Weekly News Recap: March 19, 2021

Calgary's arts community mourned the passing of former Calgary Opera general director and CEO Bob McPhee. Photo by Trudie Lee for HarderLee Photography

An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house. -- Maria Callas

SEASON 3 OF FUNDRAISING ASK ANYTHING

We have launched our third season of our popular Fundraising Ask Anything Zoom Chats. Our first session of this season concluded earlier today. Our next session will take place on April 23: The triple whammy of a down economy, a depressed price of oil, and a global pandemic has changed how corporations give. In-person events are toast, corporate giving overall is down, and sponsors are asking hard questions. Is sponsorship dead? Or do we just need to change how we look at marketing partnerships? Join us as we hear from sponsorship experts and community investment professionals on what you need to be doing to win sponsors in 2021 and beyond. Why sponsorships are even more important during tough economic times?

Register here

SOME GOOD NEWS

• Grandparents are getting to hug their grandkids for the first time after getting vaccinated (CNN) #WarmsMyHeart "Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released evidence-based guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Grandparents can hug their unvaccinated grandchildren, especially if they are local, as the CDC still says people should avoid travel."

• A retired teacher tracks down dozens of students across Canada to return their childhood diaries (CNN) CANADIAN STORY I would love to read some of my old diaries. "A retired Canadian teacher is giving some of his former students a look back at their childhoods by returning long-forgotten diaries they wrote decades ago in his class."

• Vancouver photographer's video of ravens playing like puppies in the snow goes viral (CBC) VANCOUVER STORY This is beautiful. "Some people find crows and ravens fascinating, while others find them beyond annoying, but there's no denying June Hunter's obsession with the black birds is catching on."

• Ikea chooses Saskatoon child's design from thousands of entries to be made into a toy (CBC) SASKATOON STORY Woot. Nice work Audrey! "Saskatoon 10-year-old Audrey Rogalski was 'super surprised' when her drawing was chosen from more than 66,000 entries in the annual Global Ikea Soft Toy Drawing Competition. Kids from across the globe took part in the annual competition for a chance to design the soft toys of their dreams. This year, five drawings were selected by a jury at Ikea in Sweden."

PHOTOGRAPHY

• This Banff photographer captures stunning wild ice skating moments in the Rockies (CBC) ALBERTA STORY We really do live in a beautiful world. "Skating in the wild has been around for ages, but it seems to have exploded in popularity in Alberta lately, not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of social media.⁠"

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

1. Corporate head office job losses a 'wake-up call' for Calgary (CBC) CALGARY STORY #Ugh "Between 2014 and 2019, Calgary saw the departure of nine head offices and 3,600 head office jobs, according to Statistics Canada. The number of head office jobs in Alberta fell by almost 5,500 positions while it rose by almost 2,800 positions in the rest of the country."

2. New mural at U of A Hospital honours frontline health-care workers (CBC) EDMONTON STORY A beautiful expression of our communal thanks. "Exhaustion, anxiety, resilience and hope are some of the emotions captured in a new mural honouring Alberta's front-line health-care workers. Edmonton artist AJA Louden was commissioned by Friends of University Hospitals to create a large-scale artwork that would reflect the experiences of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic."

3. National music centre partners with google arts & culture and youtube for music, makers & machines, launching on March 10 (National Music Centre) CALGARY STORY Congrats! This is a huge deal. "The National Music Centre is among over 50 partners from around the world that contributed to the online exhibition, Music, Makers & Machines, brought to you by Google Arts & Culture and supported by YouTube."

4. Calgary post-secondary named top hospitality school in Canada by leading business magazine (CTV) CALGARY STORY Congrats to SAIT and to its culinary program. Very well-deserved. "The Calgary school has been named the top hospitality school in Canada by CEOWORLD Magazine, a business publication that caters specifically to CEOs and other executives. It also ranked SAIT's culinary program at the top of its Best Culinary Schools in Canada list."

5. Red Deerian turned Navy Commander encourages young women to have self-belief (RD News Now) CANADIAN STORY As a former sea cadet, just like Commander Robichaud, I am very proud to see her take on this role. #BravoZulu Commander! "Commander Nicole Robichaud has always believed she could be a leader, even in the Royal Canadian Navy where top roles are and have always been male-dominated. Robichaud, a self-described ‘base brat,’ spent her teen years in Red Deer, graduating from Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. Her father was a firefighter in the Army. Now 18 years as a member of this country’s Maritime Forces, and many completed assignments domestically and abroad, she’s set to become the woman in charge of the HMCS Margaret Brooke, an Arctic offshore patrol vessel designed for sovereignty-related missions in the north."

6. $26B Rogers plan to buy Calgary-based Shaw would create Canada's 2nd-biggest telecom (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Rogers Communications has signed a deal to buy Shaw Communications in a transaction valued at $26 billion, including debt, which would create Canada's No. 2 cellular and cable operator — but is likely to face stiff regulatory scrutiny." RELATED: Rogers-Shaw merger offers chance for Ottawa to insist on better deal for cellphone customers, What the Rogers-Shaw deal means for consumers, jobs and 5G networks.

