For almost five decades, Catherine O’Hara, our September cover star, has kept us entertained with her natural comedic talent, her thoughtful, intelligent characters and a passion for her craft that continues to inspire generation after generation.

O’Hara has made her mark as a legendary Canadian treasure, setting a high bar and paving the way for so many women—both in her industry and beyond. Over the course of her long and successful career, she has always turned to comedy and laughter as a lens through which to see the world. And at 70 years old, she continues to do so—to everyone’s absolute delight.

This issue of ELLE Canada is all about powerful women who are also giving us another perspective. O’Hara is one, of course, but we’re also looking at women who are breaking the glass ceiling and making big changes in their respective industries as well as those who are taking on climate change by re-examining the way we fight fires. There are women who are taking a digital grassroots approach to looking at politics and the state of the world, women who are paving the way in food criticism and cooking and women who are pioneers in the fashion industry, helping make it both more inclusive—before that was ever considered a mainstream approach—and more innovative and artistic.

To Catherine O’Hara and all these exceptional women we admire, we thank you for constantly—and bravely—pushing forward and embracing creativity, individuality and fearlessness. But most importantly, we thank you for always being true to yourself.

Happy reading!

The September 2024 issue of ELLE Canada is now available on newsstands and Apple News+.

Photography, Andréanne Gauthier; Stylist, Vanessa Giroux; Makeup Artist, Sophie Parrot.

S. Banford is wearing a sweater vest by Emilio Pucci (at Holt Renfrew), jeans by Citizens of Humanity (at SSENSE) and jewellery by Drae Collection (at Simons).

Royal Gilbert

Catherine O'Hara is wearing a blazer, a shirt, trousers, a tie and a bag by Schiaparelli, and earrings and a large ring by Alexis Bittar. Publisher Sophie Banford. Editor-in-chief Joanna Fox. Photographer Royal Gilbert Creative director Olivia Leblanc Stylist Juliana Schiavinatto Makeup artist Jennifer Tioseco (The Wall Group) Hairstylist Owen Gould (The Wall Group) Editorial producer Pénélope Lemay Executive producer Greg Broussard Photography assistants Zachery Hobler, Jared Fix and Yoshi Miyakazi Stylist assistant Alexis Kossel Production assistant Joseph Martin Location Bespoke Locations

More from Society