Behind the scenes stories from a Canadian Journalist overseas
No where in Ukraine is safe from Russian missiles and attacks but on our most recent trip we got closer than we ever had to the front lines. Most of the time we were in Kharkiv. With the G-7 leaders and NATO meeting during our visit, Russia ramped up its attacks. Many nights the windows…
Our team is returning to Ukraine, in my case, for the fourth time since February and the third since Russia’s invasion. Each trip has taken on different characteristics – pre-war, there was the unease and disbelief that the Russians would actually invade. When I returned in early March, the fear was the capital Kyiv might…
The war in Ukraine has dominated the headlines and our workflow for the last five months. Even when our CBC teams are not on the ground in the conflict area, we’ve been covering the Russia/Ukraine conflict on the periphery. A few weeks back, we travelled to Romania, Lithuania and Latvia to watch some NATO Special…
Britain looked its best as it celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. I’m surprised how much of being based in London means covering the Royal Family. I’ve done plenty of Royal visits in Canada, but the party on the Mall was impressive by any measure. There’s not a whole lot of journalism involved but its also…
For me, it’s as if the world is now divided into two eras: before Feb 25th when Russia invaded Ukraine, and everything that has happened since. I am repulsed in every possible way at what I’ve witnessed and been exposed to involving Russia’s war against Ukraine. I feel loathing for those who rule Russia and…
Back from a trip to the Baltics to file two David versus Goliath stories. Lithuania pokes China over Taiwan and takes a big hit on trade for it. And then, there’s the ongoing Russian build up of troops and equipment across the border in Belarus and in the enclave of Kaliningrad. Usually when we travel…
Canada has 500 soldiers stationed at a NATO based outside the capital Riga. This is the fourth time I’ve visited and each time the base feels larger, with more buildings people and equipment. The foreign minister Melanie Joly visited, along with the head of NATO. The Canadian soldiers are far from the trouble in Ukraine,…
Heading into the climate conference in Glasgow, we visited a first-of-its kind facility in Iceland that pulls carbon straight out of thin air. There are some small test facilities scattered over the US, Europe and Canada but this is the world’s largest and most ambitious. Climeworks envisions having these all over the world in the…
Our team is spending a week in Iceland to file some climate change related stories in the lead up to the Glasgow COP26 gathering. Not quite in Europe and too far to be in North America, Iceland is an intriguing mix of the familiar and the extremely exotic. The landscapes are foreign; volcanos and moss-covered…
Britain is in the midst of a supply chain crisis. It’s hard to buy gas and a bunch of other stuff. So we went out to Danbury, about two hours from London to talk to a turkey farmer about what’s going on and when it will end. The short answer – this is the new…