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  • People

    Marjorie Mintz

    by Marjorie Mintz | May 21, 2003

    If anyone had told me last year that I would be teaching computer skills and getting paid, I would never have believed it. I wonder what I will be doing tomorrow? read more

  • People

    Clara Brett Martin

    by Beth Atcheson | Apr 23, 2003

    In 1897, Clara Brett Martin became the first woman entitled to practice law in Ontario, Canada and the British Empire. It was a lonely and controversial journey. She did it for herself. She chose to do it in a way that opened the doors for women who came after. She has been written into the history books and written out again for other things she did in her short lifetime. Her courage is undeniable. read more

  • People

    poet and publisher: Maria Jacobs

    by Carolyn Dodds | Apr 10, 2003

    World War Two survivor, immigrant, student, mother, worker – Maria Jacobs’ poetry draws on her rich life. Not content to find an audience for her own work, Maria co-founded a publishing company to expand opportunities for other poets. In following her own path, Maria creates new paths for others.  read more

  • Ideas

    pornography

    by Susan G. Cole | Mar 11, 2003

    Pornography has violence against women embedded in it, and it has other dimensions that are deeply challenging. It’s a subject many of us shy away from, wrapped up as it is with sex and sexuality. There is less public awareness of what it means to us and to our society. There is not a consensus about how to address it across diverse communities of interest. There are the personal layers. There are the public layers, including huge economic and commercial forces always, relentlessly, pushing it.  read more

  • People

    entrepreneur: Filomena Carvalho

    by Radha Nayar | Mar 11, 2003

    Filomena has worked at the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre in Toronto for 20 years. After only three months there, Filomena planted the seeds for a sexual health support group for Portugese women. Her idea blossomed into a mobile sexual health services unit and publication of a sexual health booklet in seven languages. Filomena’s dedication has saved many women’s lives. read more

  • Reviews

    February 7: Lunar New Year

    Jan 29, 2003

    In Asia, the lunar new year falls at the end of winter and the beginning of spring. A Chinese proverb tells us that all creations are reborn on New Year’s Day. It is a time for change, from the old to the new. It is a time to seek good fortune. read more

  • People

    social activist: Flora MacDonald Merrill Denison

    by Betty Tennant | Jan 9, 2003

    Flora MacDonald Merrill Denison’s dedication to her advocacy on behalf of women, to her son and to Mother Nature made her a very “rich” woman, indeed. We are fortunate to inherit the “wealth” of benefits her hard work earned. read more

  • People

    entomologist and arts advocate: Joan Frances Bronskill

    by Joan Rickards | Jan 9, 2003

    What do insects and theatre have in common? Joan Frances Bronskill. Entomology is a very detail-oriented career. Joan dedicated her life to its fine art, as well as to many facets of the dramatic arts. read more

  • People

    determined mother: Meenu Sikand

    by Meenu Sikand | Jan 9, 2003

    Meenu ends up on top, but the roller coaster ride of living with a spinal cord injury and having a baby was a tough one, especially with more questions than answers. read more

  • Ideas

    the witch

    by Elizabeth Dobson | Jan 9, 2003

    In today’s scientific world, people do not normally believe in magic. They see the witch as an amusing relic from our superstitious past – a harmless “Old Mother Goose” that is remembered at Hallowe’en. But, for centuries, the witch was viewed as a truly evil woman who used supernatural powers to cause death and misfortune. Authorities in Europe may have executed anywhere from 50,000 to 2-million “witches” between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries (some say more). read more

features

  • Seasonal Feature

  • February 2: Imbolc – Groundhog Day

    by Pat Hacker

    Groundhog Day, is the modern version of St. Brigid’s Day and Imbolc (or Candlemas). A time of intuition and looking forward, it is held that the groundhog comes out of her hole and looks for her shadow. If she sees it, she knows there will be six weeks more of winter. The spirit of life is born at the winter solstice when the sun begins its gradual return. In February, at Imbolc, the earth, the physical, has its first experience of life stirring deep within, waiting to appear in the spring. read more