NOVEMBER 2020
MEETING A NEW BEST FRIEND
An open mind creates the right environment
RAISING OPTIMISTS IS A CHALLENGING TASK A millennial’s view
THE HIGH RATE OF MALE SUICIDE
Time to break the silence
THE SIDEONE PHOTO ESSAY
Morocco – A step back in time
COVID AND THE WORKPLACE Adjustments and major life changes
IN THIS ISSUE... WELCOME TO SIDEONE. PG.03
An introduction and an explanation.
KEEPING AN OPEN MIND. PG.04
The story of meeting and making a new best friend.
A MILLENNIAL’S POV. PG.09
Trying to stay optimistic about raising optimists.
THE HIGH RATE OF MALE SUICIDE. PG.12
THE SIDEONE PROFILE. PG.42
This month we meet Sylvia Sweeny, an Associate Dean at Humber College, recipient of the Order of Canada and two-time Olympian.
SENSIBLE DOLLARS. PG.46
Are you protecting yourself against the wrong risks?
COMING UP. PG.51
A sampling of next month’s stories.
Facts, figures and where to get help.
NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES. PG.18 Five new artists to discover.
COVID AND WORK. PG.22
Two professionals share their stories of change.
THE PHOTO ESSAY. PG.30
A riad, the medina and souks – the beauty of Morocco explored.
SPORTS VS CULTURE. PG.35
A culture fan finds happiness in the beauty of baseball.
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS…. PG.39
A monthly feature of dates and facts that may surprise you.
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SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
FOR THE GENERATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. Editor and publisher: Kevin Gilligan Contact Email: sideone@gilligangroup.net Mail: P.O. Box 43503 Leaside, Toronto, ON M4G 3BO Phone: 416-489-9257 SideOne Magazine is published monthly online @ www.sideonemagazine.ca SideOne Magazine is a division of The Gilligan Group Inc.
WELCOME TO
ISSUE 3 FOR THE GENERATION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING. Kevin Gilligan is the editor and publisher of SideOne Magazine. After years in marketing and advertising, he decided to do something he truly loves.
Welcome to SideOne. Every month we publish stories that we think will be of particular interest to our generation. Sometimes they’re written by boomers and sometimes by others. Sometimes the stories are about boomers and sometimes they aren’t. The one thing in common in most of them is experience. We look for stories where the writer has a personal experience with the subject they’re writing about. We think the writer’s involvement makes the story more interesting. This month is no exception. Here are some examples.
COVID AND THE WORKPLACE
There’s two stories under this theme. One is about a changing workplace and work parameters. The other is about leaving a cherished career behind. Both are written by professionals in their fields and bring insights that might be overlooked otherwise.
FINDING THAT NEW BEST FRIEND
Friendships can start when least expected. This is the story of how Cisco met Allan thanks to an open mind and some valued volunteerism.
them is male suicide. It’s not something that’s been talked about. It should be. So, we are.
A MILLENIAL’S POV
This is a regular feature that tries to bridge the divide between generations by providing a point of view that might not be as different as expected. This month deals with raising children. Does it matter how millennials raise their children? Of course it does. They’re our grandkids.
SPORTS VS CULTURE
Another divide to be bridged. Can a culture addict find something meaningful in sports after avoiding them for years? Maybe so, when a new romance is involved. We hope you enjoy these and all the other stories in this month’s SideOne. If you’d like to share your thoughts on anything you see in the magazine, please join us on our Facebook page. And again, the answer to the question of “Why SideOne?” Because that’s where the best stuff was and that’s what we want to be.
THE HIGH RATE OF MALE SUICIDE
This month is Movember. A month to recognize and contribute to a number of male health causes. One of
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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KEEPING AN
OPEN
MIND
How I met my new best friend By Allan Kunigis Allan Kunigis is a regular contributor to SideOne. He writes a monthly feature on finances, called Sensible Dollars. This article has nothing to do with money. It was a wintry Saturday morning in mid-February, a pre-COVID Saturday like any other. My routine was well defined. I showed up to my volunteer janitorial gig at the local Humane Society, expecting to clean dog kennels for an hour or a little longer, and maybe walk/play with a dog in need of some outdoor time and a romp in the fresh snow. I didn’t expect to meet my new best friend.
When Rasta was put to sleep in late August 2018, I made a pledge to myself to spend at least one year with no canine responsibilities. It had been close to 18 months since I had said goodbye to my latest four-legged best buddy. When Rasta was put to sleep in late August 2018, I made a pledge to myself to spend at least one year with no canine responsibilities. Freedom. Freedom to swim as long as I want at the local beach through the summer, without worrying about what I called “Shake ‘n’ Bake” – my dog rolling in the sand to dry off his wet fur and instantly needing a bath. (Arrgh!) Freedom to come and go as I like on any given day. A simple, quiet, more carefree existence.
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A DISAPPOINTMENT I had been tempted twice before when in the kennels. In one case, about six months earlier, a sweet, whimpering 4-month-old black Labrador retriever named Rosie had touched my heart like no other. But I didn’t act quickly enough, and someone beat me to her. I was disappointed, but I learned first-hand the cost of delaying a decision by even one day. I wasn’t looking for a new buddy on that cold February day, but I took one look at Cisco, this handsome, enthusiastic, friendly border collie/ Australian shepherd mix who had just checked into the shelter late the previous day, and I felt an attraction and curiosity. As it happened, just after tidying his kennel, I realized we had more volunteers than needed that morning to clean just a handful of bedroom suites at the Humane Society Hotel. Perhaps one of the guests could use a walk. “Which one?” I asked a paid staffer. The answer was quick and clear: “Take Cisco out! He can’t get enough ball tosses!” Sure. Twist my arm.
COULD THIS BE THE ONE? I brought Cisco outside. I threw a plastic toy for him to fetch again and again. He frolicked through the snow with tireless joy. Wow! Hmmm… Really? My mind “went there.” Could he be the one? It was late Saturday morning. The shelter wouldn’t open to the public again until Tuesday at 1 p.m. I had time to think about this, but not a lot of time. On Sunday afternoon, I returned and took Cisco out for a walk in the nearby woods. On Monday, I came by in the early afternoon to pick him up for a trial run, a sleepover (also called a “pawjama party”). That was an interesting 24 hours. I was excited and so was he. The difference was that I eventually settled down but he didn’t. As I tried to work that
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SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
Monday afternoon, Mr. Restless adorably and
ball and threw it some more. Tail wagging, panting,
relentlessly tried to persuade me to play. Cute
he was in heaven. When we returned home, he was
quickly turned to annoying and exhausting. I
happily exhausted. I fed him and went into my office.
anguished. I needed to find his off switch! Does this
I worked. An hour passed by. Another uninterrupted
dog ever tire? Does he ever settle down?
hour. Sweet, quiet, treasured productive time. Two
FROM “YAY” TO “NAY” I went from “yay” to “nay” pretty quickly. I struggled over this all night, doing a full 180-degree turn. Sigh … He’s such a great dog, but I need to make a living! One of the two issues that led the previous owner of this beautiful 3-year-old herding dog to relinquish him was Cisco’s unbridled energy. The other was Cisco’s history of “resource guarding,” prompting him once to bite a dog when the other canine had the nerve to try to pry a tennis ball out of Cisco’s mouth.
straight hours. This brand-new dog had actually settled down overnight.
It was late Saturday morning. The shelter wouldn’t open to the public again until Tuesday at 1 p.m. I had time to think about this, but not a lot of time. YES! Another 180-degree turn. Cisco would be mine.
I still had one morning left before returning him
I was in that dog-adoption interview room at exactly
to the shelter. Our Tuesday morning outing lasted
the hour – actually, the minute – it opened. It was
about 50 minutes. I walked with Cisco in the woods
a perfunctory Q&A. These Humane Society staffers
and threw that tennis ball and threw that tennis
knew me, understood me to be responsible. But they
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still had to go through the basics. About 20 minutes later, cheque written, new-owner packet in hand, photos were taken of two new best buddies, and off we went, stopping to buy dog food, treats, and toys on the way home.
