Weekly News Recap: August 21, 2026

Weekly News Recap: August 21, 2026

A 6,000 piece Lego model of Scotia Place built by a 16-year-old Calgary teen.

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. -- Gordie Howe

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • 'She's our hero': Dog honoured after protecting Nipigon, Ont., family from black bear last fall (CBC) NIPIGON STORY #GoodDog "A dog from Nipigon, Ont., is being recognized for her efforts to protect her family from a black bear last fall. Chloe, a mixed-breed, medium-sized dog, has been inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, which recognizes pets 'for their remarkable bravery and unwavering devotion in protecting their owners during life-threatening emergencies.'"

  • VIDEO: Meet Finn, the 15-year-old who saved a shark in New Brunswick (CBC) MACES BAY STORY #BraveKid "Fifteen-year-old Finn Holland loves animals, so when he heard that a shark washed up on a shore near his home in the southern New Brunswick coastal community of Maces Bay, he knew he had to help [...] Holland and his family drove their side-by-side vehicle down their long driveway, which leads to the beach at Maces Bay, southwest of Saint John. 'When we saw it, it looked really hurt, it almost looked dead,' Holland said. 'But then we saw subtle movements.' 'So I dragged him in by the tail into the ocean and I helped him guide himself in the water, and he just took off.' "

  • VIDEO: Heartwarming video shows girl donate piggy bank for Colombian earthquake victims (New York Post) #LoveThis "A 6-year-old girl stole the hearts of a nation in mourning — handing over her life savings to help victims of the powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 280 people in Colombia. The child, Nawal Victoria Roa, went viral after she visited a local Medellín relief center on Wednesday and presented her piggy bank — actually a can filled with coins — to TikToker @bynatyvflorece, who launched the donation drive."

  • VIDEO: Mother Otter and Her Offspring Play in Blossom-Enriched Maternity Pool (Yahoo News) CALGARY STORY #LoveOtters "A North American river otter mother and her offspring enjoyed a rose-scented enrichment experience at Calgary Zoo. The zoo said the otters were given flower blossoms and limes to play with in their maternity pool."

  • VIDEO: He dreamed of selling hot dogs for 30 years. At 57, he finally did it (CBC) CALGARY STORY Dreams can come true. "For 30 years, Richard Nesbitt dreamed of selling hot dogs. He finally started at 57. Now, he says he's living his dream by making food he loves and connecting with customers in Calgary."

  • VIDEO: Meet the 11-year-old fossil hunter who opened his own museum at age 9 (CBC) This kid is going places. "When you’ve been collecting fossils for as long as 11-year-old Anderson Taylor has, eventually you’re going to need somewhere to put them all. Naturally, he opened a museum. No, really. Head to the preteen’s hometown of Cambridge, Ill., and you’ll find his museum, proudly displaying a big sign his grandmother made for him out front: Cambridge Natural History Museum."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. New database maps Canada’s $17.3 billion DAF landscape and where philanthropic wealth is concentrated (Future of Good) CANADIAN STORY Thanks to Ken Kempcke, ViTreo's Research Lead, for sharing this story. "A new database that maps Canada’s donor-advised funds (DAFs) landscape, shows that a significant share of the country’s charitable assets are concentrated in a small number of organizations."

  2. Telus World of Science pushes reopening back to next year (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Ugh. First a fire last year and now a flood. These folks just can't catch a break. "Telus World of Science Edmonton has announced it will stay closed until next year due to flood damage. After a severe storm on July 10 flooded the centre and forced its closure, TWOSE began repairs. The centre originally told the public it planned to reopen in November 2026."

  3. New research discovers the twisty secret behind the narwhal's unusually straight tusk (CBC) Amazing creatures. "The narwhal tusk is a true oddity in the natural world. Reaching up to three metres in length, the tusk is an upper tooth that grows through the whale's lip on the left side. And it is the only mammal tusk that grows perfectly straight, with no curves. A team of international researchers believe they have figured out why it grows so straight — and the answer lies in its unique pattern of opposing spirals."

  4. 'European capital of corgis' hosts 150 dogs in international competition (CBC) #WeLoveCorgis "It wasn't all about short-legged speed when 150 corgis gathered for an international race celebrating the small herding dogs that originated in Wales. There was a costume parade, the 'smartest nose' and — of course — the loudest bark. The fifth Corgi Race Vilnius drew dogs and their owners to the Lithuanian capital's Vingis park on Saturday for what organizers said was the biggest edition yet. There were competitors from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, Czech Republic, the United States and Britain — the country most closely associated with the breed, famously a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II."

