Canada

Reflections on Pierre Trudeau

Reflections on Pierre Trudeau

Reflections on Pierre Trudeau

Reflections on Pierre Trudeau

Reflections on Pierre Trudeau

October 5, 2000
October 2000
Reflections on Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau, who died last week, was well served by an engaging obituary in the New York Times written by Mike Kaufman, who covered Canada a couple of decades ago while I covered it for the Los Angeles Times. Trudeau was prime minister then and his style, pronouncements, policies and antics dominated our stories in those days. Mike's obituary delineates Trudeau's greatness as a leader, his dominance in elections, his sophistication and wit, and his mastery of both French and English Canadian cultures. The admiring account was written with care and superb craftsmanship...

Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die

Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die

Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die

Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die

Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die

May 1, 1994
May 1994
Take a look at a town that wouldn't lie down and die
The mill closing augured ill for Chemainus. But spruced up, with bright murals everywhere, it's turned into a Canadian tourist haven. Like mist over the nearby bay, a cold gloom hovered over the little Vancouver Island town of Chemainus as it faced the 1980s. The waterfront sawmill, mainstay for more than a century, was losing millions of dollars a year. Then the government of British Columbia agreed to subsidize a downtown revitalization program that would spruce up the shops on Willow Street with planters, benches and parking space. But supermarkets were sprouting in bigger towns just a few miles down the Trans-Canada Highway. Who would shop in tiny Chemainus, even a spruced-up Chemainus? "People were wondering whether the town was going to die or not," says Rodney Moore, a retired meal shop owner. The death knell seemed sure in 1983 when the mill shut down. Yet today, Canada's Chemainus is a thriving town, hued in sprightly pastels, a kind of gingerbread Carmel of the North that attracts 400,000 tourists a year, most making a detour to take in 32 murals now adorning the sides of buildings and standing walls in a festival of color.

Taking Quebec Seriously

Taking Quebec Seriously

Taking Quebec Seriously

Taking Quebec Seriously

Taking Quebec Seriously

April 28, 1979
April 1979
Taking Quebec Seriously
Focuses on general elections scheduled to be held in Canada in May 1979 while discussing chief executive officer of Quebec René Lévesque's promise to his province for a referendum on separation after the elections. Confusion among Canadians regarding Lévesque's promise; Possibility of victory of Lévesque in the elections; Discussion on a sovereignty-association proposed by Lévesque.