Sometimes you never know whom you’ll find behind a kennel door. It could very well be your new best friend. But when the time is right, be sure to pounce, just like a playful pup with an exciting new toy. BUT THEN … Since February 17, 2020, Cisco and I have walked, hiked, skied, run, swum in the lake, played tennis ball fetch, played Frisbee, seen countless gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and, one special Sunday morning in March, we stopped dead in our tracks at the sight of a dozen beautiful deer bounding through the snow across a meadow and up a hill into the woods. He’s not perfect. He’s got into some light skirmishes with the odd other dog. That’s something I accept and work around, bringing him into beautiful quiet places around my town, where a boy and his dog can just play and play and play. And when I need to work for long, uninterrupted stretches, I can. I found his off switch! Cisco is enriching my life – a perk from giving back to the canine community for about a year. Sometimes you never know whom you’ll find behind a kennel door. It could very well be your new best friend. But when the time is right, be sure to pounce, just like a playful pup with an exciting new toy.
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SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
A MILLENNIAL’S POV
Trying to stay optimistic about raising optimists
By Kimberly Elliot Kimberly Elliot is an associate with a Toronto-based marketing agency.
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When I was pregnant with my first child, I opened a
already had proof that the “child-leash-gifters” of the
gift at my baby shower that, to put it kindly, threw
world were trying to grind this baby’s spirit down –
me. It was a leash. A green leash attached to a
and I wasn’t going to have it.
fuzzy green frog-like backpack that wasn’t really a backpack, more of a harness apparatus disguised as a backpack to make the whole thing more palatable.
Of course, with my now six-year-old boy and his
But it was a leash nonetheless. From what I can
nearly three-year-old brother, I know that raising
remember, I accepted the present with little poise or
an optimist is awfully hard work. It’s not as easy
grace – more like equal parts confusion and horror.
as telling them to “Look at the bright side!” or “Be
The leash saddened me. It was deflating to think that a friend thought it necessary, even essential, to give us a child leash as naturally as one might provide burp cloths, receiving blankets or baby clothes.
grateful!” It’s not as easy as not putting them on a leash. It takes a lot of layers of internal surveillance to make sure I’m a prime model of optimism myself. Some days it’s easier to be that model than others.
I didn’t keep the leash. But I did keep an important
I didn’t keep the leash. But I did keep an important insight the leash gave me: Optimism would be my guiding light in parenthood.
insight the leash gave me: Optimism would be my
On my good days, I model confidence and trust. I
guiding light in parenthood. I became determined to
encourage my boys to take reasonable risks, like
raise the little one to be optimistic, even to a fault. I
climbing trees, crossing the road to get a ball, or
The image of elation I had built parenthood to be did not come with a leash. It seemed fundamentally pessimistic that someone else’s would, that even in utero a baby wouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt; ultimately, it was just a wild beast to be tamed.
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LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
riding a bike alone to the end of the street and back. I try to foster gratitude for the world around us, especially for each other, our good neighbours, the forest behind our house, and our cat. I quiet any negative self-talk with positive conversation about reasons to love ourselves or things we are good at, or with a healthy dose of sarcasm. I celebrate successes with fervour and do my best to brush off failures. On my good days I am not a leash. I am not tethered to them by anything but the heart. They are free to roam and explore. Free to fall, run, climb, jump, trip, and eat dirt. I give my love freely and easily to them and myself. And on my bad days, of which this year there have been many, I scream into a pillow when no one is watching.
On my good days I am not a leash. I am not tethered to them by anything but the heart. They are free to roam and explore.
Will any of this work to raise two bright and cheery optimists? I have no idea. There is exhaustive research on how to properly raise an optimistic child, and if I’m desperate, I might read some. But I’m an optimist myself, so I believe things will magically work out – with a little hard work on my part.
A TESTING YEAR 2020 has been a year for testing optimism. I’ve wanted to leash my kids during solo trips to the grocery store. I’ve wanted to leash them when they get too close to friends in the park. I’ve wanted to leash my elder son to keep him in place during distanced learning. But the sharpness of the year’s frustrations will be dulled one day, and I can’t allow our optimism to wither with it. I can’t say for certain my kids will grow up to be optimists, and I won’t insist this is the best or only way to raise them. Optimism – at least, my brand of it – may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But if I can impart just one bit of wisdom on the matter, just one iota of information to take with you, it would be that no one should ever, under any circumstances, gift a child leash at a baby shower.
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THE HIGH RATE OF MALE SUICIDE By Sue-Ann Maislin, M.A. Sue-Ann Maislin has a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and Adult Education from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate certificate in Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion from Centennial College. www.sueannmaislin.com.
Guys (and gals), it’s time to get loud about suicide. I know it’s not something many of us want to think about, much less shout about, but the silence which shrouds men’s mental health challenges and suicide is proving to be deadly for men and boys. We need to get loud about it, because male suicide, often called a silent crisis, is expected to increase exponentially in the next year.
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SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
ONE MAN DIES EVERY MINUTE According to the World Health Organization, globally one man dies by suicide every minute of every day and Canadian men and boys are disproportionately at risk. Whether we want to talk about it or not, male suicide has impacted most of us personally. As I write this article, someone close to me is coping with the overwhelming grief of losing her son to a
Time to break the silence
brave and difficult battle with depression. This is a
sleep and productivity as the weather turns colder
story I have seen repeat itself in my personal life and
and the days get darker. This year things could be
professional practice. While not all deaths by suicide
even tougher. With the heightened feelings of anxiety,
are preventable, talking about suicide and reducing
grief and loneliness many of us are experiencing as
systemic barriers and stigma will save lives.
a result of Covid-19, along with reduced opportunity
Let’s face it, the change of seasons can be tough on mental health. Like 35 per cent of Canadians, I struggle with seasonal blues that affect my mood,
for social and physical activity as restrictions tighten and we spend more time indoors, mental health issues are expected to climb.
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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SILENT KILLER
CREATE HOPE
While women like me typically experience higher
The problem is that men are less likely to recognize
rates of seasonal blues, depression and anxiety than
the signs and symptoms of mental health issues.
men, we are also more likely to share our feelings
Even if they do, stigma and social attitudes about
with loved ones and seek help. Men struggle too,
masculinity may prevent them from getting help.
but they tend to stay silent or engage in destructive
By getting loud about men’s mental health and
behaviours such as problem substance use and
suicide, we can help alleviate the pain, loneliness and
emotional withdrawal. Men are also at least three
stigma men and boys face. When we create a safe
times more likely than women to die by suicide,
space to encourage men to share their stories, we
according to Statistics Canada.
create hope and help reduce systemic and societal
Men struggle too, but they tend to stay silent or engage in destructive behaviours such as problem substance use and emotional withdrawal. Even before COVID-19 hit, 10 Canadians died by suicide each day, with eight of them likely to be male. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death
resources. That’s where the Movember campaign aimed at reducing preventable death in men and boys kicks in. Brendan Mahar, Global Director of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention for Movember, says, “What’s happening now is impacting us all in different ways. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do, where to start or what to say. As we push through this together, we hope we can empower people to connect with others who are struggling and find the help they need now.”
in youths aged 15-24 but men 40-60 years old make
While not all male suicide is linked to mental health
up one-third of all deaths, putting men in their prime
challenges, there is a strong causal link between
mid-life years at significant risk. A recent article in
mental disorders such as major depressive disorder
Psychiatry Research predicts that Covid-19 related
and suicide. According to the Toronto Men’s Health
unemployment could result in 418 to 2,114 excess
Network Co-chair Dr. Don McCreary, the area of
deaths due to suicide in Canada during 2020-2021.
