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Hello and welcome to Best Of Maclean’s, a newsletter showcasing the most interesting people, places and stories from across Canada.
I grew up behind the grills at Canada’s weirdest fast-food franchise. Here’s what it taught me about becoming Canadian.
If you didn’t grow up in Alberta, you’ve probably never heard of Burger Baron. It’s a fast-food chain with nearly as many logos as locations, varying menus and multiple franchise names. Yet somehow, the failed McDonald’s knock-off has become an Albertan icon, especially to Lebanese-Canadian immigrants who make up the majority of Burger Baron’s owners.
Learn about the zany chain from writer and filmmaker Omar Mouallem, whose parents owned a franchise and put him to work there.
Inside a 130-year-old Ontario church-turned-family home
When it went up for sale in 2018, it needed sweeping repairs: the ceilings and walls were due for a paint job, the scaffolding was coming apart and the floors needed to be sanded. To Jonathon Harmer, an iron and woodworker, and his partner Lynn Perreault, an interior designer and welder-fitter, it seemed like the perfect renovation challenge.
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Canada’s Bill C-11 could end up doing more harm than good
Bill C-11 passed on April 27. Soon, streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube will be required to fund and promote Canadian content. But the bill could actually end up disadvantaging CanCon producers, warns Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law. Especially if “Canadian content” is ill-defined.
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How Jason Ward’s legal career almost destroyed him
Former Bay Street lawyer Jason Ward was used to the grind: no sleep, constant conflict, endless emails and juggling 50 cases at once. But 15 years after opening his firm in Lindsay, Ontario, the hustle culture led him into a spiral of mental illness and addiction. Read more
This Ontario town offers $100,000 to new doctors—it’s not working
Doctors who sign on to work in Marmora, Ontario, can also expect a fully-paid-for and furnished apartment attached to the clinic. It’s one of the best incentive packages in the country, according to provincial policymakers—why isn’t anyone applying? Read more
ON NEWSSTANDS NOW
The Power List
Ranking 100 Canadians shaping the country in 2023
Also in the issue:
- Why we need to stockpile Canada’s drugs
- Tarot cards as a source of reflection and introspection
- Inside Hamilton’s Hambly House, a retro space-age home
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