About
Our mission
Canadian Affairs’ mission is to publish high-quality reported journalism on under-covered topics that matter to the lives and livelihoods of Canadian families and professionals.
We are focused on creating an exceptional news experience for our readers — offering concise, curated and impactful journalism in a sleek, digital format. We ask readers who value this experience to pay for it by becoming subscribers.
Canadian Affairs was founded by Lauren Heuser in 2023. You can read why Lauren founded a publication for families and professionals in her founding essay.
Canadian Affairs is independent and nonpartisan. It is wholly owned by Lauren and has no outside investors. It is a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization.
Our team
Our team is based across Canada. Our journalists welcome story ideas, tips and suggestions. You can find their contact information below.
Our staff and freelance journalists are expected to adhere to our Editorial Policy.
Publisher & Editor
Lauren Heuser founded Canadian Affairs in 2023. Her previous roles include chief strategy officer of a Paris-based news service for young people, deputy section editor at the National Post and corporate lawyer at a global law firm. She holds a JD from the University of Toronto and an MBA from INSEAD and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Fellowship in Global Journalism. Lauren was a nominee for the 2023 National Newspaper Award for Editorial Writing, for editorials produced in Canadian Affairs’ first six months of operation. More by Lauren Heuser
Editorial Advisor
Julie Carl has more than 30 years of experience in journalism, most recently as a senior editor at the Toronto Star. Julie started her journalism career at small-town Ontario newspapers. She then served as city editor at the London Free Press, managing editor at the Valley Today, Nova Scotia, opinion page editor at The Gleaner, New Brunswick, and deputy editor of the Winnipeg Free Press. Along the way she has garnered eight National Newspaper Awards — two for personal work, six for work she supervised — and three Michener citations. More by Julie Carl
Chetan Raina
Chief Financial Officer
Chetan Raina has more than 20 years of finance, investing and operations experience. He is the chief executive officer of YCharOS, a public-interest antibody characterization company, and was formerly managing director at Good Hill Partners LP, an investment fund in Connecticut. Chetan has a CFA and an engineering degree from the University of Toronto.
Reporter
Hadassah Alencar is a bilingual journalist based near Montreal. She recently completed the journalism program at Concordia University, where she worked as a teaching assistant and became editor-in-chief of The Concordian newspaper. Prior to pursuing her journalism degree, Hadassah freelanced for numerous publications. More by Hadassah Alencar
Reporter
Fin DePencier is a journalist, photographer and filmmaker based in Toronto. Over the past few years, he has reported on the ground from Ukraine, Armenia, Lebanon and Kazakhstan for outlets such as CTV News, C2C Journal and Palladium Magazine. In 2024, he released his first feature documentary from Ukraine, The Kharkiv Files. More by Fin DePencier
Reporter
Meagan Gillmore is an Ottawa-based reporter with a decade of journalism experience. Meagan got her start as a general assignment reporter at The Yukon News. She has freelanced for the CBC, The Toronto Star, Broadview, Chatelaine, Toronto Life and The Walrus and contributed reporting to Accessible Media Inc. since 2016. She has been nominated for a Digital Publishing Award and a National
Magazine Award and is a recipient of the Corcoran Award. She holds a master of journalism degree from Carleton University. More by Meagan Gillmore
Reporter
Nick Naylor is a Vancouver-based reporter. Nick recently graduated from Langara College’s journalism program, where he earned several college media awards. His writing has appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Tyee and The Voice. More by Nick Naylor
Religion Reporter
John Longhurst is a freelance religion reporter and columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press. He has been involved in journalism and communications for over 40 years, including as president of Canadian Church Press. In 2021, he received the Manitoba Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Inter-Religious Understanding for his work at the Free Press. More by John Longhurst
Energy & Natural Resources Reporter
James Walsh has 15 years of experience advising executives on domestic and global energy markets and policy. He has worked across Canada, the United States and Europe and is currently based in Atlantic Canada. He holds a MBA from Queen’s University, a business degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a CPA, and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Fellowship in Global Journalism. His journalism focuses on energy and resource issues, particularly their intersection with government policy. More by James Walsh
Crosswords Creator
Jonathan Bitidis is Canadian Affairs’ crosswords creator. Jonathan has enjoyed solving all types of puzzles for as long as he can remember. At some point, that transformed into a love of creating puzzles for others. He teaches at University of Toronto Schools in Toronto. More by Jon Bitidis
