Welcome to Wells, B.C.
I enjoy visiting Wells, B.C., about an hour and a half from my home here in Hixon. Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia. If you are travelling to Bowron Lake Provincial Park or to B.C.’s historic town of Barkerville, you will have to pass through Wells on your way, and it’s worth a stop.
Known for its long winters with lots of snow, Wells is an ideal place to enjoy outdoor activities. In fact, many visitors drive for miles just to take advantage of all the snow. Snowmobiling is very popular among people in the north so heading to Wells for a day trip or for the weekend is common. As part of a fun getaway, nearby Barkerville also offers the Shamrock Tube Run, a facility that offers 400 feet of sliding potential in two different runs accessed by a magic carpet lift. Wells and Barkerville both have accommodations available for an overnight stay. Locals and visitors can also enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
As I arrive in Wells on this wintry day, I spot colourful gnomes made by the locals placed on top of the high snowbanks. These gnomes are unique to Wells and make the town feel warm and inviting to folks travelling through.
I decided to drive around town for a bit, trying to spot and photograph a fox that I heard might be roaming from street to street. I was amazed at how much snow had fallen since my last visit.
Steller’s jays are also present throughout the town. I like to bring a bag of peanuts to offer to them and the birds seem to appreciate this little treat. Eventually, I stopped for a coffee and a sandwich before spending some time admiring the bright coloured houses and murals painted on various buildings.
How many of these Canadian birds have you spotted in your travels?
A drive to Wells in the bitter cold of winter with the sun shining bright makes for a magical trip that everyone should experience. Don’t be surprised if you spot moose standing alongside the road looking to take a rest from the deep snow they have to trudge through in the forest.
Summer in Wells, B.C.
Although Wells is a wonderful place to visit in winter, it’s great in summer as well. It is home to the ArtsWells festival, which is known as a “festival of all things art.” Every summer, this huge, well-organized event brings artists from all over the world to participate, and allows tourists to enjoy music and art at its finest. This is one of my favourite places to take guests, as Wells never disappoints. The summer drive alone often showcases bears eating grass along the road or moose hanging out around a swamp where the feed is plentiful.
Another reason I enjoy the drive between Hixon and Wells is that my passion is outdoor photography, and this area offers not only plenty of beautiful scenery, but also the opportunity to see wildlife up close.
When I take this drive by myself and the cell service disappears, there are no distractions so I can enjoy the stillness of nature, no matter the season.
If you enjoyed this glimpse of life in Wells, B.C., be sure to check out these hidden gems of British Columbia.
A trip to the grocery store has always been expensive if you gravitate towards specialty items, the wine aisle or pre-made meals. But lately, it can feel like breaking the bank just to purchase the basics.
Since the start of the pandemic, the cost of groceries has gone up significantly and Canadians are taking notice. These skyrocketing prices are due to several things: labour shortages, poor annual harvests, rising energy and transportation costs, and continuing supply chain issues worldwide. It’s not just a few items that have gotten pricier; cost inflation has impacted everything from meat and dairy to bread and canned goods. Researchers at Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab predict a further 5 to 7 per cent increase in food prices for 2023, with the average Canadian family expected to spend $1,065 more on groceries than they did in 2022.
While the supply chain is outside your control, there are simple steps you can take—with coupons, sharing tips with other shoppers, and redeeming points—to reduce your grocery bill. Here are eight popular grocery apps that promise to help you save money at the supermarket.
The Best Grocery Apps to Save Money
How it works: This shopping app allows you to browse hundreds of flyers from a wide range of retailers in your area. You clip your coupons virtually and present them to cashiers using your smartphone. The app also allows you to make a shopping list and store loyalty points. In addition to groceries, Flipp offers coupons for home and garden stores, pet stores, pharmacies and more.
Your savings: According to Flipp, users typically save about $45 a week.
How it works: Stores often throw away perfectly good food when it’s nearing its expiration date. The Flashfood app helps users find discounted items from a variety of local grocery stores. It’s not old or “bad” food; it’s just nearing its sell-by date. The idea is to reduce waste while helping users save money.
Your savings: It varies by what’s available and what you buy, but grocery deals are offered at up to 50 per cent off.
How it works: If you shop at Loblaws-owned stores like Fortinos, No Frills and Shoppers Drug Mart, you can earn 10 per cent back in Optimum points on all house-brand PC products. Then, cash in those points for free stuff (including more groceries). It’s not a bad deal, especially if you already frequent these stores.
Your savings: If you spent $10 per week on PC items, you’d get $52 back per year. The more PC items you buy, the more you save.
