A Light to the Lonely
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A Light to the Lonely

On Thanksgiving Monday, Peter Elgersma and his family rolled up their sleeves to cook for Richmond Hill Community Christian Reformed Church’s second “to-go” thanksgiving dinner. I chatted with Elgersma, a CC board member, about the dinner. Peter and his family, five in total, volunteered to cook and individually package 150 meals for the church’s 28th…

Educators in a dangerous time
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Educators in a dangerous time

Independent schools in Ontario are hurting from the lack of public funding for COVID 19 relief. To keep their students safe, individual schools are footing the bill – where they are able. That’s why Woodland Christian High School in Breslau, Ontario, is part of a group of three independent schools taking the Ontario government to…

Research & Ethics

Research & Ethics

Did you see how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines were developed? Vaccine approval is a complex process, but these vaccines made it through in record time. It shows what can be done when the world comes together around a deadly medical problem; these are among the safest and best reviewed vaccines we have. The research community…

The antivax tantrum

The antivax tantrum

Canadian anti-vaccination activists have been throwing a tantrum. They’ve been blockading hospitals. During the election they were throwing gravel at political events. Yelling and swearing at candidates. Vandalizing candidates’ personal property and election signs. They say it’s because they’ve been “pushed too far.” They say that the government is limiting freedom. They claim they want…

Our Favourite Things

Our Favourite Things

Stores are opening. Kids are back to school. Many are vaccinated. Things are slowly starting to shift. Or so we hope. The second year of life during a pandemic hasn’t been much easier than the first. And yet, during this month of Thanksgiving, the staff at CC wanted to share with readers the many blessings…

She rides again!

She rides again!

Like small, dark clouds dotting the horizon, I should have recognised those random twinges as indicators of a bigger issue to come. While riding my motorcycle last year I noticed odd little surges of pains now and then in my hips. Our last few rides in the autumn began to feel quite awkward, as if…

The Virus Ninja
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The Virus Ninja

Before the pandemic, Dr. Benjamin tenOever was used to blank stares after telling people he worked in virology. But now that virus research and vaccine technology are crucial in stopping the spread of COVID-19 – not to mention prevalent in our everyday vocabulary – that has changed dramatically. TenOever no longer has to explain his…

Pandemic gifts
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Pandemic gifts

The gold standard of science information transfer is the peer-reviewed written word. But the slow pace of publication and the impersonal interactions involved have made other forms of scientific communication popular. With anywhere from 300 to 35,000 participants, scientific meetings are one way for scientists to comment on, criticize or improve each other’s findings quickly….

The choices before us
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The choices before us

As we Canadians prepare to go to the polls next week, we need to make ourselves aware of where the major political parties stand on the most significant issues of the day. The six parties we will see on our ballots are the currently governing Liberal Party, the Conservatives, the New Democrats, the Greens, the…

COVID etiquette

COVID etiquette

I just started reading The Madness of Crowds, the newest Louise Penny book. It’s part of a quintessentially Canadian murder mystery series set in fictional Three Pines, Quebec. Penny’s books are beautifully written, tightly woven, plot-driven masterpieces; and she’s put out a new one every summer since 2005 like clockwork. Last year, while writing The…

Walking by faith
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Walking by faith

“And do you have everything you’re going to need today?” Last September, my middle child started high school, and his big sister decided he was going to be organized. She was going to make sure of it. Every morning last year, she ran through a checklist with him, making sure he had his lunch –…

Brain fog & long COVID
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Brain fog & long COVID

This pandemic has been a roller coaster. Don’t wear masks – no, wear masks. Sanitize everything – no, that’s just hygiene theatre. Get this vaccine – no, get this other one. Welcome to science in real time, with knowledge changing seemingly every day. Each new study gives us a new window on the SARS-CoV-2 virus,…