FamilyLife - May 2021

Vegan Desserts

Charcuterie Platter

Sustainable Homes

FamilyLife

Mother Knows Best

MAY 2021

CONTENTS

MAY 55

35

19

LIFE

HOME

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

9 Difficult Conversations with Kids

19 13 Big And Small Updates For A More Sustainable Home

35 Is Canada Ready For Vaccine Passports?

6 Editor's Letter

15 Busy Parents Guide to Bonding

FOOD 51 How To Build A Vegan Charcuterie Board 55 Dessertly Vegan

66 Last Look

ON THE COVER Photography by Erik Putz.

Food styling by Eshun Mott.

Prop styling by Emily Howes.

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FamilyLife EDITOR IN-CHIEF Karine Ewart EXECUTIVE EDITOR Suzanne Moutis CREATIVE DIRECTOR Karen Paddon EDITORIAL OPERATIONS & ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Olga Goncalves Costa TEST KITCHEN FOOD DIRECTOR Soo Kim SENIOR FOOD ASSOCIATE Stina Diös CONTRIBUTING FOOD SPECIALISTS Donna Borooah, Cara Tegler ART DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Lena Diaz ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Sarah Big Canoe CONTRIBUTING ART DIRECTOR Leanne Gilbert PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Genevieve Pizzale EDITORIAL SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR Megan Howard FEATURES EDITOR Mary Levitski COPY EDITORS Debbie Madsen Villamere, Stephanie Zolis EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Marianne Davidson, Sarah Dziedzic HOME & GARDEN HOME & STYLE DIRECTOR Ann Marie Favot DESIGN EDITOR Morgan Lindsay NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGERS, TORONTO David Lawrence, John McDowell, Nicole Rosen, Roberta Thomson NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER, MONTREAL Ingrid Barfod NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, VANCOUVER Renee Wong BRAND OPERATIONS MANAGER Terry Smith

VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE SALES & DIRECTOR, CLIENT SOLUTIONS Brandon Kirk DIRECTOR, MEDIA SALES Mike Lambe ST. JOSEPH COMMUNICATIONS CHAIRMAN & CEO Tony Gagliano VICE CHAIRMAN John Gagliano PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Ken Hunt VICE PRESDIENT, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY Sean McCluskey EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Sarah Trimble DIRECTOR, LIFESTYLE CONTENT Sasha Emmons DIRECTOR, CONTENT OPERATIONS James Reid DIRECTOR, CIRCULATION Allan Yue MANAGER, CIRCULATION Lisa Rivers DIRECTOR, BRANDED CONTENT, AUDIENCE & EVENTS Nadine Silverthorne PROJECT MANAGER, BRANDED CONTENT Milena Boskovic EXECUTIVE EDITOR, BRANDED CONTENT Meaghan Yuen DESIGNER, BRANDED CONTENT Leo Tapel Family Life is published by St. Joseph Communications, 15 Benton Road, Toronto, M6M 3G2. Contents Copyright 2021 by St. Joseph Communications. may not be reprinted without written permission. Article proposals and manuscripts must be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes and sufficient postage; otherwise they will not be returned or acknowledged. While the publishers will take all reasonable care, they will not be responsible for the loss of any manuscript, drawing or photograph. ISSN 0128-1839. Single copy price $5.99 + tax. Full subscription prices: Canada, 1 year (6 issues), $15 + tax. In the U.S., 1 year $45 + tax; Other countries $75 + tax, Indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index. Printed in Canada. Family Life, it's affiliate and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, distribute, store and archive such as unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensate of any sort.

St. Joseph Communications can be reached at 15 Benton Road, Toronto, M6M 3G2

Family Life ‐ May 2021

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Head over heels Back in February, when fashion and beauty director Catherine Franklin first talked to me about a feature on how to wear flats, tied to a spring runway trend, I said, “Great!” then immediately proclaimed, “But that’s one trend I will not be embracing.”

“We should make you wear them for a day and write about it!” our charming editor-at-large, Dianne de Fenoyl, volunteered. Sure, it’s her job to push us to create compelling content, but, simply put: I don’t do flats.

I put on my heels when I dress in the morning, and I don’t do my hair and makeup until I have them on. I don’t take them off until I change into my pyjamas. (I may or may not have a pair of fluffy pink kitten-heeled slippers.) Weekends in the winter find me in my Fiorentini + Baker boots (with a two-inch heel) or my three-inch lace-up Pajars.

In summer, it’s open-toed heels all the time. I own a few pairs of ballet flats — including a gorgeous pair of fuchsia Christian Diors that have never seen the light of day; when I put them on, I just don’t feel like myself. I wear flip-flops at the beach (never, ever, anywhere else) and running shoes to work out. I have studied how to wear runners with jeans (love my Tretorns), but I feel like a true fashion victim when I put them on.

I’d like to wish everyone a Happy May. And a Happy Mother’s Day to my #extraordinary mom — and everyone else’s, too!

Karine Ewart Editor In-Chief

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LIFE

Difficult Conversations with Kids

By STEPHANIE LOUX

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LIFE After you’ve regained your sleep and schedule after parenting through the baby and preschool years, it’s time to prepare yourself for the fun of educating your children and having some difficult conversations with your growing youngsters.

More discussions than just “The Talk” can be classified as “more serious conversations.” Other important but difficult discussions with growing kids include noticing differences in others, bullying, lifting a veil from a tradition, technology and screen time rules, death, puberty and scary world events. If you lead the conversation, have a plan and the proper tools, you can make these topics as easy to talk about as anything else. As Blair Vigil, mother of two, advises, “When I am preparing myself to talk to my kiddos, I always tell myself ‘Just the facts, ma'am.’ I try to just tell the truth with as much love and empathy as I can.”

With all topics, I look for books to be my main tool to introduce the subject I would like to address. This begins early on with picture books about kindness, differences, characters of various ethnicities and abilities, as well as important aspects of history. Picture books, both fiction and nonfiction, can be incredible resources. Then moving on to lifting the veil from certain holiday traditions, I have used and loved the book Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough.

“The Talk” can be a dreaded discussion for both parents and children alike, but it doesn’t have to be! First, start out using correct terminology for body parts when children are just learning words. This is important as they grow, so they can tell you if something hurts, is uncomfortable or if someone else touches them in an area that was uncomfortable or inappropriate. When you begin using terminology that can seem taboo early on, it becomes normal and not embarrassing for you or them. Utilizing books is a great way to introduce things and have some framework to work with instead of not knowing where to begin. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi is a humorous entry into talking about our bodies which comes pretty naturally when potty training and bathing. It’s important to keep talking about all of their body parts in case they ever have a question or concern, just like they would if they had a sore throat. Terri Demarest, mother of three, wisely advises, “My husband and I like to speak to our kids about difficult topics together so that they know they can come to either one of us to talk or ask questions.” If you’re not married, make sure to tell your children who else they can go to with any questions, especially if you’re unavailable.