men’s health, including mental health, is relatively
While the stats are scary, serious mental health problems and male suicide do not have to be an inevitable by-product of the pandemic. Many
new. McCreary says, “There’s been a strong code of silence when it comes to men’s mental health.”
symptoms that can be managed through personal
GENDER BIAS TOWARDS FEMALES IN RESEARCH
coping and self-care strategies, social support and
One particular challenge has been a gender bias
tele-counselling resources, according to Dr. David
when it comes to understanding men’s experience
Gratzer, Assistant Professor of Adult Psychiatry and
of common mental health challenges, such as mood
Mental Health Systems at the University of Toronto.
and anxiety disorders. Until this century, much of
However, adults living with more serious mental
our understanding about these issues was influenced
illnesses are likely to struggle more as a result of
by research conducted on women. While men
Covid-19 and men may be at greater risk.
and women experience some common symptoms
Canadians are experiencing adverse mental health
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barriers, making it easier to access mental healthcare
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
of depression, the way they present can be quite
experience than stress. It affects every facet of a
different. Genetics, hormonal changes, physical
person’s life, including the ability to sleep, eat, work,
illness, stress, and social and psychological factors
enjoy life, relationships, sex and intimacy. It can
can contribute to depression in men and boys.
intensify feelings of guilt, hopelessness, helplessness
From a young age, boys have been taught to hold back their tears and “suck it up” when faced with pain and adversity. Talking about complex emotions or expressing vulnerability can be seen as weakness, especially for Gen X and boomer males. Men’s focus on competition and the need to feel powerful, confident and protective can be adversely affected by unemployment, financial pressures, aging, loss and divorce, increasing the risk of suicide. Sadly, men’s mental health symptoms are sometimes ignored or attributed to other health issues. Dr. Michael Myers, Head of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, says men’s mental illness symptoms can be masked. Men sometimes generalize symptoms of depression as temporary stress or blues. But depression is a very different
and worthlessness and cloud judgment and problem-solving skills.
From a young age, boys have been taught to hold back their tears and “suck it up” when faced with pain and adversity. Talking about complex emotions or expressing vulnerability can be seen as weakness, especially for Gen X and boomer males. SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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It’s time to rethink the way we talk about men’s mental health and suicide.
dedicated to supporting men in their fight against
ACTING OUT
mental health during the pandemic.
and includes success stories of men living with depression, self-assessment tools and information about professional and practical resources. This year the site added a Covid-19 Hub, with tips for managing
Dr. Myers says too many men out there are suffering
Another helpful resource is the Centre for Suicide
and are acting out their depression through a
Prevention, created by the Canadian Mental Health
combination of hostility, rage and verbal abuse,
Association’s Alberta Chapter, providing education
emotional withdrawal, problem drinking, gambling
in response to suicide risk. The site includes a guide
and sex. It’s much harder to recognize these
and tool kit for preventing suicide in men, including
destructive coping strategies as symptoms of
tips for talking with someone if you are concerned
depression or precursors to suicide, because they
about suicide. This summer the Centre for Addiction
are culturally sanctioned as stereotypical “bad boy”
and Mental Health (CAMH), launched the Not
behaviour.
Suicide, Not Today campaign to help people in crisis
In addition to the toxic stereotypes about masculinity are stigmatizing beliefs that mental disorders are a sign of weakness or poor character. Despite media campaigns and the deaths of celebrities such as Anthony Bourdain in 2018, there is still a lot of fear and misunderstanding about suicide. Suicide has traditionally been viewed as a cowardly or morally repulsive act against God and society. The highly stigmatized phrase “committing suicide” (as in committing a crime) came about in part because suicide was considered a criminal act in Canada until 1972. While our collective understanding of suicide is changing, traditional views and discomfort about the topic persist in some settings. This adds to the pain and suffering of
and their loved ones.
END THE SILENCE Silence isn’t an option. Education, sharing stories and non-judgmental acceptance will save lives. This includes learning to recognize warning signs for suicide in yourself and loved ones, which may include: • Feeling like life sucks and days are getting harder to endure • Loss of pleasure in activities and relationships you typically enjoy • Feeling angry or sad most of the time • Feeling like a burden on others
survivors and their loved ones, who can face blame,
• Giving away your valued possessions
shame and rejection instead of compassion when
• Withdrawing from the people you care about
they need it most.
• Sleeping all day or not being able to sleep
TIME FOR A RETHINK
• Increased substance use to escape pain
It’s time to rethink the way we talk about men’s
• Taking serious risks, regardless of consequences
mental health and suicide. That’s where resources such as Heads Up Guys comes in. Heads Up Guys
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depression and suicide. The site is easy to navigate
• Thinking and talking about wanting to die
is a digital resource created by mental health
• Thinking and talking about ways to die
professionals at the University of British Columbia
• Forming a plan to die
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
If you are struggling right now, recognize that you are
even louder by raising awareness, education and
not alone. Hear the inspirational stories of men and
funds to improve men’s mental health and reduce
boys like you who have struggled with mental health
preventable deaths by suicide, by joining in this
issues and suicidal thoughts and actions, such as Go
year’s Movember campaign.
beyond the banter this world suicide prevention day published on Movemer’s website or Asante’s Story, published on Not Suicide, Not Today.
Recognize that gender stereotypes, such as being a man of few words and no emotions, adds to pain and stigma. Recognize that gender stereotypes, such as being a man of few words and no emotions, adds to pain and stigma. Kick silence to the curb and talk about your struggles with your partner, friend, parent, sibling, trusted spiritual advisor or workplace leader. If you are contemplating suicide right now, seek prompt medical attention or call the Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline operated by Crisis Canada at 1-833-456-4566.
SPEAK UP If you are concerned about someone you care about, speak up. Contrary to popular belief, talking about suicide will not make things worse. People contemplating suicide are often afraid and alone and can sometimes act impulsively. By sharing your concerns in a non-judgmental manner, you create a safe space for the person to talk about their thoughts and feelings. For tips on talking about suicide, visit
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION • Tough Enough to Talk About it – Targeting the mental health of men who work in skilled trades. • Bounce Back – Funded by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario, Bounce Back offers a free and interactive coaching program to support resiliency skills and recovery for adults and youth. • Dude’s Club – Facilitates a participant-led community for men’s wellness, which prioritizes supportive relationships, engagement in health care, and an Indigenous world view. • Men’s Mental Health – Sponsored by The Canadian Mental Association, Toronto, provides information and resources for men struggling with mental health challenges. • Mind Beacon – Interactive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy currently free for residents of Ontario. • Wellness Together Canada – Sponsored by the Government of Canada to support the mental health of Canadians. The site offers links to e-resources, meditation classes, interactive cognitive behavioural resources and access to live counsellors.
Suicide Info or contact Crisis Canada for guidance. If the situation is urgent, encourage the person to seek medical attention, visit a hospital emergency room (yes, it’s safe to do this during Covid) or call 911. It’s time to end the silence, pain and shame. Let’s get loud about men’s mental health and suicide with friends, family, partners and colleagues. Get
If you are contemplating suicide right now, seek prompt medical attention or call the Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline operated by Crisis Canada at 1-833-456-4566. SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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NEW MUSIC FROM NEW PLACES By Terry Paquet
Terry Paquet is an award-winning copywriter with more than 20 years of experience. He wears pants (most of the time). He has never been to jail (except in Monopoly).
Chopin and Philip Glass to Hans Zimmer and Elton John, she has composed an impressive repertoire that is minimal, emotional, contemplative, and, most of all, cinematic. It’s not so surprising, therefore, that her songs were featured in the movie Dallas Buyers Club, and on two highly successful HBO mini-
Five New Artists to Discover
series, Sharp Objects (starring Amy Adams), and Big Little Lies (starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman). Pianoscope, Stréliski’s 2010 debut album was independently released and universally loved, amassing 15 million streams. Her most recent record, 2018’s Inscape, racked up 100 million streams, sold 97,000 albums in Canada, earned three Félix awards (Quebec), three JUNO nominations, including Best Album in 2019-20, and an Album of the Year accolade at the Canadian Independent Music Awards.
