Northern Routes

A fresh year filled with optimism and new opportunity.

This week marks the start of a new academic year for many, including the MD, dietetics, and Master of Medical Studies (MMS) programs. Education is an adventure filled with opportunity and experiences that you build on and take with you throughout your lifetime. Welcome to our learners, faculty and staff who are on campus this week and those who are participating in activities virtually. It’s a fresh new year and I hope you will approach it with much optimism. Although it feels like the beginning of a chapter for some, our resident doctors started their training on July 1, 2021; residents don’t have time off over the summer. At the...

What’s in a tweet? Thoughts about social media.

Social media plays a major role in today’s world—instant communications, opportunities for engagement and the creation of networks of communities that one could never reach in conventional ways. I have made friends with people through common values and thoughts that were shared on Twitter and Instagram, yet I have never met some of them in person. Being online 24/7 has its advantages, but for me, a judicious presence is important to my well-being. I have observed behaviours on social media that have been informative and poignant, but I have also seen racism, nastiness, and unfettered behaviours that worry me. Over the past 18 m...

Is the pandemic an Olympic endurance test?

The 2020 Summer Olympics was held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo. It took a year longer than expected, but the opening ceremonies looked much like any other—athletes from around the world marched in with the flags of their countries and Japanese culture and artistry was on display. Here’s a sample of how Canada performed, and as always, the moments of achievement that make us all proud and verklempt with joy. Andre De Grasse set yet another Canadian record as he ran to the gold medal in the 200-metre final with a time of 19.62 seconds, having already captured the bronze medal in the 100-metre event. Swimming, my fav...