The Secret Life of Canada’s Favourite Swimmer

I don’t always pay close attention to the Olympics, but this year they feel like a welcome distraction from grim world events and my anxiety about the upcoming American election. The Games begin in just over two weeks, and I plan on being an enthusiastic spectator.

In particular, I’ll have my eye on Canada’s superstar lineup of female swimmers: Penny Oleksiak, the country’s most decorated Olympian ever, Summer McIntosh, who is just 17 and already a world record holder, and Maggie Mac Neil, a butterfly powerhouse who won gold at Tokyo in 2021. They’re superb at what they do and a joy to watch.

For Maclean’s August issue cover story, Katie Underwood wrote a fascinating profile of Mac Neil, chronicling the emergence of the swimmer’s unique talent from a young age. I was fascinated to learn from the profile that Mac Neil suffers from asthma, which is exacerbated by exposure to chlorine, and uses puffers to open her airways and allow her to swim—medications that have to be IOC-approved. Underwood’s story is an excellent gateway drug to the pleasure of watching the summer Games.

If you enjoy stories of inspiring Canadians like Mac Neil and don’t want to miss a single one, please subscribe to Maclean’s. An annual print subscription is just $39.99.

–Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief, Maclean’s

Julien Marit and Mike Travis couldn’t figure out a cause for their daughters’ chronic health struggles—they flew everywhere from Miami to Arizona to find a solution. The fix, as it turned out, was close to home: a trip to Vancouver Island in 2017 left both girls feeling good as new. Now, they’re living in a barn-turned-house, six minutes away from the ocean.

Up in Burk’s Falls, Ontario, among the quiet country roads and dense greenery of cottage country, sits an enormous castle surrounded by monoliths that look like screaming heads. It’s the unusual project of retired teacher Peter Camani, and it draws visitors from all over the world. Here’s a look inside Camani’s Midlothian Castle.

Far beyond creating a fair environment, fostering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a powerful business driver. Research shows it can fuel a 59 per cent innovation jump through diverse perspectives, attract top talent seeking inclusive workplaces, and even generate millions more in revenue thanks to increased employee productivity within a safe and supportive space.

When Edmontonian Sean Murphy and his wife, Jasmyne, moved to Mexico, they found a new home that was cheaper, warmer, and buzzing with Canadian expats. “Life was surprisingly familiar,” Murphy says. “I remember driving into Puerto Vallarta and passing a Home Depot and a Walmart, thinking, did we really leave Canada?”

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