How it works: Shoppers make a list, load the app with relevant offers, and then make purchases to redeem those offers. Later, they upload a photo of their receipt to earn cash back (there is a minimum of $20 in cash back required to redeem). Like Flipp, Checkout 51 is not tied to a specific grocery store, so you can use it wherever the offers are valid. You can also “stack” coupons by using a paper coupon plus the app.
Your savings: It depends on what you buy, but you can expect to save 10 to 30 per cent on average.
How it works: Like several other grocery apps on this list, you can use Save.ca to view a list of coupons available through local retailers, make a shopping list and load up the deals you want to take advantage of.
Your savings: It varies based on what you buy, but is often 10 to 30 per cent. There are also BOGO offers.
How it works: RedFlagDeals offers flyers, coupons, special offers and a forum where users share tips and tricks for saving money using the app. Groceries are just one of many categories on the site. There’s even a section dedicated to freebies, where you can take advantage of vouchers and free samples.
Your savings: Varied, but there are a lot of markdowns and two-for-one deals to take advantage of.
How it works: With this shopping app, customers earn cash back by making purchases, filling out surveys, watching ads and providing product reviews. You’ll have to upload your receipts and request your rebate, which is sent in the form of a cheque. You can also use Caddle for cash back on Amazon purchases.
Your savings: As with many grocery apps, it depends on what you buy, but is typically in the range of 10 to 30 per cent off.
How it works: Use the Reebee app to browse local grocery flyers in one place, save the offers you want and redeem them at the point of purchase. Cha-ching!
Your savings: Whatever your local grocery store is offering, from a few dollars off your bill to BOGO offers and free samples. You may also be able to redeem points for free gift cards to your local grocery store. That’s good news, because the only thing better than cheaper groceries is free groceries. Good luck and enjoy!
Once you’ve downloaded these grocery apps, find out how shrinkflation is affecting your grocery bill—and how you can fight it.
In July 2012, I had just finished paddling the Yukon River with my partner, Kevin, and our friends Daemon and Lyana. We emerged unscathed, ready to celebrate surviving the northern wilderness. But after freak lightning storms and bear encounters, we weren’t really expecting the most nail-biting part of the trip to be the car ride homeward.
We paddled our battered canoes into Dawson City to buy tickets for the next bus to Whitehorse. Our flight home to Toronto was leaving at dawn, and Dawson to Whitehorse is a six-hour drive, so there was zero room for setbacks.
We hadn’t realized there was no bus that week. Our options were: 1) permanently settle in Dawson, or 2) find someone with an enormous car that could accommodate the four of us and all of our gear, and was heading to Whitehorse immediately. Sensing our escalating anxiety, the man behind the visitor information centre counter made, oh, roughly 2,000 calls. “I may have found a guy!” he exclaimed.
An ancient van an exhausted shade of beige sputtered to a crawl and Stan climbed down from the driver’s seat, grinning. He was in his mid-60s and gangly, with neon yellow suspenders and wavy white hair. He introduced himself as a professional birthday clown. He chuckled, sharing lately that his van hadn’t been working and marvelled that the Klondike Highway is so remote that you can’t get cellphone reception anywhere. The van was also missing a seat belt, so we’d better decide whose life mattered least. We were off.
Two hours into our journey, the van started making angry noises. Stan yawned, which crescendoed into an extended, snarling, snorting explosion and then: “I always get really tired when I drive!” He let go of the steering wheel to smack himself across the face. That’s when the van broke down.
We were about 100 kilometres outside of Carmacks, a village of 500 or so people. It was decided that Lyana and I would hitchhike there to get help. Daemon and Kevin would stay with our gear. No one had any way to contact anyone else, but we were desperate and it was a chance at escape.
A nice, sensible-looking car came toward us, and we climbed in. The driver dropped us off in Carmacks. We headed into a restaurant, where we had two crucial missions: find a new ride and obtain some desperately needed food. Within minutes, the entire village was making calls and throwing out suggestions. Meanwhile, Lyana and I procured fettucine alfredo. I began to relax. At that precise moment, Stan’s van roared into view.
“He fixed it,” Kevin mumbled, shrugging. The sky had gone dark, and Stan, back behind the wheel, began shouting anew. “I don’t have night vision at all!” he hooted. Stan’s hands were busy with his pasta, so he’d jab the steering wheel with his elbow. At one point, he moved his face toward the wheel and attempted to steady the car with his open mouth. And then: loud, defiant flatulence. We pulled into the Whitehorse hostel’s parking lot at 4 a.m.
“Let me get a photo of you for posterity,” I offered. Stan turned around and pulled down his shorts and boxers, revealing all.
