Confident Personalities
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Ruby Dhalla: My dream is to live up to whatever my potential is |
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Dr. Ruby Dhalla could well be the poster child for achievement. First elected to parliament at age 30 in 2004, the MP for Brampton-Springdale has twice been considered a contender for the national leadership of the Liberal Party. She has been a newsmaker outside of politics too, as an actress and a podium finisher in a 1993 pageant, and she has been profiled in magazines like Flare, Chatelaine and Maxim. While her success has been well charted, what many people may not know are the obstacles she has had in getting there, the difficulties of growing up on the ‘wrong side’, as she puts it. In this account, she provides an insight into her life and what an average day is like for her, and voices her thoughts on issues close to her and her optimism for the future. |
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‘The more you give, the more you have’ |
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 Layton and Chow at a Toronto child care centre while on the campaign trail during the last general election
He’s intense, driven and powerfully engaging. She’s lively, cheerful, polite and always upbeat. New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton and Olivia Chow – MP for Trinity-Spadina – are Canada’s most prominent political couple, thrust even further into the spotlight after recent developments nearly saw the party in a historic power-sharing coalition with the Liberals.
In a free-flowing account, Chow and Layton recount a typical day for them, revealing the private side of a very public couple.
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For Wendy Mesley, the beat goes on... |
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She is a Gemini award-winning journalist and an unabashed crusader against deception. Her recent campaign for Canada to do more for cancer prevention is both a courageous personal battle against the disease and a war on the nation’s sluggish response. CBC’s Wendy Mesley, reporter, show host and lady of class and substance gives an up-close-and-personal glimpse into what her typical day is like.
[as told to Frederick Rocque]
 I am so not a morning person! There’s a reason you’ve never seen me hosting a morning show. There is no “normal” rising time because of my work. Sometimes I’m filling in on the The National and I’m not home until midnight. Other days I’m up at 5 am to catch a plane somewhere for a Marketplace interview. Some days it’s both!
Setting the alarm is a mathematical calculation to maximize the last few moments of sleep. But once up, I am a machine: fed, caffeinated, dressed and scrubbed in 10 minutes or less! I drive to work – the TTC is kinda hopeless where I live. Also, for six months of the year I keep my windsurfing gear on my car in the (usually feeble) hope that the wind will blow at a moment when I’m not working and I can escape to the lake. Apart from reading, my only hobbies are windsurfing and skiing. I try to indulge as much as I can. |
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Top of the line |
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 By Matt Valentine » Mike Clemons has the stature of a giant. The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Argonauts, known to the world as Pinball, is one of the Canadian Football League (CFL) team’s most celebrated citizens, having being on three Grey Cup winning squads as player, and one as coach. As you approach him, you sense the distinct air of a champion. However the intimidation of speaking to greatness disappears in the first few moments of the interview as Clemons flashes that megawatt smile and instantly puts you at ease. “Mr. Clemons, it is an honour to…” I begin, before being cut short by Clemons shaking his head disapprovingly while still smiling. The strong grip of his right hand holds mine in place as he comes over the top with the left to capture my hand in a double handed embrace. “Please,” he pauses. “Call me Mike, or Pinball… no Mr. Clemons here.” |
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David Suzuki: My Day, My Life |
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Decades before the new evangelists ventured into the climate change crusade, Dr David Suzuki was already an environmental champion in households across North America. The world-renowned geneticist, scientist and broadcaster was pushing for energy conservation and the need for clean energy long before it became fashionable to do so. In this exclusive interview with Confidence Bound, Suzuki – still very fit and trim at 70 – spoke about what a typical day was like for him, and provided a glimpse into what makes him the man he is. |
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8 to watch in 2008 (and beyond) |
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Ours is now an age of instant stars – of talents that are unearthed in the public glare. Most often, they are rough diamonds, waiting to be polished and show off their sparkle. In our kick-off to 2008, we profile some of the young talents in various fields who look set to make the great leap forward.
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8 to watch in 2008 |
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By Archie D'Cruz » Around this time of year, many magazines indulge in that annual ritual of naming someone (or something) that has made the greatest impact over the past 12 months. And so you have newsmakers picked by Time Magazine (Russian President Vladimir Putin), Time Canada (the loonie), Canadian Press (the RCMP), Macleans (Conrad Black), and countless others. |
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Oscar Peterson, maharajah of the keyboard |
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By Jerry D’Souza » Jazz, for me, has always been a way of life. As a music critic in the India of the ’80s, the living was slim. One had to depend on what the record companies chose to release and the bi-annual Jazz Yatra music festival. The former were dismissed for their lack of understanding of the genre, the latter often offered a heady line-up of top performers from around the world.
But there was still that hunger to listen to musicians who had gained a reputation. |
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Russell Peters: From stand-up to sitcom |
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He started out doing amateur nights at Yuk Yuk’s comedy club in Toronto. Today Russell Peters is one of the world’s top acts, with a TV series in the pipeline. Interview by Frederick Rocque.
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Giving it his best pitch |
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By Monika Platek » He has been throwing baseballs since he learned how to ties his shoes. The baseball field is practically his second home. His talent has taken him on travels across North America, to the Caribbean, and on more bus trips than you can imagine. And now, Jonathan Lockwood has just returned after starring in Canada’s ultimately unsuccessful bid at the World Cup of Baseball in Taiwan. |
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Bublé - A legend in the making |
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By Jerry D'Souza » In this day of hype and hyperbole it is refreshing to see a talent that comes across as a breath of fresh air. Canada’s latest international music icon Michael Bublé has been creating a stir from the time his debut self-titled album was released in 2003.
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Hazel: I don't believe in regrets |
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She is 86, yet retains the energy and drive that have made her one of Canada's favourite politicians. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, who has been in office for nearly 30 years, tells Archie D'Cruz what a typical day is like for her.
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Jay Manuel a model Canadian |
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By Deborah Misquitta and Archie D'Cruz » Jay Manuel has an extra-special reason for wanting Canada's Next Top Model to deliver a memorable winner.
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The dream merchant |
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By Monika Platek » Richard Addo-Kessie has been hustling for many
years. It started way back in Grade 5, when he stood on sidewalks
convincing people to buy boxes of chocolates.
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A life in the day of Dina Pugliese |
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What's it like to be a part of the city's number one morning show? Dina Pugliese, Breakfast Television's popular new co-host, reveals all in an interview with Archie D'Cruz.
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Keeping the Dream alive |
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By Archie D'Cruz » It could so easily have been a confidence-shattering moment of epic proportions.
Jennifer Hudson had just been voted off the hugely-successful TV talent show American Idol in a major upset, when acerbic judge Simon Cowell was asked if he had any words of advice for the young singer.
As a live TV audience of millions watched, Cowell instead chose to put a figurative boot to Hudson's head while she was down.
"You get one shot (at the big time)," he told her. "You ain't never gonna be seen again."
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A star is reborn |
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By Ethan Caleb » For a singer that critics were starting to dismiss as a one-album wonder, Nelly Furtado sure seems to be making a lot of waves these days.
The Victoria, BC-born singer had burst onto the music scene with a refreshingly different sound in 2000, her debut album Whoa, Nelly! charting in countries around the world and snagging her a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Pop Performance.
Songs like I'm Like A Bird and Turn Off The Light became a radio staple, and she was being hailed as the Next Big Thing from the country that gave the world stars like Celine Dion, Diana Krall and Alanis Morissette. |
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Words of a King |
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By Lori-Ann Jakel » Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the most engaging speaker I have seen. He has mastered the art of the spoken word and serves his audience a platter of passion, so deliciously prepared, it leaves one wanting more! |
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