Profiles

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Features, Profiles November 5, 2014

Cadets gain education and sense of respect

Moera Hunter wears the uniform of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets to help her understand the significance of Nov. 11. “It brings honour,” she said.

Moera, 12, joined the Air Cadets two months ago. During the lead-up to Remembrance Day, she’s been selling poppies for the first time on Pape Avenue in East York even in freezing temperatures and chilling winds.

“I think everyday people … every race, culture, generation, religion, all of them should remember … (those) who have given them all that they have today – the freedom, the ability to walk onto the street,” she said.

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Football, Profiles April 29, 2014

Determined university football star’s road to CFL draft not an easy one

It’s 6 a.m. at Monarch Park Stadium. It’s quiet except for the sounds of a lone man’s feet as he sprints down the track. Just then a roar pierces the near silence. “Toronto Argonauts! BC Lions! Hamilton Tiger-Cats!” “Calling out these team names gives me the willpower to keep going,” York Lions running back Errol Brooks said later. “It helps me visualize where I want to be one day.”

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Features, Profiles, Toronto Votes 2014 April 25, 2014

Mayoral candidate no stranger to political battles

Matt Mernagh starts his day vaporizing marijuana into a plastic bag. He smokes several times a day, consuming several grams to relieve pain from an inoperable brain tumor that causes seizures. He has fibromyalgia, which in addition to pain causes his spine to curve sideways. For almost 20 years, Mernagh, 40, has fought for the rights of medical marijuana users; he’s been attempting to legalize marijuana in an ongoing court case with the federal government. This year, however, Mernagh is fighting a different battle. This year, he’s running to be mayor of Toronto.

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2015 Pan Am Games, Profiles, Sports April 23, 2014

Toronto-based archer takes aim at 2015 Pan-Am berth

It was 10 years ago, during a visit to South Korea, where Vanessa Lee’s life changed. Lee, 16, was there visiting her family and friends. The family planned to see some attractions, but Typhoon Megi swept through part of the country, forcing Lee and her family to take shelter in their small home, in front of their tiny TV. So, they watched the Olympics in Athens. Archery was on. Korea’s own Park Sung-hyun was competing. “She was just so cool and composed under pressure that I was like, ‘I want to be like her,’” Lee said. “So I stopped spending all the money my parents gave me to spend on the trip, and I said ‘I’m coming home and I’m buying a bow.’”

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Arts & Life, Features, Profiles March 14, 2014

Horseshoe still launching new bands on paths to success

On Tuesday night, Orangabang, a band from Uxbridge, Ont., took to the Horseshoe stage for the first time. It rocked through songs with provocative titles, such as “Fledermaus” and “Cunning Linguist.” Geoff Holt sings and plays rhythm guitar for Orangabang. “It was our first time playing a show in Toronto,” Holt said. “It was great. The crowd was awesome … [We’ve] never had so many people cheering at the end of a show before.”