“DID YOU SAY ‘FOR POSTERIOR?!’” he cackled. He laughed all the way back to his van, hopped inside, slammed the door and drove off into the night. I could hear him chuckling through his open window as he put on his seat belt.
It’s over a decade later now, and I’m 1,000 per cent confident he’s still laughing.
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I used to think that maybe, at best, a person could possibly find my name and address using my phone number. I was wrong. Recently, someone I don’t know used my phone number to find out the private details of my life, then emailed me everything they had discovered. With just my phone number this person found out where I live, my previous addresses, whether or not I’ve ever been evicted, some personal financial information, a map of my neighbourhood, and my birth date. They even found the only speeding ticket I’ve ever gotten, way back in 2006. It was disturbing, to say the least. I felt, and still feel, violated. I reported the person to the social media site they contacted me through and blocked them, but is there more I can do?
After contacting some security experts for their take, it turns out that finding important details about someone’s life with just a phone number is alarmingly easy… and profitable. “In today’s world, it is extremely easy for hackers to wreak havoc on your life using your cell phone number,” says Hari Ravichandran, CEO of consumer cybersecurity company Aura. To protect your sensitive information, you should always think twice before sharing your phone number—especially in a public setting. Here are some ways criminals can target you, and what to do if a scammer has your phone number.
Mine your private data
The easiest way to use your phone number maliciously is by simply typing it into people-search sites like WhoEasy, Whitepages, and Fast People Search. These sites can reveal personal information about you in less than a few seconds, according to tech expert Burton Kelso.
People-search sites purchase your personal information and then sell it to people who want your data, like hackers with your phone number. The information found through these sites includes your address, bankruptcies, criminal records, and family members’ names and addresses. All of this can be used for blackmail, stalking, doxxing, or identity theft. (Here are 10 online scams you need to be aware of.)
Reroute your number
Another tactic is to contact your mobile carrier provider claiming to be you, says Veronica Miller, cybersecurity expert at VPN overview. Then, the hacker can make it so your number routes to their phone. From there, the hacker will log into your email account. Of course, they don’t have your password, but they don’t need it. They just click “Forgot password” and get the reset link sent to their phone that now uses your phone number. Once the hacker has access to your email account, it’s easy to gain access to any of your accounts.
While many service providers have some security features to prevent scammers from switching phones, if the person has your phone number, they may be able to find enough information about you to get past the security questions.
Spoof your number
The RCMP reports that fraud cases have surged since 2020, and scammers are getting smarter. Now they are using a technique called spoofing to make it easier to scam you. Spoofing is when someone makes your phone number pop up on a caller ID when it really isn’t you that’s making the call.
You may have noticed phone calls from numbers with your same area code, or identical to those you call often. When a scammer gets you to pick up, they have the chance to trick you into whatever scheme they’ve come up with by using specific phrases to sound genuine or fooling you into giving them your credit card information. Sometimes it’s to trick you into answering a few questions, and when they have your “yes,” or “no” recorded, they might use that in voice-activated scams. (If you hear this phrase when you pick up the phone, it’s a scam.)
It doesn’t take much to spoof a phone number. There are apps and websites that allow scammers to simply type in a phone number and make a call. It’s super easy and quick, which makes it appealing to scammers.
Send you a texting scam
Scammers can also use your phone number to send you malicious text messages. This type of scam is called “smishing,” according to Ray Walsh, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy.
In these texts, scammers send links that can infect your phone with malware or that can steal your personal information, or they can straight-up scam you by pretending to be your bank, the CRA, or your doctor. By posing as someone you trust, the scammers will try to trick you into giving them personal information and credit card numbers. (Check out more expert advice on how to prevent identity theft.)
Impersonate you or send you spyware
“Just as it is easy for a hacker to redirect a cell phone number from one carrier to another, it is also easy for hackers to send a message to a consumer to gain access and impersonate the individual,” says Ravichandran. Often, hackers will send you a seemingly innocuous message that implores you to click a link to a fake website. This is called a phishing scam. Ravichandran says, “The website may appear legitimate, however, it could record your information to send to the hacker.”
If you have ever visited an unknown website, clicked on a strange link, or connected an unfamiliar USB into your device, Ravichandran says these activities “open a consumer up to accidentally downloading malware. Hackers can infect your phone with software, leverage your data, and even extort you.” (Make sure you never do this when using public Wi-Fi.)
What to do if a scammer has your phone number
If the worst happens and a scammer gains access to your phone number, you still have options:
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Contact your service provider immediately and explain the situation.
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If need be, ask them to put a temporary freeze on your line so that scammers can’t use your number.
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Contact people you know to warn them that your phone may have been compromised.
