Lives & Legacy

In a world that is being engulfed in wildfires, where a war in the Middle East has no conclusion in sight, where artificial intelligence is set to revolutionize economies, where middle-power allies are learning to flex their economic clout, where tariffs have become the economic baseball bat carried by a bully looking to extort lunch money from everyone in the schoolyard, where grift and gangsterism in the White House is put on full display like it is just part of the gilded faux-fashion of the Oval Office, would it be that outlandish to wonder if the crumbling relationship between the U.S. and Canada will come down to milk?

We are a few days into August. The annual construction holiday is over and, if you are like me, you are wondering how you’re going to pack in all the things you had  planned to do this summer — and haven’t yet — into the next few weeks.

I recently spent two weeks wandering around Quebec and Ontario. It was hard to avoid thinking of water, whether swimming in lakes in the Laurentians or the Eastern Townships, summer thunderstorms or floods in the Montreal area and Ottawa.

Rewilding is an interesting word. But it’s an even more interesting concept, and truly satisfying to see in action.

Crazy weather got you hunkering down? A richly varied assortment of recommendations will help you pass the time until we get back to climatic normal. Or, as close as possible.

We have always known that politics are politics. But when you see the slithery cold quality that frequently shades the practice of public service up close, it strikes a blow, and raises the question: Would it be so hard to do better?

There are few things more uniquely Quebec than the annual construction holiday – not poutine, not arguing over whether the Canadiens should be more active in the off-season, not even debating the proper pronunciation of “Vaudreuil.”

In my last column,I focused on why I love Quebec, as well as assessing some of its flaws. This week, I thought I would articulate the strengths and weaknesses of our country.

Let no one believe that the heart of any gardener isn’t ridden with dark envy and the capacity to act on it. Inside every gardener is a scavenger and thief, and it’s just a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes another garden has what you want.

Now that all good (and SO intense!) soccer/football people have had a nap or two to recover from the 2026 World Cup final, but before they turn to their screens for the return of Ted Lasso (coaching a women’s soccer/football team in Season 4, starting Aug. 5 on Apple TV), here are a few suggestions for some brand new non-soccer programming.