What made you join Cam City WI?
I was already a member of Ladybirds and I enjoyed WI activities so much that I wanted more.  So even though I can only attend Cam City's Wednesday meetings for part of the year, I decided to become a member anyway to support the organisation and be able to come whenever I'm able.

Who inspires you and why?
Elizabeth Warren inspires me because she never intended to become a politician, but when Republicans refused to let her head up the consumer protection bureau she founded, she looked them right in the eye and became a Senator instead.  Now she's there in the US Senate staring both parties down, consistently protecting people from all walks of life against corporate greed.  To me, that's a great example of when life hands you lemons, you don't make lemonade, you throw those lemons hard back at your oppressors and fight for the causes you believe in.

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Malala Yousafzai as well, for the same basic reasons.  She was just a girl trying to go to school with no specific global political aspirations.  Then she was shot in the head by religious extremists trying to outlaw education for girls.  Now she's a massive force all over the world for women's rights, education rights, and peace.  She too looked oppression in the eye and stood up against it.

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I admire anyone who won't take, "Because that's the way it's always been," or "Because this fight is too hard," for an answer, who sticks to their ethics and morals even in the face of people telling them to be quiet and sit down.

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And every time someone tells me to back off, be quiet, don't talk about politics, don't fight that fight, I think about women like Warren and Yousafzai and rise up against the forces of complacency to keep shouting, keep fighting, and refuse to let naysayers stand in my way.

What's your philosophy in life?
Fix bigotry and oppression, cure poverty, and then we'll all have more time for cake and video games.  However I'm also old and jaded so I know we're never going to fix and cure those things, so instead I'm going to keep bashing at them every chance I get and have a bit of cake and video games on the side.

Secret skills?
None of my skills are secret.  I blog and podcast about my sugar arts -

www.eat-the-evidence.com,  I write feminist romance and would frankly love for more of you to buy it and read it so I hardly keep it secret findinggaia.com.  Why keep a skill secret if you can use it to do good in the world?  Women are taught to be "modest" but men are allowed to trumpet what they can do.  Screw that.  I'm good at stuff and I will tell anyone about it who wants to listen.  I'm an award-winning sugar artist, I'm a published author and journalist, and I use my skills loudly and proudly all the time.

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Guilty pleasures?
I'm working on never feeling guilty for pleasures.  Everyone should be able to indulge any pleasure that doesn't harm anyone else in any way.  I used to feel guilty for taking down time, but now when I do manage to get some I know I've earned it and I shouldn't have to feel guilty for it.

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What's your poison?
I eat more carbs than I should because they're awesome.  I'd rather die earlier than live a life without carbs.  Also you can eat no carbs and still get hit by a truck tomorrow anyway.  If this question meant alcohol, I don't drink and the assumption that everyone does can be very excluding to those of us who don't.

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What would you do for a million?
Only anything I'm already doing.  My ethics and lifestyle aren't for sale.

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What would you do with a million?  
I'd love to set up a sugar arts studio that can serve not only as a fun place for anyone of any age or skill level to come learn cake and cookie decorating, but to also be a place where at-risk youth can come learn real career skills. A place to host charity bake sales regularly. 

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I'd love to have a workshop where I can be creative any time I want without conflicting with the family kitchen but not be beholden to sales, and be able to use it to make a difference in my community.

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I mean it's tempting to say I'd use a million towards world peace or stopping Brexit or fixing other problems but honestly a million doesn't get you very far with those goals.

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So yeah, I'd use it to do a thing that would make me happy and allow me to better give back to my community without having to worry about charging for everything.

What are you top three bucket items?

1. Win some kind of major cake industry award that really gets me noticed and respected,

2. Watch my kids win their own career goals,

3. Show my kids the places in Canada I loved when I was growing up.

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What would be the perfect day for you?
My favourite comfort foods brought to me all day in a way I don't have to cook or clean up after, getting creative things done with either my favourite podcasts or TV shows on as I work, being able to be with my family in a way that isn't me being the domestic servant and/or drill sergeant, not having to deal with any bigots/misogynists/trolls/idiots on the internet, and then going to bed with clean, outdoor-dried sheets without any stress or drama having occurred all day.  All with nobody getting in my way or telling me how to be in the world.  That'd be perfect.

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