Highly recommended weekend #longread courtesy of @markmedley.bsky.social’s new book LIVE TO SEE THE DAY.

Liz White wasn’t chasing power. She was chasing change. For decades, the Animal Protection Party leader ran knowing victory wouldn’t come—because some fights aren’t about winning, but about refusing to quit. thewalrus.ca/why-people-set-o...

Thanks to @thewalrus.ca for running an excerpt from my new book Live to See the Day: thewalrus.ca/why-people-s...

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, offices felt like relics of the past. Now, companies are enforcing return-to-office mandates that don’t seem to make sense for employer or employee—at least on the surface. Writer Kathy Chow investigates: thewalrus.ca/return-to-office...

A 2022 NerdWallet study found that 70 percent of millennial and Gen Z respondents said they feel embarrassed about their debt. Kelley Keehn breaks down why debt feels like a personal failure and charts a path to building financial competence: thewalrus.ca/why-youre-bad-wi...

“Money isn’t just about math,” writes personal finance expert Kelley Keehn. “It’s about emotions. It’s about stories. It’s about who we believe we are—and what we believe we deserve.” thewalrus.ca/why-youre-bad-wi...

Writer Jeremy Thomas Gilmer won’t deny that Environmental Impact Assessments can sometimes drag on. But what can seem like a delay from the outside often produces the very insights that make projects safer and more sustainable. thewalrus.ca/carneys-major-pr...

In Gaza, a call for a ceasefire hasn’t erased the imprint of violence. Writer Batool Abu Akleen knows first-hand that it lives in the body, in the mind, in the pauses between breaths—and that it makes her hope feel fragile. thewalrus.ca/i-was-displaced-...

Writer Charlie Foran imagines that, to animals, humans are just "jarring noises, putrid smells, and blockages of light." And even after spending more time in our homes—and in nature—during the pandemic, better neighbours we suddenly are not. thewalrus.ca/what-i-want-the-...

The threat posed by AI isn’t just about jobs. “The problem isn’t that AI is going to replace human labour, it’s that the material benefit created by gains in productivity is going to be sucked up by the asset-holding classes,” writes André Forget. thewalrus.ca/if-chatbots-can-...

“[Jide] Salawu’s poems of migration help transform our sense of the prairies and, by extension, Canada,” writes Nicholas Bradley. As one river (the North Saskatchewan) flows into another (the Niger), so, too, does CanLit into the world beyond its borders. thewalrus.ca/canadian-literat...

Today, Quebec dominates the maple syrup market. That power was built deliberately, leveraging co-ops, shared risk, and quality management. Here, Peter Kuitenbrouwer examines how faith and strategy turned a fragile farm trade into a global force: thewalrus.ca/how-quebec-farme...

What if your home gave you security and a say? Writer Ludovic Viger explores how co-op living empowers people by granting them a sense of control and involvement in the decision-making processes that affect their lives: thewalrus.ca/why-co-ops-are-t...

In grade two, Souvankham Thammavongsa auditioned to be Little Red Riding Hood in a play—and fought the wolf instead of following the script. When the director told her that only the writer determines the story, she realized exactly what she wanted to be. thewalrus.ca/souvankham-thamm...

“I, the creature who once loved mornings the most, can no longer tolerate them.” From a tent in Deir al-Balah, writer and poet Batool Abu Akleen chronicles the fear, anxiety, and grief that greeted her at the start of each new day in Gaza: thewalrus.ca/i-was-displaced-...

The financialization of housing is creating a crisis that’s threatening the security of families across Canada. Could co-ops be the way to ensure a home is truly a home, instead of just a profit-maximizing asset? thewalrus.ca/why-co-ops-are-t...

“When it comes to being a traitor, you could say this guy is ‘The Great One.’” A few prominent Canadians have been eager to kiss the ring when it comes to Donald Trump. But for author and comedian Mark Critch, one name rises above the rest: Wayne Gretzky. thewalrus.ca/kevin-oleary-way...

As Canada's housing crisis worsens, co-ops and Community Land Trusts have become attractive alternatives. Writer Ludovic Viger highlights how these models promote affordability, resilience, and democratic participation within communities. thewalrus.ca/why-co-ops-are-t...

