Places Every Explorer Should Visit Southern Hemisphere

 As a traveler, the world is your oyster, especially now that the restrictions in most countries have been lifted. There are so many intreguing places to see and explore, no matter what corner of the globe you find yourself in. But if you're looking to venture into some new territory,

The world’s best beaches to add to your bucket list

 Above: Looking down at Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast. (PHOTO: OLM STAFF) We’re incredibly lucky to live on such a beautiful planet with many wonderful landscapes. Many of us love beaches because of their relaxing nature, making them the perfect holiday destination. We’ve rounded up the world’s best bucket list beaches

What’s “philAUSophy” exactly?

 The Australian government issued a new statement about the new wave of marketing in the tourism field. According to the statement, Australians are going to compete with the US, New Zealand, and Canada to attract more tourists. How is Australia going to dominate those countries? The new campaign “PhilAUSophy” will

Tips for planning a vacation in Australia

 Finding a destination for your next vacation should not be that hard. The world is full of stunning places where you can seek adventure, relaxation, or whatever else you fancy. However, have you ever considered going to Australia? It is a beautiful country/continent, and contrary to popular belief, not everything

No Bad Days: Jess Lacroix’s Passion Project

 Photos courtesy of Jess Lacroix No Bad Days. That is the everyday mantra of Ottawa-born and bred artist, Jess Lacroix. It is also the name that she uses to distinguish her most recent passion project. Jess launched her clothing brand, NoBadDays, a little over a year ago after returning to

7 interesting destinations to look for your next dream job

 If you’re working in a job that doesn’t give you the sense of contentment and satisfaction that you deserve, then a change of scenery and location might be required. You see, there are certain locations around the globe that offer some amazing job opportunities with great pay. From sailing around

Champagne, Guitars and Life on the Road

 Photos courtesy of Daniel Champagne Prodigy, virtuoso and the “finest guitar player of his generation” are just a couple of accolades that have been latched alongside the musical caravan that is Australian-born musician Daniel Champagne. When asked about what he thinks about all that, the twentysomthing doesn’t even pause to

Chick-start Our Hearts!

 Photos by Renée Boucher Doiron A chorus of boos rains over Natalie Maines. She takes one step back, looks over the vocal Ottawa crowd, and smiles wide. This is just music to her ears. Her band mates Emily Robison and Martie Maguire stand beside Maines grinning. They’ve been here before and

The Key to Reining in Healthcare Costs in Canada is Better Health Human Resources Planning

 International conference brings together leading experts on health workforce issues  Speakers will include Kamal Khera, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health; Dr. Jim Campbell, Director of the WHO Health Workforce Department; Gaétan Lafortune, OECD Senior Health Economist and more. Policy makers, academics, researchers, practitioners and students from across the

A Big Show with Hat Fitz and Cara for Small Halls

 Images by Roseanne Lake. The Festival of Small Halls is exactly as it sounds, a bunch of bands going to historic and beautiful places around Ottawa playing big shows in small places. The festival is meant to bring life and vitality back to small venues outside of the city landscape. It

Why American Doctors Are Calling For Canadian-Style Medicare

 And How Canada Risks Losing the Health Advantage it Has. In a dramatic show of physician support for deep health care reform in the U.S, more than 2,200 physician leaders have signed a “Physician’s Proposal” calling for sweeping change. The proposal, published May 5 2016 in the American Journal of

Dear Health Minister – Please Reinstate Funding for Cochrane Canada

 Cochrane is a key global healthcare resource that needs Canada’s involvement Imagine you’re our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Despite a grueling election campaign, you’re flush with energy and idealism in a country where “better is always possible.” One key priority is improving Canada’s prosperity but there are also many

Health Systems Around the World

 By Kathleen O’Grady Comparing the performance of health systems around the world just got a little easier. One morning, the media headline pronounces Canada’s health system should model that found in the Netherlands; the next week, we should follow Germany’s example, and yet another says Australia is leading the pack.

Why We Need to Think Twice About Adopting an Australian Model of Pension Reform

 In a recent nation-wide commentary, authors Charles Lammam and Stephen Kirchner of the Fraser Institute urge the Province of Ontario to adopt an Australian model of pension provision instead of expanding the Canada Pension Plan as proposed in the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. This creates an interesting debate as it

Four Things We Can Do to Improve Healthcare in Canada

 What’s next for primary care? Healthcare is the purview of the provinces in Canada, but health leadership–setting big picture goals, helping achieve best practices across the country and providing long-term, sustainable funding models–is the role of the federal government. As the federal election campaign wages, Canadians should be pressing federal

Bluesfest Beats

 Photo courtesy of Steve G The countdown to RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is on. As the weeks leading up to the festival go by, OLM will continue to highlight must-see performances by some of the acts that you may have not yet discovered–so Ottawa music lovers listen up! An exciting variety

Folk Rock Hits the Road to Ottawa

 Shining headlights across the country, Vancouver-based folk rock band The River and The Road are touring Canada in support of their new album. They will be stopping in Ottawa on Thursday, May 14, for a performance at Cafe Dekcuf. The band started off as a busking duo, consisting of singer

The Musical Storm of Ash & Bloom

 The powerhouse folk duo Ash and Bloom, is bringing a musical storm to Ottawa. Echoing thunderous harmonies and striking bolts of brilliant songwriting, these two are a must-see act this spring. Hamilton-based Matt McKenna and James Bloemendal have been playing music together for almost a decade, originally meeting in the

Preventing Radicalization: Two-Decade Social Experiment

 The Assembly of Nations unites all 140 nationalities living in Kazakhstan to promote cooperation and to give them political voice. Nine representatives of the Assembly are elected to the legislative chamber of the Parliament. On Wednesday, October 22, Ottawa woke-up to the sounds of shooting coming from Parliament Hill, the

Why You Can’t See a Psychiatrist

 And why adding more psychiatrists to the mental health system may not be the answer. We are talking openly about mental illnesses and addictions now more than ever--and that’s a good thing. Efforts to address the stigma associated with mental illnesses have made it easier for people who have been

Pilar’s Picks: Young Magic

 Unique, fresh and innovative -- that's what describes this new band. Young Magic consists of Australian producer Isaac Emmanuel and Indonesian vocalist Melati Melay. They are a Brooklyn-based group with an unparalleled electro-indie sound. Breathing Statues is Young Magic’s second album, which was released on May 6. They collaborated on

Changing the Game with Fowles Wine

 Winemaker Matt Fowles traveled from the Strathbogie Ranges in Australia to OLM’s quaint headquarters on April 9 to offer a sample of his game-changing wine. Fowles has created a series of wines that complement wild game meat -- the first of its kind to hit the market. Named by James

Canada-Kazakhstan Bilateral Relations Flourish

 Kazakhstan and Canada established diplomatic relations in 1992. The 20th anniversary of this historic event saw a significant strengthening of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in 2012, through highlevel exchanges, inter-parliamentary contacts and enhanced trade and economic ties. Bilateral relations continued to flourish in 2013. Canada’s Agri-Food Minister Gerry

6 Weeks, 5 Countries, Countless Adventures

 Traveling is a safe romance—it can be as brief or as long as you want and it doesn’t demand much except a sense of adventure. It adds a wealth of stories to your conversation arsenal, more weight in souvenirs to your luggage and obviously a better understanding of the beautiful,

Canada’s Muscular Military: The Throne Speech Façade

 Pity the Canadian Forces. They must surely be suffering from an identity crisis. It was only a month ago that the government strutted the Forces before the public eye so we could see their biceps bulging, their pecs rippling. Just listen to the overflow of machismo in the Throne Speech