initiatives like more discounts and price-matching, and Ottawa announced that they will establish a grocery task force to monitor the cost of food at major chains. Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservatives recently introduced the Better for Consumers, Better for Businesses Act in Ontario. If it…

Canada has big ambitions to build one of the world’s powerhouse supply chains for EV and battery technology. In 2022, the government released its Critical Minerals Strategy—a road map toward making our country a leading global supplier of materials needed for renewable energy and high-tech products. It’s backed by $3.8 billion in industry supports, such as mining research and infrastructure, and new roads into remote but mineral-rich areas. In 2024, we’re going to learn if all these efforts are paying off—or if we need to redouble them. The opportunity is enormous. The number of EVs on the road is rising quickly. In 2017, fewer than one per cent of new vehicle registrations in Canada were for EVs; by the third quarter of 2023, that figure was 13 per cent. But…

1 TAYLOR SWIFT MANIA WILL TAKE OVER TORONTO AND VANCOUVER Canadian Swifties were seeing red when they heard that the singer had left Canada off her wildly successful Eras world tour, but they were somewhat appeased with the announcement of a six-night Toronto run in November and three nights in Vancouver in December. Local businesses will also be Swift lovers for a spell—in the U.S., her tour stops usually generate a total of US$5 billion in spending. When Swifties come to town for her concerts, they spend, on average, about US$1,300 on hotel stays, food and merch. Times that by hundreds of thousands of fans over the course of nine nights, and you’ve got an economic boon. 2 DEADPOOL 3 WILLBLOW APART THE MULTIVERSE Deadpool 3 might just be the…

Recent research estimates that more than 235,000 Canadians are now homeless. The actual count is almost certainly higher and has been steadily growing since the pandemic. COVID rapidly worsened conditions for unhoused and precariously housed people, as shelters and daytime services closed or drastically reduced capacity. It also exacerbated social crises that make encampments necessary: mental health issues, a toxic drug supply, gender-based violence and, of course, access to housing, which is less affordable by the minute. I got involved with the encampment issue in May of 2020, after the clearance of Oppenheimer Park, a 300-person encampment on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Following the dispersal, some people who couldn’t find alternative housing congregated in an unused parking lot nearby, which was also later cleared. Lawyers representing the group for free asked…

1 THE FEDS WILL PLAN FOR CANADA’S WORST-CASE WEATHER SCENARIOS Last May, the federal government released the National Risk Profile, Canada’s first country-wide climate-risk assessment. The goal? To help Canadians grasp how extreme weather events could knock out homes, businesses and infrastructure—and provide recovery options when they do. The first report zeroed in on the three costliest disasters facing Canada: wildfires, floods and earthquakes, like B.C.’s long-anticipated “Big One.” It also revealed plans to train 1,000 firefighters and create a national early-warning system for seismic events, which is expected to roll out in 2024. 2 CLEAN-AIR SHELTERS WILL HELP US BREATHE EASIER Last summer, Canadians’ lungs and HVAC systems were put to the test during Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season. Several cities have now called for the widespread establishment of clean-air…

Several years ago, I contracted a foodborne illness while travelling in Europe. It didn’t respond to oral antibiotics, and I grew sicker as the bug spread through my bloodstream. Finally, I had no choice but to check into a hospital to treat it with IV antibiotics. They saved my life. Most people take antibiotics to fight common infections like strep throat and E. coli. Yet few of us realize just how foundational these drugs are to modern medicine. They allow patients to undergo organ transplants and chemotherapy without infections. They allow premature babies to survive their first days on Earth. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, science has been in an arms race with bacteria: they evolve to become stronger, and we make better antibiotics. Recently we’ve started losing…

1 CANADIANS WILL BECOME MORE AI-LITERATE A 2023 report by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, or CIFAR, found Canadians to be “incautiously optimistic” when it comes to AI. Fortunately, institutions nationwide are launching a wave of new courses designed to up our understanding of how AI works, no coding required. CIFAR recently launched its own module, Destination AI. And this month, a new course called “Artificial Intelligence Everywhere,” offered to all University of Alberta undergrads, will explain the ins and outs of data collection, the history of machine learning and—this is key—the importance of human input. 2 ONTARIO STUDENTS WILL GET TECH-SAVVIER, TOO As of this fall, all Ontario high school students will have to complete a Grade 9 or 10 technology credit to graduate. The provincial curriculum was…

Everywhere you look, whether it’s your local coffee shop, an online retailer or even checking your account balance on your banking app, there is most likely an ad or reference to a loyalty program. There has been a proliferation of programs like never before and everyday we are bombarded with promises of travel, free drinks, and so much more. With so many loyalty program options out there you may be wondering which ones are best for you? That can be answered by selecting programs that match your lifestyle habits and provide meaningful rewards that you know you will use. If travel is high on your list, you’ll want to join a program that offers travel rewards. Have a car? Make sure you have a program like Petro-Points on your list…

IN EARLY OCTOBER, Manitoba chose Wab Kinew. The leader of the NDP and the son of an Anishinaabe chief, Kinew became the first First Nations premier in the province’s history—breaking a chain of conservative counterparts that, hours before, had stretched from Alberta to P.E.I. On the campaign trail, Kinew made the usual big-tent promises (balancing the budget and slashing the health-care queue), but many Manitobans also saw him as the rare politician who’d deliver. Progress is a satisfying campaign buzzword, but it’s a lot harder in practice, which is something Kinew knows well. Before he was premier, an NDP MLA and even a CBC broadcaster (his real claim to fame), Kinew spent years mired in addiction, a dark period that included an impaired-driving charge and an assault conviction, detailed in…

