(As published in Escarpment Views magazine, Summer 2009.)

Debby McLachlan has strict instructions: no big purchases, because her tiny condo is already jam-packed. So we’ve arrived at the Aberfoyle Antique Market about mid-morning, coffee in hand, just to look.

Still, there’s no question we’ll take home something we love from the tempting treasures in front of us. That’s just the nature of antiquing, and you’ll find some of the best places to do it in and around Escarpment country.

(more »)

A glance at Judge Stanley G. Grizzle’s shoes reveals an impressive shine. This pair happens to be smooth patent leather, but every pair he owns looks almost as glossy. It’s a habit; as a sleeping car porter back in the days of steam trains and gentlemen in soft fedoras, he guesses he shined thousands of shoes. (more »)

Life on the street is no walk in the park. Still, every year, some 10,000 runaway and homeless youth in Toronto risk violence, exploitation, drugs and illness on the street because they have nowhere else to go. They come from every social, economic and cultural background, and from every part of the country. For many, home is out of the question because of domestic violence, sexual abuse or neglect. (more »)

Baking a delicious loaf of bread has more to do with artistry than technology. But dealing with a swift rise in demand for a loaf that’s the greatest thing since sliced bread? That’s a job for high tech, as La Brea Bakery will attest. (more »)

Suncor retiree Earle McVicar has a mission: to find a cure for a disease that’s literally a pain in the gut. Retired in 1998 as Corporate Director of Environment, Health & Safety in the Calgary office, Earle and his wife Jeanine first became involved with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC, www.ccfc.ca) in 2001. That’s when their son Tyler, then 28, was diagnosed with severe Crohn’s disease. (more »)