“May you live in interesting times”is a curse
“This album is an attempt for me to capture what a
disguised as a blessing that seems to be hovering
human life transition sounds like, with all its fragility,
over our collective psyche these days. With the
vulnerability and imperfections,” Stréliski says.
U.S. elections, riots, Covid-19 pandemic and
All of that is to say it’s worth a listen. Or three.
financial turmoil we’re seeing on a daily basis, music is one of the few panaceas for these times. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the madness, then prepare to escape with this month’s selection of artists from the worlds of neoclassical, pop, blues, country, and old-school funk.
ALEXANDRA STRÉLISKI Billboard magazine heralded Montreal native Alexandra Stréliski as one of the foremost new stars in modern classical music despite having only two albums under her belt. Lofty praise, indeed, but it doesn’t take many listens to realize the acclaim is well deserved. With influences that run the gamut from Frédéric
Especially as the days get colder and the sun shines less. Consider this your musical equivalent of a warm and cozy sweater.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Plus tôt from Inscape (2018) • Blind Vision from Inscape (2018) • Concerto in D Minor (After Alessandro Marcello) BWV 974: II. Adagio from Sharp Objects (HBO series soundtrack) (2018) • New York from Pianoscope (2010) • Berceuse from Pianoscope (2010)
CHECK OUT THE SIDEONE NOVEMBER PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7vj27Vck6wCfRpPnOvBEfG?si=WRrxRHzAQGCZb2pAzI8dHA SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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BAHAMAS
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR
Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) was born in Toronto
Joanne Shaw Taylor is making the music you thought
and raised in Barrie, Ontario. Musically speaking,
they weren’t making anymore but always hoped
he’s had quite the run since he first hit the scene in
they would: vintage blues with sultry, smoky vocals,
2008. He’s opened for Robert Plant, recorded with
and crunchy, raunchy guitar riffs. This isn’t overly
Robbie Robertson, and played with Feist and the
polished, studio-enhanced, radio rock. It’s real. It’s
Lumineers.
tight. It’s raw. Think Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt. Stevie
From the start, Jurvanen’s biggest fan was none other than Jack Johnson. In a 2014 interview on
Ray Vaughn. Think cigarettes, whiskey, and dingy, smoke-filled bars. That’s where her repertoire lives
KCRW radio in Los Angeles, Johnson said, “He is
Discovered by Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) at
definitely one of my favourite people in the world to
the age of 16, Taylor has released seven albums and
play music with. He can play any style; that’s why
regularly appears on the Billboard Top Ten charts
his restraint is also so impressive.” Johnson was so
in the U.S. Better than that, she’s earned high praise
enamoured with Jurvanen’s breezy, chilled vibes, he
from the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder and
signed Bahamas to his own label, Brushfire Records.
Annie Lennox.
His first two albums (2009’s Pink Strat and
Her musical tastes and influences range from Aretha
2012’s Barchords) were critical successes and
Franklin and CCR to Albert Collins and the Fabulous
produced two perennial fan favourites: “Whole
Thunderbirds – and throughout every album she’s
Wide World” and “Lost in the Light,” a song about
created, she hasn’t been afraid to show it. On her
the death of a relationship. As Jurvanen told Spin
2013 album, Songs From the Road, she pays homage
magazine, “On one hand, you mourn its loss. On the
to Jimi Hendrix with a rollicking version of Manic
other, you celebrate all that was good about it while
Depression. It’s 7 minutes and 37 seconds of guitar
acknowledging all of its flaws. It’s about acceptance
wizardry that the master would be proud of.
and revelation.” That kind of yin and yang runs through a lot of his music. His lyrics are both simple and complex, highlighting all the things that connect us and sometimes tear us apart.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT • Trick to Happy from Sad Hunk (2020)
• Way With Words from Earthtones (2018) • Little Record Girl from Bahamas is Afie (2014) • Montreal from Barchords (2012) • Whole Wide World from Pink Strat (2009)
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
• In the Mood from Reckless Heart (2019) • Nothin’ to Lose from Wild (2016) • Tried, Tested & True from The Dirty Truth (2014) • Who Do You Want Me To Be? from White Sugar (2009) • Manic Depression From Songs from the Road (2013)
VULFPECK
BRENT COBB
While their name conjures up images of four skinny
In 2016, Brent Cobb drew raves with his debut
guys sporting black turtlenecks and wire-rimmed
album Shine On Rainy Day. The work earned Cobb
glasses, playing electronic dance music in a dark and
a Grammy nomination in 2018 for Best Americana
smoky bar in Munich, the reality is they’re a funk/
Album, alongside the likes of Gregg Allman, the
jazz/R&B/pop/soul group from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mavericks, and Iron & Wine. Despite losing to Jason
Despite the diversion of their nomenclature, this is a
Isbell and the 400 Unit, the recognition was enough
band that can hold their own.
to win the respect of contemporaries including Chris
Jack Stratton, founder of Vulfpeck, envisioned the
Stapleton, with whom Cobb has toured regularly.
band as the German version of Muscle Shoals, Funk
He’s since released four albums and several singles
Brothers and the Wrecking Crew – the legendary
and has been relentlessly touring, building a fan
session players from the ‘60s who worked with
base from his home state of Georgia all the way to
all the greats, including Bob Dylan and Smokey
Manchester, U.K. Without any help from mainstream
Robinson.
country radio, he’s laying the bricks for a long career.
With a rotating cast of vocalists, musicians and
This is honest, down-home country music that
creative collaborators, Vulfpeck produces music
frames Cobb’s twangy voice in the most perfect
that’s hard to pin to any particular genre. It’s
way. It’s Southern rock meets funky country meets
everything and the kitchen sink. You’ll hear traces
‘70s pop.
of Steely Dan, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, William DeVaughn, the Jackson 5 and the Bee Gees, but in a way that’s totally Vulfpeck’s.
As Cobb describes it, the secret is being authentic. In an interview with Soundandsoulonline.com, he said, “I want everything to be honest – and that’s
Founded in 2011, the band has six albums, 4 EPs,
maybe the most character-defining quality I have in
and several singles in their catalogue. Their recent
my music. I’m not really a powerful singer, I’m not
concert record (2019’s Live at Madison Square
an amazing guitar player on the side. So I try to have
Garden) is a 19-song collection of their best tunes,
something that sets me apart from everybody else.”
and shows just how much fun you can have when you’re doing what you love. Vulfpeck creates joyful, toe-tapping music that’s perfect for this era, from musicians channelling inspiration from another time.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
• 3 on E from The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate (2020) • Back Pocket from Live at Madison Square Garden (2019) • Love Is a Beautiful Thing from Hill Climber (2018) • Business Casual from Mr. Finish Line (2017) • Funky Duck from Thrill of the Arts (2015)
In a world of Auto-Tuned songs and manufactured stars, that’s an approach we can all use a lot more of.
TRACKS TO CHECK OUT
• Diggin’ Holes from Shine On Rainy Day (2016) • Black Crow from Shine On Rainy Day (2016) • Dust Under My Rug from Keep ‘Em On They Toes (2020) • Sucker for a Good Time from Providence Canyon (2018) • Bar, Guitar, and a Honky Tonk Crowd from No Place Left to Leave (2006)
COVID AND WORK PART 1:
THE OFFICE REVISITED
By Laura Thornton Laura Thornton is the founder and principal of Thornton Design, a Toronto-area firm working in residential and commercial design.