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Other books for the younger crowd to educate and keep the conversation open about their bodies is It's Not the Stork! : A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends by Robie H. Harris. If your children aren’t reading yet themselves, you can pick and choose how much you would like to read and expose them to, depending on their age and your comfort level.

However, the sooner and more often you read books like this, the easier and more natural your conversations will be. You are also ensuring your children learn correct information before their peers start discussing things they may not know correctly. For a faith-based approach, there is also God Made All of Me: A Read-Aloud Story to Help Children Protect Their Bodies by Justin Holcomb and Lindsey Holcomb.

Even young children tend to come up with the question of “Where do babies come from?” Oftentimes, a new sibling growing in Mom’s tummy prompts the question. Again, beginning to explain in age-appropriate terms and levels at this age just helps build the foundation of further discussions as kids mature and understand more advanced concepts. Lay the groundwork while they’re young, and then as they grow older, they’ll ask more questions that you can answer truthfully, pulling back various “veils” depending on their maturity level. The “veils” can keep peeling off as they grow in maturity and can read on their own. It's Not the Stork!: A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends is a valuable handbook to refer back to for more detailed explanations as your children grow older.

As your children enter the preteen and teenage years, American Girl has a superb line of books for both boys and girls to guide you through discussing their changing bodies. I will continually praise and recommend these books because they guided these discussions so nicely. These titles include The Care & Keeping of You 1 and The Care & Keeping of You 2, Is This Normal? and Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys by Dr. Cara Natterson. Personally, I began reading these to my kids when they were around age 8. I try to make this a cozy one-onone time with each kid periodically and will continue to refer back to these titles for a few years because the kids attain different bits and pieces of the information each time.

LIFE I love these books for children to understand their own bodies and to not be ashamed of entering puberty. I also think it’s so important to have a heads-up on what’s to come so they can feel empowered and to know what to do next in any situation. I also like the idea of my own kids being able to help explain things to their friends who might not be familiar with what’s going on or how to take care of themselves. I think this is also a great time to discuss what to do when they stumble upon or are shown something inappropriate on a screen, especially at a friend’s house when peer pressure can be a big deal..

This leads into the discussion of what your family rules are about technology and screen time and, most importantly, why?

I find children accept rules a little better if they understand the reason behind it. Maybe your family values time together, so screens are only allowed in a group setting like playing video games or watching a movie together. Or maybe your family decides that all screens must remain in a public space to keep everyone accountable about what they are engaging in, or that Mom and Dad have access to viewing all online accounts of all kids to ensure their safety from strangers on the internet. There are many reasons to have rules for technology and screen time, so listing them out may help your children understand the dangers they are most likely unaware of.

Finally, simply keeping the lines of communication open throughout childhood is the best way to keep having conversations to ensure your children hear the truth from you and your household instead of from their peers on the school bus, at school, at a playground or at a friend’s house. Try thinking back to when you were their age and what you would have appreciated or benefitted from knowing and understanding better than what you did.

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LIFE

Busy Parents Guide to Bonding How to enjoy moments with your kids when you’re always on the go

By EMILY MORRISON

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LIFE We get it. You’re working a full-time job while coordinating school pickup and drop-off with only mere moments to hug your child goodbye before speeding away to the office.

Breakfast was a blur. It took you an extra 10 minutes to find your car keys on the way out the door, and you’re already flustered about that big morning meeting.

You’ve got homework to check, lunches to make, meals to prep, bills to pay. Laundry is piling up, you’re accumulating overtime at work, and late nights after the kids are all tucked into bed is when you catch up on chores or eat a quick snack and catch your breath.

Maybe you’re trying to homeschool your children while not losing your patience and feel like you can’t enjoy your time with them no matter what you try. Maybe you’re navigating the world of virtual learning on top of your part-time job.

Whatever your “busy” looks like these days, those perfect bonding moments with the kids may be few and far between.

You may often find yourself thinking, “Man, I just need a break.

I don’t feel like I’m nailing parenting right now.”

In the midst of your crazy lifestyle, try not to let those moments slip away. You’d be surprised how many minutes in a day you can actually bond with your kiddos without even overexerting yourself. We’ve prepared a short guide to get you started. You may even think of several other opportunities in addition to these everyday moments.

Read together (even just bedtime stories)

Is bedtime the only part of the day this week you can truly settle down with your child and be present? That’s okay! Soak up every single one of those few minutes. Read one or two of her favorite books. Use silly voices. Be animated. Give her an extra hug and say you love getting to read with her. Tell her, “Same time, same place?” for tomorrow.

Do arts and crafts

Fancy setups aren’t required to simply color a picture, draw with markers or paint with your kiddo for a while. Muster up a few free minutes after dinner. Skip bath time just to dig up his favorite coloring books. You don’t have to commit to hours of organized crafting—just replace one of your routine nighttime activities for this fun one instead.

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Enjoy music

Sing along with the radio together in the car. Have Amazon Alexa play a few Disney tunes at bedtime as you’re tucking them in. I promise they’ll soak up and appreciate these positive, mindful moments as much as—if not more than—a well-planned vacation or expensive new toy.

Take a walk or head to the backyard

Instead of jumping right into homework after school, take the kids outside and join them in a game of catch or hide-and-seek.

Walk around the block once. Take a few minutes to breathe in the fresh air while asking them about their day.

Cook together

If you’ve been working all day, just picked your kids up from school or daycare and don’t necessarily have energy to take them to the park or plan a special activity together, don’t worry. Why not include them in cooking dinner? It doesn’t have to be a complicated, home-cooked meal. Even if you stir up a box of pancake mix or heat up some chicken nuggets, include your children in the process.

Utilize homework time

Even though homework time can be the most stressful hour (or three) of the day for you and your kids, it doesn’t have to be.

Try to make it fun one night. Pop some popcorn and read through your son’s social studies textbook with him. Help your daughter practice spelling words and give her gummy bears for each word she spells correctly. Laugh and tell jokes in between tough math equations.

Watch a movie

Change up story time and instead watch a quick episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood or a Disney short on the iPad before bed. Even if the two of you don’t chat and just snuggle up with a blanket, you’re still bonding, and your presence makes your child feel safe and secure.

Just listen

My 5-year-old sure knows when I’m not giving him my absolute, undivided attention. He tells me, “Wisten, wisten (listen)!” until I make eye contact and notice what he is trying to show me on his iPad or a toy he brought me. This may happen while we’re playing with Play-Doh, coloring or building with Legos. Sometimes, the simplest and best way to snatch those bonding moments is to be fully present and engaged in simple activities together.

HOME

13 Big And Small Updates For A More Sustainable Home From quick swaps and eco-friendly ways to shop to full-blown reno projects.

