The Best of 2025: Maclean’s Top 10 Culture Stories
The artworks, food and obsessions that captivated Canadians this year
In the chaos and anxiety of 2025, Canadians are seeking meaning wherever they can—including, more than ever before, in the zodiac. This year, Courtney Shea dove deep into the world of astrology as both a solution to and symptom of Canadians’ quest for self-reflection. Her story was just one of many stories we published this year that illuminated Canadian culture; others included a technicolor photo essay capturing Vancouver’s Chinatown in the 1950s, a survey of the new Canadian cuisine and where to find it, and a roundup of 40 young people redefining what our country can be. Here, our top culture stories of 2025.
NO. 9
I’m 36 and Childfree—and I Just Got Sterilized
After years on hormonal birth control, I made a permanent decision not to have kids
NO. 6
The Story of Sugarcane, Canada’s Oscar Contender
It follows an inquiry into unmarked graves at a B.C. residential school—and is the first Oscar-nominated film by an Indigenous North American filmmaker
NO. 5
Anna Lambe Is TV’s New North Star
Lambe, the 24-year-old lead in North of North, is exposing the lighter side of Arctic life
NO. 1
20 Reasons to Eat Canadian Right Now
A bucket list of homegrown restaurants, chefs and dishes to experience this summer
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