NDP's access to medicines bill faces challenges

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which follows up the latest developments in the Canada's Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) debate that I've been following for the past year-and-a-half (at least). With the bill due to finish at the committee on Monday, which will be another busy day of following it, but in the meantime, I have a post on my Hill Queeries blog about the campaign to help save the bill over the weekend here.

Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative report silent on allegations of political interference

I have a new story up today on the national page of Xtra.ca, which follows up on some stories I wrote back in the spring. I was particularly interested in what the report didn't say, especially after I was alerted to it from a brief news story that similarly didn't mention any of the previous allegations. So I delved into it a little more, which was interesting, and I learned a lot more about the committee system, and there may yet be a follow-up coming soon on some of the aspects.

Ignatieff wants to find "balance" on Canada's sex work laws

I have a new short piece up on the national page of Xtra.ca flowing from the "Open Mike" event in Ottawa last night. My question for him in the scrum was on the suggestion of my editor, but that there would be questions on CAMR during the town hall portion of the evening was a bit of a surprise for me, so I was glad to see that it came up, given that I've been following that story (and will be doing more coverage next week).

I have more on the "Open Mike" event on my Hill Queeries blog here.

Where are all the lesbians in federal politics?

I have a new feature-length piece on the national page of Xtra.ca (and will hopefully soon appear in at least one of the print editions). This was a fascinating article to write, and I spoke to a lot of really interesting people - but it was also extremely painful to write because I had to condense so much material into a short space, and then my editor had to condense it a bit more. Most of the losses between by draft and the final version are some of the additional commentary by Catherine Meade (who is a pretty awesome interview), and some of what Anita Vandenbeld had to say (also someone great to talk to, especially about democratic institutions). Suffice to say, it's a great fascinating topic to explore, and hopefully I can come back to it in a more expanded form at some point in the future.

The Armageddon Factor Author Warns Against Complacency + Thoughts from the Hill - October Edition

I have two new pieces in the current issue of Outlooks magazine (which, you may note, now distributes on the 15th of the month rather than the first). The larger piece is an interview with Marci McDonald, author of The Armageddon Factor, which I was extremely happy to do. I think she was pleased that I actually had read the book, which is not the case for every interviewer, and we had a really great and lengthy conversation - both on the record, and once the recorder shut off. I'm just sorry that I didn't have more room than that sole page.

The Thoughts From the Hill panel was actually destined for the September issue and got bumped, and unfortunately timing considerations meant we couldn't get a response from the Senator for that month, but I can assure you that she's on fire for the November panel.

The interview is on page 27 of the issue, and the panel on page 25.

Hooker Battle Heats Up + Gays to get citizenship guide nod

 I have two reprints in the current print issue of Xtra Ottawa - more or less. Parts of my story on the federal political reaction to the Ontario Superior Court decision on prostitution laws was integrated into a larger piece on the issue, while my story on gay rights and same-sex marriage being restored to the citizenship guide was cut down to a brief.

Conservative MP and critics squabble over prostitution

I have a new piece up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which follows up on the story I wrote two weeks ago about the debate over sex laws in this country. I was glad that MP Joy Smith's assistant contacted me to arrange an interview to further the conversation, which I was able to take to the various critics to better explore the issues, and to show that the issue isn't as black and white as many would see. I'm also hoping that I was able to show that Smith is genuinely concerned, and she feels this is the way to go, even though her critics don't believe it's a workable solution. Given the recent court decision on the issue, I'm likely to stay on this story for the foreseeable future.

Gay rights to be included in new Canadian citizenship guide

I have a new piece up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is a development of a couple of stories I've covered over the past year involving the new Canadian citizenship guide, and how the previous iteration effaced the presence of gays and lesbians in this country. It was a fairly quick piece to write, and many thanks to Justin Trudeau and his staff, who were very responsive to my interview request, and had him call me while he was en route to Montreal for an event in his riding. It's always greatly appreciated.

A Visit to Ottawa

I have a piece in Autumnplay 2010, which is a bit of a travelogue for people visiting Ottawa. This is my first piece for the Pink Play magazines, and it's in good part thanks to a friend of mine, Scott Dagostino, who was the guest editor of this issue. While I was encouraged to be honest in my assessment of Ottawa, it seems my brutal cynicism about some of the scene was a bit much for the publisher, who had me tone down a couple of sections.

You can download the full issue in .pdf format here, and the story is on pages 29-32.