Earlier this winter, I spent time reporting from Greenland. The threat of an American invasion had transformed the quiet Arctic city of Nuuk into an unlikely stage for a global showdown—a rallying point for NATO troops and international diplomats all trying to preserve the rules-bound world order.
I'm at that point in life where we've have several friends buying houses in the past couple years, and many more who can't see a future where they ever will.
Really great piece that verbalizes a lot of the push and pull.
thewalrus.ca/i-bought-a-h...
A dispatch from me from the Liberal convention last weekend – about the shift from romance to reality, the 'useful fictions' we eventually outlive, and the strange experience of seeing your own professional past audited in real-time. via @thewalrus.ca
thewalrus.ca/what-i-learn...
This article raises a lot of interesting finance points. Canada should be developing a solid strategy for this vulnerability.
thewalrus.ca/why-your-cre...
The use of pricing algorithms isn’t new. What’s newer is just how much personal data and information these companies are able to access, and advancements in AI and machine learning have made it possible to extract and analyze it at massive scales. Vass Bednar, Managing Director, Canadian Shield Institute
What does it mean that Manitoba is banning algorithmic pricing?
Shield Managing Director @vassb.bsky.social spoke to @cstarnino.bsky.social at The Walrus to get into why this is a big deal for consumers, and a big deal for how we govern the digital realm.
thewalrus.ca/manitoba-mov...
Grateful that @cstarnino.bsky.social and the @thewalrus.ca approached me this weekend to re-print my original reporting and exclusive regarding Canadian involvement in Op. Southern Spear
thewalrus.ca/how-canada-i...
I’m a one-woman show, so if this kind of reporting speaks to you please consider becoming a paid subscriber to my substack 🙏🏼
(working on launching the rest of my project in the coming weeks)
substack.com/@thestateoft...
My contribution to @thewalrus.ca
on what the coverage of #IranWar is missing:
External war does not automatically produce democratic transition. It can strengthen the very security institutions that suppressed the #WomanLifeFreedom movement.
thewalrus.ca/iran-foreign...
My short text, along with 7 others (including Maral Karimi, Janice Stein, Wesley Wark, Greg Fyffe, others), for The Walrus:
My main point - “The real test now is turning tactical dominance into strategic success.”
thewalrus.ca/iran-foreign...
I'm just saying, we could still do this
Here is the episode with Michelle. We cover a lot of dark subjects—white supremacist movements, the new Trump era, Guantanamo Bay, etc—but also how she manages to not get emotionally crushed while covering all these.
Here's my latest essay for @thewalrus.ca. As a parent, I understand the impulse to protect kids. Danger is real. And on the other side of danger? Unimaginable loss. But safety, I've come to believe, is inversely correlated with freedom—which, for kids, is sacrosanct. thewalrus.ca/is-it-danger...
"To me, it was more proof that as an abused woman, I couldn’t trust the police to help keep me and my family safe."
I've been waiting to read Lisa Banfield's account of what happened at Portapique and after, and it's chilling (via @thewalrus.ca)
thewalrus.ca/lisa-banfiel...
Spoiler for tomorrow’s episode, which gets, uh, *heated*.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT is presented by @thewalrus.ca
Find it at all the podcast places.
thewalrus.ca/podcasts/wha...
After Canada imposed duties on China’s EVs, steel, and aluminum, Beijing targeted Canadian commodities, closing a multi-billion-dollar market. Now the governments are negotiating. This week with @cstarnino.bsky.social, editor of @thewalrus.ca, I unpack PRC tactics and strategic ambitions. Link ⬇ 1/7
"The United States is in an ideological K-hole, disassociating and disoriented, paralyzed and lost somewhere in its own private reality."
Fantastic line!
But seriously, this is a great piece about post-neoliberalism and Canada needing to find its way in the new reality.
On the left: an image of Souvankham Thammavongsa sitting on a concrete floor. On the right: text that reads "Souvankham Thammavongsa doesn't mind if you're jealous of her career. In both her writing and life, the two-time winner of the Giller Prize does exactly what she wants.”
Souvankham Thammavongsa is a woman wholly uninterested in shrinking.
The Walrus associate editor Ariella Garmaise sits down with the two-time Giller Prize winner to talk about ambition, self-possession, and why she refuses to perform humility for anyone: thewalrus.ca/souvankham-thamm...
"The energy sector really likes this deal. Everything we’re hearing is that it’s Christmas come early for that sector."
I'm late to this great @stewartprest.ca & @cstarnino.bsky.social chat, but struck by this comment. Says everything one needs to know about the MOU.
thewalrus.ca/alberta-bc-p...
My latest...👇
Bro, Enough with the Protein. You’re Just Making Expensive Pee thewalrus.ca/enough-with-... via @thewalrus.ca
The protein blitzkrieg has been felt. Consumers are responding. Marketing has won.
Reality: "People have lost their minds on this one."
Needed: Healthy & balanced!
On the left: Photo of politician Nate Erskine-Smith sitting at a desk with a microphone and Toronto Blue Jay's hat. On the right: text that reads “Nate Erskine-Smith Has Built a Political Career on Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud. Reddit threads, podcast rants, and candid Substacks: the Liberal MP is testing how far honesty can take him.”
From childhood picket lines with his teacher parents to challenging his own party on climate, housing, and Indigenous rights, @beynate.bsky.socials career asks a simple question: How far can honesty really take you in politics? thewalrus.ca/nate-erskine-smi...
On the left: an image of two hands holding up a record with a maple leaf design and a pair of headphones. On the right: text that reads “Amid Buy Canadian, should we “Listen Canadian” too? Rising tensions with the US have disrupted tours, festivals, and the economics of being a musician”
For music to be considered "Canadian content," two of the following criteria must be Canadian: music, artist, performance, or lyrics. But can a rigid set of rules established in 1971 successfully protect the industry from modern day threats? thewalrus.ca/amid-buy-canadia...
On the left: a collage of three images of prime minister Mark Carney speaking at a podium. On the right: text that reads “Mr. Carney, about that pipeline deal—we need to talk. You’re acting like Indigenous consent matters only when convenient. Please prove us wrong”
Reconciliation rooted in truth, backed by action—that is the path Canada vowed to walk. Here, writer and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat urges Prime Minister Mark Carney to stay the course—even when the political winds shift. thewalrus.ca/mr-carney-about-...
@nickhunebrown.bsky.social, you're a prince. Human to human, thanks so much for taking time.
"You can’t have a mix of things that are true and not true in your news publication or the whole thing is destroyed." Smart, thoughtful Q&A between @nickhunebrown.bsky.social and @thewalrus.ca's Carmine Starnino about AI's creep into journalism thewalrus.ca/the-phantom-...
Is Canada Helping Identify Boats the US Is Blowing Up? Read John Kirk's and my essay in The Walrus.
thewalrus.ca/us-boat-stri...
On the left: an image of CSIS director Daniel Rogers. On the right: text that reads “Spy boss Dan Rogers has the hardest job in Ottawa. He takes the helm amid Trump’s return, internal turmoil, and a shifting threat landscape”
The threats Canada is facing “have evolved considerably over the past twenty-five years,” says Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. Here, he speaks to Wesley Wark about the many ways the Service has adapted: thewalrus.ca/spy-boss-dan-rog...
