Maclean's

Canada's national magazine covering current affairs, politics, culture trends, ideas and personalities.

INVEST IN YOURSELF IN 2026

Maclean’s

EDITOR’S NOTE • IN THIS ISSUE OF MACLEAN’S

How Surgical Robots Are Transforming Health Care in Canada • Robotics are at the forefront of UHN’s vision for the future of surgery. Here’s how they’re helping to push the boundaries of health care innovation while training the next generation of surgical experts.

COMMENTS • READERS WEIGH IN

THE INTERVIEW • Adam Shoalts, bestselling author and modern-day explorer, takes “touching grass” to another level

Justice for Stablecoins • For years, people thought fiat-backed crypto was all hype, no value. Now that the government’s on board, Canadians should be too.

AGE OF INVENTION • Maclean’s latest Ideas Summit tackled how to turn science into economic security

Where Smart Choices Lead • What does a future-focused business education look like today? For these International Business University students, it meant choosing a program designed around employability and flexibility.

The Year Ahead 2026

Culture • Justin Bieber will bring his comeback to Coachella. A Dragon’s Den villain will crash Hollywood. And B.C. will transform into feudal Japan, ancient Scandinavia and a zombified Pacific Northwest.

Concert Tickets Might Finally Get Cheaper • In 2026, we’ll need fewer stadium extravaganzas and more intimate shows at small venues

Health • We’ll say goodbye to international med students and hello to mumps. Governments, meanwhile, will clear patient backlogs with AI scribes and private surgical centres.

Biohacking Will Go Mainstream • The fixation on ultra-masculine virility is changing how men understand their health

Business • Carney will turbocharge trade in the wake of Trump tariff woes, while workers will reluctantly come back to the office—that is, if they can find jobs at all

Pipelines Will Remain a Pipe Dream • Danielle Smith’s promise of a bitumen pipeline is nothing but a political abstraction

The Small-Business Survival Struggle • Canadian entrepreneurs are in a David-versus-Goliath battle with Trump’s tariffs to stay afloat. I’m one of them.

Climate • Wildfire displacement will redraw the map, EV adoption will decelerate and Canada will miss its emissions targets. Throughout it all, Mark Carney will put climate on the backburner.

Canada Could Become a Global Leader in a Hotter World • Canada will weather climate change relatively well. We need to prepare for fallout from countries that don’t.

The Fight For My Farming Future • I’m suing the country’s largest pension manager to protect my retirement fund

AI • As the government invests billions in AI sovereignty, Canada will become a hub for data centres and specialty chips. Ottawa will eye OpenAI’s tempting pitch—while a homegrown unicorn could finally go public.

AI Will Out-Think Humans • Tech billionaires are racing to reach artificial general intelligence—even if it makes us obsolete

Politics • Ottawa will pour billions into defence, Arctic development and nation-building, all the while facing off against power-hungry premiers. Outlandish deepfakes, meanwhile, will become a mainstay on social media.

Canada’s China Policy Will Be Decided in Washington • If Trump talks fail, Canada could look toward Beijing

Sports • Sidney Crosby will cement his legacy, while newbies like Gavin McKenna and Trey Yesavage become household names. The WNBA, meanwhile, makes its long-awaited debut in Toronto.

The World Cup Will Relegate Canada to the Sidelines • Canada will take a back seat to Trump’s aggressive America-first agenda

The Adult Rec-Sports...