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This article focuses on the 10 best high schools in Canada. It's perhaps no coincidence that two of the 10 schools featured in our second annual Canada's Best Schools survey are from Edmonton. Both Old Scona and Jasper Place are examples of how public high schools, under the right leadership, can tailor academic programs to meet the very particular needs -- and challenges -- of their students. In fact, all 10 high schools featured in these pages show how principals and teachers, given the freedom to innovate, can promote academic excellence. At Stelly's Secondary on Vancouver Island, Peter Mason, a math and outdoor education teacher as well as a veteran climber, raised thousands of dollars to erect elaborate outdoor and indoor climbing facilities that have become an integral part of school life. However they do it, the staff at Canada's best schools put the lie to the stereotype that high school is something to be endured, not embraced. These kids are actually clamouring to spend more time with teachers and peers. At John Rennie High School in Montreal, students seem to want to get involved. Kipling Collegiate Institute, among Toronto's most economically disadvantaged schools, has long had a rough reputation -- it was the place where kids who weren't likely to succeed bided their time. The turnaround, however, hasn't been through an emphasis on academics, but rather through fostering hope and mutual respect. Unlike most arts schools, Rosedale Heights School of the Arts doesn't admit students based on auditions.

This article focuses on the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. The Holy Father died this evening at 21:37 in his private apartment. In the final days, the man who was never afraid to speak was reduced to silence, the papacy that reached out across the globe confined to a bedroom overlooking St. Peter's Square. After years of slow decline, the first indication that 84-year-old Karol Wojtyla's death was rapidly approaching came from the windows where he had so often addressed his flock during his 26 years as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Shortly after 11 p.m. came the confirmation, a terse statement from the Vatican press office saying the Pope was receiving treatment for a high fever caused by a urinary tract infection. On Thursday afternoon, as doctors battled to control the infection, the Pope's blood pressure plummeted and he went into septic shock, ultimately suffering heart failure. John Paul had clearly been suffering since a bout of the flu led to a 10-day stay in hospital at the beginning of February. A little-known cleric who had spent much of his career behind the Iron Curtain, Wojtyla emerged as the compromise pick of his fellow cardinals back in October 1978, following the abrupt death of John Paul I just 33 days into his reign. Vigils and special masses were held all over the world, even before the Pope's passing. Speculation has already begun about who will be charged with carrying on the global legacy of John Paul.

This article focuses on the murder of four police officers in Alberta, Canada. Just think how many people would be better off had James Roszko not been born 46 years ago in the central Alberta town of Mayerthorpe. Chief among them are the four young RCMP constables the hate-filled Roszko shot and killed at his farm on March 3, before turning his high-powered, rapid-fire rifle on himself. Last week, family and friends laid the four slain officers to rest in their home communities, and thousands of others gathered in Edmonton for an emotional national memorial service -- the largest such ceremony in RCMP history. Beyond the pain Roszko inflicted on individuals, one of the most remarkable things about his final crime -- on its surface, the random act of a deranged killer -- is how it managed to strike at the heart of so many hot-button issues in Canadian public life. We now know the RCMP had been summoned to Roszko's farm on March 2 to assist with the repossession of a 2005 Ford pickup Roszko had leased from an Edmonton company. It was only then officers discovered stolen auto parts and 20 mature pot plants and initiated their fateful overnight stakeout.To the degree marijuana played a role in the RCMP's decision to guard Roszko's farm, it arguably bolsters the case for legalizing (as opposed to "decriminalizing") this relatively soft drug and then regulating and taxing it, much as alcohol is now. A more pertinent issue is what the tragedy says about Ottawa's controversial national gun registry. Trying to make sense of Roszko's destructive life, and especially his last horrific deed, raises questions that range far beyond the law and public policy. It goes to what theologians call "the problem of evil." How can an all-powerful, all-loving God allow such a thing to happen?

Profiles several young Canadians who are already becoming successes in various fields. Runner Nicolas Macrozanris; Golfer Eom-Ji Park; Youth activists Crystal Procyshen and Kevin King; Farmer Greg Dietrich; Kayak guide Mikael Rioux; Scholars Laura Lucier and Jonathan Sick.

