Features Archive

Country Doctors

“Here comes the Doc, riding on his…what?” A comforting sight in times of distress, the country doctor could be counted on to travel any distance in any weather to care for the sick, the dying, and the about-to-be-born. Getting around the vast rural landscape was often a challenge, especially in winter.…

Happily Ever After

We could be forgiven for assuming the pandemic would write the final chapter for independent bookstores. Over the decades, these proverbial Davids had survived the might of big-box store Goliaths, followed by the ascent of online retail giants.…

The Second Pandemic

While COVID raged, the opioid crisis did not go away; in fact, it grew in strength and virulence, striking down individuals, families and neighbourhoods and overwhelming social agencies. Opioid addiction shows no favouritism, recognizes no social or economic standing, and spares no one caught in its grip. Meet the people who live and work on the streets.…

The Chimney Sweep’s Boy

Young Sammy’s life has been miserable since he was conscripted from the orphanage to be the assistant to a gruff, unkind chimney sweep. Is there no hope for this little boy? Will he never see an end to the suffocating blackness of sooty chimneys and buckets of old ashes? It seems nothing short of a Christmas miracle will save him.…