Old-School DIY

BY BROOKE CAMPBELL, KAITLIN VITT, AND MARK REID ILLUSTRATIONS BY TIERRA CONNOR

Your guide to surviving Canada throughout the ages.

YOU’VE DREAMED ABOUT ESCAPING THE BUSTLE of everyday life, imagining a time when you weren’t constantly battling with your kids over screen time, without long days at the office toiling under fluorescent lights, and free of traffic jams and taxes.

You yearn for the simple life, with plenty more time for friends and family. The days would be filled with hearty shared meals, time spent in nature, honest work, and a sense of community. Sounds like paradise, right?

Or would it be?

The truth is, the past is a tougher place than most of us realize — filled with intense manual labour at work and around the home, often-gruelling modes of transportation, illnesses that could easily turn fatal, limited creature comforts, and unreliable communication.

But, if you still insist that life was better in the past, here are some tips and tricks you’ll need to survive in early Canada.