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Globe and Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
2025 summer album preview: Kick off the season with these ten new releases
The sound of summer 2025 is filled with fresh starts, new collaborations, reunions and second chances. No matter what genres you're into, the sound of regeneration is waiting for you. Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts – Talkin to the Trees (June 13, Other Shoe/Reprise): It feels funny to talk about a 'debut' by Neil Young in 2025, but that's exactly what this is: the debut album explicitly featuring his backing band Chrome Hearts. Not to say that they're unfamiliar co-stars: Most members were part of Young's slightly less recently established backing band Promise of the Real, and they're joined by Spooner Oldham, an organist who's played with Neil Young on and off for nearly five decades. Early singles Big Change and Let's Roll Again are loud, crunchy and pushing for change. Aysanabee – Edge of the Earth (June 20, Ishkodé Records): Aysanabee has been a staple of Canadian rock radio since his debut LP Watin and follow-up EP Here and Now came out in 2022 and 2023 respectively, bringing with them inescapable songs, including Nomads and Somebody Else. With his sophomore LP on the horizon, the Oji-Cree musician is poised to become a household name, if songs such as Home and the title track get the listeners they deserve. BAMBII – Infinity Club II (June 20, Because Music): The Jamaican-Canadian producer BAMBII's genre-hopping club music has already been rewarded with the Juno for electronic album of the year and a slot on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist. The follow-up to her breakthrough Infinity Club is a collaborative affair, with contributions from Grammy Award-winning rapper-singer-songwriter BEAM, Hamilton electronic artist Jessy Lanza, rising Toronto musician SadBoi and more. Haim – I Quit (June 20, Polydor/Columbia): The rollout for the Los Angeles-based Haim sisters' fourth album has been rife with recreations of early-2000s paparazzi photos, but the band remains firmly indebted to the sounds of eighties and nineties radio pop. Few bands look like they have as much fun as Haim do across each album cycle, and they're inviting you back into the party. Lorde – Virgin (June 27, Republic/Universal): In 2022, after her subdued album Solar Power drew mixed reviews, the New Zealand pop star Lorde told a London crowd that she was ready to make bangers again: 'I'm getting nearer to that zone again, where all I'm going to write is those sort of songs for us all to dance to, and to feel in our hearts.' New single What Was That shows she's still got it. We're ready for more. Pig Pen – Mental Madness (June 27, Flatspot): Haters will probably call Pig Pen a gimmick band with celebrity chef Matty Matheson at the mic, but he comes by his punk bona fides honestly. Before he became a beloved celebrity chef and the biggest goofball on The Bear, he was executive chef at Toronto's Parts & Labour, a restaurant that often hosted raucous punk shows in its basement. The hard-core band's members on the debut album include Southern Ontario scene veterans Wade MacNeil of Alexisonfire and Daniel Romano, the Attack in Black member turned musical jack-of-all-trades. Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out (July 11, Roc Nation): One of rap's best duos returns in July more than 15 years after their last album. While Pusha T spent the interim surging to hip hop's high echelons, striding into this year's Met Gala in a custom Louis Vuitton suit, his brother No Malice lived a quieter life. Their flows are intertwining once again on Let God Sort Em Out, produced by long-time accomplice Pharrell and apparently recorded at the home base of another collaborator: Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris. Mac DeMarco – not-yet-titled (August, Mac's Record Label): The Edmonton-raised slacker-slash-songwriter announced a new album last April, scheduled for an August release. Depending on how you count his albums, it'll be somewhere between the sixth and tenth full-length for the indie-rock musician, whose songs routinely rack up hundreds of millions of streams. Will he also reveal his latest home address at the end of the new album, as he did a decade ago on Another One? Nourished by Time – The Passionate Ones (Aug. 22, XL): The Baltimore musician otherwise known as Marcus Brown put out one of the best debuts of 2023 with Erotic Probiotic 2, synthesizing R&B with electronic and bedroom-pop influences. His sophomore album promises to be more expansive: His team calls it 'a twelve-track catharsis, howled from the underbelly of late-stage capitalism, a blueprint for building your own altar in the ruins of the American Dream.' The Beaches – No Hard Feelings (Aug. 29, AWAL): Dropped by long-time label Universal Music Canada as the world crawled out of COVID-19 lockdown, Toronto rock band the Beaches went their own way – and found global acclaim with the song Blame Brett and the album Blame My Ex. They're following those up with No Hard Feelings, an album of vulnerable tracks often disguised as bangers.