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Live with less

You don’t have to compromise on coziness to embrace minimalism. A new school of designers is bringing a warm, sentimental twist to the pared-back style, with a focus on comfort over starkness. “It’s less about tossing everything out and more about mindfulness: focusing on what’s essential and providing a place that lets the objects you value shine,” says Fatima Islam, who, along with Ian Lee, runs Casestudy Studio, a Vancouver interior design firm that specializes in minimal spaces. “Storage is important to tuck things out of sight, but so are display shelves so that people can see the things they love.”

Like most who choose to eschew clutter, Islam and Lee favour a neutral palette of whites, greys, beiges and warm wood tones, but their underlying philosophy is deep green. “We encourage people to buy less but buy better, more durable things,” says Islam. “A minimal aesthetic is only part of what we do; we also aim for minimal waste,” adds Lee.

Shop local

It’s more important than ever to support homegrown businesses, but when it comes to big projects, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why Toronto-based interior designer Alexandra Hutchison co-founded Marlowe RoomxRoom, a virtual design service which curates everything clients need to renovate or decorate their homes, with an emphasis on working with local talent. Her light bulb moment came while she was producing shows for HGTV (including Income Property and Marriage Under Construction) and discovered that local suppliers often didn’t cost more but frequently offered the most unique, character-rich and sustainable options. “I look for artisans and craftspeople who not only work locally, but also source and utilize local materials in their work,” she says. “The closer a source, the lower the carbon footprint from transportation.”

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See the (LED) light

When it comes to setting the mood, lighting is everything.

“Nothing beats natural sunlight,” says Majida Devani, principal designer at Calgary-based home-building firm RNDSQR. “It brings a lot of energy to a space.” For homes without a lot of sun exposure—like, say, a north-facing condo unit in the shadow of a tall building—and those looking for evening ambiance, Devani recommends lighting things up with LED bulbs, which are up to 90 percent more energyefficient than old-school incandescents, last longer and save money on electricity. “They used to emit a cold, blue light, but they now come in a range of colour temperatures,” she says.

“LED light bulbs can actually mimic natural daylight quite closely.”

Rent your room

Go with the low-flow

No matter what your morning routine looks like, a few simple bathroom swaps can help you save water and money. “Making the switch to low-flow faucets and shower heads is easy,” says Toronto designer Brenda Danso, who recommends considering them even if you rent. Not only do these nifty fixtures save precious resources without affecting water pressure, but they also save money. Tests done by Écohabitation in Quebec show that the one-time purchase of a low-flow shower head preserves, on average, 42,340 litres of water per year for a family of four—and saves more than $100 in electricity annually in the process. “There are so many water-saving options that look great and function really well,” adds Danso. “There’s no reason not to try one.”

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Can’t—or won’t—commit to expensive furniture? Try renting it instead. “I love furniture, and I love walking into a beautiful room,” says Andria Santos, the founder of Montreal-based furniture-rental company Fülhaus, who launched a direct-toconsumer service last year. “But I didn’t want to put out more garbage into the world.” Whereas big-box furniture can often feel disposable, rental companies, like Fülhaus, donate used items to those in need, while others clean, refurbish and rent high-quality items again. With tailored design packages and a selection of on-trend big-ticket items (think: sofas, rugs, tables and art) and accessories (like lamps, vases, cushions and throws) that rotate every six months, Fülhaus’ rental service appeals to serial movers and those who constantly crave something new. “Renting is a great way to try out a style you aren’t certain about,” notes Santos. And if you can’t bear to part with your rented couch, payments go toward ownership so you can easily buy out the lease.

Make a lasting impression

Whether you’re shopping for new furniture or undertaking a full reno project, opt for materials that are renewable, require little energy to produce and will stand the test of time. Jute — an affordable, quick-growing fibre—is a favourite of architect Anne-Marie Armstrong, who loves decorating with finishing touches, like rugs and textiles, made from the sturdy material.

“With its rich texture and golden-brown colour, it adds warmth to any space. It’s also biodegradable, so it doesn’t pose long-term environmental threats if disposed of correctly.”

Another one of her favourite materials is wood, a renewable resource. “Cedar treated using the traditional Japanese technique of shou sugi ban—a way to weatherproof the wood by charring it—is a great option for a distinctive exterior siding, because this type of wood is readily available in Canada,” she says. “For exteriors, I love the character that it gives a home.”

Get thrifty

Regina Petate, the thrifter behind the Instagram account @LuveWantShop, promotes what she calls sustainable vintage. “If I have to reupholster a chair, I like using vintage fabric or repurposed textiles,” she says. “If I have to change the hardware on a piece of furniture, I take it from other pieces that are beyond repair.” In general, Petate recommends looking for pieces “with good bones, that need minimal repairs,” noting that structurally damaged furniture can be hard to fix without advanced carpentry skills. The pandemic has made scouring for pre-loved treasures trickier, but Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Kijiji are great starting points for online thrifting. To evaluate the quality of a piece remotely, she recommends getting as many photos from as many angles as possible and asking the seller to send a video.

“If there are any chips or flaws, the vendor should show that,” she says. “Signs of wear and tear might be expected with vintage, but they shouldn’t be a surprise when you receive your item.”

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Stay in your lane

Over the last decade or so, many Canadian municipalities— like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto—have started allowing laneway suites in order to counter increasingly steep real estate costs. The pint-sized, self-contained dwellings usually have one or two bedrooms and are located in the backyards of city homes, next to public laneways. They can either be rented out for extra income or used to house extended family members, like aging parents. To make the concept more accessible, Toronto architecture firm Superkül has developed a prefabricated option with built-in eco-friendly features, which costs a relatively reasonable $300 to $350 per square foot. The suites require less energy to heat and cool than a typical home, thanks to their small size, well-insulated walls and high-quality windows. “Our goal is for people to live comfortably regardless of how big or small their house,” says the firm’s co-founder Meg Graham.

Brush up on better paint

Traditional paint contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), solvents that get released into the air as paint dries and can cause an array of side effects, like dizziness, itchy eyes and sore throats. A new crop of healthier and more sustainable paints are making it easier and safer to brighten up blank walls—without the headache. “It’s a good idea to opt for low- or zero-VOC paints,” says holistic designer Alicia Ruach, whose work is inspired by her belief that our physical health and mental wellness are closely linked to the spaces we inhabit.

While major paint makers, like Sherwin-Williams and Farrow & Ball, now offer low-VOC product lines in all shades imaginable, small Canadian businesses—such as Loop, which creates its shades by recycling discarded paint, and Homestead House, which manufactures eco-friendly milk paint using natural ingredients—are definitely worth having on your radar.

