March 31, 2014

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International

ADVANTAGE, PUTIN

“I feel like I was sold,” says Anna Grigsan, a political science student in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that voted last weekend to join with Russia, following a Russian invasion of the territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a treaty with Crimean leaders approving the union, and formal annexation will likely be completed this week with ratification in Russia’s parliament. By MICHAEL PETROU

National

Quebec City’s political allergy

Perched like a pretty dare over the rush of the St. Lawrence River, Quebec City would greatly benefit from Quebec’s eventual graduation to statehood. At least, so goes the argument of Quebec sovereignists. Quebec City, they say, would inherit the governmental heft of a true capital city, the country’s base for its bureaucratic machinery, military command and diplomatic corps. By MARTIN PATRIQUIN

Economy

Living beyond our means

The wind-up of Sears Canada’s flagship store in downtown Toronto was a sorry sight. Deal-hunters roamed the cavernous and half-empty building in search of deep discounts on everything from watches to washing machines. Even the dented fixtures were sold off at cut-rate prices—all while an army of suddenly unemployed mannequins looked on. By CHRIS SORENSEN

Society

Architectural treasure box

AT THE TURN of the 20th century, Winnipeg was primed to be a Canadian powerhouse. “There was more construction happening here in 1904 than there was in Toronto and Montreal combined,” says local architect Brent Bellamy, architecture columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press. By ROSEMARY COUNTER

MACLEAN’S BACK PAGES

Noah, the first world’s environmentalist

So far, director Darren Aronofsky couldn’t have asked for a better marketing plan for his Noah. Censors in the Middle East don’t like it, which has to play well in the U.S., while in America, where the ticket-buyers are, mainstream evangelicals have given a cautious seal of approval. By BRIAN BETHUNE

National

Something fishy

Mike Pearson pulls up the DIY fish trap he’s left overnight in a slough near Agassiz, B.C. He’s hoping to catch Salish suckers, an endangered freshwater fish that looks like it’s puckered up for a kiss. While the work is routine for Pearson, an ecological consultant in the Fraser Valley, one thing is different on this day: By ANNE CASSELMAN

This Week

THE COLUMNISTS

JUST BECAUSE VLADIMIR Putin made the first move in Ukraine doesn’t mean he must ultimately win. If you look only inside Ukraine, the Russian president’s early action has given him a tremendous advantage. He moved in Russian troops, activated local militia in Crimea, organized a referendum, declared victory and signed the region’s annexation without firing a shot. By PAUL WELLS

March 242014