Jun 27, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Empower
One of the great unexpected and joyous moments of the last 90 or so days of isolation has been watching my youngest son Haydn develop into the exact same avid reader that I was at his age. As isolation dragged on, we became increasingly concerned that he would end up...
May 24, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Inspire
“It’s always good to remember where you come from and celebrate it. To remember where you come from is part of where you’re going.” – Anthony Burgess I think that April 2020 will likely go down in history as one of the longest, most bizarre...
Mar 27, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Empower
What a crazy month it has been… One of my strongest childhood memories is from 1984, the year I turned 10 years old. I had spent the weekend obsessively playing a video game on my brand-new Commodore 64 computer, in all of its 8-bit glory. I don’t remember what...
Mar 15, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Amplify
An estate fairy tale Once upon a time – or more precisely about 103 years ago – a little boy was born in Amsterdam, New York, to the parents of poor immigrants from Belarus. His name was Izzy and his life was difficult, to say the least. His father was a ragman who...
Feb 18, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Inspire
A few days ago, my good friend Zack called to ask if I’d mind doing some babysitting for him. While that may not sound too unusual, it might amuse you to know that Zack is 48 and his son is a teenager, well past the age where he needs supervision. It was, in fact,...
Jan 29, 2020 | Blog, Stories that Empower
This year during the holidays, my wife Bridget and I realized that we have reached a stage where very soon, we are going to be the two shortest people in the house. Our two older sons are now well over six feet tall and soon will surpass me in height and tower over...
Dec 18, 2019 | Blog, Stories that Inspire
As we come to the end of the year, I always like to share an interesting story of a charitable gift. Normally, we tell the story of someone we have worked with over the last number of years, but this time we’re going to share with you the story of Peter Allard, a...
Nov 29, 2019 | Blog, Stories that Amplify
Weathering the seasons of intergenerational cottage transfers, liabilities and the tax man. In the last few weeks, all across our country a great Canadian tradition has occurred — the winterizing of the family cottage. As long-time readers might recall, I grew up in a...
Oct 29, 2019 | Blog, Stories that Inspire
It’s that time of year again where people will dress up, disguise their identities and go knocking on your door, saying “Trick or Treat.” The experience at the doorstep can be either very pleasant, or highly terrifying. Personally, I’ve always been fascinated by the...
Sep 29, 2019 | Blog, Stories that Amplify
For so many of us, the nighttime sky represents peace and tranquility. One night in London this past month was the exact opposite due to a massive gas explosion. In the aftermath, our city’s generosity shows us the future of giving – and how our charitable rules...