Some would look at a treasonous act as a person merely seizing an opportunity. Those people, writes @markcritch.bsky.social, would most likely be traitors. Here, he examines the consequences of public-facing Canadians putting personal gain above the nation: thewalrus.ca/kevin-oleary-way...

Kevin O’Leary, Danielle Smith, and Wayne Gretzky have all flown to Mar-a-Lago to cozy up to Donald Trump, leaving Canadians questioning their loyalty. @markcritch.bsky.social puts it plainly: “If you don’t like being called a traitor, maybe stop acting like one.” thewalrus.ca/kevin-oleary-way...

Lead Podcasting is joining The Walrus to expand The Walrus Podcasts and strengthen our audio storytelling. Amanda Cupido will serve as our first Executive Podcast Advisor, and the full Lead team joins The Walrus Lab. Read more: thewalrus.ca/the-walrus-acqui...

Today is #GivingTuesday. Help us reach $20,000 today. Donate now: celebrated Canadian journalist Peter Mansbridge, through the Mansbridge Charitable Foundation, will match all gifts up to $5,000. Support independent, fact-checked journalism today: thewalrus.ca/givingtuesday

For many politicians who cross the floor, the hardest losses aren’t political but personal. Authors and professors @alexmarland.bsky.social, @jaredwesley.ca, and @mireillelalancette.bsky.social examine why breaking party loyalty is so painful. thewalrus.ca/political-defect...

Frustrated by debates about women's participation in the sport, Natalie Porter launched Womxn Skateboard History. The rich archive she's amassed serves as proof of something she's known all along: women shaped skateboarding right from the start. thewalrus.ca/meet-the-librari...

Is Canada about to commit to its fighter jet future the way Norway has? As the government reviews its decision to purchase the US F-35 fighter jet, Wesley Wark sees a familiar pattern steering Ottawa away from the competition—the Swedish JAS Gripen. thewalrus.ca/the-f-35-isnt-ju...

While North America is often seen as one big audience, the Canada-US border has long been significant to music. With a population that dwarfs Canada's, the US represents a huge opportunity for artists: that is, if they can afford to tour. thewalrus.ca/amid-buy-canadia...

Kakisa, Northwest Territories, has one road in and out. Twice in a decade, wildfires completely cut it off from the rest of the territory, with evacuation orders delivered by hand. It is a situation that residents don’t want to be in again. thewalrus.ca/tiny-town-wildfi...

On a winter's day in Toronto, a private investigator follows a woman through the city and finds herself wrestling more with her own vanishing act than the case in front of her. Read Thea Lim’s new short story “Anyone Could Be Anyone”: thewalrus.ca/anyone-could-be-...

Author Plum Johnson knows that the history of fairy tales is hard to pin down, but she likes to think they originated with women. "They probably hoped to warn us . . . and I should have paid closer attention," Johnson writes. thewalrus.ca/i-was-raised-on-...

Private investigators aren’t what TV makes them out to be. They’re ordinary people—and that’s the point. In “Anyone Could Be Anyone,” Thea Lim follows a PI who slips through Toronto unseen, until the case she’s on blurs with the life she’s been avoiding. thewalrus.ca/anyone-could-be-...

Skateboarding has always included women. The problem? Too few bothered to pay attention. Natalie Porter, creator of Womxn Skateboard History, is pulling their stories out of the archives—and into the spotlight they always deserved. thewalrus.ca/meet-the-librari...

Protecting Canada’s sovereignty takes more than a modern military; it also requires a well-thought-out foreign policy and effective diplomacy. And though the public may not know it, Canada has a strong history of pivotal diplomatic intervention. thewalrus.ca/sovereignty-isnt...

Why do we keep falling for fairy tales? From “Cinderella” to “Rapunzel,” these stories shape our romantic lives. Writer Plum Johnson considers how they fuel our fantasies into adulthood—even when we know they're not true. thewalrus.ca/i-was-raised-on-...

From foreign interference to shifting alliances, Canada faces no shortage of threats—and we can't defend our sovereignty when our diplomacy and intelligence systems are falling behind. Writers Kevin G. Lynch and James R. Mitchell map out a path forward: thewalrus.ca/sovereignty-isnt...

Canada can’t protect its sovereignty with nostalgia and punchy slogans. Here, former civil servants Kevin G. Lynch and James R. Mitchell consider what a focused diplomacy and intelligence strategy could look like: thewalrus.ca/sovereignty-isnt...

A few months ago @thelocal.to got a promising pitch from a writer with bylines in whole bunch of reputable publications—The Cut, The Guardian, Dwell, Architectural Digest, etc. Then I started investigating. Here's a story about fabulists in journalism's AI slop era. thelocal.to/investigatin...

A $240 million federal investment. A commitment to Canadian innovation. And a team up with some of the most controversial players in tech. Journalist @juliesobowale.bsky.social takes a closer look at the trouble with Cohere, Canada's homegrown AI hope: thewalrus.ca/cohere-is-canada...

When Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018, Beijing struck back, detaining Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in a clear act of hostage diplomacy. How was Canada left so vulnerable? Author Dennis Molinaro explores: thewalrus.ca/how-china-courte...

Canada wasn’t ready for China’s new era of power—and Beijing knew it. Former national security analyst Dennis Molinaro reveals how an intelligence blind spot opened the door to one of the world’s most ambitious foreign interference campaigns: thewalrus.ca/how-china-courte...

No dividends, no pension, just passion. For almost fifty years, the business of Canadian publishing was a precarious enterprise. Read Scott McIntyre’s eye-opening story of survival: thewalrus.ca/i-was-warned-the...

Is nation building more important than profit? This is the constant tension surrounding Canadian publishing. Writer and Douglas & McIntyre co-founder Scott McIntyre details the heartbreaking reality of small houses nurturing talent, only to lose them. thewalrus.ca/i-was-warned-the...

Camp A feeds them peanuts. Camp B calls them tree-rats. But no matter which camp you’re in, writer @nancycastaldobooks.bsky.social reminds us: squirrels are just being squirrels—and that may just be the problem. thewalrus.ca/why-squirrels-dr...

We love them, we loathe them, and we built the world they thrive in. Author and journalist @nancycastaldobooks.bsky.social unpacks our complicated bond with the squirrel, a creature that mirrors both our chaos and our resilience. thewalrus.ca/why-squirrels-dr...

Measles was something Alberta physician @monicakidd.bsky.social and her colleagues once spoke of in the past tense. Here, Kidd reports on how the return of the once-eliminated disease is straining hospitals: thewalrus.ca/how-alberta-beca...

An excerpt from SQUIRREL - my latest (and first) nonfiction book for adult readers! Hope you enjoy this bite! @islandpress.bsky.social @princetonupress.bsky.social @andreabrownlit.bsky.social 🐿️🌍 Natural History thewalrus.ca/why-squirrel...

Squirrels chew our wires, raid our gardens, and crash our power grids—but the real disruptors are humans. Writer @nancycastaldobooks.bsky.social offers an incisive look at what the critters reveal about human nature: thewalrus.ca/why-squirrels-dr...

Art can charm. It can provoke. And it can even dismantle the idea of a continent—or build it. Writer Sarah E. K. Smith takes a deep dive into the tug-of-war between creativity, culture, and capitalism: thewalrus.ca/the-wild-protest...

From NAFTA billboards to gas-mask fashion at protests, free trade has shaped—and fractured—North America’s cultural landscape. Writer @smithsarah.bsky.social explores: thewalrus.ca/the-wild-protest...

In her postcolonial version of Inferno, Jamaican poet Lorna Goodison uses hell to criticize mining, pollution, and "politricks.” Here, writer and editor Amanda Perry takes a closer look at her inventive spin on Dante's classic: thewalrus.ca/hell-is-a-lot-of...

Are “mutual friend selfies" reshaping how we stay connected? For writer @asmaam.bsky.social, these personal, off-social photos—taken specifically for the person missing from the frame—speak volumes about friendship in a digital age. thewalrus.ca/whats-giving-me-...