Editor’s Letter

I think it’s safe to say that at some point in our lives, we’ve all had a dream that we believed to be worth pursuing. Realizing that dream depends on a lot of factors, of course, many of which are beyond our control. One thing is for sure, though— you need to be determined and prepared to do your best to even have a chance at succeeding in your quest, no matter what it happens to be. As you’ll soon see, this issue is jam-packed with inspiring stories from your fellow Canadians who have done their utmost to make their particular dream a reality.

For Bruce Raby of Perth, Ont., the dream was to photograph the elusive “spirit bears” residing in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. Judging by his photo essay (page 8), Bruce can put a big check mark next to that particular goal.

In the case of Paul Henry Dallaire, the dream was to write, sing, play and record music. As it so often does, life threw Paul a couple of curve balls that sent him down several different roads in life, but music was his constant companion—and still is. See Kanata on page 24 for the full story about this packsack miner who become known as the “Singing Mortician” and went on to record three albums, with No. 4 on the way.

Rhonda Maclellan is an artist who was born in British Columbia but developed a lifelong love for the Maritimes, where her father was born. In 2017, she took the leap and moved to the East Coast, where she found greater inspiration for her artwork and landed her very first exhibition. That’s the spirit, indeed—and just a sampling of what awaits you on the pages to follow. Afterwards, if you’re inspired to do so, why not write in and tell us about your

greatest dream in life!