Inside the August 2025 issue of Maclean’s

Inside the August Issue

Canadians continue to struggle with the cost of living. Nearly half of everyone polled in a recent RBC survey say they can’t maintain their standard of living due to rising costs, while 48 per cent also believe they won’t ever be able to get ahead financially. For many, it’s a scramble to escape living paycheque to paycheque.

A few months ago, a writer in Victoria named Jeni Gunn reached out to Maclean’s with a simple but compelling proposal: she wanted to write a candid, no-holds-barred account of what it’s like to be, as she put it, among the “working poor.” I was surprised by her language. That’s an economic term.

Few people use it to describe their own experience. But Jeni is a frank writer willing to examine her life unsentimentally. And she knows that what she’s experiencing is part of a national trend.

A magazine spread featuring a story titled

In her August issue cover story, she describes how she shops secondhand because that’s all she can afford. She talks about keeping her financial status a secret from her more financially comfortable peers. I admire Jeni’s bravery, and I am proud to be publishing her honest account about the struggles Canadians face every day.

The best way to support Maclean’s and allow us to continue publishing important stories like Jeni’s is to become a subscriber for just $39.99 a year. If you’re already a subscriber, please consider giving a Maclean’s subscription to someone you love. They’ll thank you, month after month.

—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief, Maclean’s