The law that made medically assisted dying legal in Canada passed in 2016. Now it’s a fairly common part of life. Just over 10,000 people had medically assisted deaths in 2021. And yet there’s still a stigma about the process. Some people choose to keep their decision to access MAID a secret.

Diane Sims, a writer with end-stage multiple sclerosis, is not one of those people. She is bravely candid about her preparations to end her life. She’s already received the necessary medical approval, but she hasn’t picked the day yet. In the meantime, she’s giving away her belongings and organizing her finances to cover her end-of-life costs.

For Maclean’s, she has written “How I Plan to Die,” a moving memoir about her life with MS—she’s lived much longer than her doctors anticipated—and her decision to end it on her own terms. It’s a powerful, eye-opening account.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief

The best thing to do on Canada Day is take a tour of the wildly elaborate miniature $24-million recreation of Canada and its best-loved landmarks, located in downtown Toronto. If that isn’t possible, the next best thing is to look at these amazing photos.

The sight of wildfires wreaking havoc across Canada is enough to make the average person feel a bit sick, especially considering this could be the country’s most devastating fire season to date. Michael Brauer, a researcher with the University of British Columbia’s school of Population and Public Health, has been studying the health effects of wildfires for more than 25 years. In this interview with Maclean’s, he explains what, exactly, is in the smoke we’re inhaling, how it’s affecting us (physically and mentally) and how we can stay healthy in a burning world.

Congratulations to all the 11th-graders who are now finished exams and writing final papers and can begin to unwind over summer vacation. But they shouldn’t relax too much! In just a few months they’ll be applying to universities and for that, they need the Maclean’s essential guide to universities, packed with details on the most competitive programs, how to get a scholarship and how to ace the application process in an era of grade inflation. 

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