Image by Eva Wünsch and Luisa Stömer.
By Tayvie Van Eeuwen
@tayvieeee
Who said autumn has to be dark and scary? Make your day a whole lot brighter with a bundle of good news. Happy reading!
Local
Vancouver pooch replicates digital orca art
Now, THIS is the wholesome news we all need!
This is Baxter, an eight-year-old Havenese Poodle visiting Vancouver from Portland. Halfway through October, Baxter’s mom, Katie Ferley, posted the above photo to Instagram– basically claiming the cutest tourist award.
While the pooch and his parent’s were in Vancouver, they made a point of visiting Douglas Coupland’s Digital Orca, located in Jack Poole Plaza.
“When we got close, we knew we had to at least to try make Baxter do the same pose!” Ferley told Vancouver is Awesome.
“He gets excited pretty easily and likes to stand on his hind legs, so my husband just pretended to hold a treat above him to get him to jump!”
On their third attempt, they made magic. We love you Baxter!
BC set to implement United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples
BC’s promised Indigenous human rights legislation is on the horizon; the legislation is being tabled with a possibility, if passed, to make BC the first province to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
*Please pass this.*
According to CBC, the First Nations Leadership Council has been collaborating with a team from the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation to draft the historic bill.
“This bill is critically important because Indigenous rights are human rights,” Premier John Horgan told CBC. “We all want to live in a province where the standard of living for Indigenous Peoples is the same as every other human being in the province.”
The legislation will provide the necessary framework to ensure BC’s laws coincide with the standards of the UN declaration. Attending the legislation’s introduction were elected MLAs, hereditary chiefs, elected chiefs, Elders, and Indigenous MPs.
“It moves us away from a relationship of denial,” First Nations Summit political executive, Cheryl Casimer, told CBC’s On the Coast.
“Denial of our rights, denial of our title, denial of our basic human rights — and puts us in a position where we can sit as equal decision-maker at tables where decisions are being made that impact our lives.”
As of now, Premier Horgan says he is confident the bill will pass. We hope!
Dreams Take Flight sends 125 bc kids on a one-day trip to disneyland
You already know this is my type of charity. Disney and deserving kids? Name a more perfect combo.
On October 22, Dreams Take Flight (DTF) took 125 BC children on the trip of a lifetime. Within one day, the group of kids and escorts flew from Vancouver to California, spending approximately eight hours in Disneyland Park before coming home.
Whew, that’s a full day!
As stated on their website, their “goal is to provide the trip of a lifetime once a year to 125 children with physical, mental and social challenges.” For many organizations, charities, and schools involved this means children living with poverty, mental health challenges, life-threatening illnesses, and physical ailments.
With the help of local sponsors, volunteers, and the donation of an Air Canada roundtrip flight, Dreams Take Flight is able to offer an all-expenses paid trip for these kiddos.
For out of town families, they are flown to Vancouver and given accommodation before and after the trip. In addition, every child involved is gifted Dreams Take Flight swag, free park entrance, food and drink, and the opportunity to buy special something at Disney.
Perhaps the greatest gift of all, is Disney’s special all-access pass for Dreams Take Flight: DTF visitors don’t have to wait in any lines! For the eight hours DTF is in the park, kids from the flight are taken to each ride through the exit and seated immediately. Meaning, they have won the Disney experience.
Sounds like a dream, right?
Nationwide
Canadian real estate agent wins the hearts of thousands
I’m not going to lie, this made me laugh for a good five minutes. A positive vandalization story? Never hear of those.
Meet Alan Stilwell, is a local real estate agent in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and now, a viral sensation. In the past month, Stilwell has made the front of multiple newspapers and thrilled online audiences.
On October 13, Stilwell took to Facebook with a humorous post about recent vandalism. In the photo, he copied the vandal’s drawing on his actual face with the caption, “VANDALISM! No problem I can adapt!”
LOL
“A colleague saw my sign had been vandalized and gave me a call,” Stillwell told Daily Hive. “I kinda laughed and said I’d just have to grow a beard and moustache.”
