Weekly News Recap: December 3, 2021

Weekly News Recap: December 3, 2021

Canada Post has unveiled a new commemorative stamp to honour celebrated author Margaret Atwood. The launch event in Toronto included speeches by, from left, filmmaker Sarah Polley and activist Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, standing next to Atwood, with Doug Ettinger, president and CEO of Canada Post, on the right. (Canada Post)

you fit into me; like a hook into an eye; a fish hook; an open eye -- Margaret Atwood

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Plans unveiled for Calgary to Cochrane section of Trans Canada Trail (CBC) COCHRANE STORY This is awesome! "A long-awaited hiking and biking trail that would run all the way from Calgary's western edge through to Cochrane stepped closer to completion [...] as organizers unveiled details of Stage One of the construction. Parts of the pathway already exist, including a paved trail through Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Organizers said Tuesday that they hope to complete the first phase of the trail — a 38-kilometre-long section between the western section of the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway Trail in Calgary along the Bow River through to Cochrane — by 2025."

  • Will structure shows millennial entrepreneurs put their money where their heart is (India Times) Yes!!! "Startup founders, consultants, lawyers and other C-suite executives, mostly aged between 30 to 45 years are seeking help from professionals to help them to navigate the terrain of philanthropy, not just from the vantage of giving but also from a tax point of view."

  • Balloons, dancers and a cheering crowd: Macy's Thanksgiving parade returns in 'full strength' (CBC) Slowly back to "normal" (or at least the new normal). Crimped by the coronavirus pandemic last year, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade returned [...] in full, though with precautions. Balloons, floats, marching bands, clowns and performers — and, of course, Santa Claus — once again moved through roughly four kilometres of Manhattan streets, instead of being confined to one block or sometimes pre-taped, as they were last year. Spectators, shut out in 2020, lined the route again. High school and college marching bands from around the country were invited back to the lineup; most of last year's performers were locally based to cut down on travel. The giant balloons, tethered to vehicles last year, got their costumed handlers back."

  • Canada Post unveils stamp celebrating literary luminary Margaret Atwood (CBC) CANADIAN STORY I love that we live in a country that puts authors of Margaret's stature on our stamps. #Proud #Congrats "Margaret Atwood is being celebrated for her contributions to Canadian literature with a special stamp, unveiled on Thursday. Canada Post launched the stamp at a Toronto event, which included speeches by filmmaker Sarah Polley and activist Ceta Ramkhalawansingh."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Alberta charities, non-profits use online 50/50 draws to boost fundraising during pandemic (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Smart move. "Edmonton charities and non-profit organizations are turning to 50/50 raffles to make up fundraising shortfalls exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 50/50 draw, half of the money from ticket sales forms a jackpot for the winner, with the other half going to the group that organized the raffle. Marjorie Bencz, the executive director of Edmonton's Food Bank, said the charity is holding an online 50/50 again this holiday season to generate funds it normally attracts during events now made impossible by the pandemic."

  2. University of Alberta gets $55M from province for vaccine development (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Nice move ABGov! "The University of Alberta is getting $55.1 million from the province to help develop vaccines for domestic production in Canada. The funding, announced Wednesday, will also go toward adding equipment and enhancing facilities to move vaccines into the clinical trial stage. That includes upgrades to the university's Biosafety Level 3 lab and the Alberta Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility." RELATED: Alberta government commits $80M to develop and manufacture vaccines.

  3. Christmas turkeys expected to be harder to find and pricier (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Order them now!
    "[Industry] experts say the country's turkey stocks are at 30-year lows, a fact that is being complicated by the supply chain headaches across the country. Brian Ricker, who owns a mid-sized turkey farm near Dunnville, Ont. and also serves as chair of Turkey Farmers of Ontario, said turkeys in Canada are supply-managed. That means the industry aims to match production with demand each year, thereby ensuring a fair return for farmers. Last year, due to the uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry cut production. But Ricker said demand for whole birds didn't decrease as expected in 2020, and while turkey farmers are working to increase their output, there are still expected to be supply pressures this holiday season."

  4. Catherine O’Hara, Ryan Reynolds Honoured At Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (ET Canada) CANADIAN STORY "Tantoo Cardinal, Catherine O’Hara, and Ryan Reynolds were honoured on Friday at this year’s Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. During the virtual ceremony, O’Hara received this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which included tributes from her 'Schitt’s Creek' co-stars Dan Levy, Eugene Levy and Annie Murphy. Also paying tribute were 'SCTV' co-stars Andrea Martin, Robin Duke, Dave Thomas and Martin Short." RELATED: Ryan Reynolds, Catherine O'Hara brought to tears during song tributes for their Governor General's awards.

  5. Rotman School Professor Ajay Agrawal Receives Honorary Degree from University of Calgary. (UToronto) TORONTO STORY Nice move UofC. Dr. Agrawal is a giant. "Ajay Agrawal, a professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and the founder of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), received an honorary degree from the University of Calgary at its Fall Convocation earlier this month."

