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For every Canadian, life in 2020 took a dramatic turn with the emergence of COVID-19.

For The Globe and Mail, it’s been a year of journalists working around the clock to meet Canada’s demand for our news and information, insights and perspective. To help inform Canadians from coast-to-coast – from breaking news to politics and world affairs, business to physical and mental health – we mobilized all of our resources to ensure we deliver the best coverage on all of the key issues.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen the covid story shift towards the imminent promise of vaccine availability. It’s been encouraging that human ingenuity and innovation are now building optimism that 2021 represents a path towards recovery. And, while it will still be some time before we can restore the quality of lifestyle and freedoms we cherish, by working together and continuing to support each other, we will get there.

As we head to the end of a complex and challenging year, here are highlights from our journalism– as selected by our editorial team.

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The year the world changed.

Amid the global swirl, facts and their context have remain the most valued resource to help inform Canadians from coast-to-coast.

Trusted and followed by our nation’s decision-makers, our award-winning journalists – such as André Picard on health; Eric Reguly, our European bureau chief; Rita Trichur on business; and Rob Carrick on personal finance, along with many more – have been at the forefront of the global COVID-19 crisis, to help keep Canadians up-to-date on the rapid changes and their implications.

Tracking the pandemic

While we’re always committed to providing the highest standard of news and information, this year it’s been more important than ever.

We immediately made all of our coronavirus coverage free to access, as staying informed has given Canadians reassurance, and has provided the tools to help keep ourselves, and our loved ones, safe and healthy. 

How many cases are there in Canada, by province, and worldwide? Explore our latest comprehensive covid maps and charts.

How safe is school?
It depends on your neighbourhood.

 

Five days of the second wave

When the virus came surging back in Ontario, the University Health Network was far better prepared than in the pandemic’s early days – but now, as in many hospitals, staff are facing relentless pressure and stress again.

Take an inside look at Toronto hospitals’ fall offensive against COVID-19, as Health reporter Kelly Grant and photojournalist Cole Burston reported from the front lines about their efforts.

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Race and social justice

Copy here.

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Bias behind bars

The culmination of two years of rigorous reporting and statistical analysis, The Globe’s powerful investigation proved widespread systemic racism exists in the Canadian prison system.

Federal inmates’ risk assessments determine everything from where a prisoner is incarcerated to what rehabilitation programs they are offered. The Globe found Black and Indigenous inmates are more likely to receive worse scores than white inmates, based solely on their race.
 
The irrefutable data, throughout the story provided the catalyst for immediate calls for change.

Why are there still so few Black lawyers on Bay Street?

It’s been more than two years since The Globe published a bombshell essay on the microaggressions one lawyer endured at work.

But at a critical time when employers are talking about diversity more openly, many racialized people say the insular legal community is as unequal as ever.

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Resilience on reserve:
How my First Nation and my family have endured this pandemic

The small community of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation continues to adapt to the unique limits COVID-19 has forced upon it

The environment

The climate crisis touches nearly every facet of our lives and demands attention from all Globe journalists.

The Globe now has a team of reporters across our country, and around the world, dedicated to covering how companies, governments and citizens are adapting and adopting new initiatives; pushing the transition to a low-carbon economy through an ESG (environmental, social and governance) lens.

We are dedicating resources and expertise to provide coverage to help leaders, planners and investors and citizens take action and make better decisions. We will do it with force, clarity and, as always, integrity.

The Globe’s climate change commitment

In recent years, we have been witnessing a cascade of disasters from climate change that scientists have warned about for years. Humans caused it. Humans will have to live through it. And humans can help stop it.

The Globe and Mail is making a commitment for the future, renewing our pledge to cover the climate crisis.

There is still time – there is still hope. Defusing this crisis is in everyone’s interest.

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The Frozen Front Line

To the majority who’ve never ventured into Canada’s north, the Arctic is a land that lives only in the imagination.

Over the course of 24 expeditions—spanning more than two decades—award-winning photographer Louie Palu has examined Canada’s shifting relationship to the Arctic in a warming world.

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Sustainable Living

What Canadians can do at home to make a change

Making life more eco-friendly doesn’t have to come at a huge cost or involve a big adjustment. These small steps can make a difference.

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The Urban Cure

More bike lanes and sidewalk dining are some of the more obvious changes we’ve seen to city streets during the pandemic. But many mayors are also implementing more fundamental changes to education, housing and infrastructure.

The 15-minute city aims to build more liveable neighbourhoods.

In Canada, only 23% of urban dwellers live in this type of area. A block-by-block analysis of the amenities available in urban areas offers insights into creating more vibrant communities. 

Life at home.

Our Homes

Another theme / section break. 

Home and Away

HIDDEN CANADA: 2020 EDITION

Many months into the pandemic, indulging in frequent daydreaming about a much-needed escape from the new normal has been essential for Canadians. Throughout even the strictest lockdowns, we’ve seen consistent reader interest in our inspiring travel and vacation ideas.

With news that covid vaccines are on their way, Canadians are already thinking ahead with renewed optimism for the potential return of domestic and international travel.

In the third edition of The Globe’s annual Canadian travel guide, we celebrated our diverse cultural and natural heritage, featuring a mix of inspiring destinations from the country’s tall-tree capital to its longest-running archeological dig. (Future) road-trip!

Canada's next star chefs

CANADA’S KITCHEN: 2020 EDITION

It’s been a rough year for the hospitality industry, but chefs across the country continue to feed people, support local producers, and act as educators and stewards of the land.

The Globe asked rising culinary talent from each province and territory to share a dish that captures their own appetites and sense of place. The results will make your mouth water.

 
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A new podcast from The Globe’s personal finance team, columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw delves into the topics impacting the wallets of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 40. Listen in, as they guide Canadians through how the basic rules of managing money have been seriously tested this year. 

Human stories

Engaging and informative and often provocative and hard-hitting, The Globe also frequently highlights deeply moving stories of people who exhibit incredible personal strength and resilience, generosity of spirit and dedication to the wellbeing of others. 

Gone.

 

WE LIVE IN THE PRAIRIES.
WILL YOU SEE US?

Kyler Zeleny spent a decade travelling to hundreds of small towns in rural Canada, bearing witness to the often misunderstood lives he encountered.

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Real-life Wonder Woman flies humanitarian aid into remote Indigenous towns

Our Stepping Up series introduces Canadians to new sources of inspiration and leadership.