NORCs - Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities - CBC had an article on one of these being set up in a Halifax apartment building. The original concept is from an Ontario group, Oasis Senior Supportive Living. The idea is to set up in an existing apartment building, offering to any seniors living there such amenities as health clinics, occasional communal meals, a community fridge, workshops, game nights and group physical activities. The main benefit is fewer home care services and emergency department visits, as well as happier seniors. Once Oasis sets up the program, it is turned over to local community groups to support it. I might pass the article on to my own building, they have a good marketing department and there are a few of us old farts in here. I’m not THAT old, but you never know.
BDAs - Beaver Dam Analogues - Yes, another acronym, from the University of Northern BC. The ongoing drought is causing many rivers in BC’s north to reach extremely low levels, and the loss of ground cover form the many forest fires means any rainfall soon flows away. The plan is to encourage beaver dams, to slow the existing flow and also hold some of it in place. The deeper cooler pools will be better for the fish, increase the local groundwater, and develop wetland corridors. It’s described as a starter kit for a beaver dam, with some wood pilings, brush, and mud. The article doesn’t say whether the kit includes the beavers, or if it’s just ‘if you build it they will come’.
I remember up north we either saw beaver dams as a pest to be dynamited, or a source of warm pelts, not as a cheap solution to yet another consequence of climate change.
And finally, some hockey - From a good Sports Network piece, not from me. I grew up in Northern Ontario when the NHL had only six teams, and many of the players were local kids from the north, honing their skills on frozen ponds and outdoor rinks. Then the league grew, and I also had other interests instead. I can follow a game still, but I am pretty well clueless about who’s with what team, or why. If I do try a hockey pool, my picks are done by a friend for me.
But I’ll link to an interesting article, via the Sports Network. Check it out for details and feel free to list your own picks in the comments.
Seven oddly specific rivalries that could define the NHL season
-
The Oilers vs. the Canucks (and the weight of Cup expectations)
-
Connor Bedard vs. Logan Cooley for the Calder crown
-
Auston Matthews vs. Connor McDavid for the Rocket Richard
-
Kyle Dubas’s Penguins vs. the Maple Leafs
-
The Battle for the Hudson River (and The Metropolitan Division, and maybe The East)
-
Pierre-Luc Dubois vs. the Winnipeg Jets faithful
-
The Senators’ young core vs. Alex DeBrincat
Comments