Shortly after bidding opened, word began to spread in the cattle auction house in Olds, Alta. that a single cow in northern Alberta, already dead for nearly four months, had been identified as suffering from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. By week's end, the search for clues into how a black Angus breeder cow became infected with the dreaded brain-wasting disease had forced 13 Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. farms into quarantine, with more expected to follow. All 150 head of cattle at the cow's last home, a farm in northwestern Alberta, were sent for slaughter so the animals' brains could be tested for BSE. Politicians and federal health officials were quick to insist that no such risk to humans existed in Canada as a result of last week's developments. The breeder cow, they noted, was effectively removed from the food chain on Jan. 31, after a provincial inspector at an Alberta abattoir noticed it looked underweight and deemed it to be suffering from pneumonia. While the breeder cow had been removed from the food chain, officials could not say, with equal certainty, that the same was true for its offspring, some of which remained unaccounted for at week's end. Nor could they rule out the possibility that other animals had been infected with BSE. A prolonged mad cow scare could also spook Alberta's $5-billion-a year tourist industry, perhaps doing for the mountain resort towns of Banff and Jasper what SARS has done to Toronto.

On one of the final legs of his 3,400-kilometer trek between Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park and Watson Lake, Yukon, Karsten Heuer watched helplessly as his travelling companion and future wife, Leanne Allison, struggled to follow him. For Heuer, the drama provoked some soul-searching about the expedition he undertook in support of an ambitious proposal to carve out a conservation corridor from Yellowstone to the Yukon. A wildlife biologist who works as a seasonal park warden in Banff National Park and Ivvavik National Park in the northwest corner of the Yukon, Heuer was inspired to do his trek after learning about the Y2Y initiative, which was first proposed in the early 1990s. It has since evolved into a binational campaign involving over 160 conservation organizations.

By his own account, the most powerful man in Canada's oil patch is, at heart, a simple country boy. Gwyn Morgan, president and chief executive officer of EnCana Corp., the world's largest independent oil and gas producer, traces his core values and philosophy of life and business to his modest upbringing on a hardscrabble grain and livestock farm near Carstairs, Alta. Morgan has certainly moved on. By engineering the April 2002 merger of two oil and gas behemoths, Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. (which Morgan helped establish in the 1970s and had headed since 1994) and PanCanadian Energy Corp., the farmer's son vaulted from a position of relative obscurity to someone who readily commands attention on the national stage. Morgan's nose for the main chance surfaced again in October 2001 when he heard about the abrupt departure of David Tuer as chief executive of PanCanadian, the recently spun-off energy unit of Canadian Pacific Ltd. Morgan initiated backroom negotiations with David O'Brien, the former chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Canadian Pacific who had replaced Tuer on an interim basis at PanCanadian.

Focuses on farm operations which have been successful in Canada. Mention of Sunterra Enterprises, a farming, food processing, and retail conglomerate; Topic of agricultural trends and farm consolidation; Problem of drought in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Focuses on pollution problems caused by sewage, garbage, traffic, and smog in cities in Canada. Belief that pollution in cities is worsening; Percentage of Canadians who live in urban areas; Air and water quality in cities.

Previews an art exhibition entitled 'The Group of Seven In Western Canada,' at the Calgary, Alberta Glenbow Museum, that encompasses nearly 200 works spanning from 1914 to the mid-1960s. Work of the Group of Seven, painters all based in Toronto, Ontario, who found inspiration from nature to paint; Mention of an exhibition by Tom Thomson at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa; How both exhibitions reinforce that land was a key inspiration for all the artists.

Focuses on the Revolutionary Knitting Circle in Calgary, Alberta and how they will protest the G8 summit of leaders from eight major industrialized nations, which is to be held in Kananaskis in June 2002. Plans of the Jean Chrétien government to provide the world leaders with security from protestors and terrorists; Response of Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier to a request by activists to pitch tents in one of the city's urban parks; Preparations of the Calgary police to handle emergencies; Views of activist Sarah Kerr. INSET: IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?.

Focuses on the celebrations of Canadian fans following wins by the men's and women's hockey teams in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Patriotic reactions of some Canadians after the victories; Importance of the sport of hockey to Canada.

