Family
Who are the Martels?
Han and David, both in their early forties, are married with three children; Sebastien (14), Charlotte (13) and Romy (7). Han is Chinese-Canadian and her husband is half French Canadian, half Jamaican. A truly mixed blend of cultures came together when they met and is reflected in the varied shades and features of their offspring. The couple has a busy home life and a full house. Not only do all three children live at home, along with their cat named Mou, but Han and David have also made room for David’s aging father who lives in their in-law suite on the main floor of their two-story home.
Han
Mom, Career Woman/Phone Addict
Han is a real estate agent who is permanently attached to either her laptop, her tablet or her phone. These are her lifelines; helping her to stay on top of her appointments, her clients, her colleagues and her kids. She’s on-the-go at odd hours and on weekends, but she’s a pretty typical, busy working mom. Being connected is at the top of her must-have-no-matter-what list.
“Where's my phone? I know it’s here somewhere… ”
David
Dad, Blogger, Foodie
David is an instructor in the culinary arts at the local community college. Cooking is his passion, so much so that he started a food blog where he posts photographs of his latest dinner creations … or at least he tries his best to post them. David’s far from being technologically advanced, but he’s stubbornly determined to figure it out on his own.
“Honey, where’s the spatula? I’m working on my blog… (<p>I think I got this HTML down…</p>)”
Romy
Youngest, #nonbinary
Romy is the baby of the family, at seven-years-old. Romy loves movies, especially binge watching movie-after-movie, then acting them out, even if nobody’s paying any attention. Romy’s got a flare for the dramatic and an opinion about almost everything – especially when it comes to gender identity. Romy’s not into being labeled or defined.
“Hey! Look! Watch me dance!”
Charlotte
Middle Child, MVP of everything
Charlotte, nicknamed Charlie, is thirteen and she’s the MVP of everything. She’s all about sports, sports and, oh yeah, sports. When she’s not streaming sports on her tablet or sharing her latest game highlights on social media or texting her friends about practice schedules, she’s tracking her steps and her stats with her wearable fitness activity tracker.
“CRUSH THEMMMMM”
Sebastien
Oldest Child, Technophile
Sebastien is fourteen. He’s a tech savvy, self-taught computer nerd who designs and builds computers for kicks. Due to a childhood muscular disorder, he’s in a wheelchair. Sebastien is continually modifying and souping up the electronics of his wheelchair with the help of his extensive network of online geek-forum pals.
“Hold on one second, I'm just fixing this...”
Olivier
Grandpa, News Junkie
Olivier is David’s French-Canadian father. At 75, he’s a widower and a retired military man who’s on a mission to get up to speed on all this new fangled technology. He might be a little out of touch and every so often way too trusting and gullible, but he’s an avid news junkie, so he’s not giving up. Olivier wants to stay informed about what’s going on in the world, so Sebastien is his go-to tech support when his tablet “goes all funny”.
“You kids and your toys – back in my day…”
Mou
Cat, Professonal Napper
Mou is a one-of-a-kind cat. Nobody really knows where Mou came from: Romy found him on an animal rescue site and fell in love instantly – they’re besties and Mou-vie lovers. The Martels brought him in and have loved him as one of their own ever since. He’s a cheeky fella that loves napping on laptops, and in sunbeams, boxes, slippers – anywhere! If he fits, he sits. He watches over the Martels and joins them on their daily adventures.
“Meowvies are my fav”
Friends
Kavya
Yogini, tech savvy senior
Kavya is Olivier’s new friend. They met in yoga class. She’s a retired civil servant who lives in a nearby condo. She wears a sari and a fitness activity tracker. She meditates and she tweets. She zips around town by virtual car and orders traditional Indian dishes via mobile app. Kavya is a perfect blend of traditional and modern.
“Namaste that app!”
Leo Cheechoo
Hipster, Indigenous entrepreneur
Leo Cheechoo is a thirtyish Indigenous hipster who owns and operates the Kikiwaw Café. He’s cool and laid-back despite almost single-handedly running a very busy, trendy hang-out that’s a magnet for students, retirees, and professionals in the neighbourhood. Some say it’s the super high speed fibre optic internet that gets the place hopping, but Leo says the secret is in his great coffee!
“Dude! A day without coffee is … wait, is there such a thing?”
Nick and Nook
Twin miniature dachshunds, dog food connoisseurs, scratch-and-sniff pros
Nick and Nook are identical miniature dachshunds whose doting parents are Robert and Richard. The pair were a condo-warming gift from Robert’s mother who treats the pair of dogs like her grandchildren. Both Nick and Nook are picky eaters, sofa hogs, nosy parkers and cat lovers (even though cats don’t love them back, especially Mou). Forever nosing their way into some sort of trouble, the canine duo keep Robert and Richard on their toes, but always laughing.
“Barkubly … Dachshunds rule!”
Richard
Digital nomad, bohemian, artist, Robert’s life partner
Richard is the other half of a young professional, same-sex couple sharing an ultra-chic condo that also serves as Richard’s art studio. He’s a successful artist who markets his creations on his self-made digital store. Richard has a bohemian vibe – short and boyish with a hipster beard. Richard and Robert own two miniature dachshunds named Nick and Nook. Rarely apart, the couple are known as R&R – their self-proclaimed supercouple nickname.
“Hey! I think I’m trending right now!”
Robert
Location-independent financial expert, stylish professional, Richard’s life partner
Robert looks like he just stepped off the cover of GQ – great hair, great teeth, great clothes. He’s Richard’s better half and he’s a dog lover through and through – despite the shedding. As an independent financial consultant, Robert is passionate about watching the markets, trading, banking, and connecting with his global clients – all the while working remotely in cafés, cabs and parks managing his location-independent online business.
“Let’s do lunch … online!”
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