VANCOUVER’S SOARING SKYLINE tells the story of Canada’s race to blanket the real estate market with residential units—no fewer than five new high-rises are expected to pop up in Metro Vancouver by 2027. Last June, a curvy newcomer emerged, proving that high density and high design can, in fact, mix. The Alberni is a 43-storey, gravity-defying build, home to 181 apartments, with studios starting at $1.2 million. When units went up for sale in 2017, it quickly became the most valuable pre-sale residential project in Canadian history. The Alberni is the first North American residential highrise project by Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, whose next stateside project is the plant-covered Park Habitat building in Silicon Valley, with a lush vertical garden (or “green lung”) in its atrium. “A…

I’ve been following the development of cellular agriculture for almost a decade. This field produces animal products from cells, meaning that consumers could one day buy meat from grocery stores that no animal died to make. It’s still a relatively new idea—right now, more people have climbed Mount Everest than eaten cultivated fish. My first experience was in 2022, at Wildtype Foods in San Francisco. I tried lab-grown salmon and, as someone who eats plant-based, it was a little too real for me. The texture wasn’t as firm as wild salmon, but I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if it was in sushi. I came home energized and excited. This is a brave new world for food. Cellular meat and dairy can help address some key problems in…

1 THE GOVERNMENT WILL INVESTIGATE UFOS There are close to 1,000 UFO sightings filed in Canada annually—rabid skywatchers will recall last winter’s Chinese spy balloon frenzy. And so, in 2022, the federal government greenlighted the Sky Canada Project, a deep dive led by the Office of the Chief Science Advisor that will review how UFO reports are collected and investigated here, with results due out this year. The goals of the project are to mitigate national-security issues, expand collaboration with U.S. organizations like NASA and streamline the reporting process—currently a hodgepodge effort by Transport Canada, the Royal Canadian Air Force and everyday civilians. 2 CANADA WILL TAX BIG TECH Despite oodles of opposition from our American neighbours, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is doubling down: Canada will introduce its Digital Services…

It’s been an incredible year for Canadian film. Sarah Polley won an Oscar for Women Talking, Celine Song destroyed the festival circuit with Past Lives, and Emma Seligman directed the cult-comedy of the year with Bottoms. To the casual fan it would seem Canada is in the midst of a film renaissance. There’s just one small problem: none of those movies are actually Canadian. Sure, they’re all written and directed by Canadians. You could even argue they’re about the Canadian experience—outsiders vs. insiders, traditionalists vs. trailblazers. But what disqualifies these movies from being a part of our heritage is the simple fact that American studios paid for them. That is the terminal sin that will rip the little Canadian flag sticker off every one of their DVDs (an anachronism that…

1 CANADA’S MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM WILL RETURN TO THE OLYMPICS It’s been 23 years since the Canadian men’s basketball team last played on the Olympic stage—but they’re finally poised to make their big comeback. In September of 2023, the team clinched its spot with a 88–85 victory over Spain at the Basketball World Cup. Leading the squad is Hamilton-raised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard who averaged 31.4 points a game last season. The rest of the roster is stacked with more Canadian NBA giants, including R.J. Barrett, Dillon Brooks and Dwight Powell. With a strong pool of talent and a bronze medal at the Basketball World Cup, there’s every chance the team could end up on the podium again in Paris. 2 A WOMEN’S PRO SOCCER…

Back in July, the Earth set a new average temperature record, nudging past 17° C for the first time in recorded human history. Headline-worthy as this was, it got lost in this summer’s parade of horribles: fires, floods, heatwaves and hurricanes. The southern United States baked in unrelenting heat. Phoenix broke 43 degrees every day for nearly two months straight, and Antarctica shattered its old record for low ice cover. The implications for our oceans were graver still: in July, the Gulf of Mexico hit 38 degrees off the Florida Keys. Mean-while, in September, a cyclone called Storm Daniel triggered dam failures that wiped out much of Derna, Libya. More than 4,300 people died, and untold thousands remain missing, presumed washed out to sea. And you thought Canada had a…

1 JUSTIN TRUDEAU WILL FACE NEW CHALLENGERS—BOTH WITHIN HIS PARTY AND BEYOND Many political insiders are predicting a federal election in 2024. But after nine years in power and three election wins, the bloom is off the rose for Justin Trudeau, who’s staring down generation-high interest rates, a dire housing crisis and his lowest approval ratings ever. A recent Angus Reid poll suggests most Canadians, including almost half of Liberal respondents, think he should step down before the next election; potential successors include Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who’s already floated the idea of a leadership run. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s Conservative counterpart, Pierre Poilievre, will keep picking up popularity as he promises to lower the cost of living and…

DANCE A BALLET FOR HOPE NADIYA UKRAINE Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto January 23 to January 27 BALLET-LOVERS can show their support for Ukrainians in need by catching the National Ballet of Ukraine’s Canadian tour, titled “Nadiya Ukraine”—which roughly translates to “Hope for Ukraine.” Following a reception with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dancers will perform selected excerpts from classic ballets like Le Corsaire and Don Quixote. During the show, patrons will have the opportunity to make a taxdeductible donation to not-for-profit organizations that support Ukrainians. Intermission brings special video guest Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, whose fundraising foundation provides critical human capital services to her country’s people. ART A META EXHIBIT SHELLEY NIRO: 500 YEAR ITCH Art Gallery of Hamilton February 10 to May 26 AFTER DEBUTING at the…