Discusses the synchrotron project under construction at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as of winter 2002. Background on the technology of the giant particle accelerator and how it will be used in fields such as medicine; Details of the financing and design of the Canadian Light Source project; Cost of the facility, which will be a third-generation synchrotron that provides light a thousand times more intense than earlier models; How the province won the project.

Focuses on the Northern Advancement Program of the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George that helps aboriginal students make the transition to higher education. Cases of Warner and Patricia Naziel who endured racism but found success after enrolling in the program; History of the program, which was founded in 1990; Efforts of other Canadian colleges and universities to recruit aboriginal students; Demographics of Canadian aboriginal peoples.

Reports on the Banff Mountain Book Festival and the Banff Mountain Film Festival in the Canadian Rockies. Background on Bernadette McDonald, vice-president of Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre and her role in promoting the festivals; Financing of the festivals and the world tour; Participants in the festivals, including documentary filmmaker Rick Ridgeway, Mexican alpinist Carlos Carsolio, and American conservationist Mike Fay.

Reports on efforts to revitalize the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba as of August, 2001. Mention of plans to renovate abandoned buildings and create new jobs; Comments of Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray; Public and private sector projects; Hope that the city's downtown area will become more hip and attractive.

Focuses on Edmonton, Alberta, the sight of the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, an international track and field event. Publicity which the event will bring to the city; Importance of the event being the only world championship held in North America; Impact of the event on Canadian athletes.

Reports on the festivities of the 2001 Calgary Stampede in Alberta. Reaction from local businessmen about the events; Impact of Stampede visitors on businesses; Authenticity of the rodeo event.

Offers observations on the potential economic effects for Canadian oil companies conducting business with the United States. Canadian government response to the US energy plan; Increase in energy needs in the United States; The efforts of US President George W. Bush to promote oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska; The growth of the oil industry in Canada.

Discusses the public educational system in Canada as of May 2001. The impact of teacher shortages and labor strife on education; The utilization of alternative means of education, including home schooling and private schools; Examples of education reform in Ontario; How a decrease in the amount of spending by the federal and provincial governments has impacted education.

Focuses on Canadian teenagers. Study of teenagers which was conducted by Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby; Views of Canadian teenagers concerning their parents and family; Sexual activity among Canadian teenagers; Accessibility to drugs and alcohol; Religious interests of Canadian teenagers; Others. INSETS: Papa and 'pop sociologist';Why is 'teen' a bad word?, by Reginald Bibby;The babe-or-bust syndrome.

Focuses on the Canadian province of Alberta. Economic growth in the area caused by industrial development; Influx of people from other areas of Canada; Views of Albertans regarding the rest of Canada.

Focuses on the resignation of Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard. Impact of the resignation on the sovereignty movement; Reasons why he quit, including wanting to spend more time with his family; Possible successors, including Bernard Landry.

Discusses cell phone usage in Canada. Prediction that the popularity of cell phones is growing; Technological advances; The use of cell phones is social settings; The hazards of driving while speaking on a cell phone. INSETS: ANSWERING THE CALL;Brains and cells, by Mark Nichols.

Discusses the results of the Canadian federal election as of November 28, 2000. Observations on the bitterness of the campaign; Triumph of Prime Minister Jean Chretien; Results for the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, Canadian Alliance and New Democratic Parties; Possibility of partisanship in the Parliament.

Focuses on the impact of changes in Canada's labor force on the efforts of employers to retain workers. Results of a survey of workforce commitment conducted by Aon Consulting; Increasing number of employees who value job satisfaction over loyalty; Willingness of Canadians to change jobs for slight pay increases; Relationship between customer and employee satisfaction; Response of companies to low employee morale. INSET: Remembering their day jobs, by Susan McClelland.

Reports on the efforts of Canadian premier Ralph Klein to sell his Health Care Protection Act to the public. Provisions of the bill which would allow some private clinics in Alberta to perform surgical procedures requiring overnight stays; Reasons why Klein is pushing the bill, including its ability to effectively reduce surgical waiting lists; Protest against the legislation from organizations such as the Canadian and Alberta medical associations and from Liberal leader Nancy Macbeth.