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Sleep on it

Need a new set of sheets? Sustainable options from homegrown brands abound. Linen, for starters, is having a resurgence—for good reason. “Linen is made from flax, a sustainable crop that requires less water and fewer pesticides to grow and produce than cotton, and generally lasts longer as well,” explains Anna Heyd, co-founder of Vancouver-based Flax Sleep. It’s also temperature-regulating, she adds. Flax Sleep, as well as other Canadian brands, such as Maison Tess and Sömn, have upped the fabric’s cool factor with Instagramfriendly palettes of blush pink, soft grey and rich terracotta.

If you prefer the look and feel of cotton, Vancouver-based Takasa offers sheets that are certified organic, chemical-free and made from materials sourced from fair trade farmers, as well as pillows and duvets made from organic wool and ethical down salvaged from poultry farms. Tuck, another Canadian company, makes bedding from a blend of organic cotton (certified by Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS) and Tencel Lyocell, which uses an eco-friendly closed-loop production process.

Reconsider plastic

Seventy percent of the plastic we consume each year—that’s a whopping 3.3 million tonnes— ends up in the trash, and just nine percent gets recycled. And it’s not just Canada; plastic pollution is trending upward worldwide. The good news?

Some of that waste is being diverted from landfills and given new life as Pinterest-worthy furniture. Case in point: the speckled kid-sized chairs, tables and night lights designed by Belgium-based EcoBirdy. “Recycled plastic furniture is a great decor element that transforms a space while being cognizant of growing environmental concerns,” says Byron Peart, cofounder of Montreal-based socially conscious online marketplace Goodee, which carries the brand. Also look out for Canadian companies, like Re-Plast Products, Krahn and Recycled Patio, that are turning plastic waste into chairs, tables and flower boxes.

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Save the bees

Pollinators, like birds, bees and butterflies, are integral to growing just about every fruit and vegetable we like to eat.

Vicki Wojcik, director of the Toronto chapter of Pollinator Partnership Canada, an organization dedicated to the protection of pollinators and their ecosystems, says it’s possible to create bee-friendly gardens anywhere—even on cramped city balconies. “Patio container gardens or window flower boxes work really well for pollinators,” she says.

“Having as few as nine different flower types in the garden— three that bloom in the spring, three in the summer and three in the fall—will attract and support a lot of pollinators.”

And while these creatures need beautiful blooms to visit, they also require habitats to live in. “It’s okay to leave fallen leaves and dried-up stalks in the garden,” says Wojcik. “Bees, butterflies and caterpillars like to hide in them, and that’s a good reason not to rush to clear out a flower bed—messy is good.”

Get growing

There are many benefits to bringing the outdoors in: Plants have been scientifically proven to boost productivity and lower blood pressure, and they create a calm atmosphere that promotes rest and relaxation. They’re also a natural way to soundproof a room.

“Hard surfaces, like drywall and concrete, create an echo, and plants absorb noise,” says Toronto-based architect and interior designer Vanessa Fong. Her go-to decor move is to build in living walls—large installations of plants suspended in sacks of soil that rest on self-irrigating tiers—whenever possible. If a full reno isn’t in the cards, affordable and easy-to-install options also exist. For a quick hit of green, consider offerings from U.S.-based company WallyGro, which makes modular wall-mounted planters from recycled materials, or Canadian-founded Umbra, which sells a wide selection of plant stands and hanging options.

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MAY

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

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Is Canada Ready For Vaccine Passports?

With the scan of a code you may eventually be able to board a plane, or get into a bar. But vaccine passports are also an ethically fraught, logistical nightmare.

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So here’s the thing: I would like to see Blink-182 in concert. I would like to stand on trampled, yellowing grass at LeBreton Flats in Ottawa with a plastic beer cup in my hand, and yell the words to “All the Small Things,” and feel the river breeze on my face. I would like to do these things in the summer of 2021.

A July music festival may sound like a pipe dream—or a nightmare—at the beginning of spring this year, when only about 12 percent of Canadians have received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and case numbers are skyrocketing in many parts of the country. A few months down the road, if it turns out that public health authorities deem a mid-July display of “Crappy Punk Rock” (in the band’s own words) too risky, I won’t be surprised. I’ll sing those lyrics from my balcony: “Say it ain’t so, I will not go.”

But my fantasy may not be so far-fetched. Mark Monahan, the executive director of Ottawa Bluesfest, says he’s “hopeful” there will be a festival this year. Headliners are already booked.

Aside from Blink-182, there’s Jack Johnson, Blue Rodeo and Alanis Morissette. Of course, none of them can predict right now whether the show will go on. Isn’t it ironic? (Did I misunderstand the meaning of that word?)

“We’re exploring potential tools in order to allay any fears about events going forward,” Monahan says, including requiring negative COVID-19 tests and providing on-the-spot rapid testing. With all the promise of an expected ramp-up in vaccine availability, the festival has started thinking, too, about whether it could ask festival-goers for proof of vaccination.

“All we want to do is try and mitigate risk, and provide the best possible situation for people who want to go back and attend concerts again,” Monahan says. He knows that “vaccine passports” are a controversial idea. But despite little guidance from the Canadian government on whether or not their use will be sanctioned, the idea is gaining traction in the private sector. “It’s not just us, right? It’s sports teams, it’s meetings and conventions. We’re not the only industry facing the same problem,” he says. “We’re just looking for a way to get back in business.”

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We are still learning about the disease that has disrupted our lives for more than a year. We are still learning about its variants and about what vaccines can and can’t do. There’s an awful lot we still don’t know. But we are nonetheless inching toward an awkward new phase of the pandemic: one where some countries have vaccines and others don’t, where some people are vaccinated and others are not, and where demands to reopen will only get louder and more urgent.

Vaccine passports are already being used in other parts of the world. In Israel, a “Green Pass” that confirms vaccination status has become an essential passe-partout for daily life, allowing access to gyms, movie theatres, restaurants and other public spaces. Europe, which has fallen behind Canada in the race to vaccinate its population, is a testing ground for myriad new technologies that could be applied in much the same way.

Whether we like it or not, experts say, Canada will be pressured into coming up with a system to verify that Canadian travellers have gotten their shots. After decades of government failures in nationalizing and digitizing health data, the development of that system is all but guaranteed to be a logistical nightmare.

Its potential applications in a broader post-pandemic world are ethically fraught. And we are already falling behind.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed Canada is among the countries considering a vaccination requirement for international travellers, as of early April. His health minister, Patty Hajdu, has called it a “very live” issue among G7 nations, and said there will need to be “some consistency and some collaboration” among the countries.

But Canada has stalled on setting out its plans while other countries are already road-testing technological solutions to opening up travel in a partly vaccinated world. And at home, the provinces and territories, which govern the health data that could be used for this purpose, are working in silos.

