
People & Culture
Kahkiihtwaam ee-pee-kiiweehtataahk: Bringing it back home again
The story of how a critically endangered Indigenous language can be saved
- 6310 words
- 26 minutes
People & Culture
The YouTuber duo known as the Vanwives sing the praises of off-grid living in Nova Scotia
When we met, we wanted to travel and to spend the majority of our time in nature, and “van life” allowed us to do that. We were always chasing remoteness, and without even knowing that we wanted to live off grid, we kept finding these off-grid spots. Our cabin is very much the backyard we were searching for in our van. It encompasses all of the things that we love about nature and camping, but now it’s our own. Of all the places we’ve been in Canada, the cabin feels the most like home — and we’ve gone across Canada three times. There’s something about the Maritimes: the people are so incredibly warm, and it’s slower paced. We can live remotely but still only be an hour and a half away from stores.
Of course, we picked somewhere super remote and in nature; that’s something we’ve always been drawn to. It’s where we love to spend our time together and where we feel the most authentically ourselves. We have a small lake, and it’s very quiet and good for canoeing and kayaking. There’s a river that comes down the property, and we see the trout swimming to the ocean. Before we installed electricity, there were some tough times, but going through these challenges made us more resilient. Living here can be isolating, so we make it a priority to have friends and family visit. Everyone talks about the quietness and says that they feel more present. People feel really rested when they’re here — it feels like a true getaway. Every morning, we have a coffee and walk down to the river. Waking up and being in nature never gets old.
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This story is from the September/October 2023 Issue
People & Culture
The story of how a critically endangered Indigenous language can be saved
Places
In Banff National Park, Alberta, as in protected areas across the country, managers find it difficult to balance the desire of people to experience wilderness with an imperative to conserve it
People & Culture
A century after the first woman was elected to the Canadian Parliament, one of the most prominent figures in present-day politics shares her thoughts on how to amplify diverse voices in the Commons
Environment
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