Innehållsförteckning för July 2024 från Maclean's

In the 1980s, I attended a bustling public high school in downtown Toronto. Canada had just welcomed thousands of Vietnamese newcomers, and some of my classmates were part of that wave. I saw firsthand how quickly they found a pathway to a safe, stable, middle-class life—the Canadian dream. To me, 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…

At Humber College, students can choose from over 100 certificate, diploma, or degree programs. With industry-focused curriculums and apprenticeship opportunities, Humber’s programming allows learners to work on real-world challenges, ensuring graduates are career-ready. Humber also endeavours to make sure that all students are able to achieve their educational dreams. Humber Indigenous Education and Engagement works in partnership with regional Indigenous communities to ensure Indigenous students are supported and connected to their learning environment — academically, culturally, and socially. “Exploring Humber College’s Indigenous Education and Engagement centre was like discovering a close-knit community where I could embrace my heritage through enriching events and connect with fellow Indigenous students,” says Jacquelyn Assinewe, an Indigenous Humber College alumni who now works on the Indigenous Education and Engagement team. “Amidst this supportive environment,…

I WAS A CURIOUS KID, always drawn to science. I mainlined episodes of The Magic School Bus, and even though I came from an immigrant family with little money, I begged my parents to buy me chemistry kits filled with test tubes and colour-changing pH strips. Those early chemistry lessons were the gateway to my understanding of climate change. I couldn’t yet grasp complex concepts like greenhouse gases and the carbon cycle, but I did know that the tools and technologies humans created had an impact on our environment. We could make messes, but we could also help clean them up. I was in university when I first heard about direct air capture, or DAC—the idea that you could collect carbon dioxide that had already reached the atmosphere, instead of at…

Canada is experiencing labour shortages in many sectors including cyber security, IT, analytics, and more. Productivity levels are at risk — which is why York University’s School of Continuing Studies has introduced new ways to work with businesses to resolve these issues. The relationship between post-secondary institutions and employers has changed. The university’s comprehensive, collaborative partnerships help employers recruit diverse, experienced graduates, boost employee retention, and upskill high-potential talent. The York team knows that Canada has untapped pools of highly skilled, sometimes considered “non-traditional” talent that could boost productivity and create a more equitable society. The school provides many new all-in-one opportunities for businesses to influence program development, host student work projects, and focus on reskilling and employee retention benefits as per the organization’s goals. We asked Christine Brooks-Cappadocia, Assistant…

IN 2019, I WAS LIVING IN IBADAN, NIGERIA, with my wife, Kenny, and our four-year-old son, Dotun. I worked as a high school teacher. One of my sisters, Jummy, had recently moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, with her husband, who was doing his postdoc there. They’d just had a son, so I flew to Canada that November to meet him. My trip was only supposed to last a few weeks, but Jummy liked having me around so much that she suggested I extend my stay until late March of 2020, so I could celebrate my birthday with them. I applied for extended leave from my job and rescheduled my flight home. Then came COVID. I tried to get a flight out but the borders were closed. I was stuck in Alberta.…

Given the global shift towards ESG investing, how is Canada positioning itself as a leader in leveraging technological advancements to attract sustainable investment and promote economic growth while prioritizing environmental and social responsibility? By supporting clean technology companies to develop leading edge products and services that the world needs, we are transforming the green economic future of Canada. We continue to accelerate the transition to clean growth through new tax credits outlined in our recent budget. That includes measures such as the new Electric Vehicle Supply Chain investment tax credit, which will provide a 10 per cent tax credit for the cost of buildings used in the EV supply chain for businesses that invest in Canada across three key supply chain segments: • EV assembly; • EV battery production; and,…

You’re a prominent voice for Inuit culture in Canadian media. How do you see your work inspiring a new generation of Inuit actors and storytellers? As a young Inuk, I was inspired by anyone around me who was working towards making our communities safer and healthier. Whether they worked in government, led community initiatives, worked in culture and language revitalization, or they spent time helping and learning from elders, working with youth, creating and sharing art. Inuit worldviews see the interconnectedness of everything — the land, the animals, our kin, ourselves, and how we treat the land, the animals, our kin, and ourselves. Being cognizant of and working towards protecting the interconnectedness of everything and seeing Inuit of all different backgrounds, with different goals and different approaches but the same…

Education is a powerful tool in life, yet graduation rates of Indigenous students fall below the national average. Canada’s foremost Indigenous youth charity, Outside Looking In (OLI) works directly with Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities using dance to inspire Indigenous youth to continue to pursue education. Dance can be truly transformative. It has the power to spark hope, create opportunities, build self-discipline, and foster a sense of connection. “Our founder was a dancer, and she saw the value that dance brought to her life, both from a discipline perspective and the thrill of performing,” says Hope Sanderson, CEO of OLI. Empowering Indigenous youth OLI is an intensive high school accredited dance program for youth between grades 7 and 12. Since 2007, OLI has instilled hope, motivation, and leadership skills…