7. Announcing Bow Valley College Centre for Entertainment Arts (Bow Valley College) CALGARY STORY This is a great move. Congrats to all."Bow Valley College is thrilled to announce it will soon be home to the next Centre for Entertainment Arts. Calgary is fast becoming a new hub for digital and creative industries. To meet that demand, Bow Valley College is teaming up with the Centre for Entertainment Arts (CEA) to train students for careers in the exciting worlds of film, TV, and animation."

8. Calgary Transit Free Fare Zone naming rights up for grabs (CBC) CALGARY STORY I will be watching this closely. Any guesses on who might be a natural fit? "It's known as the free fare zone — between City Hall and the Downtown West/Kerby station riders can hop on and off the CTrain without a ticket. But the City of Calgary is looking into monetizing the zone, not by making riders pay, but by testing to see if a company would chip in and support its financial operations — in exchange for the naming rights."

9. Bob McPhee, titan of Calgary arts scene, dies of cancer at 65 (Calgary Herald) CALGARY STORY Bob was a titan in Canada's cultural scene. RIP Mr. McPhee, we will not see your like again. "Friends and colleagues of Bob McPhee, former Calgary Opera CEO and a leader in the city’s arts scene, are remembering him as a warm man with a gift of connecting with everyone he met. McPhee, 65, died Saturday in Calgary following a long battle with cancer, with friends and family close by."

10. Senior female officer quits Canadian Forces, says she's 'sickened' by reports of sexual misconduct (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #WeNeedToDoBetter "One of the most prominent women in the Canadian military has resigned, saying she is "disgusted" by ongoing reports of sexual misconduct in the Armed Forces and dismayed that it has taken this long for the problem to come to the fore. Lt.-Col. Eleanor Taylor, the deputy commander of the 36th Brigade Group and a distinguished veteran of combat in Afghanistan, delivered a scathing resignation letter to senior military leaders — a letter that has been circulating around army headquarters in Ottawa."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

1. How to Combine Cardio and Weight Training to Overcome the Interference Effect (Better Humans) I have often worried too much about this.

2. The 7 Emails You Should Send Every Week to Get Ahead in Your Career (Forge) I try to do #1 and #3 regularly. #7 is super interesting.

3. A Glute-Wake-Up Exercise Every Runner (and Frequent Sitter) Should Know (elemental+) Um, yep, I have "dead-butt" syndrome. Do you? (It's ok, you can just answer in your head)

4. 7 Habits I Avoid to Become Highly Productive (Mind Cafe) Thankfully, I broke the habit of #2 a while back. During COVID, #4 and #7 have been tough to break.

5. ‘Cool Beans’ Is the Perfect Cookbook for This Moment in Beans (Tenderly) I am a huge fan of the lowly (but yummy) legume.

6. Elder millennial: This is the year they turn 40 (CBC) "Elder millennial"...#Lolz

7. Little words, big impact: How adjusting pronouns and other language can improve health of LGBTQ+ patients (Mirage) Brilliant and important piece. Hi, my name is Vincent, I'm a professional fundraiser and my pronouns are he/him.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

1. University of Waterloo Receives $1.5 Million Donation for New Innovation Arena (Erudera) WATERLOO STORY Nice. Thanks Mr. Stork. "Entrepreneur and angel investor Mike Stork has donated $1.5 million to the University of Waterloo’s Innovation Arena."

2. Anonymous donor makes $22-million donation to Yarmouth Hospital Foundation (Chronicle Herald) YARMOUTH STORY #Boom! Very cool gift. "Even under his mask, you could see the smile stretching across the face of Dr. Brian Moses when he talked about the anonymous donor who has donated $22 million to the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation."

3. Cornell receives $30 million donation for new academic building (Ithaca Voice) "[The] university announced the $30 million donation pledged by David R. Atkinson ’60 and Patricia Atkinson, to help cover the construction costs and outfitting of the new academic [building.]"

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

• This Trained Singer Teaches Metal Bands How To Scream (Kottke.org)

• She came to the U.S. with only $300 and worked housekeeping jobs to pay for school. Now she's a flight director for NASA's Mars Perseverance. (CBS)

• ‘Truth to power:’ Lab was not enough for renowned scientist David Schindler (RD News Now)

• Canadian trust in journalism is wavering. Here's what CBC News is doing about it (CBC)

• Walter Gretzky, father of the Great One, dead at 82 (CBC)

• What's an NFT? And why are people suddenly spending millions on them? (CBC)

Welcome to our recap of the week's news, articles, and information of note. ViTreo Group Inc. provides this information for the benefit of our clients, associates, staff, partners, and stakeholders. The content is collected and curated by ViTreo President and CEO Vincent Duckworth. If you would like to submit a link for consideration, please send an email to info@vitreogroup.ca

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by ViTreo Group Inc. of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. ViTreo Group does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the ViTreo Group Inc. Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate.

Attachments area