Six years on, $139M HIV fund mostly sitting in the bank

I have a new story up on iPolitics.ca today, which looks at just what has been happening the past to years with the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative. I've been covering the CHVI pretty much since its inception, and wanted to see just what has been taking place, seeing as it's been pretty quiet for the past eighteen months or so. The answer - well, not much. But my conversation with Dr. Gerson was something of a surprise, and did give the story a bit of a twist that I hadn't been expecting.

Rideau Hall beefs up Governor General book collection

I have a new story up on OpenFile Ottawa this week about the Governor General's Literary Awards Collection, now on display at Rideau Hall, which also features a sidebar on the new additions to Rideau Hall now on display including the new portrait of the Queen and the Diamond Jubilee Handrails. As always, I really enjoy Rideau Hall stories, and it gave me the opportunity to be present for the unveiling of both the portrait and the handrails, which was a great opportunity.

Health issues swept under with toothless ‘motherhood’ bills: opposition

I have a new story up on iPolitics.ca today, which looks at the work of the Commons health committee the past few months, and the frustration that opposition MPs are feeling as the work they're trying to do is being subverted by a government they feel is committed to the status quo, and which blocks any attempts to challenge it. More than that, they feel trapped into supporting the toothless measures because they don't want to be seen as voting against measures for suicide prevention, breast cancer awareness, or the like. It was a great story to write, and nice to be able to sink my teeth into it with all of the research that went into it.

Doors Open: Rideau Hall offers nature tour, wildlife presentation

I have a new story up on the Ottawa page of OpenFile today, which looks at the Doors Open activities at Rideau Hall, which have a bit of a twist - on top of the regular indoor tours, they'll also be doing a number of outdoor activities on the grounds. It was a fun story, and while I've been to Rideau Hall half-a-dozen times, it was nice to get a bit more of a private tour, including one of the rooms that wasn't previously open to the public before.

Unveiling the new tabard of the Chief Herald of Canada

I have a second story up on OpenFile today, which connects to my first one, and it was a bit of a treat in that I got to get a preview of a one-day-only event, which was happening at the opening of the 90 Wellington exhibition, but I also got to have a great discussion with the Chief Herald about this new tabard that has been created for Canada. It was definitely a fun piece to write, and I had a great time discussing heraldry with the Chief Herald, and some of the work that she and her office have done.

What the former Capital InfoCentre looks like on the inside

I have a new story up on OpenFile Ottawa today, which follows up on my story from last week, and shows the new Canadian Honours exhibition that now inhabits the space. As someone who has recently become interested in the Canadian Honours System - and who is a fan of the office of the Governor General - this was a really fun story to be able to cover. I updated the text over the course of the day with a couple of interviews of attendees at the opening event today, and I posted the full interviews on my Routine Proceedings blog here and here.

90 Wellington exhibit to showcase great Canadians

I have a story up on OpenFile Ottawa today which looks at who is moving into the former Capital InfoCentre space on Wellington street. This particular piece is a bit of a teaser, with more to come next week on just what's going to be part of the exhibition.