Bringing back the walls For over 20 years, the trend for offices has been to
commercial furniture manufacturers were pivoting
knock down as many walls as possible, lower cubicle
to find solutions for what would become the “new
partitions and replace them both with open spaces.
normal” workspace. Covid barrier installations
Then Covid-19 arrived and everyone wanted us to
were quickly changing everything – adding extra
put the walls back!
panels between work stations, increasing cubicle
Within days of Covid’s arrival, our design studio was inundated with calls and emails from past, present and future clients, all asking for glass and Plexiglas barriers and partitions – ultimately causing a product shortage. As the weeks unfolded, decisions progressed towards more permanent solutions for the unknown years to come. From small businesses to large corporations, each had the same question and concern – what can we do to allow staff to return to work feeling safe and protected while practising responsible social distancing?
THE SIX-FOOT RADIUS
heights with glass or Plexiglas and adding mobile dividers in lunchrooms. All while trying to maintain the original design intent of these “open” spaces.
Suddenly gone were the days of being asked to maximize the amount of bodies/staff into a space. The interior-design world was becoming acutely aware that these weren’t retro-fits. They were permanent items that would change the workplace forever.
Suddenly gone were the days of being asked to maximize the amount of bodies/staff into a space. However, we were being asked to fit the same number of people into the same space while promoting a six-foot radius around each individual – something that was seemingly impossible with our known resources. As the public was running to secure toilet paper,
THE NEED FOR NEW Design finishes and fixtures selected for new spaces are now done with infection in mind. Using easily wipeable surfaces for disinfecting proposes, choosing non-porous & non-absorbing materials, allowing for sanitizing stations, creating reception sign-in areas for Covid paperwork, redirecting traffic
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
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flow to one-direction hallways and flooring that can sustain cleaning products with ease, have all become standard. Â
For over 20 years, the trend for offices has been to knock down as many walls as possible, lower cubicle partitions and replace them both with open spaces. Then Covid-19 arrived and everyone wanted us to put the walls back! 24
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
Technology-based products and solutions also have a role. Motion-detected lighting, voice-controlled devices and app-based capabilities are being installed to reduce hand touching in communal areas. Air quality control and filtering of HVAC systems are also being reevaluated to reduce the spread of airborne droplets.
WHERE WILL THINGS GO?
Flexibility will be the mindset of the future for the design of office interiors. The traditional boardroom had already begun to shift from single-purpose meetings.
Flexibility will be the mindset of the future for the
“Adapting” is the magic word in design. We quickly
design of office interiors. The traditional boardroom
adapted to the current climate and we must
had already begun to shift from single-purpose
continue to adapt as the future workspace is
meetings. Now, with multi-use tables, the traditional
evolving on a weekly basis. Each day we are being
boardroom can become a classroom, training setting
asked new, challenging questions as we aid our
or breakout room. This is useful in transitioning
clients and, more importantly, keep them and their
to whatever future needs might be while allowing
staff safe and healthy.
for social distancing.
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COVID AND WORK PART 2:
THE END OF A CAREER
By Sonia Huggins Sonia Huggins is a former teacher who recently gave up her profession in order to stay safe and keep her family safe.
Covid-19 takes a different kind of toll And that was it … the end of my beloved career
I spent the first 10 years of my 30-year teaching
… my dream job … resigned and now retired.
career in the elementary system, teaching English,
Covid-19’s latest “victim.” I was a teacher … I am
science, math and ethics. I loved every interaction
a teacher … who am I? My identity was tied up in
with my students. I was a child’s first and last
my job although I am a mother, a wife, a daughter
teacher (kindergarten and Grade 6). I was privy to
and much more, but the job defined who and what I
the real ways young people learned. I realized I was
represented in my life.
really good at helping kids find their true potential.
Growing up in a West Indian (Jamaican) household
In the last 20 years I used my lifelong passion and
was all about educational success for me and my
training in dance to create a dance program in a high
only sibling. We were groomed and encouraged
school that had never experienced that art. It was so
to pursue meaningful careers. A university degree
successful in the first year that my principal built a
was not optional but expected. My parents even
beautiful studio for the program.
exempted us from household daily chores. Becoming … was more important than anything. So after I finished my degree at McGill University, I became a teacher.
AN EXPANDED PROGRAM From the start, the program attracted students who just wanted to learn and experience dance as well as those who already had some technique. As
A PRESTIGIOUS POSITION
time went on, the program expanded to all grade
I remember the first day a student called me “Miss.”
accommodate students who wanted to perform and
I almost went into a coma, as I excitedly told my mother (who was so proud of her firstborn’s career choice). A teacher was a prestigious position in our extended Jamaican family and I knew it! Forevermore, I would refer to myself as teacher at the start of any conversation. “I am a teacher!” I was loud and proud about it.
levels. I also ran an extracurricular dance activity to compete. Our competitive teams did very well in annual competitions. Students from the team went on to dance semi-professionally and professionally after they left high school. The real jewel of the program was the annual Dance Show, which was the talk
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27
of the community. With its professional lights and sound, its many guest artists and complete participation by all students in the program (150 dancers), the show regularly attracted more than 1,000 people over two days.
WALKING AWAY I walked away from everything. Why? Covid-19 hit. After teachers and students were sent home in March, the provincial government began to deal with this pandemic. Then my city, Montreal, became a hot spot and stayed that way.
Leaving my profession was a life-changing situation. The grief was, and is, strong and long. I’ve reached out to friends and family to help negotiate this new path. As the summer months wore on, the government started looking at ways to return to school in August that made no sense to me – ways that were extremely unsafe for teachers as well as students. Students would not be required to wear masks in the classroom but teachers would be – thus protecting the students, but what about the teachers? This and other examples of unsafe and continually shifting policies brought me to the devastating realization: I could no longer continue my dream job, period. Leaving my profession was a life-changing situation. The grief was, and is, strong and long. I’ve reached out to friends and family to help negotiate this new path. This pandemic really changed my life. I don’t know what’s ahead but I have the time to review, reflect, and consider new goals. I’m not done yet!
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25
THE PHOTO ESSAY
MOROCCO – A ST
By Michael Michael Doherty Doherty By Michael Doherty is a film and television Michael Doherty is a film television editor based in Toronto. Heand is also an avideditor based inThe Toronto. is also an avid traveller. traveller. photosHeand commentary are The photos and commentary are from his visit from his visit to Morocco in 2019. to Morocco in 2019.
TEP BACK IN TIME
Morocco was the last stop on a trip that had taken me to Paris, Bordeaux, Biarritz, San Sabastiรกn, Bilbao, Pamplona, Andorra, and Barcelona. In many ways, it was a step back in time. I stayed in a beautiful riad, a traditional Moroccan house built around a courtyard and garden. It was in the middle of the medina, the old, historic walled area of Marrakech.
The Marrakech medina, founded in 1070, is split into quarters, each with a mosque, a hammam (bathhouse), a communal bread oven, a madrasa (educational institution) and a water fountain. In the medina are souks, the traditional marketplaces. The souks are a maze of alleys and narrow streets, changed little since they were first laid out. At times, it felt as if I was seeing people go about their day in exactly the same way their ancestors did 200 years ago.
The souks are chaotic, dynamic, and an explosion
asking me where I was going or telling me I was
of colour and spicy aromas. Incredibly fascinating,
heading the wrong way, each of them hoping to be my
even if a bit overwhelming. I shared the crowded, tiny
“guide” – for a fee. It is very easy to get lost.
alleyways with pedestrians, cyclists, mule carts and wagons, and crazy-fast mopeds. Staying vigilant was necessary at every moment. Locals were continuously
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Morocco – definitely worth a visit for anyone with a sense of adventure.
SPORTS VERSUS CULTURE
Can a culture addict find true love in sports?
