-
Three life lessons from Ontario’s Celina Caesar-Chavannes’ memoir
Hear what advice Whitby, Ontario’s, MP has to share. Mother, wife, business owner, student, friend and change-maker are only a few ways to describe Celina-Caesar Chavannes. In 2019, Member of Parliament was added to that list, and as of 2021, so was published author. In her memoir, Can You Hear Me Now?, Caesar-Chavannes recounts her life, her mistakes, her triumphs and everything in-between prior to and following her role as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Whitby, Ont. Throughout her memoir, she intertwines her experiences and hardships with life lessons she learned along the way. Lesson #1: Stories are sticky Historically, storytelling has been a cherished means of…
-
Three female politicians making a difference in Ontario
The women pushing significant and positive change for the province and its citizens. It wasn’t until the 1900s that women became involved — marginally — in this realm. In fact, it took until 1921 for the first woman to be elected into the House of Commons in Canada. As a result, female involvement in politics remained limited and/or discounted for a long time, ensuring that, until very recently, women who wanted to be leaders of change in their communities could not do so. Today, women can vote, join political parties and even be elected into office. In June 2022, 47 women and non-binary people were elected to the Ontario legislature,…
-
Solo dates: Fall in love with yourself
The benefits of venturing out on your own, and ideas for solo dates. Recently, the practice of taking oneself out on a date has been growing in popularity. It may seem strange, but whether you have a significant other or not, taking yourself on solo dates can be a great way to connect with yourself, gain independence and experience things you might have missed out on otherwise. At first, taking yourself out might feel lonely, awkward and maybe even embarrassing. However, many women who go on solo dates have reported learning some pretty life-changing lessons. Take for example, Natalie Lusinski. Lusinki is an online blogger that decided to travel the…
-
Bridging the health gap
How gender bias effects women in the Canadian medical system Gender bias is the preference for one gender over the other. According to a 2020 global report by the United Nations, nearly 90 per cent of all people have some bias against women. For centuries, implicit and explicit gender bias has affected many industries and sectors, including health care. Unfortunately, gender bias in health care presents a dangerous threat to the well-being, safety and lives of women and must be acknowledged. Sexism in health care can manifest in many ways including gaslighting concerned female patients, misdiagnosing them or dismissing them entirely and failing to include women in medical studies. Women…
-
Knix: Revolutionizing the undergarment game
The underwear brand empowering women, destigmatizing periods and giving back to the community *This Interview has been edited for length and clarity Before 2013, those who menstruate had to decide, on a monthly basis, whether to wash and wear stained underwear that had succumbed to the dreaded and inevitable ‘period leak,’ or to simply throw out yet another pair of perfectly good knickers. Enter Joanna Griffiths, Queen’s University alum and female entrepreneur aiming to revolutionize the underwear game and destigmatize menstruation. Griffiths mandate was to challenge the conventional design and function of women’s intimates, such as those advertised by brands like Victoria’s Secret or La Senza. Her solution was Knix:…
-
10 Female-founded beauty brands from Ontario
Want to support local brands and look good doing it? Ontario is home to many women-owned beauty brands that are working to make the industry to be more inclusive, sustainable and cruelty-free. Supporting small beauty businesses will not only empower and support female entrepreneurs across Ontario but also help local economies to thrive. Even better is purchasing products from companies that you can feel good about supporting. Listed below are 10 beauty brands to look out for. Cheekbone In 2015, Jenn Harper, an Anishinaabe-Canadian from St. Catharines, Ont. awoke in the middle of the night with the idea to start making lip gloss. At the time, Harper was working in…
-
Need help kickstarting your business?
Here are five financial programs for aspiring female entrepreneurs in Canada Starting a business can be expensive and daunting. Few people have the funds to build a business from the ground up — a struggle in and of itself. For women entrepreneurs, competing in the male-dominated world of business and finances can result in added stress and difficulty. Fortunately, the Government of Canada and various other enterprises have created initiatives that provide business loans, grants and other resources specifically for female entrepreneurs. Check out these five financial programs for support when building a new business. The Scotiabank Women Initiative Scotiabank launched the Women’s Initiative in 2018 to support women and…
-
The wellness trap
Rethinking what it means to be healthy in the age of content creators Musician Lorde was burning sage and cleansing crystals in her “Mood Ring” music video that premiered in August 2021. Throughout the satirical pop song, Lorde comments on wellness culture by pointing out the great lengths women—particularly privileged white women—go to feel well. In an interview with Genius, Lorde explained the meaning behind the lyrics in “Mood Ring.” In the lines, “I’m tryna get well from the inside / Plants and celebrity news / All the vitamins I consume,” the hypocrisy of digital wellness culture is revealed. “I had a moment of realizing like I’m trying to eat…
-
Understanding and accessing the law
Four organizations providing law resources for women For women, finding legal resources that can cater to their specific needs is crucial. According to the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, women face poverty and pay inequality at much higher rates than men, making engaging with the legal system financially challenging, especially for single, low-income women. Even when women can afford legal assistance, the matters they face are typically unique to their gender. Given that women face higher rates of violent victimization compared to men, their legal issues might include domestic abuse, sexual assault, restraining orders, winning custody, etc. It can be difficult for women affected by these kinds of issues…
