AIDS drug bill passes Commons

I have a new piece up on the national page of Xtra.ca, which looks at the passage in the Commons of Bill C-393, which is another of those bills I've been following since the beginning. This was also a bill that every other mainstream outlet covered on the very last day - after it got a bit of star power - but that was fine. Many of the other journalists covering it acknowledged to me their debt in when it comes to knowing the background on the issue.

That said, I'm quite disappointed in the editing of the piece, being as I had set out to write the definitive send-off from the Commons, with far more context and background to where it has been and where it's going. Nevertheless, only about half the piece made it, and a couple of the people I spoke to were cut out entirely. But, that's the name of the game, unfortunately.

HIV spending way up in federal prisons

I have a new feature story up on the main page of Xtra.ca, which is something I worked on over the January break, and it's finally out. It all originated after my earlier story on funding levels for the Federal Initiative on HIV/AIDS, and the amount of money that Corrections was receiving made me curious. So I dug into things, and came up with this piece.

That said, I'm a bit disappointed that a few things ended up on the cutting room floor - the significance of bleach as a harm reduction tool (implicit acknowledgement that there are needles being used, but it's an ineffective strategy), and the fact that the one successful programme being funded is the post-release treatment coordination. Nevertheless, it was a rewarding piece to write, and I'm hoping it'll generate some interest.

After 4 hour debate, AIDS drug bill has teeth again

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which recaps and gets reaction to the debate on Bill C-393 in the House last night. I got a couple of new MPs to weigh in - Bloc MP Monique Guay and Liberal MP Raymonde Folco - which is always nice to have, and I'll cover the final vote next week.

Delays make Canada a poor choice for queer Ugandans

I have a new story up on the main page of Xtra.ca, which was about the appearance made by University of Ottawa professor Nicole LaViolette before the Commons subcommittee on international human rights. (The story is a week late in getting posted, but you can thank my editor for that). It's another story that I've been keeping my eye on, and it's always interesting to watch it continue to unfold. Also, it was nice to interview LaViolette in her professional capacity. Previously I had interviewed her as an athlete when she was a local participant in both the OutGames and GayGames (before I was doing political reporting as a focus).

Trans rights bill uncertain in Parliamentary landscape + Thoughts From the Hill - February Edition

The February issue of Outlooks is now on newsstands, and I once again have two pieces in it. The first is a look at the issues that Bill C-389 was facing before it went into third reading, and this is one of those instances where writing for a monthly magazine has its downside. C-389 was of course originally supposed to be debated in early March, which the article would have been perfectly timed for, but as things go, it managed to trade spots on the Parliamentary calendar, so that debate and vote happened before the issue went to print, but too late to change it. Alas! The second piece is my usual Thoughts From the Hill panel, this time looking at the upcoming budget (which, it turns out, will be released in late March). This was one of those months where all of my panelists were really concise in their points, so I was trying to actually find a way to pad it out a bit more as opposed to trying to edit down. This is also the first issue where Outlooks is moving to a fully paid magazine rather than one that's largely free with a few newsstand and subscription sales. This is all part of the growth strategy, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this develops.

The C-389 piece is on page 14, and the Thoughts from the Hill panel is on page 17.

Trans bill heads to Senate + AIDS drug bill clears major hurdle

The February issue of Xtra's Ottawa edition is now out, and I have two reprinted stories in it. The first is the story about Bill C-389 passing third reading in the House of Commons, and the other is the story about Bill C-393 passing its major procedural hurdle of being transferred to Paul Dewar's sponsorship. While the first story is largely reprinted intact, the second has shortened a bit more, but that's certainly not unusual in this day and age of the print edition.

Trans bill is at bottom of Senate pile

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca today about the process that Bill C-389 is going to face in the Senate. It was a really in depth piece, as there was a lot of ground to cover, and it was a fair bit of work, but I will also add that it was a lot of fun to write. I always enjoy writing Senate stories, and this was no exception. I'm quite looking forward to getting to follow the developments on this bill as it works its way through the Senate. (And that is my photo on the landing there, which I lucked out with in terms of getting to Chamber at an hour when the doors were open).