“There’s no engagement at this moment led by the government in terms of trying to find the best way to approach this issue,” says Paul-Émile Cloutier, president and CEO of HealthCareCAN, a national association for health organizations and hospitals. “This is really no longer theoretical,” he says. “We have to start thinking through the design and the application of whatever tool, if it’s a passport, if it’s testing that we have at the airport. That has to be done now.”

The international community is falling over itself to figure this out. The World Economic Forum is developing a “CommonPass” for travellers to show their COVID-19 status. In apparent competition with that system, the International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines, is developing an “IATA Travel Pass.” Its members include Air Canada and WestJet. Countries are setting up their own systems in anticipation of their utility. The model is Israel’s Green Pass, launched in February, which links to national health ministry data and gives users a scannable code—displayed on a phone or printed on a piece of paper—that confirms their COVID-19 status. It launched with the ability to confirm whether someone was vaccinated or whether they had already recovered from an infection. In March, more features were added that allowed a non-vaccinated person to link the app to a recent negative test result.

An Estonian pass is being piloted in Estonia, Hungary and Iceland, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO). Others are being developed by Germany, Denmark and Sweden. A European Union “Digital Green Certificate” proposal was announced in early March and is currently being developed; Saudi Arabia announced its own system in January.

What the United States decides to do will necessarily weigh heavily on Canada’s decision. New York state has announced an “Excelsior Pass” that would confirm vaccination or a recent negative test. The Washington Post confirmed in late March the U.S. government is already working with agencies and private developers to create a national vaccine passport program that uses scannable codes.

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Although the WHO is working on international standards for “digital vaccination certificates,” which Canada will very likely fall in line with, in March it urged countries not to use these for international travel. At least, not now. There are two major reasons for that. The first is there’s still a limited global supply of vaccines. “We don’t have enough vaccine being distributed, so whatever freedoms you think you’re going to grant a small section of society, you’re now constraining the freedoms of a large section of society,” says Françoise Baylis, a professor at Dalhousie University and Canada Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy.

The ideal path forward would be to focus on accelerating vaccine distribution to all parts of the world, Baylis says, so that you are looking after both the interests of travellers and the interests of the places they’re travelling to. Canada could even consider donating some of its vaccine surplus to countries that suffered disproportionate economic impact due to a lack of Canadian tourists, she suggests. Even if we do that, most estimates suggest it will take several years to vaccinate the whole world. Herd immunity is a long way off.

The second reason the WHO says we should be cautious is that scientists have not concluded vaccines prevent transmission of the virus. A vaccinated traveller could conceivably still bring it onto a plane and across the border. And we still don’t know how long immunity from a vaccine may last.

“From a science point of view, I think society and government have to realize that it is a calculated risk,” says Dr. David Hill, scientific director of Lawson Health Research Institute, and a vice-president of both research at London, Ont.’s major hospitals and of HealthCareCAN’s health research committee.

But he says a level of risk is acceptable, and waiting for scientific certainty on transmission before moving ahead with an “inevitable” system could be even riskier. “The global economy cannot go on in shutdown. We have to have global movement reinstated,” Hill says. “Canada cannot be the only country that’s stuck in a silo come the end of the summer.”

Early in the pandemic, the WHO told countries they should not shut their borders to stem the spread of COVID-19. Countries did it anyway. And they were right to. Restricting travel is a highly effective way to put a pin in transmission of the virus, as Canada’s Atlantic provinces continue to prove with their tightly controlled borders and low case counts.

If the global rush to come up with a digital immunity pass wasn’t enough proof that the world will flout the WHO’s recommendations again, one country is already requiring proof of vaccination for entry: China has reportedly resumed processing visas for foreigners from dozens of countries, but only those who can prove they’ve specifically received a Chinese-made vaccine.

The Canadian government as of the end of March had little to say about its intentions. Foreign governments and international agencies are “exploring the use of immunization certificates as a tool to support the reopening of societies and economies,” Global Affairs Canada acknowledged in a carefully worded statement. “As some jurisdictions begin to consider granting privileges to vaccinated individuals, any such consideration in the Canadian context would be based on sound scientific evidence.”

Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer is expected to deliver a report on vaccine passports sometime in April. Her advice may pave the way for a federal plan. But provinces are staking out their positions already.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan told reporters that the issue was raised at a late February first ministers’ meeting, with most premiers agreeing that a vaccine requirement for international travel will be “absolutely imperative,” in Horgan’s words. (A recent poll of 800 British Columbians, from Research Co., found Horgan’s constituents are 73 per cent in favour of that idea.) Manitoba is already issuing vaccine certificate cards. Ontario has promised residents will receive similar documentation, with Health Minister Christine Elliott suggesting last fall that it could be used in workplaces and movie theatres, and Quebec is looking at using its existing database of vaccine records for the same purpose.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, on the other hand, has promised the opposite. Vaccine passports or any documentation, he said at a town hall in February, “would be a violation of the Privacy Act.”

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So far, the national conversation around vaccine passports has been a black-and-white debate about whether they’re good or bad. There has been much less discussion about what it would take to do it. “Quite honestly, a practical application of them in Canada puts them kind of on the outside limit of what’s achievable,” says Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association. “They look like a great and simple solution, but as with most things, the devil’s in the details.”

For decades, Canadian governments across the board have failed to modernize health systems and create national standards for health data. Even within provinces, health regions aren’t always aligned. And Culbert says most provinces had no system to digitally record adult immunizations even before COVID-19.

There will need to be national standards for what is considered “authentic proof” of a person’s vaccination record, says the Ottawa Hospital’s Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO of CANImmunize and an innovation advisor for Bruyère hospital. Canada will need to be aligned with the U.S., he says. And within Canada, provinces will need to be aligned. “You don’t want to have a situation where your record in Ontario is not accepted when you cross the border into Quebec and vice-versa.”

Early in the pandemic, about a year ago, there was some buzz in scientific, academic and government circles about the concept of an “immunity passport,” but it was quickly shot down due to myriad scientific and ethical concerns. Some of those are still at play. But the shutdown of that early conversation may have prevented us working through some of the technological and scientific challenges we’re facing now, Wilson says.

Wilson has written that an idealized system could look something like Israel’s or Estonia’s. Marcus Kolga of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute recently argued in Maclean’s that Canada should just go ahead and buy the Estonian tech. It uses blockchain technology and a quick response (QR) code tied to a person’s identity, which can be downloaded on a mobile phone app or printed out on a sheet of paper (or the cover of a magazine). When scanned, the code links back to an official dataset that confirms your vaccination status. To safeguard against new scientific data—say, if it turns out that vaccines are effective for a shorter time than we hope—you could build in a six-month expiry, as Israel has.

On the whole, using such technology makes for a system that is easier to authenticate and more impervious to fraud than, say, a paper receipt. It would be a major step up from the system used in the most important international precedent for a COVID-19 vaccine passport. For many years, travellers wishing to enter certain countries in Africa and South America have had to present proof of a yellow fever vaccination in the form of a yellow paper card, filled out by hand.

