Blog

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a Christmas classic and I’ll brook no argument on the subject. I’m referring, of course, to the original 1966 television special (I haven’t seen the new film currently in theatres, and I’ll save my opinions on the Jim Carrey version). When I...

Failure is the best teacher. I’m not against “focusing on the positive.” But I am convinced that having a safe space to talk about “the negative” is actually an important part of being a happy and healthy community. So I’m beginning a series of reflections on how I’ve failed, learned...

I’m not going to shock anyone with this statement, but growing up is hard. It’s painful at times. It involves a lot of mistakes and a lot of unexpected twists. I’m a different person than I was six years ago. And though our core mission has stayed the same, Spark...

You may have noticed that we love technology, education and design. This makes us suckers for Ted Talks. They’re short, accessible, and offer insights and inspiration from innovative thinkers, cutting edge researchers, and passionate practitioners. So, we’re beginning a little series that is seriously called “Ted Time”, where we’ll periodically...

My son Cooper is five years old. He is a beautiful, amazing, hilarious bundle of joy. Everything changed for me the moment he was born. There’s nothing else like holding your child for the first time. Nothing else like the feeling that he needed me and his mom more than...

I have a confession to make. I grew up in Kapuskasing (that’s not the confession part, hold on), 850 km northwest of Ottawa, population 8000. The confession is that I spent my whole childhood wishing, hoping, praying that I could leave. I did not appreciate growing up in a small...

Being swept by Lebron and the Cavs again hurts. But in opening up about his depression this season, the Raptors’ star has done something powerful. In the midst of leading the Toronto Raptors to the greatest regular season in their history, DeMar DeRozan had the best year of his career....

We all experienced pain as kids. And we were never the same. In a good way. I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. I initially became a respite worker because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids who were dealt a tough hand. My education...

A story of the wonderful, spunky woman who still inspires us. “You’d Never See Her Without A Smile” Before I joined Spark, I worked as an activities director at a retirement residence. I used to love crocheting with the ladies, it’s how I kept up to date with the latest...

Like my father and his father before him, I’ve battled anxiety all my life. I learned early how important it is to talk about it. It’s taken some time, but I’m finally ready to share my story. Bradley Bezan Home and Second Home I grew up in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Industry...