By Elizabeth MacGregor Elizabeth MacGregor is a regular contributor to SideOne, following a successful career in education. She’s a culture addict but never a culture snob.
a focus in my life since I was very young, seeing the Beach Boys live at 13 years old, going backstage to meet the Guess Who at 16, and enjoying Swan Lake, performed by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, more than once. Sports, that all-consuming passion of my brothers,
I am a culture addict, buying tickets to the ballet,
had never been mine. I could not bear to watch male
opera, theatre, and symphony, and as many
members of my family crashing into other bodies on
interesting rock concerts as my budget can cover.
the football field. I never understood the intensity
The Stratford Festival is a sure thing on every
with which my father would yell at the television
summer calendar. I have had a local theatre
when Les Canadiens would lose a hockey game,
subscription for so long that I finally upgraded from
while his young children would be trying to sleep in
cheap seats to acceptable ones. The Arts have been
the next room.
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35
As a matter of fact, I think I grew to not only dislike sports, but to actively ignore them. Jarry Park in Montreal and Exhibition Stadium in Toronto were known to me only by name. I’ve heard rumours that they played baseball in those old stadiums. The Montreal Forum was a place I had actually been inside, but only because of my love of music.
As a matter of fact, I think I grew to not only dislike sports, but to actively ignore them. Jarry Park in Montreal and Exhibition Stadium in Toronto were known to me only by name.
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THE BIG CHANGE Then it all changed. A mutual friend told me that in order to date my future husband, I would be wise to learn everything I could about baseball, and fast. At first I resisted, but my soft scorning tone was not appreciated, and this man actually liked culture as well as sports, so I thought I’d better try. My soft introduction included helping him smuggle beer and sandwiches into Exhibition Stadium on a Friday evening and Saturday games, with madcap seagulls landing on the field in the seventh inning to await our departure. Every game was watched from hard, metal benches – always cold with rarely enough space to avoid touching the leg of another fan. After accidentally cheering at the wrong time, and attracting too much attention from adjacent fans, I quickly learned to remain silent.
With my now husband as teacher, I became a keen baseball fan. He was a major fan, owning a collection of baseball cards, and autographs, and could rhyme off baseball statistics while our wedding date had to be inscribed on the inside of his ring. If he would come to Stratford, I would learn about baseball. We brought our infant daughter to her first game, played in Toronto’s then Skydome, sitting so high up that it was impossible to follow the ball. Our two children accompanied us and our in-laws to Tiger Stadium in Detroit to see one of the last games ever played there. My love of baseball grew, and as teams changed players, I learned all their names and even watched a World Series game on my school-issued laptop
THEN CAME BASKETBALL Basketball crept into my consciousness in 2019. As it looked like the Raptors would be serious championship contenders, I started to pay attention. We watched some games, and I marveled how it was so much like dance, with graceful running and jumping.
We watched some games, and I marveled how it was so much like dance, with graceful running and jumping.
during Parent Night after strong-arming one of the
The learning curve was steep as I did not know the
teachers for her MLB password. A fan I became.
rules, the players’ names, or their quirks. Kawhi
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
17
home team win over and over again, and expound on the unfairness of the referees when they lost. A plus: their season fit nicely with the plays I had already booked. When theatres went dark, basketball found a way to continue. I found myself reading every article written about them, and caring if one of the players was injured, the way I read about the newest art show by Ai Weiwei, or Karen Kain considering retirement. Admiring Norman Powell’s jump shots, wondering at Serge Ibaka’s strange kissing of the ball, and cringing at Kyle Lowry’s strategic stops in front of players had me amazed at my caring. Would Chris Boucher and Matt Thomas, the bench players, replace the starters to give them a rest or would the starters play every playoff game? I sat in wonderment at how this game, this team, could capture my attention like this. The keen interest I bring to the new theatre season was now sparked by a game.
Sports and culture can engage our excitement, uplift our expectations, take us away from our personal demons and make us cheer. CAN THEY COEXIST? Leonard, a name Torontonians won’t soon forget,
Culture and sports, a combination I would not have
was unknown to me. As many did, I marveled as
previously considered as complementary in my
Leonard’s basket had the ball skimming the rim
life, have proven to be great entertainment. I still
endlessly while all held their breath, peeking through
will not watch football or hockey, preferring to not
fingers to see if it actually, by some higher power,
witness intense bodily contact, but I also steer away
went in, and saved the game – winning the Raptors a
from heavy metal and plays with dark or depressing
spot in the Eastern Conference final, the farthest they
themes. So wonderful to have choices.
had ever gone. When the 2019-20 season came along, I was a convert. I loved basketball, and never missed a Raptors game on TV. My husband and I shared this passion and it was just so much fun to watch our
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Sports and culture can engage our excitement, uplift our expectations, take us away from our personal demons and make us cheer. I feel grateful that I enjoy both, though I am still surprised by it.
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS…
NOVEMBER 1, 1604
By John Chaput John Chaput was raised in Montreal, has lived in Western Canada for about 45 years, and is seriously thinking about settling down there. A retired journalist and editor, he is the author of three books about Saskatchewan sports history. He is also an amateur actor and has won two awards for his performances at Theatre Saskatchewan festivals.
NOVEMBER 28, 1717 (AND NOVEMBER 28, 1720) Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, hits
The first recorded performance of William
the pinnacle of his career as a pirate by capturing
Shakespeare’s Othello is staged at the Banqueting
the 200-ton merchant ship Concord, renaming it
House in Whitehall, London. Not everybody knows
Queen Anne’s Revenge, and using it in a sequence
this, but the most prominent character in the tragedy
of highly successful booty calls. (Not everybody
is not Othello the military commander but his ensign,
knows this, but that meant something much different
Iago, who is consumed with jealousy after being
three centuries ago.) The following June, Blackbeard
passed over for promotion. The title role is one of the
deliberately runs Queen Anne’s Revenge aground and
Bard’s most challenging, but Othello’s 880 lines take
transfers his cargo to a smaller, faster ship. In other
a back seat to the 1,088 assigned to Iago. In fact, the
pirate news three years later, Mary Read and Anne
only Shakespearean character who speaks more in
Bonny are sentenced to death in Jamaica as members
one play is Hamlet, who rambles on for 1,506 lines.
of an outlaw crew taken captive when they were too
Hamlet’s last words are, “The rest is silence.” Iago’s
drunk to fight the authorities, thus giving “piracy on
final comment, after successfully coercing Othello
the high seas” additional meaning. Read and Bonny,
into killing Desdemona, is, “Demand me nothing; what
both pregnant, receive stays of execution; within
you know, you know. From this time forth I never
a year, Read perishes from a fever after delivering
will speak word.” And with both Hamlet and Iago, no
her baby while Bonny disappears and is presumed
matter how much you love Shakespeare, a little part
dead. Somehow, Disney Studios doesn’t make it into a
of you is going, “It’s about time.”
Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
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39
NOVEMBER 15, 1916
40
Canadian Expeditionary Force airman William George
NOVEMBER 29, 1935
“Billy” Barker is surprised during a reconnaissance
Science journal Die Naturwissenschaften publishes
flight to discover thousands of German soldiers
the first of a three-part article by Austrian physicist
assembling near the French village of Beaumont-
Erwin Schrödinger in which he proposes a thought
Hamel. Barker quickly gets word back and Canadian
experiment that confronts a paradox in the prevailing
artillery bombards the position to foil the German
theories of quantum mechanics. Some 75 years later,
counterattack, one of the decisive acts that brought
“Schrödinger’s Cat” would permeate pop culture as a
an end to the horrific Battle of the Somme. For his
running gag in The Big Bang Theory. Not everybody
action, Barker is awarded the Military Cross, just one
knows this, but there’s more to it than just a cat that
in a series of honours – Victoria Cross, Distinguished
is theoretically both alive and dead until the sealed
Service Order, French Croix de Guerre, Italian Silver
box he occupies is opened. The box also contains
Medal of Military Valour – he would earn over the
poison, a Geiger counter and decaying metal that has
next two years as an aerial scout and fighter pilot.
the potential to become radioactive. For the
Not everybody knows this, but to this day Barker
ultimate judgment on this puzzle, we can rely on
remains the most decorated Canadian serviceman
the late Terry Pratchett, creator of the Discworld
in the history of warfare. That’s Billy Barker, not
universe, who concluded: “In fact, the mere act of
to be confused with Billy Bishop, although the two
opening the box will determine the state of the cat,
probably were often confused for each other
although in this case there were three determinate
when they became business partners after the
states the cat could be in: these being Alive, Dead,
First World War.
and Bloody Furious.”