  6. Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre launches fundraising lottery (Red Deer Advocate) RED DEER STORY Give early. Give often. ViTreo is proud to be working with the CACAC. "Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre [CACAC] has started its annual fundraising campaign. The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre’s 50/50 Cash Lottery raises much-needed funds to support services and programs that help the most vulnerable. Each year, the centre supports hundreds of children from across Central Alberta who have experienced abuse. The goal is for a child to only have to share their story once – eliminating the chance of re-victimization and helping them through their journey of healing one step at a time. This year’s Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre 50/50 Cash Lottery jackpot is set at $400,000."

  7. Edmonton park named for Jan Reimer, city's first female mayor (CBC) EDMONTON STORY A fitting tribute to a great mayor. "A river-valley park in west Edmonton is being named in honour of Jan Reimer, the first woman elected mayor of Alberta's capital city. The park will be part of existing river valley parkland close to the Oleskiw neighbourhood, located near the Terwillegar Park [footbridge.] The name had been proposed to recognize Reimer's achievements in her service to the community, particularly her work to preserve the river valley."

  8. OPINION 'Pandemics are different.' Why this isn't the time to assert your individual health rights (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY "The COVID-19 pandemic is a global threat to society that governments and public health experts in various countries have fought in various ways, but all have required citizens to think beyond themselves to fight a common enemy. This has been complicated by social media propagating false dichotomies, extremist views and distrust. In some cases, this has been encouraged by politicians, politicizing a health crisis. The end result has been a polarization of the population and the creation of unlikely allies in the name of a perceived encroachment on personal rights and freedoms."

  9. Canada's mask guidance has changed. Here's why you might need an upgrade (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Now that the cold weather has hit and people are moving inside, many doctors and scientists are urging Canadians not only to resist getting complacent about wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 — but also to take a closer look at whether that cloth mask is keeping you and others as safe as possible. 'In general, while non-medical masks can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, medical masks and respirators provide better protection,' the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said on its COVID-19 mask information webpage, which was updated on Nov. 12."

  10. Vancouver’s Human Library Has Gone Virtual. The Stories Are All Real (Montecristo Magazine) VANCOUVER STORY #UberCool "The Zoom window loads, and I’m suddenly face-to-face (or screen-to-screen) with a stranger. A 20-minute timer counts down, and with no formal introduction, the stranger begins to tell a story. They walk me through each detail, pausing for effect where it matters, narrating their inner monologue with thoughtful insight. It’s an intimate exchange, hindered only by occasional technical glitches on my screen. I don’t say much; my role is to listen."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. The Best Memorization Techniques: Learn Faster and Remember More (Dare to be Better) As I get older, this becomes even more important. Also, telling it in your own words is an excellent technique.

  2. Improve Your Sleep Quality with This Quick Morning Habit (In Fitness and In Health) Yep. Hate it or love it, if you want to improve your sleep, you need to exercise before you eat breakfast.

  3. Guess What Matters Far More Than the Position? (Personal Growth) I am huge fan of John Weiss. He is a kind, smart, and thoughtful writer. And what is more important than position? Well, it also starts with "p".

  4. Exercise is Great and All, but Once You Hit 40 Years Old You Have to Keep Moving or it All Falls Apart in the Blink of an Eye. (Caleb Rogers) No kidding. Eeek, I am 56 and I feel like I am losing mobility by the minute. We need to keep moving people!

  5. A Simple Technique to Overcome Bad Habits (Patrik Edblad) Urge surfing is cool. I am definitely going to try it.

  6. 8 Habits to Help You Build and Maintain Momentum in Any Area of Your Life (Curious) It really is the little things.

  7. Here's why billions of charitable giving dollars go unused every year (CBS) Matching gifts my friends. Or, should I say, unmatched gifts.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. With $125 Million Gift, Met Museum Jump-Starts New Modern Wing (New York Times) #Wow "Seven years after announcing ambitious plans to rebuild its wing for Modern and contemporary art — which then had to be put on hold because of financial problems — the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday announced that it had finally secured a lead donation of $125 million, the largest capital gift in its history, from its longtime trustee Oscar L. Tang and his wife, Agnes Hsu‐Tang, an archaeologist and art historian. The wing will be named after them for a minimum of 50 years."

  2. 'Over the moon': Children's Hospital at LHSC lands $2M donation (The London Free Press) LONDON STORY Nice gift! "London’s Children’s Health Foundation is getting a $2-million slice of a mega-donation to Canada’s children’s hospitals from the charity co-founded by the head of online commerce giant Shopify."

  3. Estate of Nicholas Sion supports Ontario Tech University with more than $3 million to the Brilliant Energy Institute (Ontario Tech University) OSHAWA STORY "The legacy of longtime Ontario Power Generation expert, Nicholas Sion, as an innovator in nuclear energy and radiation protection will continue at Ontario Tech University with the naming of energy research labs in the university’s Brilliant Energy Institute (BEI). As a founding donor to the newly established energy research hub, Nicholas Sion’s estate is investing more than $3 million in BEI. The gift will help position BEI as a robust national research and data hub that will inform important energy decisions in all sectors across Canada."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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