One Woman’s Journey from Beginner to Ballerina at Ottawa Ballet Studio With no prior dance experience, Sandra Stratton began ballet as an adult and, just four years later, achieved her dream of dancing en pointe. By Jena Lynde-Smith Ballet is mesmerizing—and for most people, it’s enjoyed from the seats of an auditorium...
Tag - March/April 2025
Grassroot Grannies have been digging up their gardens for 17 years, selling thousands of ferns, hostas and colourful garden art, raising $110,000 for their beleaguered African sisters. By Sheila Brady Maggie Armstrong is unrepentantly addicted to gardening. The 87-year-old mother of three, grandmother to six and loving...
By Rose Simpson The late actor Matthew Perry once believed that all his troubles would go away if only he became famous. He remembered at 24 kneeling and praying, hoping to make his dream come true. “I prayed to God to make me famous,” he told the CBC’s Tom Power. “I told God he could do anything to me after that.” Three...
Known for the most authentic, culturally-enriching cruises on the Mekong River, with land tours in Vietnam and Cambodia, Emerald Cruises is now expanding its offerings to include Japan and Laos. Travellers rave on social media about exploring Southeast Asia with Emerald Cruises. For Trevor Howard, a member of the Emerald...
By Dan Lalande “I was a very conflicted young man,” admits Derick Fage, who, as he’s evolved, has benefited immeasurably from the daunting practice of honesty. “I loved being around people—but at the same time, I had to isolate myself.” Two Dericks, then, at war. The first started off as an imaginative, energetic child who...
By Dan Lalande “We don’t control conditions.” That quote (others just as instructive and inspiring will follow) is proof positive that Tom Heyerdahl can communicate in full sentences. If that doesn’t sound like much of a feat, consider that he spends a healthy portion of his daily life in water 15 degrees or colder. Those are...
By Rose Simpson Photos courtesy of Jean-Marc Carisse Jean-Marc Carisse had his first brush with celebrity when one of his photos appeared on the front page of the Ottawa Citizen when he was six years old. “I had fallen some 50 feet down our apartment stairwell and miraculously survived,” recalls the...
