Opening lines: The times, they are a-changin'

I was reminded, as I sat down to write this column, of a conversation I had recently with my sister Kim. We were whiling away a lazy morning together, drinking coffee and poring over the weekend paper, when Kim remarked how we had led such a happy, almost innocent childhood. What prompted her comment were two stories in the newspaper: Yet another Canadian soldier had been killed in Afghanistan, and two young men were shot to death a short distance from where I live. She wondered aloud how we had gotten to a place where peace was no longer a given, and kids were able to get their hands on guns and kill. "The big news I remember from our childhood," she said, "is The Beatles, the first man landing on the moon, and some bits about the protests against the Vietnam War, but nothing like what kids today have to contend with."

It struck me how different my childhood experiences were, compared with those of my children – not to mention some of the younger members of our staff (that's our copy department pictured below).

It was at that point that I mentioned the first real tragedy I remember shaking me to the core, an event we are covering in this issue of the magazine. At 5:10 p.m. on December 6, 1989, a lone gunman walked into L'École Polytechnique de Montréal and killed 14 women. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of what is now gruesomely remembered as the Montreal Massacre, three women share their experiences of that horrific day and how it changed them forever – but more important, how it has moved them to end violence toward women. I still ask myself how this could have happened, and I wonder, as I hear about hall monitors and metal detectors being placed in schools, how it is that guns still find their way into lockers and classrooms. How did we get to a point where we have to worry about our children's safety in the very place we were assured they would be forever protected?

This issue also marks Remembrance Day, and once again I am reminded of the men and women serving overseas, and of their huge personal sacrifices. While we may not all agree with the missions that our Canadian Forces are currently participating in around the world, I think we would all agree that they deserve our gratitude and prayers. Click here for details on how to write to our troops.

Until next month,
- Susan Antonacci


Masters of modern language, our venerable copy experts clean up grammar, catch our mistakes and make the stories flow. Joining me here (left to right): Lisa Fielding, James Doyle, Austen Gilliland and Wendy Graves. Absent is Sarah Silva, our researcher extraordinaire.