CBC
09-06-2025
- CBC
Sandy Lake members 'pulling together' as wildfire evacuation continues: chief
Another northwestern Ontario First Nation is being evacuated, as a major wildfire burns nearby. An evacuation order for Sandy Lake First Nation was issued on Saturday as Red Lake 12 burned less than two kilometres away from the remote Oji-Cree community. The fire was initially reported on May 28. In an email to CBC News on Sunday, Chris Marchand of Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services said the fire "experienced significant growth on June 6 and 7," and is now more than 156,000 hectares in size. "We're pulling together," Sandy Lake Chief Delores Kakegamic told CBC News on Sunday. "It's a lot of work." "We have teams doing … everything from security to the rangers helping at the airport," she said. "Everybody's doing their part." In an update issued Sunday, the community said it was under a phase one evacuation, focusing on its most vulnerable residents and their families. Nine flights left the community on Sunday, and more than 1,000 people have left the community, not including those who made personal arrangements to leave. The next step could be to continue with older children and their families, although many have left, the update says. Another update is expected on Monday. Thunder Bay set up as evacuation hub The City of Thunder Bay, meanwhile, won't be hosting any evacuees, but is acting as an evacuation hub, Deputy Fire Chief Dave Tarini said. That means, he said, while Thunder Bay won't be hosting any Sandy Lake members long-term, some are staying in the city briefly. "Most of the time … there's a a private company that's been contracted by the provincial government to run the transportation hub, and that's done right out the (Thunder Bay International Airport), so they are accommodated and taken care of while they're waiting in transit," he said. "Otherwise, we will look to some of our area hotels in order to find space and capacity to house folks overnight, depending on how dire the situation gets." "If it is an emergency, a dire emergency as they said, we could look at putting them in more of a congregate setting just to get them out of the community away from the immediate danger, and that would involve trying to free up space at community centres, arenas, wherever we can safely house folks," Tarini said. "We haven't gotten to that point yet. Currently between the Thunder Bay airport and a couple of the local hotels, we're able to to manage the the volume." On the weekend, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the Canadian Armed Forces would assist in evacuating Sandy Lake. Crew members caught in the fire Speaking at the Thunder Bay airport after arriving in the city, Sandy Lake member Troy Kakepetum said he and his family were flown out of the community on Sunday. "It was really smoky there, scary," he said. "This is my first time being involved in an evacuation." Kakepetum said he and his family were initially transported to Red Lake, then to Thunder Bay. They were then scheduled to be flown to Ottawa. "I took one of my co-workers to his camp, he stays at the camp, at the Valard camp," Kakepetum said. "We went to go pick up his stuff, and shortly after, the fire came there, and some of the crew members, they were caught." "They hid themselves in a sea can." Kirk Hinrichs was one of the workers who was caught in the fire. "I woke up in early in the morning, I looked up and all I see is a big cloud of smoke, and looked at the radar," he told CBC News on Sunday. "Fifteen miles away, it said." "Three hours later, the fire is right there, right out the door. The wind was picking up really bad, and all of a sudden there is like 100-foot flames." He said it was very difficult to see because of the thick smoke. "There was a call for all of us to go into the containers, which I thought was a really silly idea, but we did end up going in a container," he said. "It was becoming too much and the container caught fire, so we all had to leave there." The crew ended up heading into one of the campers. "Helicopters couldn't reach us because there's low visibility," Hinrichs said. "So we basically just had to wait for the fire to burn and drive out." "We were just mostly waiting for the fire on the road to to go away," he said. "We got an open window to get out of there, so we took it." Nineteen construction workers survived a fast-moving wildfire in northwestern Ontario by huddling inside a shipping container near Sandy Lake First Nation, which is now under evacuation order. The crew works for Sigfusson Northern. The company issued a media release on Sunday saying all 14 members of its crew — as well as four other workers employed by other organizations working near Sandy Lake — are safe. "At the time work began in Sandy Lake First Nation on Saturday, June 7, there was no evacuation order in place," the media release states. "Out of an abundance of caution, we initiated aircraft evacuation plans early that morning." "Unfortunately, those efforts had to be paused when the runway became inaccessible due to fire