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Sylvia Tyson is Canadian country's new hall of famer. Pictures of crows crowd the walls of Sylvia Tyson's dining room. It's an unusual fixation. But since the breakup of her marriage to Ian Tyson in the mid-'70s, and the dissolution of their powerhouse folk duo, Ian & Sylvia, Tyson has been diligently going her own way. And this September, at the 27th annual Canadian Country Music Awards, Shania Twain will present Tyson with the Hall of Fame Award. A striking woman, Tyson--who is also a member of Quartette, which includes singer-songwriters Cindy Church, Caitlin Hanford and Gwen Swick--is more uncomfortable under scrutiny than one might expect from a seasoned performer.

Ruth Shamai owns Ruth's Hemp Foods, a Toronto-based company that markets raw shelled hemp seeds as well as hemp bars, chips, oil, salsa, milk, salad dressing and burgers. A long-time, leading proponent of legalizing hemp production in Canada (which was realized in 1998), Shamai decided that the best bits--seeds chock full of essential fatty acids and high quality protein--should be incorporated into nutritious meals. Renée Loux Underkoffler, a Maui-based raw and living food chef and cookbook author, understands the reticence people have toward healthier eating. Underkoffle is featured in the Ron Mann documentary, 'Go Further.' Underkoffler's cookbook is called 'Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Food.'

When Toronto real estate prices started skyrocketing in the late-1990s, house painter Jeff Trafford turned his handyman skills into a new career--fluffing houses. Trafford started Dress to Sell to help people make their properties more attractive to buyers. Now, Trafford, 40, has three full-time employees and a bevy of subcontractors who are busy plastering, painting and landscaping soon-to-be-sold homes for fees ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. They do all of the work themselves--shower walls that need to be re-tiled, floors in bathrooms and kitchens, cabinets that need to be re-hung and painted, electrical work

As weddings bells ring, stress levels rise--especially for brides and bridesmaids. They organize the flowers and showers and then, inevitably, something goes wrong on the Big Day--whether it's red wine on the gown or the groom's ex showing up to proclaim her undying love. To keep the dream from dissolving into a nightmare, follow the advice of Toronto-based etiquette gurus (and co-authors of 'The Fabulous Girl's Code Red: A Guide to Grace under Pressure') Ceri Marsh and Kim Izzo.

Cybéle Young, a Toronto sculptor who makes small Japanese paper constructions of everyday urban symbols, including T-shirts, fire hydrants, shoes, chairs and handbags--has come up with some playful titles for her pieces. In her solo show, "Toys that Linger," opening at Toronto's Prime Gallery on May 29, the artist (who makes most of her income from art fairs in the United States) is displaying these paper constructions as well as some small bronze sculptures that use the same iconography. Her fascination for all things little started as a child when she would build miniature farms with tiny tools. Today, her seven-year-old daughter Calder remains a huge inspiration. In fact, Young and her husband David named their child after the American sculptor Alexander Calder "more for his philosophy than his art," she explains.

In mid-1996, a group of University of Manitoba fine arts students started meeting every Wednesday in their shared studio. Together they worked on drawings as well as paintings, videos, collages, fanzines, masks, costumes, dioramas, kites and even puppets. Today, the group--made up of Michael Dumontier, Hollie Dzama, Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, Drue Langlois and Myles Langlois--is still going strong. An exhibit of their works, titled "Ask the Dust," was displayed at the Drawing Center in New York City, and broke all attendance records at the 25-year-old gallery. After Toronto, the show of over 700 Royal Art Lodge pieces is scheduled to hang in Holland's De Vleeshal gallery.

Profiles Liam Titcomb, an acoustic guitar musician. His talent; Influence of his father, Brent Titcomb; His upbringing in Toronto, Ontario; Comments from Titcomb; His development deal with Sony Music Canada.

This new series, "Family Secrets," is without a doubt, haunting. Directed by Toronto-based Maureen Judge, "Family Secrets" is exactly as the title suggests -- each episode focuses on one person or family, peeling back the layers from a secret they've kept. There's an infertile wife, a cross-dressing father and an S&M mother. The emotions of these Canadians are laid bare on film, transfixing viewers and drawing them into the stories. For example, in one episode, three brothers talk about the night that their father brutally murdered their mother -- visiting her grave and looking at old family photographs. But while the rawness of the series is fascinating, there are no resolutions, which is frustrating.

Focuses on the organic-looking structure built by artist Tony Paginton of Toronto, Ontario. Comments of Paginton, a former architect; His thoughts on growing houses that provide not only shelter but food, water and energy; Paginton's backyard shelter made from concrete and found objects.

Comments on an interview with actor Harrison Ford in Toronto, Ontario. Topic of his film 'K-19: The Widomaker'; Details of how he is dressed, including an earring; Characterization of Ford as grumpy because of his terse answers to questions.

Focuses on the popularity of circus training as a fitness activity for those who seek alternative to aerobics and other traditional forms of exercise. Mention of the Toronto School of Circus Arts, which has several professional acrobats guide people on how to do circus moves; How facing one fear's is the key to learning the moves.