Toula Drimonis
Quebec columnist | Montreal
About Toula Drimonis
Toula Drimonis is a Montreal-based writer, editor, and award-winning columnist. A former News Director with TC Media, her freelance work, which focuses mainly on Quebec politics and women's issues, has appeared in the National Post, the New York Times, Women in the World, Ricochet Media, Ms. Magazine, Buzzfeed Canada, and Mic, among others. She is a women's issues and political panel contributor for City Life, a local Montreal current affairs TV show and was on the advisory board for Use the Right Words, a national media guide on how to report on sexual violence.
Montrealers should be proud of their new animal control laws
The familiar clop-clop-clop of horses carrying tourists around Old Montreal has long been a familiar sound to locals and visitors, and a tradition for centuries. According to animal rights advocates, however, the calèches are an antiquated and often inhumane industry.
Not all heroes wear bras: students fight for the right not to wear one
Students at an an all-girls private school in Montreal have launched a petition to make bras optional after a student was told she should be wearing one.
Hero or traitor? Chelsea Manning says 'everything's gotten worse'
“So many decisions about technology are made without our consent,” she told the C2 Montreal conference. “We need to better understand the ethical constraints and moral implications of the technology we’re using. Our devices don’t necessarily work for us. They work for the manufacturers, they work for the advertisers. They are waiting to be compromised if we’re not careful."
Leading in the polls, the CAQ goes all out on expulsion plan for unwanted immigrants
I’m less concerned with a proposed immigration policy that ultimately relies on the federal government doing the CAQ's dirty work than the message it communicates, writes Montreal columnist Toula Drimonis.
La Presse enters uncharted territory for a Canadian legacy paper
"The question remains: can [La Presse] have their cake and eat it too? Can they be both a non-profit and continue to behave like they’re competing for ad dollars? It’s uncharted territory and as a scholar and observer, I think it’s fascinating and exciting to see this being tried." - Colette Brin, Director at the Centre d'études sur les medias.
‘Happy endings’ not part of the job
Imagine you’re an architect in a private consultation with a client, when suddenly he unzips his pants, starts masturbating in front of you, reaches climax, and then asks you for a tissue, acting like nothing happened.
Women are the majority in Quebec. Why is gender parity so hard for politicians?
With a provincial election only months away, and with demands for forced quotas back in the spotlight, it’s fascinating to watch the uncomfortable public squirming of party leaders take place; trying not to alienate female voters while simultaneously circumventing demands to legally force political parties to enforce parity in their pool of candidates.
Racial profiling a systemic problem for Montreal police
This past Saturday, racial profiling involving the Montreal police again made the front-page news when a biracial couple alleged that they were violently mistreated by Montreal police officers for "walking while black". They were on their way to brunch at 10 a.m. when police intercepted them and told them that they were being “too loud”.
Bissonnette was a far-right internet junkie whose addiction turned him into a killer
Is it really such a surprise that when you feed a troubled mind a steady diet of far-right media junk food, the end-result will be a fearful, angry, suspicious person who looks to violence as a solution?
Hijabs and turbans should be allowed in Montreal police uniforms
Is it possible for Quebecers opposed to the hijab to understand that a woman can be completely modern, independent, a progressive thinker, and able to conduct herself professionally, while still choosing to wear a headscarf?