Hélèna Katz   Writing • Tourism Promotion

Telling stories is what I do best.

• I was introduced to Canadian Governor-General David Johnston during his visit to my small northern community. When I told His Excellency that I graduated from McGill University while he was Principal, he exclaimed: “You’re one of my children! I always hug my children.” Then he threw his arms around me and gave me a nice, warm hug. He also graciously accepted a copy of my book Justice Miscarried: Inside Wrongful Convictions in Canada.
• Who says television is bad? I signed up for graduate school in criminology after watching a scene from Canadian television drama North of 60 in which teens were involved in a sentencing circle. My Master's thesis focused on a real-life peer sentencing program.

• I once ran a small youth hostel in Ireland and, later, an even smaller women’s shelter in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
• In 2006, I traded the sidewalks of downtown Montreal for life on an alpaca farm in northern Canada.