Over the past twenty years, The Walrus has been a steady bellwether of must-read writing. For our 20th anniversary, we’ve collected works that still surprise us, impress us, move us.

Here are some of the best investigations that we’ve published.



When Is a Senior No Longer Capable of Making Their Own Decisions?

BY SHARON J. RILEY
How our medical systems strip elders of their autonomy




The Shadowy Business of International Education

BY NICHOLAS HUNE-BROWN
Foreign students are lied to and exploited on every front. They’re also propping up higher education as we know it




Forced Confessions

BY BEN TRAVERS
A Victoria homicide case puts the spotlight on police interrogations




How Quebec’s Human Rights Commission Drove Out Its First Black Female President

BY MARTIN PATRIQUIN
When she was appointed to run the commission, Tamara Thermitus expected to fight racism in her province. Instead, she had to deal with it in her workplace




Have You Been to the Library Lately?

BY NICHOLAS HUNE-BROWN
Librarians once worried about shushing patrons. Now they have to deal with mental health episodes, the homelessness crisis, and random violence




The Search for Mackie Basil

BY ANNIE HYLTON
Seven years ago, a young Indigenous woman from Tache, BC, went to a party and never came back. Her family won’t stop looking for her




Ottawa’s Transit Gong Show

BY BRETT POPPLEWELL
How the capital city’s dream of a world-class transit system became a nightmare




Canadian Mining’s Dark Heart

BY RICHARD POPLAK
Tallying the human cost of gold in one of the most remote places on Earth

Various Contributors