activity. Thankfully, as weather conditions improved later in the day, our aviation team was able to safely reach and airlift our workers and our partner organization's crew to safety." The company said it's providing access to counselling and wellness services to those affected by the incident. Fire suppression, other evacuations continue In his email, Marchand said aerial suppression of Red Lake 12 will continue as smoke conditions allow, with helicopters and 11 FireRanger crews working to suppress the fire and protect structures. Deer Lake First Nation evacuated its members to Toronto last week due to the Red Lake 12 fire, and Marchand said Keewaywin First Nation is expected to begin an evacuation this week. North Spirit Lake First Nation also declared a state of emergency on Sunday and called for a complete community evacuation. Webequie First Nation has evacuated its most vulnerable members to Barrie due to the Nipigon 5 fire, which is burning just south of the community. As of Monday morning, the fire was about 8,880 hectares in size, and not under control. "Wet weather across the region is expected to continue over the next several days, which should limit fire behaviour to varying degrees and assist our efforts," Marchand wrote. posted in an update Friday.
CBC
31-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
You don't have to almost die to be happy at work, but it helps
Singer-songwriter Aysanabee was snowshoeing across a frozen lake in remote northern Ontario over a decade ago, when the ice gave way beneath him, plunging him into frigid waters. "I could like feel the icy water filling up my snow pants and I knew I couldn't swim with the snowshoes — and all these different things are running through my mind," said Aysanabee, who is Oji-Cree, Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation. "I just thought, 'Wow, this is it, this is it for me and I haven't done anything with my life," he told The Current's Matt Galloway. Aysanabee is now an award-winning musician, but at the time he was 19 and working for a mining company, playing music in bars in his spare time. It was around -40C on that early January day, and the young man was alone, more than six hours outside Ear Falls, Ont. But Aysanabee had managed to fall slightly forward as the ice broke, allowing him to sink an axe into the ice shelf. As he struggled to drag himself out, one swing of the axe at a time, he frantically bargained with "whoever was listening … a higher power or something." "If I get out of this, I promise … I will do this thing, I'll go play music," he remembers pledging. He eventually managed to pull himself back onto solid ground, where he started a small fire to warm up and dry off. On the long walk back to camp, he had time to reflect on how close he came to death — and what he wanted to do with this second chance. "Then, three months later, I bought a one-way ticket to Toronto to go do music," he said. At the University of Guelph, Jamie Gruman and his research team recently interviewed 14 people who suffered near-death experiences, examining the impact on their work and careers. Published in the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion in April, their research showed that survivors gained new insights, from a greater interest in spirituality to a belief that everyone is born equal, and here for a reason. "Specifically as a result of those things, the insights and the personal transformations, work often became much less important to people," said Gruman, a professor of organizational behaviour at Guelph University. "They thought, 'Well, why am I doing this? Like, what's the point? Is this meaningful? Does it matter?'" he said. WATCH | Aysanabee performs Near to Death, a song inspired by his experience: In the years since he fell through the ice, Aysanabee has released two critically acclaimed albums. He's been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize and took home two awards at the 2024 Junos, including Songwriter of the Year. Looking back at his younger self, he says he always knew he wanted to be a musician, but didn't know "how to do it." He credits what happened with giving him the courage to pursue that dream. "I think that whole experience definitely made me realize how precious time is," he said. "I don't want to waste any of it, you know, wondering, 'What if?'" Workers 'lost interest' in money Gruman said that what people want from their work boils down to three things: economic security, meaningful work that allows them to grow and develop, and high-quality relationships. But for the study participants who had come close to death, that changed. "They all completely lost interest in making money and any external measures of success," he said. "They didn't want big houses and cars and boats. They didn't want to be the executive vice president. They didn't want to get rich." By contrast, the desire for meaningful work and strong workplace relationships skyrocketed, he said. That led some participants to change jobs, or even completely change careers. Others were able to find what they needed by rethinking how they approached