Social Trends - The Globe and Mail

For pregnant teens and young parents, alternative schools offer a second chance

Programs such as Vancouver’s Heron’s Nest help youth finish high school – and learn to file their taxes

A moment of affection between two children (Elijah, left and Enzo, right) whose mothers, Chloe Kong (left) and Faith Roberts (right), are good friends and alumni of the Heron Nest program. Vancouver, May 28 2026.

A moment of affection between two children (Elijah, left and Enzo, right) whose mothers, Chloe Kong (left) and Faith Roberts (right), are good friends and alumni of the Heron Nest program. Vancouver, May 28 2026.

4 min read

June 6, 2026

A moment of affection between two children (Elijah, left and Enzo, right) whose mothers, Chloe Kong (left) and Faith Roberts (right), are good friends and alumni of the Heron Nest program. Vancouver, May 28 2026.

A moment of affection between two children (Elijah, left and Enzo, right) whose mothers, Chloe Kong (left) and Faith Roberts (right), are good friends and alumni of the Heron Nest program. Vancouver, May 28 2026.

For pregnant teens and young parents, alternative schools offer a second chance

4 min read

June 6, 2026

With the FIFA World Cup set to start next month, Toronto city hall and Nathan Phillip Square are decked out in FIFA related signage and colours on May 21, 2026.

With the FIFA World Cup set to start next month, Toronto city hall and Nathan Phillip Square are decked out in FIFA related signage and colours on May 21, 2026.

Where to watch the World Cup games in Toronto

3 min read

June 4, 2026

photos from one of my sources, Zara Contractor Bodhanwala, who is a graphic designer and created this whole custom cup ramen/Easy Mac station at her wedding last summer (a nod to her husband’s obsession with instant ramen). She sent some photos to me, which are attached, and can be credited to her wedding photographer, Laura Winship. The man in the photos is the groom, Farhad Bodhanwala.

photos from one of my sources, Zara Contractor Bodhanwala, who is a graphic designer and created this whole custom cup ramen/Easy Mac station at her wedding last summer (a nod to her husband’s obsession with instant ramen). She sent some photos to me, which are attached, and can be credited to her wedding photographer, Laura Winship. The man in the photos is the groom, Farhad Bodhanwala.

Something borrowed, something blue, something … deep-fried?

4 min read

June 2, 2026

Canadians aren’t taking their paid vacation days. Can burnout be far behind?

8 min read

June 2, 2026

Happiness, volunteer woman and charity as group for community service, project or nonprofit initiative. People, teamwork and together as collaboration, outdoor and program with help, donations or NGO

Happiness, volunteer woman and charity as group for community service, project or nonprofit initiative. People, teamwork and together as collaboration, outdoor and program with help, donations or NGO

No summer job? Here’s how your kids can stay productive

5 min read

May 29, 2026

This summer, Moncton chef Pierre Richard is hoping adventurous guests of his Little Louis restaurant will give his new dish – a log of wolffish encased in pork – a try.

Raviolli Scallop from Little Louis restaurant in Moncton

Facing seafood shortages and price hikes, East Coast chefs eye other fish in the sea

8 min read

May 26, 2026

Amari Zedan, 7, runs through a cheer tunnel at the end of the route to celebrate completing the 3.5km run.

Amari Zedan, 7, runs through a cheer tunnel at the end of the route to celebrate completing the 3.5km run.

A diverse run club in Toronto wants to get everyone moving

4 min read

May 22, 2026

Celebrations of life, more informal and intimate than traditional funerals, are on the rise.

2:3 ratio print front illustration

Celebrations of life, more informal and intimate than traditional funerals, are on the rise.

2:3 ratio print front illustration

Celebrations of life, more informal and intimate than traditional funerals, are on the rise

7 min read

May 21, 2026

Cinnamon pita crunch from the cookbook Hello, Home Cooking by Ham El-Waylly.

Cinnamon Pita Crunch from the cookbook Hello Home Cooking by Ham El-Waylly

A Cinnamon Toast Crunch dupe your kid will love

3 min read

May 20, 2026

Have you ever put off your vacation days? Tell us why

2 min read

May 20, 2026

Owner and operator of Naguara Halifax, Sandra Garcia, originally from Venezuela, makes empanadas while preparing for the weekend market in Halifax on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

Darren Calabrese/The Globe and Mail

Owner and operator of Naguara Halifax, Sandra Garcia, originally from Venezuela, makes empanadas while preparing for the weekend market in Halifax on Thursday, May 14, 2026.

Darren Calabrese/The Globe and Mail

Recipe for success: A batch of programs turns home cooks into business owners

7 min read

May 18, 2026

Vivianna has been doing everything she can to stay safe from elimination, including wearing her pair of grey and blue swim goggles around everywhere – the agreed-upon symbol of immunity.

Vivianna has been doing everything she can to stay safe from elimination, including wearing her pair of grey and blue swim goggles around everywhere – the agreed-upon symbol of immunity.

