Weekly News Recap: September 25, 2026

Weekly News Recap: September 25, 2026

Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation president and CEO Miyo Yamashita spoke to an audience at a fundraising campaign launch [...] where she announced a historic $100-million gift from an anonymous donor. (CBC)

I've always said that fame is fleeting, but anonymity can last a lifetime. — Joe Johnston, filmmaker

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • ‘I Have a Lot to Say’: Brain Implant Helps a Disabled Patient Speak (New York Times) #Amazing "In a step forward for the cutting-edge field of brain-computer interfaces, a patient with a paralyzing neurological disorder used a brain implant to converse in real time [...] The development, by the company Paradromics, marks the latest advance for these experimental devices, known as B.C.I.s — systems that involve implanting electrodes in the brain that read neurological signals and decode those signals through artificial intelligence."

  • Christian Bale Opens 11,000-Square-Foot Foster Care Facility in Palmdale: ‘Turn Their Heartbreak and Their Pain into Love’ (Variety) I love that siblings can stay together. "Christian Bale hung up his Batsuit in 2012, but 'The Dark Knight' star is still saving lives with his Together California foster care village in Palmdale, California [...] The facility aims to keep siblings entering the foster care system together – a circumstance that is not always guaranteed."

  • VIDEO: Students learn age-old craft of dory building in Lunenburg — in 2 weeks (CBC) LUNENBURG STORY #BoatBuildersRejoice "The art of building dories is a craft that dates back a century in the town of Lunenburg, N.S., and for some students participating in a unique workshop, it's a chance to be part of that boatbuilding history. The Dory Shop on the Lunenburg waterfront hosts two-week courses where students of varying skill levels learn to design and build a dory."

  • VIDEO: Celine Dion gives fans a pop-up concert in Paris | The Moment (CBC) CANADIAN CONTENT So glad to see her out and singing again. "Diana Beydoun and Samira Shakib-Bregeth tell The National about the moment they saw Celine Dion sing with fans outside her hotel after her concert in Paris."

  • VIDEO: 'The right outcome': Calgary Stampede will honour $125K 50/50 ticket after initially refusing to (CBC) CALGARY STORY Good move! "A Calgary man who made headlines for having his winning Stampede lottery ticket rejected is now cashing in. When Curtis Geiger found out his Stampede Showband 50/50 ticket purchased July 11 was a winner worth $125,150, he was ecstatic — until the organization told him it was too late for him to claim the winnings, as 48 hours had passed since the draw. But [earlier this week] the Calgary Stampede announced it was reversing that decision 'Mr. Geiger purchased the winning ticket, and based on our review, we believe the right thing to do is to honour that ticket and award him the prize,' Stampede CEO Joel Cowley said in a release."

  • 'He could barely paddle anymore': B.C. family rescues bear cub from Okanagan Lake (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #PoorThing "A B.C. family was boating on Okanagan Lake last weekend when they spotted a baby bear cub struggling to keep its head above water and pulled it onto their boat. Initially, the Zamniuk family wasn’t worried about the cub, but the situation quickly changed. 'All of a sudden, his little nose kept going under the water and he was blowing little bubbles,' said Christina Zamniuk. 'He could barely paddle anymore.' She said after her family got the cub, who they named 'Boo Boo,' on board, it was visibly shivering and shaking from the cold water."

  • No horseplay by the hole: Crews rescue horse stuck in mud pit near Melfort, Sask. (CBC) SASKATCHEWAN STORY Nice save! "It took a couple of tries, but a crew of firefighters from Melfort managed to free a horse from a deep pit of mud outside the city [...] The call to Melfort Fire and Rescue came [...] on Sept. 16. A horse was trapped in a hole filled with mud on a farm east of the city, which is about 176 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. Fire chief Leonard Whitney was one of the firefighters on scene. 'He was mud from head to toe,' Whiteny said in an interview with CBC. 'His eyes were almost covered over. Horses don't like to be in confined spaces like that and it was obvious he did everything he could to try and get out, so he just needed a little help.' "