their work, Gruman said, giving the example of a teacher who "didn't really like teaching." After her near-death experience, "she considered herself now to be a teacher in the school of life," he said. "Teaching math and science was just incidental to teaching students about the importance of treating people well and living well." Like Aysanabee, a brush with death taught the participants a lesson about time. "They decided, 'Look, you know, my time here is limited, so let me make a move. And do something that speaks to my soul,'" Gruman said. Listen to your gut, says career coach Career counsellor Stephanie Koonar says there are lots of reasons people can be dissatisfied with their work, but you don't necessarily need a life-or-death experience to make a change. "A lot of it is about being in touch with your own gut instincts," said Koonar, Vancouver-based co-founder of PeerSpectives Consulting, which offers career coaching and leadership development. "My husband calls it the toothbrush challenge: in the morning when you're brushing your teeth, are you excited to go to work?" Koonar helps people dig into those feelings with the Japanese concept of ikigai, which involves asking yourself four questions: What do I love? What am I good at? What does the world need? What can I be paid for? She said the responses can offer clues to what matters most to someone, but it doesn't always mean completely changing your career to get involved with something important to you. "Maybe you're an accountant or maybe you do website development or social media but you could … seek out those organizations that are working on issues and challenges that you think are important and bring your skills and talents to them," she said. She added that bosses and managers also have a role to play. "Nowadays people don't want a boss; they want a coach," she said. "That includes helping them course correct if they've made some mistakes … [but also] spotting their strengths and talents and then maybe giving them opportunities." Ultimately, Koonar says that being happy every day at work might not be the goal. "Happiness is fleeting and at the end of our lives we are looking for more meaning," she said. "[That] might be bringing your talents and your strengths to a challenge. It may not even make you feel happy all the time … but it's rewarding because you're making a difference." For researcher Gruman, the lesson is to focus on what matters in your work life, both in terms of your own well-being and the people you build work relationships with.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfire within 1 kilometre of Deer Lake First Nation prompts call for community evacuation
Dry conditions creating high to extreme fire behaviour, fast rate of spread Image | Wildfire smoke northwestern Ontario Caption: A photo of wildfire smoke posted to Facebook May 24, 2025 by Ontario Forest Fires. A number of restrictions remain in effect in the region, including a restricted fire zone, travel bans and limits on access to certain lakes and waterways, as the wildland fire hazard remains high to extreme. (Ontario Forest Fires/Facebook) Open Image in New Tab Water bombers and bird dog aircraft are responding to a wildfire near Deer Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario, which has prompted leadership to request a community evacuation. The fire, known as Red Lake 12, is within one kilometre of Deer Lake's airport, fire information officer Chris Marchand told CBC News. "The fire has quickly grown in size to 100 hectares and community officials are guiding residents to a safe zone near the bay close to the nursing station," Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) posted on Facebook Wednesday evening. About 1,100 people live in Deer Lake, an Oji-Cree community in Treaty 5 located about 180 kilometres north of Red Lake. It is only accessible by air or winter road. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. CST, southwest winds were pushing the flames away from the community, Marchand said, though he noted the situation was quickly evolving. West of Deer Lake, Manitoba has declared a provincewide state of emergency as wildfires are rapidly spreading across the region. "We have not at all had enough moisture to really get us out of these escalating fire conditions," said Marchand. "This ongoing lack of rainfall over the past several weeks, particularly near the Manitoba border, is resulting in some really high to extreme fire behaviour and fast rates of spread." Late Wednesday afternoon, Webequie First Nation issued a pre-evacuation notice to its members due to a nearby wildfire, encouraging people to prepare 72-hour emergency kits with medications, ID, water, clothing and charging cables as a precaution. "As one set of tankers were headed to Deer Lake, another set of tankers were headed to that community," Marchand said. Earlier in May, an evacuation order was issued in Wabaseemoong Independent Nations due to Kenora 20, an active wildfire in the northwest which is now 32,000 hectares large. Evacuees are staying in Niagara Falls, Winnipeg and Kenora. A number of restrictions remain in effect in the region, including a restricted fire zone, travel bans and limits on access to certain lakes and waterways, as the wildland fire hazard remains high to extreme. "We would ask that residents obey the restricted fire zone at this time, when we have a lot of our resources engaged in emerging situations. We don't need any more human-caused fires on the landscape," Marchand said.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Sandy Lake First Nation mourns loss of 11-year-old to house fire, calls for more resources