Since its publication, the post has racked up over 17,000 likes and 20,000 shares. The comments section is naturally the best part, with individuals making the joke their own.
Looking for the best comments? I have my bets on these.
Worldwide
Always removes venus symbol from menstrual product packaging
In the past year, there has been an outcry for menstruation equality. Across the world, and specifically in the United States, crowds have gathered to protest tampon tax, abortion restrictions, and gendered period products.
This late October, Procter & Gamble announced they will be removing the Venus symbol from Always’ period packaging. The reason? A “[commitment] to diversity and inclusion.”
As reported by Global News, the company stated, “We routinely assess our products, packaging and designs. We take into account a broad array of factors, including feedback from consumers, to ensure we are meeting the needs of everyone who uses our products.”
In the near future, Always plans to act on customer feedback by changing their pad wrapper design. This action comes in response to trans and non-binary advocation against cis gendered marketing, specifically for a product that aids all gender identities.
Following this, there has been a large conversation on social media. Overall, the feminist community is applauding Always for their inclusive move.
My personal favourite response? A Tweet from @transscribe who perfectly clapped back at transphobic outrage.
Thank 👏 you 👏 Katelyn 👏.
introducing ethan holt, surf style’s first Down syndrome model
First of all, look at that smile. My heart is bursting!
Meet Ethan Holt, Surf Style’s newest model. This August, the well-known surf-wear brand introduced Holt as the face of their latest campaign.
The modelling gig happened as a result of outreach from Help Us Gather (HUG)– a non profit dedicated to increasing the inclusion of folks with special needs. In July, the organization contacted Surf Style about Holt, an aspiring model with Down Syndrome.
Within a month, this magic happened!
Surf Style recounted on their website that they “jumped on the opportunity to include Ethan in [their] marketing, not only because of his incredible charismatic personality and love of the camera, but also to set an example of inclusion.”
The junior year teen is an active guy with a love of soccer, baseball, wrestling, and most of all, water sports. He’s currently on the high school swim team and the Florida Division of the Special Olympics in both swimming and paddle boarding.
Holt is a well-decorated athlete, taking home gold medals on regional and state levels. His mother, Phoy Holt, told Surf Style, “Anytime he gets to compete, whether its paddle board or swimming, he always gets gold.” *Crying*
Robin Lally, a team member at HUG, said that Holt was a natural model from the beginning. At the test shoot for the organization, Lally said she realized Holt’s immense potential.
“He studies it, you know, he practices. So that’s when I realized, if he’s willing to do the work, and he gets it, then he’s good at it; so we thought he could make a career out of it. Models know how to move, and he brings his personality with it.”
Check out a video of Holt modelling here!
Bison return to their ancestral lands for the first time in over a century
“The door of the gooseneck trailer clanged open and for a moment, the only sound was a lacerating wind whipping snow across the plains and canyons of Badlands National Park. And then—as though a signaling bell chimed—four massive, majestic bison barreled through the opening and into the wild. This is the first time that bison have touched this land since 1877.” – World Wildlife Fund
Welcome home bison!
On October 11, the World Wildlife Fund announced that America’s national mammal, the bison, has returned home to ancestral territory. Badlands National Park in South Dakota now boasts more than 20,000 extra acres for resident bison.
This comes in response to a land swap done in 2014 by the World Wildlife Fund. The agreement removed an area of private land inside Badlands boundaries, therefore, freeing a previously blocked expansion. Now, the bison can enjoy 80,193 acres of land with 1,200 resident mammals.
In addition to returning to the ancient land, bison have also celebrated a historic population growth. With the support of various conservation efforts, bison has risen from 512 to 21,000 within South Dakota. In the coming years, the World Wildlife Fund and other organizations plan to continue this necessary work.
A self-declared witch, Tayvie spends her time with all things magic. Her circle is small, but her joy is large. She splits her time between over-thinking and visiting Disneyland. Read her articles to take a peek inside the world of mental illness and happy news, because it’s all about balance, right?
