Weekly News Recap: June 6, 2025

Weekly News Recap: June 6, 2025

Marc Garneau's wife, Pam, said he passed away 'surrounded by the love of his family.' (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

With so much conflict in the world, space exploration can be a beacon of hope. -- Anne McClain (American astronaut)

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • Experience: I’ve made the longest chain of chewing-gum wrappers in the world (The Guardian) CANADIAN CONTENT Love this guy. "I don’t know what to put it down to, but I’ve always been a collector, a completist, a statistician – and maybe a little competitive."

  • VIDEO: President Alan Garber's Welcome | Harvard Commencement 2025 (YouTube) #Inspiring especially with the pressure from the White House. "Harvard President Alan Garber delivers the official welcome at the University’s 374th Commencement on May 29, 2025."

  • Alaska man survives after being trapped face-down in creek by 700lb boulder (The Guardian) #Lucky "An Alaska man who was pinned facedown in an icy creek by a 700lb (318kg) boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife’s quick thinking and lots of luck. Kell Morris’ wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage."

  • Newborn fawn rescued from Okanagan cliff (CTV) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY "Search and rescue crews doing a training exercise in the Okanagan saved a newborn fawn that had fallen down a cliff Saturday [...] 'The mule deer fawn was likely no more than one day old. She was quite wet and breathing quickly when we rescue her, but she was otherwise uninjured.'"

  • VIDEO: Elephant barges into convenience store, grabs a trunkful of snacks (CBC) #ElephantinACandyStore lolz. "An elephant in Khao Yai, Thailand, was in the mood for a bite to eat and decided to make a pit stop at local convenience store. The elephant was seen on security cameras entering the store and helping itself to a variety of snacks before animal control officers peacefully shooed it away."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Canada's team? Canadians from coast to coast to coast jumping on the Oilers bandwagon (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #GoOilers "For the second time in a row the Edmonton Oilers are taking on the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final, but are Canadians rallying behind the last remaining team from Canada? While there are plenty of people across the country who won't be supporting the Oilers, you can find fans — both diehard and casual — hoping for Edmonton to bring home the Cup. In Halifax, more than 4,800 kilometres away from Edmonton, it's rare to find an Oilers fan."

  2. ‘It literally saved my life’: Edmonton Protocol celebrates 25 years of success (Folio) EDMONTON STORY I had the privilege of working with this team as a fundraiser just after this protocol was demonstrated. Its announcement almost burned down the telephone lines at the UofA. "Diabetes patients, researchers, donors and funders will gather this week at the Alberta Diabetes Institute to celebrate 25 years since the Edmonton Protocol was first published by a team of University of Alberta researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine. Edmonton’s islet cell transplant program has since grown into one of the world’s largest and most successful."

  3. Parks Foundation CEO Sheila Taylor leaves big legacy as search for new leader begins (Livewire Calgary) CALGARY STORY Thank you for everything Sheila! #RockStar "The Parks Foundation Calgary has begun the search for a new CEO, after long-time leader of the civic partner Sheila Taylor announced that she would be leaving at the end of the summer. Taylor, who joined the foundation eight years ago during a period of financial turbulence, led Parks Foundation into a series of sustainable successes across the city and to the highest level of donations in the foundation’s history."

  4. VIDEO: Marc Garneau, 1st Canadian astronaut in space, dead at 76 (CBC) CANADIAN STORY RIP Rocketman. We will not see your like again. "Former astronaut and cabinet minister Marc Garneau has died. He was 76. A statement from his wife, Pam Garneau, says he passed away peacefully after a short illness, surrounded by his family."

  5. Lowering the Flag: Dr. Robert Westbury (uAlberta) ALBERTA STORY Dr. Bob was responsible for my very first gift. Three years before I became a professional fundraiser, we met with Dr. Bob to ask about being one of our very first sponsors for our hybrid electric vehicle project. He committed TransAlta​, which spurred commitments from Alberta Power (then ATCO Electric) and EPCOR (then Edmonton Power Corporation). Most importantly, he set me on a 30 year path of helping nonprofits raise more money. Thank you Bob. You inspired us all. We will not see your like again. "The University of Alberta banner is flying at half-mast from May 30 - June 2, 2025 in remembrance of Dr. Robert Westbury."

  6. VIDEO: Two Canadian UNESCO Geoparks cautioned to make improvements or risk losing status (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Umm "Two unique areas of Atlantic Canada recognized for their geological significance five years ago have been cautioned to make changes or risk losing their rare status as UNESCO Global Geoparks — a designation that puts them on bucket lists of people around the world."

  7. VIDEO: Dinos, meet drones: How new technology could reshape the fossil record (CBC) ALBERTA STORY Cool! "A new study is challenging a long-standing method of dating dinosaur fossils in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park — using drone technology."

  8. VIDEO: Plants have best friends too! (CBC) CANADIAN STORY Plants are amazing. "From helping each other defend against insects or diseases to improving the soil they share, plants help each other out."

  9. China now top buyer of Canadian oil shipped on Trans Mountain pipeline amid U.S. trade war (The Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY Yay! "China has emerged as the top customer for Canadian oil shipped on the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline, ship tracking data showed, as a U.S. trade war has shifted crude flows in the year since the pipeline started operating."

  10. Japan just recorded its fewest annual births since it started keeping records (CBC) Eek. "The number of newborns in Japan is decreasing faster than projected, with the number of annual births falling to a record low last year, according to government data. The Health Ministry said 686,061 babies were born in Japan in 2024, a drop of 5.7 per cent from the previous year and the first time the number of newborns has fallen below 700,000 since records began in 1899. The decline comes about 15 years faster than the government's prediction. Last year's figure is about one-quarter of the peak of 2.7 million births in 1949 during the postwar baby boom."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. VIDEO: The Sleep Hack Navy SEALs Use to Feel Refreshed and Energized in Under 10 Minutes (Men's Journal) I am all about the nap.

  2. How To Expertly Pack A Cooler (The Takeout) A great and useful hack.

  3. How to Throw a French Summer Garden Party (Food52) Mmmm...take your time.

  4. 13 Fascinating Facts About the Oxford English Dictionary (Mental Floss) How about that murderer?

  5. How Did Root Beer Get Its Name? (Mental Floss) #Sassafras anyone?

  6. How Fatherhood Alters Male Biology (Fatherly) This for sure happened to me.

  7. Global Cities Index 2025 (Oxford Economics) A very cool tool to compare cities. I love Calgary and I love Edmonton but one of them is ranked 70 slots higher than the other one.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. NC honours $4M legacy gift from Norris Walker family, renames campus courtyard (Niagara College) NIAGARA STORY "A transformative $4-million bequest from the estate of long-time supporter Norris Woodruff Walker has become the largest estate gift in Niagara College history."

  2. $2.9 million donation announced for Jack Ady Cancer Centre (My Lethbridge Now) LETHBRIDGE STORY "Cancer care in Lethbridge is set for improvement thanks to a milestone donation. The late Bruce and Edna Moffat have made a $2.9 million legacy donation to the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation and Jack Ady Cancer Centre."

  3. Cameco donates $10 million to University of Saskatchewan campaign (CKOM) SASKATOON STORY "Cameco, a nuclear fuel and energy company headquartered in Saskatoon, is investing in the future of education in the province with a $10 million gift to the University of Saskatchewan."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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