  • Great Dane gets stretcher ride down B.C. mountain after injuring paws (CBC) BRITISH COLUMBIA STORY #GoodGirl "A rough excursion for a very large dog and her two owners ended on a positive note last weekend, with a full-service stretcher ride down a mountain near Revelstoke, B.C. The 10-year-old, 120-pound Great Dane was out for a hike with her owners on Mount Macpherson [...] when she tore her paw pads, according to Revelstoke Search and Rescue manager Ren Bassette. 'She was an angel,' she said. 'A 100 per cent good girl.' Bassette said the dog's owners didn't want to make the injuries worse and knew they couldn't carry their large pooch all the way out, so they activated the emergency SOS function on one of their phones."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. UK’s first donation made entirely through AI agent received by Trussell (Civil Society) I mean, it had to happen. Right? "Anti-poverty charity Trussell has received what it says is the UK’s first donation made entirely through an AI agent. The donation was completed from start to finish through a conversation with an AI assistant, as part of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) AI live testing programme. Through such transactions, a donor may ask the AI assistant about the charity’s work before they choose how much to donate, and are then asked for their bank details directly to set up a direct debit."

  2. Canadian musicians facing multi-front squeeze from AI, streaming and venue closures (uAlberta) CANADIAN STORY "New research shows Canadian musicians are feeling increasingly hostile toward the tech industry and advances like generative AI, which they say are devaluing art and making it more difficult to gain listeners and earn money from making music. The University of Alberta study surveyed 263 working Canadian musicians and asked about their experiences navigating the industry. It found they are feeling squeezed from reduced opportunities both in the physical and virtual worlds, especially as the power to distribute music has fallen to a small number of companies, says Dr. Brian Fauteux, a U of A professor of popular music and media studies."

  3. 5 ways teachers can respond to residential school denialism in the classroom (The Conversation) CANADIAN STORY "Residential school denialism is entering or circulating within school communities across Canada in worrisome ways. Racist graffiti and commentary, denialist classroom materials and assignments and school board advocacy, controversies over school library collections and challenges to truth and reconciliation school initiatives highlight the urgent importance of addressing denialism in classrooms.

  4. Edmontonians learn to mend clothes and stitch their way to sustainability (CBC) EDMONTON STORY More please. "Pearce Carpenter says fixing the holes in the black balloon bottoms they bought from an Edmonton thrift store is their way of tackling fast fashion. 'There is so much textile waste in the world, so if we just fix old clothes, like holes in the crotch areas of pants, it's one little quiet act of rebellion,' said Carpenter, who uses they and them pronouns, while stitching over a piece of fabric where two holes once were."

  5. Not just lemonade stands: How a new wave of 'kid-preneurs' are making their own money (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Kid-preneurs "At six years old, Jayden Karlee Castillo started running a business selling toys in front of her house. Three years later, she’s still at it, even adding new products to her lineup and taking them to more customers. In July, Castillo joined the first Kids Markets event held in Millarville, Alta., near Calgary, selling a variety of items including bracelets, earrings and 3D-printed toys she makes herself, as well as hand sanitizers and squishies she sources from wholesalers. So far she's saved hundreds of dollars for a trip to Japan and the Philippines, and has something else planned, too."

  6. Jann Arden headlines Calgary concert for Canadian unity ahead of Alberta referendum (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "A free outdoor concert in support of Canadian unity brought thousands to downtown Calgary on Sunday, about a month before Albertans will cast their ballots on the question of separation. The show, held at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland, was headlined by Calgary singer-songwriter Jann Arden with support from a variety of Canadian artists, including fellow Alberta acts Caity Gyorgy, Lindi Ortega and Reuben Bullock. Thomas Lukaszuk, leader of the Forever Canadian campaign, told CBC News the event was being held to promote national unity at a time of political division, geopolitical conflict, and threats to the nation's sovereignty and economic independence. 'It's sort of a Canada Day on steroids, because that's what we need at this point in time,' Lukaszuk said."

