In a year that has been challenging on innumerable fronts, there have still been moments worth celebrating.
Whether it was welcoming a new addition to the family amid the COVID-19 pandemic or using the time to focus on self-care, many Canadians marked significant milestones this year — even during exceptionally difficult times.
CBC News Network recently asked audience members to share the best things that happened to them in 2020. Here are some of their responses.
Celebrating Canadian citizenship
Rachel Schafts and her husband, Daniel Kirshbaum, are originally from the United States and currently live in Quebec. Schafts said the couple officially became Canadian citizens at the end of September.
“This was a very lengthy and difficult process that took a number of years — and involved so many forms, tests and an interview that did not go well. But in the end, we succeeded and we’re so happy to call Canada home,” Schafts wrote in an email.
Rachel Schafts, right, and her husband, Daniel Kirshbaum, will remember 2020 as the year they became Canadian citizens after an arduous process. (Submitted by Rachel Schafts)
Improving physical and mental health
Breanna Halliday saw the pandemic as an opportunity to make positive changes in her life.
“I started working out every day, eating healthy and educating myself on how to truly take care of my body so I’m as healthy as possible,” Halliday wrote. “I was fortunate this year to make changes for the better.”
She also focused on her mental well-being, found a new job and took charge of her personal finances.
“I am now 30 pounds lighter, physically and mentally stronger, and working a better job that allows me to balance between work and personal and keeps me safe during these difficult times.”
Breanna Halliday used the pandemic as an opportunity to focus on her physical and mental well-being. (Submitted by Breanna Halliday)
Welcoming their first child
Nick Ebel and his wife, Jen, will always remember 2020 as the year the Hamilton couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Tilly.
“No matter how bad this year was, it will always be special for us,” Ebel wrote.
Nick Ebel, right, became a parent in 2020 following the birth of his daughter, Tilly. (Submitted by Nick and Jen Ebel)
… and new grandchildren
Phil Satim of L’Île Perrot, Que., celebrated becoming a grandparent this year, as Nora Rose Lezniak joined his family.
Phil Satim welcomed granddaughter Nora Rose Lezniak to the family this year. (Submitted by Phil Satim)
Meanwhile, Darlene Levecque and her husband, Joe, welcomed their third granddaughter, Georgia Rae, on Nov. 28.
“She’s a beauty!” Levecque wrote.
Darlene Levecque celebrated the arrival of her third granddaughter, Georgia Rae, in November. (Submitted by Darlene Levecque)
Furry friends find new families
Elaine Gray said she was looking for a puppy a couple of years ago but was unsuccessful. But in March, just after the pandemic was declared in Canada, a fellow Dachshund owner told her about a puppy who needed a home.
“I received a picture and after one look replied back to say her name is Grace!” said Gray, who lives in Moncton, N.B., with Grace and her two other Dachshunds, Charlotte and Fergie.
A twist of fate at the beginning of the pandemic brought Grace, a Dachshund puppy, into Elaine Gray’s life. (Submitted by Elaine Gray)
In Fredericton, Paulette Ryan adopted Pheebs in August from the SPCA in nearby Oromocto, N.B.
“She has been a sweet and comical addition to our family,” Ryan wrote. “Not sure if Giggles, our grey tabby, always appreciates her.
“Pet therapy is the best.”
Paulette Ryan said adopting Pheebs, left, was the highlight of her year. Ryan’s other cat, Giggles, may disagree. (Submitted by Paulette Ryan)
On that subject, one Alberta family discovered a new sport that’s lifted their spirits during the pandemic: dog badminton.
“Harley, our American Staffordshire terrier, has been our therapy dog during the pandemic,” Gary and Linda Poignant of Sherwood Park wrote.
New beginnings for young couple
Chloe Pasternak can now call Adam Trapid her fiancé after the Thornhill, Ont., couple got engaged this year. “It has turned 2020 to become a much happier time for all of our families,” Pasternak wrote.
“My fiancé planned to have our parents be part of the special moment and it was such an amazing and happy time for all of us.”
Chloe Pasternak, right, and Adam Trapid of Thornhill, Ont., celebrated their engagement this year. (Submitted by Chloe Pasternak)
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
