Good morning, and welcome to the weekend.
Grab your cup of coffee or tea, and sit down with a selection of this week’s great reads from The Globe. In this issue, Caroline Alphonso reports about a Grade 8 graduation in Toronto, where she spent a few days with Ukrainian students who came to Canada after fleeing the Russian war back home.
Graduation is a time of celebration, but for many of the Ukrainian students at the St. Demetrius Catholic School in Toronto, the joy of marking such an important milestone is mixed with anxiety about when it’ll be safe for them to reunite with their families.
For Caroline, what most intrigued her was hearing how reflective the students were of their short time in Canada, the ways in which they remained tethered to their home – and how much they want to return when it’s safe.
Joe Castaldo speaks to a growing chorus of experts expressing concerns that artificial intelligence could be humanity’s downfall.
And Kelly Grant imagines a world where every Canadian was guaranteed primary care.
If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Great Reads and more than 20 other Globe newsletters on our newsletter sign-up page. If you have questions or feedback, drop us a line at greatreads@globeandmail.com.
(L-R) St. Demetrius Elementary School students Viktoriia Tymoshchuk, Adriana Tretiak, Nadia Veselivska, Maksym Mykhailiuk and Maksym Babiak participate in a roundtable discussion at their school in Toronto, Ontario, on June 12, 2023.Marta Iwanek/The Globe and Mail
As three dozen Ukrainian refugees prepare to graduate from Grade 8 at one of the Toronto’s Catholic schools, The Globe looks at how their experiences in a new country have been, what they left behind, and speaks to some who continue to attend Ukrainian schools online, still hoping to return home some day.
Why some experts say AI will kill us all
DADO RUVIC/Reuters
Experts’ opinions of artificial intelligence are raising eyebrows, as more begin speaking out about their concerns with AI as companies develop more powerful models that are deployed in more consequential settings such as financial systems, politics, military applications and critical infrastructure. Joe Castaldo speaks to experts about the endless dystopian possibilities.
What if every Canadian was guaranteed primary care in their neighbourhood?
Renee Primeau (L), Systems Navigator at London InterCommunity Health Centre speaks with her colleagues Psych Co-ordinator Carol Wat (C) and Client Care Support worker Margarita Ramirez at their office in London, Ontario on Monday, May 29, 2023.Geoff Robins/The Globe and Mail
Schools are organized in a way that guarantees every child a spot in a classroom. When families move or teachers retire, parents aren’t forced to call multiple schools looking for a teacher who is accepting new students. They’re never told that every local school is full, or that an education is only available to their children on an emergency basis. Kelly Grant asks: why shouldn’t primary care work the same way?
In a city in flux, the Hong Kong Ballet embraces its local identity
Canadian dancer Jessica Burrows performs in The Nutcracker by the Hong Kong Ballet in December 2021.Supplied
The Hong Kong Ballet was established in 1979, and in the four decades since has toured the world and won international acclaim. But it could often feel somewhat disconnected from the city itself, in part because there were so few dancers from Hong Kong, with most coming from mainland China or further afield. As James Griffiths reports, things are changing under artistic director Septime Webre, who took over the company in 2017, after a long and successful stint running the Washington Ballet.
Under François Legault, Quebec’s Catholic past is front and centre again
The crucifix in Quebec’s National Assembly chamber is removed from its spot above the Speaker’s chair in 2019. Today, it is displayed outside the chamber.Claude Mathieu/Collection Assemblée Nationale
Under current Premier François Legault, Quebec has embraced a peculiar form of separation of church and state. The province’s Catholic traditions are seen to be an integral part of its identity while other religions are unwelcome in the public sphere. The CAQ has banned teachers from wearing religious symbols, and prohibited schools from setting aside prayer spaces for Muslim students, all in the name of secularism. As Quebeckers prepare to celebrate their June 24 Fête nationale with parades and concerts, Konrad Yakabuski writes, God help the Quebeckers who don’t fit their Premier’s plan for secularism and national identity.
Kat Callaghan, a DJ in Kitchener, Ontario, is photographed on May 18, 2023.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Across TikTok, new vocal tones, cadences and patterns have quickly become standard. Their voices marked not just by what people are saying, but how. But what is the TikTok voice? And is it changing how the rest of us speak? Ann Hui reports on a new voice emerging across the popular platform.
Former mayors share how the job has changed and the toll of governing during a pandemic
Poll clerk Carmela Caccavo puts up Elections Ontario voting signs outside of the Mississauga-Erin Mills polling station on University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, June 7, 2018.MARTA IWANEK/The Canadian Press
As Toronto residents get ready to head to the polls next Monday, The Globe speaks with the former Toronto mayor John Tory, as well as former mayors of Edmonton, Hamilton, Ottawa, Victoria and Winnipeg, all of whom left office within the last two years. These former leaders described a job that grew even as their power didn’t; the stress of dealing with public anger and embittered social-media users; and how anyone seeking high municipal office should do so with their eyes wide open.
Olympic skateboarder Annie Guglia is on a mission to grow the sport, especially among girls
Annie Guglia, Canada Skateboard's president and Olympic skateboarder is photographed in Toronto, April 23, 2023.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
On a skateboard for more than two decades, Olympic Skateboarder Annie Guglia has become as adept about the business of skateboarding as she has executing ollies and kick flips. The Montrealer wrote her master’s thesis in business school on the skateboarding industry, and she has a full-time job in community marketing for Vans, the iconic skateboard shoe and apparel brand. Rachel Brady follows along on Guglia’s epic month-long summer road trip, spanning from Montreal to Vancouver.
Drawn from the headlines
Orca attacks on boats aren’t out of revenge, killer whale experts say. They’re just having fun. Business Insider, June 17, 2023 as drawn by Jonathan Dyck for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail