With a new school year on the horizon, Jon Willing pleads the case for keeping schoolyards open after hours We spent several warm weekend evenings last spring shooting hoops, but not before climbing a fence to access the […]
Dad’s Corner
Gifted
A boy attended a gifted program, but didn’t try. Now a father, his son fights to succeed where dear old dad didn’t. Chris Hunt marvels at his son’s tenacity I failed math in high school in spectacular fashion. […]
Hello, Hogtown
This summer, Jon Willing and his family will be trading one capital city for another. Here’s what’s on their Toronto to-do list We’re planning a family vacation in the capital. That is, our provincial capital. Vacationing in Toronto brings […]
The great outdoors
A childhood camping trip nobody asked for quickly devolved into the stuff of nightmares. Chris Hunt accesses a core memory One summer when I was around seven years old, my dad decided to take the family camping. I have […]
You can reach for the top: Climb every mountain
… or just Mont Tremblant, if you’re our Memoirs of a New Dad columnist. A dad takes on his longtime nemesis with just shoes, water and a pair of cool shades Editor’s Note: This story was a part of the series […]
You can teach your kid about perseverance: Can’t stop, won’t stop
Broken bone? It’ll heal. Struggle to learn the guitar? It’ll come. Impossible puzzle? Someone’s done it before. Our Dad’s Dispatch columnist turns everyday challenges into valuable life lessons for his son Editor’s Note: This story was a part of the […]
The gift of opportunity: Take a chance on me
Editor’s Note: This story is a part of our series, The Gift, which appeared in the March 2026 issue. Many organizations across the Ottawa region offer invaluable volunteer opportunities to eager trainees I remember standing at the hatch […]
The gift of presence: The gift of gab
Editor’s Note: This story is a part of our series, The Gift, which appeared in the March 2026 issue. Once Chris Hunt overcame his bias, he discovered a talent for connecting with those who needed it most I didn’t […]
A case of mistaken identity
What’s worse than being misidentified as a former patient of a mental health facility? Having it happen on the first day of college. Our Memoirs of a New Dad columnist skips down memory lane My very first day of college […]
Jonny be good
More than two decades later, a professor’s life advice still lives rent-free in the Dad’s Dispatch columnist’s mind The best advice I’ve heard came from an instructor in journalism school at Western University. “Don’t be a jerk,” the instructor […]