High schoolers relive a splash of childhood with water-gun game, but not everyone rides the wave

5 min read

May 18, 2026

A wide shot of the participants of “Slow Burn Quiet Book Club” at Queen Books in Toronto, Canada on May 8th 2026.

The group meets to read separate books in silence together, before a group discussion afterwards.

A wide shot of the participants of “Slow Burn Quiet Book Club” at Queen Books in Toronto, Canada on May 8th 2026.

The group meets to read separate books in silence together, before a group discussion afterwards.

Silent book clubs offer readers a low-pressure space to re-engage with the page

5 min read

May 16, 2026

Portrait of Cheyenne Scarlett on the TMU campus on May 14, 2026

Portrait of Cheyenne Scarlett on the TMU campus on May 14, 2026

Maternal health expert on why racial disparities persist, and the push for better data

5 min read

May 16, 2026

in depth

Canada has lost billions of trees, but we can still build the forests of the future

16 min read

May 12, 2026

Is AI coming for our thinking? Behold the age of ‘cognitive surrender’

Leah Eichler

4 min read

May 12, 2026

Trampoline Hall host Misha Glouberman, left, and guest speaker Hannah Brennan banter with the audience at the Toronto barroom lecture event.

Trampoline Hall host Misha Glouberman, left, and guest speaker Hannah Brennan banter with the audience at the Toronto barroom lecture event.

What’s there to learn at a boozy barroom lecture? Plenty, it turns out

Graham Isador

4 min read

May 12, 2026

Man watching baseball game on TV while holding phone displaying betting app. Cozy living room setting with snacks and drinks in background

Man watching baseball game on TV while holding phone displaying betting app. Cozy living room setting with snacks and drinks in background

When sports betting becomes a problem

4 min read

May 12, 2026

Trampoline Hall host Misha Glouberman, left, and guest speaker Hannah Brennan banter with the audience at a recent edition of the Toronto barroom lecture series.

Trampoline Hall host Misha Glouberman, left, and guest speaker Hannah Brennan banter with the audience at a recent edition of the Toronto barroom lecture series.

A night at Trampoline Hall

May 11, 2026

Emily Pleasance in High Park, Toronto, ON on May 1st, 2026.

Emily Pleasance in High Park, Toronto, ON on May 1st, 2026.

In a bustling world, forest bathers trade to-do lists for the stillness of nature

9 min read

May 8, 2026

Motherless Day attendees tend to be women between the ages of 25 and 35, said Katz.

Motherless Day Toronto event.
Photo credit Vanessa Cassar (Toronto Motherless Day)

To reframe Mother’s Day without a mom, they created their own kind of pity party

Shelley White

4 min read

May 7, 2026

American actress Lori Loughlin wearing sunglasses and denim dungarees over a white T-shirt, at the Starlight Foundation Benefit in Los Angeles, Calif., circa 1990.

American actress Lori Loughlin wearing sunglasses and denim dungarees over a white t-shirt, with her hands her pockets, at the Starlight Foundation Benefit in Los Angeles, California, circa 1990. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

What’s the Nineties butter mom trend that’s taking over the internet right now?

2 min read

May 1, 2026

Victoria Livingstone, 21, at her Sydney, NS, apartment. Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

Victoria Livingstone, 21, at her Sydney, NS, apartment. Wednesday, April 29, 2026.

Canada’s housing crisis has created a happiness crisis

5 min read

April 30, 2026

Gillian Sandstrom.

Why small talk with strangers is more meaningful than we think

5 min read

April 30, 2026

Amy Krofchick and Brad Shields’ surprise wedding. October 2025

Amy Krofchick and Brad Shields’ surprise wedding. October 2025

Surprise, it’s a wedding! Why some couples are rethinking the tradition

Shawna Cohen

5 min read

April 30, 2026

New weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic can also erase people’s love of food

12 min read

April 29, 2026

April to mid-May is peak woodcock season in southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, the U.S. Upper Midwest and northern New England.

April to mid-May is peak woodcock season in southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes region, the U.S. Upper Midwest and northern New England.

Woodcocks, oddballs of the bird world, are drawing fans to their nesting grounds

Yuki Hayashi

4 min read

April 29, 2026

A band performs at the inaugural Accessfest in 2025.

A band performs at the inaugural Accessfest in 2025.

How Maayan Ziv, advocate and activist, is helping festivals welcome guests with accessibility needs

Graham Isador

4 min read

April 25, 2026

Wendy Ha says going above and beyond for her friends – like bringing them flowers to cheer them up – is more than worth the effort.

Wendy Ha says going above and beyond for her friends – like bringing them flowers to cheer them up – is more than worth the effort.

Is inconvenience a worthy cost of close friendship?

Mira Miller

5 min read

April 25, 2026

Ifrah F. Ahmed, author of Soomaaliya cookbook.

Ifrah F. Ahmed, author of Soomaaliya cookbook.

Ifrah F. Ahmed shares flavours of her homeland in Soomaaliya cookbook

Dakshana Bascaramurty

4 min read

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