Don’t shower before you come here because you’re going to leave smelling like burnt charcoal. The haze of smoke can mean only three things: pork and beef ribs, corn, and a whole lot of chicken. Ottawa‘s 2022 Ribfest was a blast for hungry carnivores. Each stall decorates itself with tables Read more
In January 2022, I stood outside Toronto Metropolitan University’s Digital Media Zone building, where the university’s startups are incubated, in the bitter Canadian winter waiting for Chris Bryson, CEO of New School Foods, to let me into his lab. A bunch of other visitors met up with another startup and Read more
It’s not usually open to the public, but the once-a-year Doors Open Toronto event invites everyone to take a peek inside a collection of heritage buildings and city infrastructure. Open Doors Toronto this year was one of the last times the public will ever get a glimpse into the inner Read more
I attended the 2023 EV & Charging Expo in Toronto for work, but I also arrived early to have some fun before official work hours started. It’s an industry showcase of where changing infrastructure stands and what kinds of commercial electric vehicles are available. Everything from the (relatively) tiny Ford Read more
The late Queen Elizabeth II had reigned for so long that people have lived and died in 70 years. Although there was a quick succession of death, ascension, abdication, and coronation in the first third of the 20th century, there hasn’t been a change of guard in recent memory. Canadians Read more
I have mixed feelings about taking the train in Canada. Although Via Rail may feel normal to the uninitiated traveler, it’s at least odd even by American standards. Where to begin? I traveled between Ottawa and Toronto, about 4.5 hours each way, but there was no buffet car. The only Read more
The 50th anniversary of the Canadian International Auto Show exhibited over 1,000 vehicles with a focus on battery-electric and hybrid-electric powertrains. Unfortunately, it was more focused on consumer sales than an exhibition on engineering prowess. While manufacturers were proud to show off safety features on stage, there was no information Read more
I wanted to visit Atlantic Canada in October 2020 when the weather was nice, but it was closed off for pleasure trips sue to the pandemic. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia finally reopened in February 2022, so I jumped at the chance to visit even though it was cold and Read more
Sydney is the largest city on Cape Breton Island in the north of Nova Scotia. Its industry began from coal mining in the eighteenth century by the French, who also built the Louisbourg Fortress. The steel industry developed two centuries later and was the city’s bastion of economic activity until Read more
The native Mi’kmaq people used the isthmus as a transit point between the Atlantic Ocean and Bras d’Or Lake (they obviously didn’t call it that thousands of years ago) as it was only a kilometre long. Their lightweight canoes could easily be carried on their shoulders and brought from the Read more