  5. VIDEO: Calgary to receive free community soccer pitch through federal funding, private charity (CTV) CALGARY STORY #Brilliant "Calgary is one of 25 communities across Canada that will receive a free community soccer mini pitch through a national initiative backed by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the federal government. The project is supported by a $2 million federal investment through Sport Canada and that intends to make the sport more accessible."

  6. Tree planting started as a summer job, but it also taught me what it means to be Canadian (CBC) CALGARY STORY Growing up in Prince George, we had plenty of tree planters around and I was always in awe of their work. Great first-hand piece and, I agree, it is quintessentially Canadian. "[To] me, tree planting is deeply, fundamentally Canadian. It is unique to this country unlike few other industries. Tree planting exists in other countries around the world, but not at the scale with which it is done in Canada. As the planet continues to warm, tree planters experience the resulting forest fires and heat waves first-hand. It’s a vulnerable feeling, but it’s also what I find so endearing about the job. To feel such a deep connection to one’s labour, the land you walk on and the people you surround yourself with. It’s a privilege I find seldom afforded in modern life."

  7. VIDEO: Calgary teen builds 6,000‑piece Lego model of new Scotia Place (City News) CALGARY STORY #LoveThisLegoNerd "A Calgary teen has finished construction on the Flames’ new arena months before any real construction crews will. Cruz Paredes, a 16‑year‑old Flames fan, has built a detailed Lego model of Scotia Place using more than 6,000 pieces and roughly 300 hours of work."

  8. Why does a cemetery in a Rocky Mountain ghost town have a new landline? (CBC) ALBERTA STORY This is a really lovely idea. "Andy McCracken, a man in his 70s, pauses before he dials his father’s old number on a vintage rotary telephone on a sunny day in late July. He speaks into the disconnected landline mounted on a wall inside a small wooden structure beside a graveyard in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain foothills. It’s called a “wind phone” — a symbolic phone that connects the living to the dead, allowing visitors to have one-way conversations with loved ones who have passed away."

  9. Is Canada flunking climate? The picture isn’t great, but there might be a way out (CBC) CANADIAN STORY We need to do better. "Canada ranked second last in climate and environmental performance among 'Global West' countries and 29th in the world, according to the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), released in July by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions and Columbia University."

  10. Climate Philanthropy Doesn’t Have a Talent Problem, it Has an Access Problem (NonProfit Quarterly) "[The] real bottleneck is not skill. It is access, and in philanthropy access runs on relationships. That has always been true, but the share of households that give has slid from two-thirds in 2000 to about half now. More money is moving through fewer hands. In the United States, charitable giving hit a record $592.5 billion in 2024, yet the number of donors fell for the fifth year in a row. Roughly three percent of donors now account for 78 percent of all charitable dollars. Relationships with the few remaining decision-makers are a scarce resource—one large institutions already own. A legacy organization walks into the meeting because it has been in the room for 20 years. Its president gets the call back."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. Passkey vs. password: What's the difference and which is better? (Engadget) I have been slowly migrating my 200+ passwords to a passkey. It's more secure and, frankly, easier to sign on.

  2. Why the best AI strategies combine prediction and reasoning (Fast Company) It takes longer but you do get better results, especially for data-intensive work.

  3. Denim has a water problem. Can this new digital dye solve it? (Fast Company) I wonder if they will hold their colour.

  4. The Physics of Peeling an Egg Cleanly (The Quantastic Journal) This is an 18-minute read. On peeling an egg! I mean, I had to put it in.

  5. How to journal like Albert Camus (Mental Garden) We do overthink our journalling. Mr. Camus was onto something.

  6. 6 Mind-Bending Life Rules From History’s Greatest Geniuses (Personal Growth) Do you have a puzzle mindset? Are you consciously inverting the problem?

  7. 11 books that completely changed my life (Mental Garden) This is a really great list. Any list of primarily non-fiction greats that also includes Asiimov's Foundation Saga is an interesting list.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. VIDEO: Colombia Earthquake: Shakira Visits Damaged School, Announces $1 Million Donation | N18G (YouTube) "Colombian singer Shakira visited a school damaged by the earthquake that struck the Chocó region of Colombia, calling for greater international support for affected communities."

  2. 'It's going to change health care': Cape Breton couple's $1-million donation accelerates treatment (Saltwire) CAPE BRETON STORY "A Cape Breton couple has given patients and health-care workers more of something money usually can’t buy: time [The] Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation announced a $1-million donation from MacLeod Lorway Insurance Group owners Stuart and Nonie MacLeod to purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment for the Cape Breton Regional Hospital’s pathology and microbiology laboratories."

  3. Ohtani's $1M+ Disaster Relief Donation Revealed (Chosun) "[Sports Chosun Reporter Na Yu-ri] Shohei Ohtani has added another feel-good story to his legacy. News has emerged that he donated over 1 million dollars to various disaster relief efforts."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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