About
Hi there.
Welcome to Side Walks, street-level Canadian news with an East Coast view.
Our goal is to explore the implications of national and global change from a local perspective, and while we had a long list of topics to cover, we leaned heavily on our existing business knowledge and sources to get started.
Something is happening in Canada, and it’s more than simply a shift in mood. We believe the country is about to undergo a fundamental economic shift, and if Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are to be believed, we will move faster than we have since the Second World War.
Well – hallelujah – Atlantic Canada’s location on the Europe-facing side of Canada gives this region an advantage it hasn’t experienced in, well, a long frickin’ time.
The East Coast is literally in the name - East-West Trade Corridor – so why can’t it take the lead?
This is our opportunity to tell the East Coast’s economic story, to ourselves certainly, but also to the rest of the country, and to others in the rest of the world who, like us, see value in the communities we call home on Canada’s East Coast.
It starts with the people in our neighbourhoods. The people that we meet when we’re walking down the street, the people that we meet each day – or at the very least, that we can understand and relate to because when they talk about their lives, their hopes and their problems, it has a familiar ring to it.
These days, local problems, no matter where that locale may be, are often the end result of larger forces.
Technological disruption, political unrest, social upheaval, environmental uncertainty and business volatility may dominate our national and international newsfeeds, but it is in our neighbourhoods and local communities where the biggest impacts are often felt.
And because of that, it’s where solutions can take root.
Side Walks is about telling the stories of how local problem-solvers are confronting the big issues of the day and working to chart a saner way forward through our mad, mad world.
Who We Are
Side Walks is a digital publication founded by three friends, Lisa Hrabluk, Gina Miller and Paul Davis.
Lisa and Gina worked together at the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal newsroom during the turn of the last century. We spent oodles of time in Gina’s apartment solving the world’s problems over goblets of red wine, stinky cheese and way too many carbs. Then Gina decided she wanted an adventure, so she moved to Hong Kong.
Lisa stayed in Canada, writing for various publications, including Time, Globe and Mail, The National Post, Atlantic Progress, Mississauga News (her hometown paper) and CBC.
She’s also worked as a strategic consultant, event planner and ghostwriter. Lisa is the author of the book New Brunswick Underwater, which examines the impact of our changing climate on the St. John River system and the efforts of local people to adapt and support each other. She has a National Newspaper Award, an Ontario New Award, and an Atlantic Journalism Award. Lisa is the film and streaming columnist for CBC Radio’s Information Morning in Saint John.
In Hong Kong, Gina worked as a reporter and editor for Times Publishing Group (Asia) in transportation, logistics and supply chain management, before switching gears to become the Regional Editor of the Tatler Asia Group.
She later branched into corporate relations with international shipping group OOCL/OOIL and later, research management in equities and derivatives for French Bank BNP Paribas. She jumped back into journalism as the editor of two business publications, Britain in Hong Kong, and Momentum (covering HKEX-listed companies) and a writer for several local magazines. Today, Gina, a a former world-class surfski and canoe paddler, challenges her sanity as the owner of Kayak Fundy, a sea-kayak business on the Bay of Fundy.
Along the way she met Paul Davis, originally from the U.K., a media professional for international titles such as Institutional Investor, Lloyd’s List and a portfolio of LexisNexis magazines.
Paul is the co-founder of Hong Kong-based Ninehills Media, a media creation company for corporate and institutional clients across a range of professional sectors. Paul is also a surfski and canoe paddler, but his real sporting heart resides with Aston Villa FC.
These days, Gina, Paul and Lisa all live on Canada’s East Coast.
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