Canadians are already getting used to using QR codes in some pandemic-era settings. Many restaurants have ditched physical menus in favour of QR-code stickers on dining tables that link to online ones. Parents of students in the Toronto District School Board can use a smartphone app to answer COVID-19 screening questions, allowing their kids to flash a QR code at the school doors in lieu of providing a signed paper health pass.

No other health or personal information would necessarily be linked to this sort of system, significantly mitigating privacy concerns, says Frank Rudzicz, a health researcher and associate professor of computer science at the University of Toronto. Though privacy and cybersecurity fears are front of mind for many skeptics, he says making such a system cybersecure is doable, and the “slippery slope” argument—that a COVID-19 vaccine app could eventually be used to download and track all kinds of other information—is a “false start.”

But the question is: where would the app pull your health information from? That’s where things get complicated, and a unified national approach starts to feel “mythical,” as Rudzicz puts it. Israel’s Green Pass works so well because it pulls from a single, national health dataset. Of course, that can create its own problems: non-citizens, including international students, are unable to access the pass even if they have been vaccinated.

“We’ve got to be very careful if that’s the model we’re going to use for Canada, because the realities are totally different,” says Cloutier, the president of HealthCareCAN. “Israel is not a confederation that has various levels of jurisdiction. It is very complicated here in Canada.” You only have to go back over the last few months, Cloutier says, to see evidence of that. It has been difficult to get messaging consistent across provinces and in Ottawa, let alone policy.

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The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a detailed “blueprint” last year for a national vaccine registry, but despite murky federal attempts to procure such technology, according to reporting by the Globe and Mail, no system is currently in place.

It’s still possible to proceed with a hodgepodge approach, where each jurisdiction sets up its own way to link up to a barcode-based system, Rudzicz says. Even so, Canadian governments aren’t exactly world leaders in rolling out new technology. And doctors and health regions across the country are already notoriously slow on the uptake of other e-health technologies, putting Canada well below average in a 2019 Commonwealth Fund survey of developed countries. “I have major doubts that we would be able to pull it off,” Rudzicz says.

“In practice I could see it being a catastrophe.”

You’d think that this moment would create the impetus for governments to finally work through the kinks of a national system. You’d think that when the pandemic began, governments could’ve jump-started such a process, and made the rollout of vaccine certificates that much easier. But it can’t really be done in the short term, Rudzicz says. “I hope I’m not optimistic to say it would take maybe five years.”

Whether for use internationally, at provincial borders or—and I can’t emphasize this enough—at a Blink-182 concert, there are fears vaccine passports could entrench inequalities and even backfire on their public health goals.

If vaccine certificates are available, employers may decide to make use of them. The doctors I spoke to think that COVID-19related vaccine or test requirements are entirely appropriate in health-care settings. Places like hospitals already require things like negative tuberculosis tests, for example.

In other places where there is an obvious public health risk— like in industrial settings and congregate living situations where social distancing is not possible—employers could likely make a strong argument that employees must show negative tests or proof of vaccines, though this could prove tricky in unionized settings, says labour lawyer Neena Gupta, a partner at Gowling WLG in Waterloo, Ont. The legal argument for requiring proof-of-vaccination would be weaker in workplaces where distancing and masking measures can still be maintained, Gupta says. But many employers are lawyering up. “If employers are thinking about doing that, I joke and say your lawyer should be your next best friend.”

In federally and provincially regulated workplaces, it would be important to have a systematic approach, says Baylis, the Dalhousie professor. If there is a conversation about requiring staff to be vaccinated at long-term care homes, for example, there ought to be a similar approach for prisons.

If we get to a point where places of business ask customers to verify their status, that’s where things could get really messy, she says.

The image of a theatre full of vaccinated patrons—at an opera, no less—calls to mind, at least for now, a specific gray-haired subset of the population. If a vaccine passport is used by the private sector before all adults are eligible to be vaccinated, young people may find themselves staying home while their parents and grandparents go out on the town. And venues that want to welcome boomers but require their disproportionately Gen Z service staff to be vaccinated may find themselves short of employees.

There could be discrimination against younger people who may not have access to a vaccine yet; people who can’t or won’t get one, sometimes for religious reasons protected by Canadian human rights law; people who do not have access to certain technology, like smartphones and printers; and those who are members of already marginalized groups. Baylis worries that requiring proof-of-vaccination upon entry to venues, and requiring frontline staff to determine certificates’ authenticity, could create new avenues for racial discrimination.

“It may be tempting for businesses to think of happy baby boomers flocking to beaches, football matches and cafés,” reads a February Bloomberg op-ed by Ferdinando Giugliano, “but inter-generational fairness looms large in this debate.”

That’s a multi-layered concern. Beyond their longer wait to access vaccines—and, perhaps, the opera—young people have faced poorer economic outcomes during the pandemic despite being the least susceptible to severe COVID-19. And younger generations will bear the burden of paying down the debt this crisis has created.

For people who are vaccine-hesitant or anti-vaccine, some suggest that a vaccine passport would provide some incentive to encourage uptake. But Baylis thinks it would erode such people’s trust in their institutions even further. “If you can’t have access to free movement, in effect, without this, then you’re actually not, I think, contributing to an environment in which trustworthiness will flourish.” A group called Vaccine Choice Canada, an anti-vaccination, anti-mask group that claims to promote “informed decisions,” has hinted it would gladly go to court over the issue.

Still, in the immediate term, that inter-generational struggle may pale in comparison to the political cultural wars that are already raging. In the U.S., the debate over vaccine passports, much like those over mask mandates and other lockdown measures, quickly took on a partisan tone after reports emerged about Joe Biden’s plan. “Authoritarian leftists want a Chinese-styled social credit system here in America. Vaccine passports via the Govt or private sector would create a twotiered caste system,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted on March 29.

“Every elected GOP officeholder worth a damn should publicly oppose this un-American concept immediately!!!”

For people who are vaccine-hesitant or anti-vaccine, some suggest that a vaccine passport would provide some incentive to encourage uptake. But Baylis thinks it would erode such people’s trust in their institutions even further. “If you can’t have access to free movement, in effect, without this, then you’re actually not, I think, contributing to an environment in which trustworthiness will flourish.” A group called Vaccine Choice Canada, an anti-vaccination, anti-mask group that claims to promote “informed decisions,” has hinted it would gladly go to court over the issue.

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Offering alternatives could go a long way toward mitigating ethical, legal and even political concerns, experts told me.

These could accommodate groups that won’t get a vaccine, or that can’t yet—such as people whose cohorts have not been offered the opportunity, or children and teenagers under 16 for whom vaccines are not yet approved. In jurisdictions like Ontario that already require children to be vaccinated against certain ailments before joining school systems, significant accommodations are already in place.

