December 7, 1998

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Essays on the MILENNIUM

The road to better health

On Oct. 4, 1998, the Calgary General Hospital was destroyed in 35 seconds by a series of explosions. The elimination of the vast, 108-year-old complex from the skyline was not the work of terrorists. Nor was it an act of God or a natural gas explosion. By MICHAEL DECTER14 min

COVER

How the Banks BLEW IT

It was, without a doubt, the biggest bombshell ever dropped on Bay Street. Bang! Two of Canada's largest banks proclaimed their urge to merge. Jaws fell like Asian markets. And then: Kaboom! Two more banks decided to join them. Merger mania was one thing.

BETWEEN

PICTURE PERFECT

Amid the growing stack of centennial/millennial books, the standout so far is The Century (Doubleday, $85), by broadcaster and Canadian native Peter Jennings and veteran journalist Todd Brewster. At close to 600 pages, its strengths include first-person accounts of historic events—including that of a man who was alongside Lenin when the 1917 Revolution began in Russia.

The Mail

I have enjoyed reading your annual university ranking issue since I was deciding which university to attend five years ago (“Universities,” Cover, Nov. 23). Every year, however, I question how Maclean’s can rank these universities by incorporating all the various programs into one.