Heated Rivalry is now officially a cultural phenomenon in Canada and abroad. It feels like the entire world has locked into Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov’s story, and I want to highlight some of the defining symbols in the story, particularly the Canadian highway, as well as our cultural reaction to the show. I […]

Last year, on February 12, 2025, Seattle Times reporter Danny Westneat penned an article titled, There’s not much to say, Canada, except: Sorry which laid out his response to Trump’s economic tariffs, and Canada’s unsavoury response. He said, “The awkward reality is I don’t know what to say to Canadians at this juncture in our […]

Yesterday, I had a post take-off on Threads when I said that my PhD is on the liminal qualities of the Canadian highway. I had asked if anyone had taken videos of any highway drives, that I would love to see them. Then, 144 comment later, I found myself with a treasure trove of highway […]

A few weeks ago, I went to an event in Calgary at the Grand Theatre hosted by a group called Build Canada. I can’t remember how I came across the event details, but since leaving my full-time government role, and submitting my PhD thesis, I have a bit more flexibility in my schedule these days […]

It’s that post-election hangover. Canada hung on to its democracy under a barrage of American economic threats, invasion rhetoric, misinformation campaigns, and head-spinning electoral politics. It seemed like five minutes ago that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government was waning and every “bro dude” I know was gleefully counting down to Pierre Poilievre’s imminent victory. Then suddenly […]

It may seem out of place that I’ve taken a sudden shift in my blogging to go from something creative to something political, but this is one of the tools I have to formulate my thoughts on what is happening in the early days of February 2025. It’s not a surprise that Canadians are none-too-thrilled […]