Offers information on the status of the Canadian farming industry. How increases in production costs and decreasing commodity prices are impacting the farmers; Hopes of the farmers that a demonstration at the Saskatchewan legislature will pressure the government to provide $300 million in farm aid; Details on the status of farmers and the industry in Milden, Saskatchewan. INSETS: This year is the worst that we can remember;The farm crisis is real, despite Mr. Chretien's suave...;This is what the government does not see.

Reports on the nursing home and long-term care facilities for the elderly in Canada. How there is a shortage of facilities for elderly people who need intensive medical care; How existing facilities are often inadequate because of neglect and incompetent care; The high cost of care in the long-term care facilities; Increasing role of families in home care of the elderly.

Reports on the New Years Eve 1999 celebrations that took place around the world. The celebrations in Sydney, Australia; Fireworks at the Great Wall near Beijing, China; Laser illumination of the Egyptian pyramids; Revellers in Ottawa, Ontario; The few Year 2000 (Y2K) computer snags that took place in Canada. INSET: A happy new year.

Focuses on Manitoba's premier-designate, Gary Doer. His political desires; Election of Doer over his long-term Conservative adversary Gary Filmon for the premiership; Why Doer believes he was a better politician than Filmon; The challenges facing him when he is sworn in as premier on October 5, 1999. INSET: 'A co-operative environment'.

Focuses on the Pan-American Games of 1999, taking place in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The image of Winnipeg that civic boosters hope to display; Negative national profile; Numbers of visitors expected to attend; The new facilities built to accommodate the Games; Lack of popularity of the Games; History of Winnipeg as an economic power; The changes in the population of the city; Comments from Winnipeg business leader Izzy Asper; Ticket sales for the event.

Focuses on the April 28, 1999 shooting at W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta. Details of the attack in which a 14-year-old student opened fire, fatally shooting one student and injuring another; Description of the shooter; Unexpected nature of the attack in the small, religious town; The attack as part of actual and threatened schoolyard violence in the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado; Comments from students; Outlook. INSET: The copycat syndrome, by Patricia Chisholm.

Focuses on the acts of terrorism, which occurred in the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta, that have been directed at the oil and gas industry since 1996. Charges against Wiebo Ludwig and Richard Boonstra on conspiracy and mischief; Claims by environmentalists against the oil and gas companies; Biographical background of Ludwig; Bombings that have occurred in the area.

Comments on the airline crash of Swissair Flight 111. Number of people killed; Flight from New York to Geneva crashing into the Atlantic Ocean near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia; Transcripts of the conversation between pilots before the crash; Possibility that the aircraft suffered an electrical shutdown; View that the wiring led to the electrical shutdown; Use of Kapton insulation in the wiring of the plane; Why Kapton was banned from use by the United States military. INSET: A rekindled debate over wiring, by Tom Fennell et al..

Examines how the weakening Canadian dollar has impacted vacation plans of Canadians. Decision of many to stay close to home; Worries of Royal Bank of Canada chief economist John McCallum; Mounting anxiety over the exchange rate gap against the United States dollar; American destinations that are attempting to lure Canadian customers; Canadian attitudes toward the dollar's woes. INSET: Free advice.

Discusses taxation in Canada in 1999. Why Canada is losing skilled workers to the United States; The total tax burden in Canada and the personal tax burden; The increased taxation demands of federal and provincial governments; The impact of taxation on investments and savings; Criticism against Finance Minister Paul Martin for his conservative revenue estimates; How the estimates impact taxation; Taxation differences from province to province. INSET: Going Down the Road, by Susan McClelland and Susan Oh.

Discusses efforts by the Canadian government to toughen laws regarding young offenders and factions within the government that believe more emphasis should be put on prevention and rehabilitation. Description of a bill that will be referred to the House of Commons justice committee; How police officers, lawyers and others see adult sentencing; Other initiatives aimed at helping turn around even the most troubled youths. INSET: Violence and Punishment.

Examines the debate over whether women can successfully balance career and family. Uproar over the book `What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us,' by Danielle Crittenden; The stress involved in a two-income family; Concealed tensions that exist socially over the issue; Percentage of women with small children who work outside of the house; Problems that stay-at-home mothers encounter when they do re-enter the workplace; Growing number of women that admit they cannot keep up with the demands of work and family. INSET: The Privilege of Home.

