I write the City Beat column for @DesignlinesMag. I also write scandal-y things for @TorontoLife, business-y things for @ROBmagca, & arty things for @TheWalrus.
Toronto
Joined February 2012
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Today, we diagnose mental illness based on symptoms, not brain biology. This is unhelpful. If we were to diagnose shortness-of-breath the way we currently diagnose depression (by the symptom alone), we'd conflate anemia with heart disease. My June cover story for @thewalrus.
The science of mental illness is based on the study of symptoms. Fundamentally, scientists lack a biological understanding. Neuroscientists like Sean Hill (@wake_sleep) are trying to change this and get to the root of mental illness. thewalrus.ca/what-happens-to… 2/5 #mentalhealth
ALT An illustrated brain in turquoise, pink, and yellow colours on a black background. The left side of the brain appears to have pathways in it, and the right side of the brain appears like a grid system.
Yup. I'm quite intrigue by the proposal discussed in the WSJ, but I'm just one of the ~41 million Canadians who deserve to be brought into this discussion.
There's currently no such thing as an "associate member" so even if you read this piece, you still don't really know what it means.
But regardless of whether it's a good idea or a terrible idea, it would be a massive move that 1) wasn't campaigned on and 2) hasn't been explained to Canadians.
Canadians shouldn't be finding out about this in a foreign newspaper and hearing the PM talk about it in Strasbourg, if he's pursuing this he should be talking directly to Canadians and in our democratic house where it should be debated.
Way in back 2003, my high school English teacher asked the class to define Canada. Our answers sucked. Now, 23 years later (lordy, I'm old) I'm trying to come up with better answers. My latest essay for @StarOpinion
bit.ly/4eMh2x9
I was very happy to win a National Magazine Award for my @macleans magazine profile of Jenni Byrne. The profile-writing prize is the one I've been after my entire career.
macleans.ca/longforms/jenni-…
I'm on CBC's Here and Now, talking with host @FarrahMerali about Deepak Paradkar, the self-styled "cocaine lawyer" who went to work for Ryan Wedding. cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-8…
For @torontolife, I profiled Deepak Paradkar, the “cocaine lawyer” who represented accused drug kingpin Ryan Wedding. Parakdar says he was doing normal lawyer stuff for Wedding. The FBI says he was basically a member of Wedding's criminal enterprise. torontolife.com/deep-dives/m…
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Yesterday, I was nominated for a National Magazine Award (Best Profile), for my @macleans feature on Jenni Byrne, the tactician behind Pierre Poilievre. This was a brutal piece to report—folks were terrified to talk—but I hope it's a fun one to read macleans.ca/longforms/jenni-…
My longform interview with @kerathink—one of my favourite radio shows—is out in the world today. I spoke about how kids need risky, unchaperoned play, and about how our perceptions of childhood danger are often at odds with reality.
think.kera.org/2026/04/14/fr…
I went on NPR's Here and Now to make my case for why children need unsupervised, risky play. In your favourite childhood memories, you were probably outside with friends, feeling exhilarated and free. We should all want our children to have that same joy
wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/04/…
I've interviewed @JeffreyASachs in the past. He's one of those people who thinks carefully and generously about everything he says. Here are his thoughts on Jesse Brown's piece in @TheAtlantic.
OK I have thoughts on this. Overwhelmingly, Jews are safe and protected in Canada. Using the word "pogrom" to describe what's happening is offensive and needlessly sidetracks the conversation. That said, our synagogues are getting shot up. 1/
theatlantic.com/internationa…
For @torontolife, I wrote about the city’s vicious tow-truck wars—a world of violence, arson, shifting allegiances, and paranoia. torontolife.com/deep-dives/t…
I talked to @ShayeGanam, on QR Calgary & 880 CHED Edmonton, about how safety culture is making childhood less active and exciting. Shaye and I were both amateur bomb makers as kids. We still remember the recipe for gunpowder. Listen here: pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.…
@thewalrus
As I wrote in @thewlarus, "Parenting is an unwinable game. We'll be better at it if we accept this fact. "
What does it mean to raise independent kids in a culture obsessed with safety? In his latest essay for The Walrus, @SimonLewsen examines the risks, contradictions, and consequences of free-range parenting: thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous…
Simon Lewsen retweeted
What does it mean to raise independent kids in a culture obsessed with safety? In his latest essay for The Walrus, @SimonLewsen examines the risks, contradictions, and consequences of free-range parenting: thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous…
Simon Lewsen retweeted
What if childhood risk isn’t just unavoidable but necessary? Research from University College London reveals that children allowed to wander alone play longer, burn more energy, and build richer social lives than their supervised peers. thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous…
Simon Lewsen retweeted
Don't miss @SimonLewsen's article for @thewalrus on free range parenting
thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous…
My latest essay for @thewalrus. As a parent, I understand the impulse to protect kids. Danger is real. And on the other side of danger? Unimaginable loss. But safety, I've come to believe, is inversely correlated with freedom—which, for kids, is sacrosanct
thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous…
At 5 pm, I'll be on CBC's Here and Now talking with host Farrah Merali about Ryan Wedding, Canada's most famous (former) fugitive, who was arrested yesterday in Mexico City. For a primer on this crazy story, read my Toronto Life feature from last year: torontolife.com/deep-dives/b…
I spoke today with Jayme Poisson on CBC's Front Burner, where I defend an old-fashion idea: institutional neutrality. Should universities have opinions? I vote no. Opinions are for students and professors and instructors, not administrators.
cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/sho…
Simon Lewsen retweeted
This @macleans article on the recent judicial challenge by some of my colleagues to @UBC's politicized DEI hiring, land acknowledgements, and political statements, is well worth reading. But Prof. Irvine does not wear tweed (alas)! macleans.ca/longforms/the-ba…