The focus on passion in the workplace can lead employees toward burnout if not managed properly. While meaningful work is important for mental wellness, an obsession with work can have detrimental effects. Employees are often encouraged to show passion and commitment, but this can sometimes lead to unhealthy behaviours like overworking and neglecting work-life balance. Passionate employees are often recognized and rewarded, but this can inadvertently promote a culture of burnout. When passion becomes an obsession, it can lead to challenges such as long hours, poor working conditions, and performance based on display rather than authenticity. To cultivate a healthy level of passion in the workplace, it is important to differentiate between obsessive and harmonious passion. Obsessive passion can lead to rigidity and an inability to set boundaries, while…

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 and began a career in business development for multinational corporations. Ann, who asked me to use a pseudonym to protect her privacy, married and had…

Immunization is key to disease prevention, especially for older adults. “With aging, people often have other medical conditions and comorbidities. That, along with a weakened immune system, can leave them vulnerable to serious infection and complications if they get sick,” says Dr. Zain Chagla, Associate Professor, Medicine, at McMaster University, and infectious disease specialist. A respiratory disease like the flu, pneumonia, or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead not only to hospitalizations, but longer-term complications like frailty and loss of functional independence. “Vaccines are an effective way to help prevent many of these diseases, their complications, and limit their spread in the community,” he says. Equity challenges to seniors accessing recommended vaccines Though effective vaccines for pneumonia, shingles, and RSV are available and recommended for the elderly by the National…

Reconciliation is a process. And a key part of that process is that each First Nation has their own path to recognition of their title, rights, and self-governance. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. With the support of a Made-in-BC negotiations framework that upholds the original intent and spirit of the BC Claims Task Force Report — while integrating the latest advancements, including the BC’s Rights Recognition Policy and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — four British Columbia First Nations have embarked on historic new agreements with their partner provincial and federal governments. Each of these agreements — and the process through which they are reached — is unique to the needs, goals, and historic context of the First Nation involved. “After a long history of…

IN THE 1920S, Montreal was one of the world’s most active export centres for wheat. The Old Port was peppered with enormous grain silos and, at its south end, Alexandra Pier shipped out all that precious cargo. By 1967, however, the pier served two purely practical purposes: as a parking area and as a processing terminal for cruise passengers, a brief stopover before they sought entertainment elsewhere in the city. In 2013, with the site showing signs of advanced age—some parts of it were literally crumbling—the port authority launched a design competition to modernize the waterfront. Provencher_Roy, a Montreal architecture firm, won for its plan to convert the concrete-heavy, closed-to-the-public space into a love letter to Montreal. Construction on the newly renamed Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal began…

I survived the most difficult time of my life because of decisions made by people right here in this room,” Jennifer Young told a global forum of her Manulife colleagues, this past February. A member of Manulife’s Human Resources Team, Jennifer spoke about her journey with postpartum depression and anxiety at the forum, which featured personal stories from Manulife employees about what Better means to them and how it connects to the organization’s mission and purpose. “I felt sad. I felt scared. I felt defeated. And then I felt nothing—that’s when I needed to get help,” she said through a tearful but determined-voice. “And I’m not exaggerating one bit when I tell you that if I didn’t know for a fact that I had comprehensive mental health care coverage through…

Job satisfaction goes way beyond a paycheque. You want to work where you’re valued, proud, and inspired daily. If you’re looking for a workplace that checks all the boxes, you’re in luck — because George Brown College (GBC) is hiring. GBC has ranked among the top 100 GTA employers for eight years running. With over 3,600 employees, we’re proud of our growth and accomplishments. We don’t just embrace diversity — we embody it At GBC, we embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and Indigenization (DEII) into everything we do. Providing accessible, anti-racist, and welcoming environments is essential to our community’s success. Our Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, Anti-Racism Action Plan, and Indigenous Education Strategy spur exciting and important changes at GBC, including new roles and DEII initiatives plus a partnership with the Mississaugas…

ONE MORNING when I was eight years old, my Grade 3 teacher cut math class short and brought us all to the conference room of the small school I attended in Abram-Village, Prince Edward Island. There, a social worker stood in front of the small student body—about 120 kids—and announced that a new family was coming to our village. The Mazarabakizas were a family of refugees from Burundi who’d fled their home due to civil war. Their four eldest children would attend our school, and the social worker implored us to treat them as we would any other friends—regardless of their cultural background and differences. If it seems a little extreme to have a full-school intervention on behalf of a single immigrant family, it was warranted in P.E.I. in 2003.…