Delores Kakegamic says she's tired of losing children to house fires in her community. The chief of Sandy Lake says the First Nation is mourning the loss of an 11-year-old child to a house fire that occurred Thursday afternoon. "Our firefighters have no gear. If they had gear, they would have been able to go further into the house, but with all the smoke, they could only go a couple of seconds at a time," Kakegamic said. The house belonged to the community's fire marshal, she said. A fire shield in the home gave them enough time to get the rest of the children out. Many of the occupants were treated at the nursing station for smoke inhalation. Sandy Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree community located in Treaty 5, about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. Kakegamic says about 3,500 people live there. There are two fire trucks in the First Nation but only one is functional, she said. Our firefighters have no gear. If they had gear, they would have been able to go further into the house, but with all the smoke, they could only go a couple of seconds at a time. The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) told CBC News in an email that nine occupants escaped the fire, which was reported shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday. "When officers arrived on scene, community fire suppression efforts were already ongoing. A scene is being held and members of the NAPS Northwest Crime Unit are now involved in the ongoing investigation," NAPS spokesperson Scott Paradis said Friday morning. The community is still grieving the death of a kindergarten student in a house fire in late February, Kakegamic said. In January 2022, three children — ages four, six and nine — also died in a house fire in Sandy Lake. In the fall, Sandy Lake filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alongside Oneida Nation of the Thames, over Canada's funding of fire services in First Nations. "We can say what we want, but it never arrives," Kakegamic said of the resources she's been asking for. CBC News has reached out to Indigenous Services Canada for a response about Thursday's fire in Sandy Lake First Nation and is awaiting a response. Fire prevention, planning People who live in First Nations are about 10 times more likely to die in a house fire than those living in other communities in the country, according to Statistics Canada. Arnold Lazare, who lives in Kahnawà:ke, Que., is the interim CEO of the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council. While the cause of Thursday's fire in Sandy Lake is unknown at this time, he said most fire-related deaths in remote communities can be attributed to a lack of smoke detectors, a shortage of firefighting services and overcrowded, inadequate housing. "You end up getting a perfect storm where you have multiple people, multiple families in an underrated home without a smoke detector," he said. While much of his work involves getting smoke detectors delivered to communities, he said, the most important thing is fire prevention education. For example, Lazare said people often take down smoke detectors when they're cooking and don't put them back. "There needs to be a public education process where the family is made aware of what to do, primarily the children and the elders who are the most vulnerable," Lazare said. He encourages all households to create a fire safety plan, so all members know where to locate emergency exits and have a meet-up spot outside in case a fire occurs. "We know that by continuing on this path, we are going to reduce the number of fire-related deaths," he said. 'The firefighters are traumatized' At the time of Thursday's fire, Kakegamic said about half of Sandy Lake's firefighters were participating in training outside the community. In addition to better equipment, she said she wants to see more mental health support for those keeping the community safe. "The firefighters are traumatized," she said. "They're left to deal with it on their own and they're having a tough time." With a new federal government in power — and the first Indigenous MP to hold the position of Minister of Indigenous Services — Lazare said he feels hopeful that federal funding can be better allocated to meet First Nations' needs. Providing resources at the community level is key, he said. "Part of our plan is to advocate not for an increase in funding, because we realize funding is short, but what we're advocating for is a more effective use of the dollars that are there," he said. "It empowers the community."