Instead of requiring proof-of-vaccination only, a country, airline or venue could ask for proof of a negative antigen or PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, offer on-the-spot rapid testing or accept documentation showing a person has already recovered from COVID-19. If that information is digitized, a vaccine passport app could even be used to display the negative tests, as is the case in Israel.

The U.K. is far from out of the woods, but is approaching a similar benchmark. Half of its residents have had at least one shot, and the government is actively reviewing whether vaccine certificates can be used to allow entry into places like pubs and stadiums. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said such a thing won’t be offered until all adults have had a chance to be vaccinated; Trudeau will likely face calls to say the same.

That works for Hill. “At the end of the day, all I really want to know is that somebody is not shedding virus.”

In the U.S., where the vaccination campaign is proceeding at a dazzling pace and a Krispy Kreme promotion promises free donuts for those who’ve gotten shots, the Centers for Disease Control is still recommending that vaccinated people socially distance, wear masks and avoid medium- and large-sized gatherings in public, though they can gather without such restrictions in private.

Imagine for a moment that the experts I spoke with are largely wrong about what’s going to happen next. Imagine a world where the international community follows WHO guidelines, countries do not require visitors to prove their vaccination status, and the federal government washes its hands of the idea of a federal system.

That’s still a world in which COVID-19 remains a threat for the foreseeable future. It’s still a world where provinces can decide to create their own passports for local use, perhaps to the exclusion of residents from neighbouring jurisdictions. And it’s still a world where the private sector will see some utility in creating rules that make customers feel safer. “I think we may have the bottom-up approach where industry starts to create solutions, and provinces start to adopt those, and that pushes up to a federal level,” says Wilson, from the Ottawa Hospital.

As vaccination increases and if case numbers decline as a result, there will clearly be demands from businesses and vaccinated people to get things back to normal. A statement provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada implies there is a threshold in vaccination rates at which our pandemic response will shift gears: “Until a larger number of people across Canada are vaccinated, public health measures remain the foundation of the pandemic response.”

More than half of Israel’s population is now fully vaccinated, the highest rate in the world. New cases are still being reported in Israel daily, but they are on a steady decline, as is the death rate, and new variants have not proven resistant to vaccines.

Despite those cheerful metrics, public health officials have advised caution, especially since the country’s children are not vaccinated.

Under eased lockdown restrictions, for the first time in more than a year families celebrated a major holiday at the end of March with few restrictions. The Times of Israel reported that 130,000 Israelis visited parks and nature reserves for the Passover holiday, with groups of 50 people allowed to gather outdoors. Up to 20 people could gather inside, and Green Pass holders could dine in restaurants. The story ran with a photo of a family of 15 gathered around a dining room table, feasting without their masks on March 27, 2021. It looks like a miracle.

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But with legally binding rules varying state by state, private venues have started to go their own way. As of April 1, even before New York’s Excelsior Pass becomes available, and just before the youngest subset of New Yorkers will become eligible to receive vaccines, visitors to Madison Square Garden must show proof of vaccination, proof of a negative antigen test or proof of a negative PCR test to watch a hockey game. The New York Rangers experiment is the sort of thing that Mark Monahan, at Ottawa Bluesfest, is paying close attention to.

Monahan chairs an Ontario Festival Industry Task Force, which in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart almost pulled off an honest-to-god outdoor gig on March 31. The “Long Road Back” concert had to be postponed due to heightened restrictions, but if and when it does go ahead, it may offer an early Canadian blueprint for public events in the months to come. Just 100 people were able to buy tickets to see the Ottawa band the Commotions. There was to be physically distant bistro-style seating set up across a plaza. There was to be no food or drink. Fans were to wear masks, and show up with proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of the show. All of this was okay, per public health rules, when it was organized.

We’re entering new territory. Even if the federal government coordinates a national effort to provide Canadians with vaccine certificates, even if provinces can get on the same page and even if ethical concerns are delicately mitigated at every turn, this will not be perfect. There will be problems we haven’t even thought of yet. But there may—there really, really may— be outdoor music.

Culbert, from the Canadian Public Health Association, would warn me not to get too excited. Even if some future iteration of the “Long Road Back” (the “Short Road Back”?) goes ahead with vaccine and testing requirements in place, we could be setting ourselves up for a false sense of security, he says.

The pandemic’s so-called third wave has gripped us in another excruciating race against time. Variants are spiking. Younger people are catching the virus more often, and reportedly getting sicker, while ICU beds are filling up in many parts of the country. At the same time, Canadians are tiring of endless, incremental lockdown measures. And the weather is getting warmer, making it easier to let our guards down.

But still I cling to the vision of an outdoor concert in the summer of 2021. It is my motivation to stay home. It is my source of optimism even on the darkest days, when it feels like we’re fighting a losing battle. I’m brushing up on one of Blink182’s latest releases, an angsty 2020 anthem, whether I get to sing along live this July or not. “Quarantine, no, not for me,” the song goes. “I thought that things were f-cked up in 2019. F-ck quarantine.”

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FOOD

How To Build A Vegan Charcuterie Board Yes, there's some level of method to the madness.

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FOOD

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1 Think of cheeses as your anchors. They need the most space for cutting, and each should get its own knife. Lay them down first.

2 Dips and proteins are next. Keep the board looking pretty for longer by pre-slicing your plant-based meat alternatives.

3 It’s time to start filling in: Arrange crackers, sliced bread or crostini around the spreadable components of your platter.

4 Last, add crunch and colour! We used grapes, tomatoes, figs, snap peas, watermelon radishes and kumquats to complete this board.

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Vegan CoconutChocolate Fudge Pops Milky whipped puddings, light-as-air pavlovas and tart and crunchy rhubarb squares.

Dessertly Vegan Photography by Erik Putz. Food styling by Eshun Mott. Prop styling by Emily Howes.

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Vegan Oat Milk Latte Pudding

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Vegan French Silk Pie

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Vegan Berry Pavlovas

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Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Vegan StrawberryRhubarb Oat Squares

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FOOD

Vegan Berry Pavlovas

Vegan French Silk Pie

PREP TIME:20 MINS TOTAL TIME:3 HOURS 25 MINS

PREP TIME:20 MINS TOTAL TIME:2 HOURS

Meringues 1/2 cup aquafaba , from a can of no-salt chickpeas, at room temperature 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 3/4 cup superfine sugar , (150 g) 1 tsp cornstarch Topping 2 cups frozen coconut whipped topping , such as So Delicious, thawed 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 cup raspberries 1/2 cup sliced strawberries icing sugar , for garnish (optional)

Crust 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour , (160 g) 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup cold, firm coconut oil , preferably refined 5 to 6 tbsp ice-cold water Filling 2 100-g bars dairy-free dark chocolate , chopped 1 300-g pkg silken or soft tofu , such as Sunrise, drained 1/4 cup icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 255-g tub frozen coconut whipped topping , such as So Delicious, thawed Topping 1 255-g tub frozen coconut whipped topping , such as So Delicious, thawed dairy-free dark chocolate curls , (optional)

1. Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 200F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment.