  7. Transformational gift advances Indigenous student success at CapU (Education News Canada) NORTH VANCOUVER STORY Nice gift! "Thanks to a significant gift from the Isabel Bader Charitable Trust, CapU's Indigenous education & affairs department will expand initiatives that support Indigenous students from recruitment and transition to university through graduation and beyond. The investment will help strengthen opportunities for cultural connection, community, academic achievement and holistic well-being throughout the student journey."

  8. VIDEO: Is it unprofessional to bring iced coffee to a job interview? Gen Z is being dragged for it (CBC) What is your take on this trend? "The list of acceptable items to bring to a job interview might include, but isn't limited to: your CV, your portfolio, your winning personality, your best foot forward. But what about your iced latte? That's the debate currently raging online after a job recruiter recently called out Gen Z for showing up to corporate interviews 'with iced coffee, iced latte, in hand' in a now-viral TikTok video."

  9. The normal retirement age is rising in many developed countries. How long can Canada cling to 65? (Globe and Mail) CANADIAN STORY Dang! I am so close. "People around the world are leaving the work force later because governments in most developed countries are raising their normal retirement age. The OECD defines 'normal retirement age' as the age when a person who has worked full-time for many years becomes eligible – without penalty – for all pension benefits under their social security plans. In Canada, normal retirement age for both the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan and Old Age Security pension is 65. This has held steady since the 1960s and there are no known plans to change it. That isn’t the case elsewhere, though. As the chart shows, countries such as Norway and Australia, among others, have already increased their normal retirement age above 65 and more will do so over the next few decades."

  10. Canada: Calgary explores new stadium as McMahon Stadium turns 66 (StadiumDB.com) CALGARY STORY "Calgary has issued a tender for two contracts covering a feasibility study and planning work for a potential large sports and event venue. The assessment will examine market, financial and operational factors, with the findings intended to help city officials make decisions not only about the future of McMahon Stadium, but also about Calgary’s wider stadium infrastructure."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. How to be brutally consistent (without burning out in the process) (Change Your Mind) Intensity is NOT progress.

  2. 20 Small Habits That Destroy 90% of Your Productivity (Without Distraction) Do you work without breaks? Do you say yes to too many things. These and 18 other things that are killing your productivity.

  3. 7 Lessons from the 12-Week Year (Pen With Paper) This is such a simple mind hack. I am definitely doing this.

  4. 10 Books Everyone Recommends That I Think Are Actively Harmful (The Useful Life) I have read a few on this list and, sadly, I agree with the fact that they might actually be harmful.

  5. Confession Time: If I Tell You a Wine Tastes of Strawberries, I’m Probably Lying (Rooted Publication) We can all enjoy wine and tasting wine even if we can't actually identify the more esoteric taste profiles.

  6. What Amazon’s Six-Page Memo Gets Right That Slide Decks Miss (Marybeth Hazeldine) I have talked about Amazon's banning of PowerPoint and the power of silent meetings before. Here is a reminder and an update on this cool and useful process.

  7. Everything I Learned in 138 Books, Reduced to 10 Rules I Live By (The Useful Life) A pretty great summary.

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. Winnipeg dentist donates $2M to University of Manitoba dental hygiene school (The Oral Health Group) WINNIPEG STORY "The University of Manitoba has renamed its dental hygiene school following a $2-million donation from Winnipeg dentist and alumnus Dr. Ernest Cholakis. The university announced [...] that the school will now be known as the Cholakis School of Dental Hygiene in recognition of the largest donation in the program’s history."

  2. Anonymous donor gifts $100M to Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (CBC) TORONTO STORY Wow! Nice anonymous gift! "The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation has received an anonymous donation of $100 million, marking the 'single, largest gift' in the foundation's history, according to the CEO."

  3. Food banks get combined $4.5M donation from former Blackberry CEO (Village Report) ONTARIO STORY "Four local food banks, including Cambridge, will benefit from what is being called a 'transformative' $4.5 million donation [...] The Balsillie Family Foundation is donating a combined $4.5 million to the Guelph Food Bank, Cambridge Food Bank, Centre Wellington Food Bank and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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