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
NOVEMBER 24, 1956
NOVEMBER 22, 1963
The Edmonton Eskimos win the Grey Cup, defeating
It’s a good day to die if you’re a renowned literary
the Montreal Alouettes in the national professional
figure and don’t want your passing to attract much
football final for the third year in a row. The score is
attention. Late in the afternoon in England, C.S.
tied 20-20 early in the third quarter before Edmonton
Lewis collapses and quickly expires after several
romps to a 50-27 blowout. Not everybody knows this,
years of battling nephritis, heart disease and kidney
but game facts range from trivial to astonishing to
failure. Lewis was the creator of The Chronicles of
ridiculous. It’s the first Grey Cup where touchdowns
Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels that retains
count for six instead of five points. Edmonton’s
its acclaim as a masterpiece of children’s literature.
illustrious backfield of quarterback (and future
Not long after Lewis’s death, early in the afternoon in
Alberta premier) Don Getty and backs Jackie Parker,
Dallas, John Kennedy is assassinated and the world
Johnny Bright, Normie Kwong and Rollie Miles
at large is unable to process any other news for the
amass 456 yards rushing on 82 attempts, suggesting
next several days. Shortly after those bullets struck,
that the path of least resistance was directly over
Aldous Huxley, author of the seminal dystopian work
anyone in an Alouettes uniform. Finally, the game
Brave New World, dies in California. Not everybody
ends prematurely because fans ringing the field at
knows this, but Huxley (whose battle with cancer
Toronto’s Varsity Stadium have been snatching game
of the larynx had rendered him feeble and literally
balls all afternoon, and the last one is wrenched from
speechless), instructed his wife in a note to inject
Parker’s hands after he scores his third touchdown
him with LSD, which she did twice. He passed away
of the game in the final minute.
trippingly.
SIDEONE NOVEMBER 2020
41
THE SIDEONE PROFILE By Phyl Newbeck
Sylvia Sweeney:
A resident of Jericho, Vermont, Phyl Newbeck is a freelance writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.
Changing the Picture One Frame at a Time Sylvia Sweeney’s motto is “change the picture, one
best exemplifies the combined values of athletics,
frame at a time” and in her storied career, she has
academics, and community involvement.
done just that. The Associate Dean of Film, Acting & Media Production at Humber College, Sweeney has made a name for herself in basketball, journalism, and documentary filmmaking. A recipient of the Order of Canada, the two-time Olympian is known as Canada’s First Lady of Basketball, but her athletic career was just the beginning. Sweeney competed in the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games and is a member of both the Basketball and Olympic Hall of Fame. She was the flag-bearer in the 1979 Pan American games and was named the most valuable player in the 1979 World Championship
FROM ATHLETE TO JOURNALIST After retiring from basketball, Sweeney worked as an investigative journalist and film producer. She founded Elitha Peterson Productions and produced over 100 live events and documentaries, the most famous of which is In the Key of Oscar, a documentary about her uncle, jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Sweeney has served as executive producer of the National Film Board’s Ontario Centre and director of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.
for Women. The Sylvia Sweeney Award is presented
“Change doesn’t come instantaneously,” Sweeney
annually by Canadian Interuniversity Sport and
says. “I’ve been in broadcasting for most of my
TSN to the women’s college basketball player who
formative years and if you want people to come on
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43
board, you have to do it one frame or one step at a
“Change can’t happen overnight,” Sweeney says. “We
time.”
stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King but he
Sweeney said her inspiration was Norman Granz who, starting in 1943, produced a series of concerts
Sweeney’s goal is to build on the work done by Granz
called Jazz at the Philharmonic.
and fulfill her promise to her uncle to create events
“Granz wanted to change the picture”, she says. “He
to bring cultures together.
decided it was outrageous that the best musicians
“I’ve been trying to tilt at windmills my whole life,”
couldn’t play together because of segregation.”
she says, “and giving artists a voice and a platform to
“I’ve been trying to tilt at windmills my whole life,” she says, “and giving artists a voice and a platform to perform is part of that.” Sweeney says Granz recruited big band musicians to tour as part of an integrated group. He booked concert halls, bought all the tickets and sold them himself since the halls didn’t allow integrated performances. Sweeney interviewed Ella Fitzgerald, one of the performers hired by Granz, shortly before her death. “She said the music was used to effect positive change in an environment where people were not
perform is part of that.” In 1996, Sweeney brought Canadian artists to the Olympic Games in Atlanta and followed that feat by adding artists from other countries for performances at Olympiads in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Sweeney tried to convince the International Olympic Committee that it made sense to combine the games with a parallel artistic competition. Although people remembered her for her athletic prowess, she had also competed in piano as a child and recognized that not all competitions were athletically based. “People have never connected the dots between the disciplines,” she says, noting that artists competed alongside athletes in Olympic Games until 1948, when they were eliminated because they were professionals. Since professional athletes are now allowed to compete in the games, Sweeney sees no
threatened.” Sweeney says.
reason to bar professionals from other fields. Five
“CHANGE CAN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT”
Olympic Heritage Commission, where she has tried
Sweeney took the lessons of Jazz at the Philharmonic to heart. She remembers a story from her uncle, who joined the ensemble after Nat King Cole, the original pianist, left to start his television show. Peterson noticed one music fan who came to see the group perform at various concert halls but when he stuck out his hand to thank the man for his support, he was rebuffed. The man admitted he loved the music but was still unwilling to shake hands with a black man.
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stood on the shoulders of these artists.”
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years ago, she was appointed to the Culture and to bring some of her ideas to fruition.
ARTSGAMES In 2015, Sweeney created ArtsGames, an international arts competition which was based in Montreal. The inaugural event was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, but a change in the mayoralty in Montreal eliminated funding for the program. Sweeney returned to the drawing board to come up with a new, more grassroots model. The plan is to
create ArtsGames events which would include eight
“The pandemic is devastating,” she says, “but it’s
days of competition in 33 disciplines at a different
forcing people to do things differently.”
host city every two years. Competitors would be chosen through 31 different federations, each of which will eventually expand their numbers to include the disciplines of music, dance, literature, visual arts and media arts with the goal of having 200
Sweeney is impressed with what she’s seen so far at Humber. “They have the will and the bandwidth to make a significant impact,” she says. “I walked in the door and felt like I was at home. It’s a wonderful
federations in every country. Each country will stage
place.”
a national championship, the winner of which will go
In 1996, Sweeney brought Canadian artists to the Olympic Games in Atlanta and followed that feat by adding artists from other countries for performances at Olympiads in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.
to the ArtsGames. “We want to connect the dots but not reinvent the wheel,” Sweeney says. “We are the organizers and agitators. We know it’s possible and we’ll keep walking as long as it takes. If we expire, we’ll pass the baton to the next person.” Sweeney has a lot on her plate but she’s happy to have added the Associate Dean position at Humber to her portfolio. “It’s been pedal to the metal since I was hired,” she says. “We’re coming up with ideas on how to give students the full educational experience without mingling.” One solution, according to Sweeney, is virtual reality, where all students get the same experience through their headgear. The school is working on launching three courses to be taught via that technology.
“My career has been based on finding the yes in one thousand no’s” Sweeney says. “If you’re dedicated to something, you realize that if everyone could see it, it would have happened long ago. It’s a long road to walk and you might be alone. It’s hard when you have a vision and nobody can see it or they think it’s too big, but we know it’s possible.”