2. Pour aquafaba through a sieve into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle cream of tartar overtop. Whisk on medium-high until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 1 to 2 min. Gradually whip in sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until stiff and glossy peaks form when whisk is lifted, 4 to 5 min. Whip in cornstarch.

3. Spoon meringue onto prepared sheet in 6 large dollops, dividing evenly. Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue into 3- to 4-in.-wide circles, then indent the middles while pushing up the edges to resemble nests.

4. Bake until tops are crisp and dry, 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. Turn off oven and let meringues dry in oven for 1 hr more. Transfer baking sheet to a rack and cool completely, about 30 min.

5. Top meringues with coconut whipped topping and berries. Sift icing sugar over, if desired.

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1.Crust: Combine flour with 2 tbsp granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add coconut oil. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 15 times. Add 5 tbsp ice water. Pulse just until dough clumps together, 10 to 15 times. (Add remaining 1 tbsp water only if dough feels dry. Don’t add if dough just looks dry—it will hydrate as it rests.) Form dough into a disc. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator until firm, about 40 min.

2.Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375F. Roll dough out into a 13-in. circle on a floured counter. Lift dough onto a 9-in. metal pie plate and press over bottom and up side of plate. Trim overhanging pastry, then press tines of a fork evenly around the edge. Prick pastry all over with a fork. Line with a large square of foil to cover, then fill with dried beans. Bake for 20 min. Remove foil and beans and bake until golden, about 5 to 10 min more. Let cool completely on a rack, about 30 min.

FOOD 3.Filling: Microwave dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on high until melted, stirring halfway through, 1 to 2 min. Stir until completely smooth. Set aside.

4.Whirl tofu with icing sugar and vanilla in clean food processor until very smooth.

While whirling, add melted chocolate through the spout. Continue whirling, scraping down sides once, until very smooth and combined. Scrape filling into a large bowl. Stir in ½ tub whipped topping until combined, then gently fold in remaining whipped topping to create a mousse-like texture. Scrape filling into cooled pie crust. Refrigerate until chilled and slightly firm, about 3 hrs.

5.Topping: Spread whipped topping over pie, using back of spoon to form swirls.

Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired.

Vegan CoconutChocolate Fudge Pops PREP TIME:5 MINS TOTAL TIME:10 MINS 400-mL can full-fat coconut milk 5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 5 tbsp granulated sugar 1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 min. Pour into ice-pop moulds. Freeze until firm, about 10 hours, or overnight.

Vegan Oat Milk Latte Pudding PREP TIME:15 MINS TOTAL TIME:20 MINS 2 cups barista-style oat milk , divided 3 tbsp granulated sugar 3 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp refined coconut oil 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder , (optional) 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 to 1 tsp instant espresso powder 1. Combine 1 ½ cups oat milk with sugar in a saucepan set over medium. Cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer, 4 to 5 min.

2. Whisk remaining ½ cup oat milk with cornstarch in a small bowl until dissolved. Slowly pour into simmering oat milk mixture, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low; whisk constantly until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 1 to 2 min.

Remove from heat and stir in coconut oil.

3. Reserve ¼ cup pudding in a small bowl.

Stir cocoa powder, vanilla and ½ tsp espresso powder into remaining hot pudding until dissolved. Taste, then add remaining ½ tsp espresso powder, if desired. Divide between 4 doubleespresso cups.

4. Scrape reserved pudding into a resealable bag. Snip off 5. 2 mm from one corner of bag. Pipe dots onto surface of each pudding. Using a toothpick, swirl surface to create latte art. Cover each cup with plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or overnight.

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FOOD

Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf PREP TIME:15 MINS TOTAL TIME:1 HOUR Cake 1 1/2 tbsp ground flax meal 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , (180 g) 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup packed brown sugar , (144 g) 3/4 cup grated carrot , (75 g) 1/2 cup canola oil 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 100-g pkg chopped pecans , or walnuts, toasted, plus more for garnish crumbled carrot chips , such as Harbite, for garnish (optional) Icing 2/3 cup refined coconut oil 1 cup icing sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/8 tsp salt 1. Cake: Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350F. Line an 84-in. loaf pan with parchment, leaving overhang.

2. Stir flax with ½ cup water in a large bowl. Set aside 5 min.

3. Stir flour with baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

4. Stir brown sugar, carrot, oil, and vanilla into flax mixture. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in pecans.

Scrape into prepared pan.

5. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centre of loaf comes out clean, 40 to 45 min. Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely.

6. Icing: Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until fluffy. Spread over loaf.

Top with more chopped pecans and crumbled carrot chips, if desired.

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Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies PREP TIME:10 MINS TOTAL TIME:40 MINS 1 tbsp flax meal 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour , (160 g) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cups coconut oil , preferably refined, at room temperature 1/2 cup packed brown sugar , (96 g) 1/4 cup granulated sugar , (48 g) 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips 1/2 tsp flaked sea salt 1. 1.Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350F. 2. Stir flax meal with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 min.

3. Stir flour with baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat coconut oil with sugars in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until fluffy, 1 to 2 min. Beat in flax mixture and vanilla.

Gradually beat in flour mixture just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Roll dough into balls, about 2 tbsp each.

Arrange on two baking sheets, 2 in. apart. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt.

5. Bake until cookies are golden brown, 13 to 14 min. Transfer to a rack and cool.

FOOD

Vegan StrawberryRhubarb Oat Squares PREP TIME:15 MINS TOTAL TIME:1 HOUR 30 MINS Crust 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , (150 g) 1 1/4 cups large-flake oats , (125 g) 2/3 cup granulated sugar , (128 g) 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup refined coconut oil , melted Filling 1/3 cup strawberry jam 3 tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp vanilla 300 g frozen sliced Rhubarb , about 2 cups 300 g frozen sliced strawberries , about 2 cups 1. Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 350F. Line the bottom of a 99-in. baking pan with parchment, leaving overhang on all sides.

2. Crust: Stir flour with oats, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle with melted coconut oil. Stir until combined. Set aside ½ cup oat mixture.

3. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture evenly in prepared pan, then firmly press down.

4. Filling: Stir jam with cornstarch and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.

Add frozen fruits and stir until coated.

Arrange over oat mixture in pan as evenly as possible. Sprinkle reserved oat mixture overtop.

5. Bake until fruit is bubbly around edges, 60 to 75 min. Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely, about 2 hrs. Cut into squares and serve.

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LAST LOOK

Movies

CRUELLA May 28, Disney+

Set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar® winner Emma Thompson.

Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

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