This is an excellent piece. Also, I'm not sure that Ramaswamy understands the movie "Whiplash." theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

From my Q&A with housing minister Nate Erskine-Smith, out today in Toronto Star. "I don't disagree that there are competing interests in the housing market. But it’s not the government’s job to protect a certain amount of equity that has built up in a person’s home" thestar.com/opinion/contri…

Can Olivia Chow solve the housing crisis? I'm optimistic, for two big reasons. And pessimistic, for one big reason. Here's the latest instalment of my City Beat column for Designlines. designlinesmagazine.com/toronto-housin…

Jenni Byrne spent years grooming Pierre Poilievre to win the next federal election. It seemed like he was a lock. But now Donald Trump has scrambled the rules of Canadian politics. Poilievre’s victory is in jeopardy—and so is Byrne's. macleans.ca/longforms/jenn…

For Maclean’s Magazine, I profiled Jenni Byrne, the mastermind behind Stephen Harper's game-changing 2011 victory who's now trying to work her magic again for Pierre Poilievre. The plan was going perfectly. Until it wasn't. macleans.ca/longforms/jenn…

A reminder for everybody mourning the death of Val Kilmer: The greatest celebrity profile of the 21st century is a profile of him. Honour his legacy by reading this extraordinary piece. nytimes.com/2020/05/06/mag…

I'm on today's edition of CBC's Front Burner podcast, talking about Jenni Byrne, the controversial strategist behind Pierre Poilievre. cbc.ca/radio/frontbur…

GCL HIGHLIGHT: The ruthless tactician behind Pierre Poilievre’s campaign has spent decades shaping Canadian conservatism from behind the scenes. This year’s election will be her greatest achievement—or her undoing. buff.ly/As7Nd7D (Maclean’s Magazine Simon Lewsen)

I wrote the cover story for the May issue of Report on Business magazine. It's about DEI—its successes, its failures, its silly excesses, and why it still matters. theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-m…

I wrote the cover story for Report on Business magazine. DEI's fundamental premises—bias is bad, diversity is good—are as defensible as any premises have been. But foolish ideas and practices have been smuggled into the workplace under the guise of DEI. theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-m…

I hope this guy will return to writing. It always bums me out when a writer I admire goes into politics—not because politics is an unworthy use of time, but because, in politics, one relinquishes a kind of freedom that one has as a writer. Also, I just liked this dude's writing

For the latest instalment of my City Beat column, I wrote about one of my favourite places in Toronto—the Paradise Theatre. This is what the future of moviegoing looks like. Paradise Theatre Designlines designlinesmagazine.com/paradise-theat…

My City Beat Column—on art, architecture, and urbanism—for Designlines is a finalist for a Digital Publishing Awards (Best Column). And that's a nice little nod for a column in its first year. designlinesmagazine.com/author/simonle…

Quebec is ushering in new legislation that requires more French-language programming from streamers like Netflix and Disney. The province’s film scene has plenty to offer, as Simon Lewsen found in “Le Québécois Libre”: thewalrus.ca/le-quebecois-l…

For Toronto Star, I interviewed Meghan Daum—personal essayist turned heterodox podcaster—about her new book, the LA fires, the fertility crisis, what JD Vance gets right and wrong about family policy, and whether we've passed peak wokeness. thestar.com/opinion/contri…

"You were connected with material reality. If you didn’t have a cell phone, you had to occupy yourself, to sit still and be bored." The brilliant Meghan Daum on the virtues of life in the 1990s, in this great interview with Simon Lewsen. (Link below.)

In 2002, Ryan Wedding was a rising-star athlete. Today, he's an international drug lord running a billion-dollar enterprise. In @TorontoLife, I tell the story of how a cherubic kid from Thunder Bay, Ontario, became one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. torontolife.com/deep-dives/bec…

Don't miss our 500th edition featuring writers like Jason Leopold, James D. Walsh, Simon Lewsen, Ariel Saramandi, Elaine Godfrey, Kenny Jacoby + more mailchi.mp/sundaylongread…

I'm jazzed to be included in the Sunday Long Read's 500th weekly edition—an essential round-up of the best long-form journalism.

The federal government is seeking to punish the City of Toronto for failing to legalize sixplexes. My hot take: When it comes to housing, the feds should throw their weight around more. My latest column instalment for Designlines designlinesmagazine.com/sixplexes-in-t…