Focuses on the severe winter storm which crippled the city of Toronto, Ontario in January of 1999. Snowfall totals; The frigid temperatures which accompanied the storm; How people across Canada reacted to the city's plight; Delays that the storm caused at Pearson airport, the main air traffic hub in Canada; How the storm affected the homeless, the elderly and people with physical disabilities; Efforts to keep the city going by Mayor Mel Lastman. INSET: `Homelessness is Fixable,' by Warren Caragata.

Focuses on sexual predation and discrimination against women in Canada's military. Detailed allegations of sexual assault in response to a May 25, 1998 cover story, `Rape in the military,' in `Macleans'; The revelations of Maj. Dee Brasseur; The reporting women's consistent fear of retaliation if they are identified; Response of military officials. INSETS: In defence of the military, by Brian Bergman;When the victims are men.

Focuses on the sport of curling in Canada. Comments of Sean O'Hare, president of the Fort Simpson Curling Club; Development of the sport; Dates of international curling competitions; Efforts to expand curling into new areas; Popularity of curling in Canada; Details of how to curl. INSETS: The iceman cometh;Hacks and hog lines.

Focuses on Canadian respirologist Nancy Morrison. Judicial decision that she did not have to stand trial for the first-degree murder of Paul Mills, a terminally ill cancer patient; How she has become the unwilling focus of a national debate over euthanasia; Background on Morrison's medical treatment of Mills; Specifics on the inquiry; Questions as to the morality of mercy killing.

Discusses circumstances surrounding the ice storm that struck Canada on January 5, 1998. How the cities of Montreal, Ottawa and communities from Kingston, Ontario to Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley resembled battle zones; The power failures at the hospitals, the failure of traffic lights, the closing of the subway system, and the radio and television station's loss of their broadcast signals; One of the greatest ironies of the storm. INSET: Blame it on El Nino, by Mark Nichols.

Discusses the activities planned to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's landing in Newfoundland. His status as the first European to set foot in the region that became Canada; The construction of a replica of his ship Matthew; Comment from Newfoundland Tourism Minister Sandra Kelly; The history of Cabot's voyages. INSET: Cabot's landing place remains a mystery..

Discusses the outcome of the June 1997 elections in Canada. Evidence that the election has left Canada splintered as never before; The hollow victory for the Liberal party and Prime Minister Jean Chretien; How Reform party Leader Preston Manning's role as official Opposition leader highlights tensions between the regions; Quebec sovereignty worries; Outcome of election for Alexa McDonough and her New Democratic Party; The Tories and Jean Charest; Bloc Quebecois and Gilles Duceppe. INSETS: What comes next?, by Mary Janigan.;Victors and vanquished..

Considers the controversy in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island over the construction of the Confederation Bridge. The bridge as a fixed link between Canada's smallest province and the mainland at Jourimain Island, New Brunswick; The feared social impact of the bridge; Economic impact; Comments from opponents and proponents of the bridge; Background on the project and the debate over it; The planned Bridgefest celebration.

Looks at the prospects for Newfoundland as of March 1997, in light of the flurry of activity centered around offshore oil in the region. Details on the Hibernia offshore oil platform; Plans to develop two other major oil discoveries in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin; Comments from Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin and talk-show host Bill Rowe; The possibility that the region will undergo a revival; Public sentiment; Other details. INSET: Voisey's Bay showdown, by Tom Fennell..

Focuses on the issue of censorship in Canada. Specifics on two landmark cases, one involving the Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium in Vancouver, and the other, the paintings of Toronto artist Eli Langer; How debate arouses deep and divisive passions on both sides; Ironies that exist in the battle. INSETS: Exit to erotica (the film `Exit to Eden'), by Dale Eisler;Speaking out (prominent Canadians on censorship and pornography).

Examines how the brutal slayings of three young Canadians have touched off outpourings of grief, fear and rage. Georgina Leimonis, 23, killed during an armed robbery at a Toronto cafe; Joan Heimbecker, 25, slain by her former boyfriend; Nicholas Battersby, 27, shot to death by strangers in Ottawa. INSET: Life, liberty--and lots of guns, by Bob Levin..