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SENSIBLE DOLLARS Are you protecting yourself against the wrong risks? By Allan Kunigis Allan Kunigis is a Canadian-born freelance financial writer based in Shelburne, Vermont. He has written about personal finance for more than two decades. He is the author of A Kid’s Activity Book on Money and Finance: Teach Children About Saving, Borrowing, and Planning for the Future, published in September.
I was sitting at a table with eight other people –
we’re focused on one type of risk while maintaining
friends and family members – at a Covid-safe dinner
full exposure to an even more dangerous set of
party recently. We were in close proximity but on a
perils.
screened porch, rather than indoors, where germs might be more likely to spread. How much protection
Here are some common mistakes we make in
that screened porch actually offered us is debatable.
managing investment risks:
After dinner, someone lit a joint and passed it
1. MISTAKING SHORT-TERM VOLATILITY FOR RISK
around. Some of us puffed, some passed. My daughter, sitting across from me, observed how ironic it was that we were sitting outside, bundled up as the temperature dipped below 10 Celsius, to protect us against COVID risk while a joint was travelling from lips to lips. Remembering that odd scene reminded me of our attitudes toward investment risks and our exposure to them. Sometimes we think we’re safe because
Market volatility is a key concern only in the short term. What happens tomorrow, next week, or next month probably will mean very little 30 or 40 years from now. The longer your time horizon, the less relevance today’s market ups and downs have. All other things being equal, more volatility in the short run could be a sign that you are appropriately invested for a long-term goal.
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That’s because risk and reward generally go
you consciously and deliberately seek that out?
hand in hand. As an investor, you tend to be
Large oil and gas firms also dominate the Canadian
compensated for taking on a greater degree of
stock market. If you own shares in a Canadian
risk in the short term. That’s why stocks, while
index mutual fund, you probably have extensive
more volatile in the near term, can be less risky
exposure to the energy sector. If that’s a conscious
overall for many retirement investors decades
or deliberate decision, fine. Otherwise, be aware
away from their target date, while low-yielding so-
of your risk exposure and consider what you want
called “safe” investments could make it harder to
to invest in and why.
accumulate a large-enough nest egg.
The essence of managing overall investment risk is diversification. It’s fairly easy to grasp the benefit of not having all your eggs in one basket. 2. IGNORING CONCENTRATION RISK The essence of managing overall investment risk is diversification. It’s fairly easy to grasp the benefit of not having all your eggs in one basket. Investing in mutual funds can quickly provide diversification. That can, at least, spread your risk across dozens or hundreds of companies. But just having a collection of funds in your portfolio doesn’t guarantee that your investments are suitably diversified.
In the U.S., the so-called FAANG stocks – Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google (owned by Alphabet Inc.) – dominate the equity indices and, most likely, your portfolio. Vanguard Investments’ S&P 500 Index Fund, with more than $330 billion in assets, holds large chunks of stock in Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, and Alphabet. In all, roughly one-quarter of all assets in an S&P 500 index fund are in these five mega-sized tech stocks. That’s not diversification. That won’t protect you from a major economic event that could affect all these companies. To avoid this kind of concentration risk, seek out exposure to vastly different types of investments. You could own an emerging market stock fund, an emerging market bond fund, a high-yield bond fund, a government bond fund, a large, diversified global equity fund, and equity funds that focus on small and mid-sized companies rather than just the dominant household names.
First, look at the dominant stocks in Canada and the United States that will make up a large proportion of a broad index fund tracking the Canadian stock market’s proxy, the S&P/TSX
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3. FORGETTING ABOUT LIQUIDITY RISK Liquidity describes how easily you can turn an
Composite Index, or the S&P 500 Index in the U.S.
investment into cash. If you invest – directly
In Canada, large banks dominate the market
frequently, like the above-mentioned common
and are well represented in a typical index fund.
stocks, you’ll be able to cash in those investments
Investing in a non-index or actively managed
quickly when you want to sell them. That’s good.
Canadian stock fund that focuses on large
Where you would run into liquidity problems is if
companies can result in similar exposure to this
you had a lot of money tied up in private equity or
one sector and these mega-banks. Your financial
real estate. How quickly can anyone sell a house,
future will be closely tied to their fortunes. Would
apartment building, or office complex?
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or through a mutual fund – in stocks that trade
Where you would run into liquidity problems is if you had a lot of money tied up in private equity or real estate. How quickly can anyone sell a house, apartment building, or office complex?
Another important aspect of liquidity risk is: What happens in the event of another global financial crisis? In 2008, investors who were desperate for cash engaged in panic selling, anxiously selling anything, including very solid stocks that quickly lost tremendous value. If you were unable or unwilling to ride out that rocky period, you lost money. The best way to protect yourself from that risk is to keep enough of your investments in cash or a cash-equivalent account. How much is enough? Perhaps enough to cover six months of your living expenses, the classic emergency fund.
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If you’re investing for your retirement or any goal decades away, don’t ignore how much inflation can diminish your purchasing power. When planning, factor that in. 4. NEGLECTING INFLATION RISK
payment for a home in the next few years, you’ll probably want to protect your principal. The priority is to keep your money safe. Consider a bank account or guaranteed investment certificate (GIC). Your biggest concerns are volatility risk and liquidity. For a medium-term goal, perhaps five to 10 years away, you might take a more balanced approach. Volatility still matters, but to a lesser extent. You can seek a higher return than you’d earn in a GIC or bank account. Most investors would be comfortable with
If you’re investing for your retirement or any goal
a mix of stocks and bonds, or with a balanced mutual
decades away, don’t ignore how much inflation
fund that owns both stocks and bonds, typically in
can diminish your purchasing power. When
a range from 50 per cent stocks/50 per cent bonds
planning, factor that in. It’s even more important
to 65 per cent stocks/35 per cent bonds. Based on
to invest in a mix of assets, including stocks,
the mix of assets, your overall return would fall
for long-term investment goals. That’s because,
somewhere between what you’d earn in an all-stock
historically, stocks have outperformed other
or all-bond portfolio.
assets over the long term and have generated returns that exceed the inflation rate. Although there are no guarantees, these are well-established broad patterns.
5. OVERLOOKING LONGEVITY RISK Longevity risk is the danger of running out of money before you die. Similarly to inflation risk, to manage longevity risk, keep at least some of your investments in stocks and other assets, like real estate, that have the potential to generate
For a short-term goal, like a special vacation or sabbatical, or helping your child gather a down payment for a home in the next few years, you’ll probably want to protect your principal.
larger long-term returns. Maintaining broad
For goals of 10 years or longer, you can afford to
diversification, including having some of your
lean more heavily on stocks, as they have tended
investments in stocks or stock funds – see #2
to perform better than bonds or cash over longer
above – should help protect against longevity risk.
periods. And the longer you have before you need
HOW TO ASSESS YOUR RISKS AND PROTECT YOURSELF First, determine your investment goal and time horizon. If you have several investment goals, set up separate accounts for each one. For a short-term goal, like a special vacation or
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sabbatical, or helping your child gather a down
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the money, the less relevant today’s market ups and downs will be for you. In summary, know why you are investing and for how long. Then think clearly about the key risks you’ll face in achieving your goals, and manage against them. Otherwise, you might as well be passing around a joint among friends during a pandemic!
COMING UP:
A sampling of next month’s stories CONSPIRACY THEORIES DEBUNKED
THE SIDEONE PROFILE
A new feature picking apart common and
impact without a lot of celebrity.
uncommon conspiracy theories.
SENSIBLE DOLLARS
RAISING BLACK CHILDREN IN A WHITE SOCIETY A mom’s perspective.
STEM CELL THERAPY
What is it and what’s the process.
THE PHOTO ESSAY - SHENZEN
The modern city that’s a connection between mainland China and Hong Kong.
NOT EVERYONE KNOWS THIS… More dates and facts that may surprise you.
We’ll meet another Canadian who is having a big
More investing advice from our financial writer.
NOVEMBER 2020