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To protect yourself from being held responsible for any potential crimes committed using your number, document all steps you’ve taken and everyone you’ve contacted, and keep track of the dates.
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Report your phone lost or stolen (if that’s what happened).
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Update your contact information immediately on all relevant accounts (bank, social media, your kids’ school) to protect more of your information from being compromised.
How to protect yourself against hackers
Here are some other actionable steps to take if a hacker gets a hold of your information:
Use another way of getting in touch
“If you ever get an unsolicited SMS from a contact you don’t recognize (or even from your own number), you should treat it like a suspicious email asking you for money,” says Ryan Toohil, CTO of Aura. Don’t ever click on a link if there is one.
If your phone receives “no signal” or says, “emergency calls only,” even after restarting the phone, use another phone to call your provider and have them check the status immediately, advises Paige Hanson, chief of cyber safety education at NortonLifeLock.
If you receive a suspicious message but still think it might be from a friend or colleague, Toohil says to “reach out to them to confirm via another means—whether that be calling their phone, Slacking them, emailing them, etc.”
Protect your privacy
“Do not publish your phone number on your public profile on social media,” cautions Hanson. She says to always be discreet about mentioning cryptocurrency on social media. “Cryptocurrency is one of the most sought-after forms of currency in this type of crime.” Review your credit card bills, bank statements, and phone bills. If something doesn’t add up, report it immediately.
And because phone hackers will try to access your other accounts, “Do not use the same usernames and passwords across several websites. Make your passwords long, complicated, and difficult to guess,” says Hanson. (Here are the absolute worst passwords you could possibly choose.)
When in doubt, don’t click
Phone hijacking can also happen via phishing attacks. Hanson warns against clicking on suspicious links. “Malware embedded in links can secretly download on your device. When in doubt, open a browser and type in the address you wish to visit.” And if you suspect a text is malicious or phishing, delete texts immediately.
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“Every Day is a Dream”
As part of our retirement plan, my husband Ken and I decided to move from Innisfil, Ontario, north of Toronto and south of Barrie. We found a two-acre lot overlooking Lake Erie in the Chatham-Kent region. We thought it would be a nice place to retire to.
We retired to Merlin, Ontario, on November 30, 2004, and moved into our newly built home. We have never looked back.
Every day is a dream. At first, the locals would ask us if we had family, relatives or friends in the area. When we answered “No,” their friendly response usually was, “Why did you move down here?” This is one example of the humble character that the people of Southwestern Ontario display.
The Allure of Chatham-Kent
In fact, Southwestern Ontario offers a multitude of things to do to keep us busy. We are situated on the 42nd parallel, like Rome and Barcelona—but unlike those cities, we do not grow oranges. And compared with our previous home, winters tend to be milder, with very little snow.
Point Pelee National Park, which reaches out further south towards Lake Erie, and Pelee Island together serve as one of the main migration routes for monarch butterflies, which come to Canada from Mexico in the spring and return in the fall. These seasons are also when thousands of birds, insects and bats travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to migrate to this location and beyond.
Check out the best bird-watching spots across Canada.
Driving around the area, we can sample and pick locally grown fruits and vegetables, including all types of berries, apples, peaches, pears, corn, beans and asparagus. Peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, especially, are available year-round from the many greenhouses in the area.
We’re a 20-minute drive from Wheatley, which advertises itself as home to the largest freshwater commercial fishing fleet in the world, with nearly 50 tugs.
Slices of History
We found out that North Buxton, which is ten minutes away, was one of the terminals along the Underground Railroad. The settlement was established in 1849 by U.S. Reverend William King for slaves fleeing subjugation. The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, which includes a schoolhouse and cabin used by settlers, commemorates the area’s historic importance. We now always look forward to Labour Day weekend, as North Buxton has a homecoming celebration for the community and ancestors of settlers.
Every Day is a Gift
In the summer, Chatham and Blenheim have evening concerts in the park. With their genuine small-town feel, they are a can’t-miss for us and many others.
Although we’ve lived in the Chatham-Kent region for 18 years, we are still learning about the area and discovering more surprises about what’s in store. One recent surprise was that there are now cruises of the Great Lakes aboard Viking Cruises!
Every day in our not-so-new hometown is a gift to us. We truly feel we have found our forever home.
Discover more hidden gems in Ontario.
Cancer Research That Offers Real Hope
A cancer diagnosis no longer means what it used to. Just a few decades ago, the survival rate beyond five years was less than 50 per cent. Now, nearly 70 per cent of those who get cancer survive that long, and that proportion is set to rise. Why? Because more than ever, chemotherapy and radiation, once the only heavy hitters of cancer treatment, are being paired with or replaced by a slate of new drugs and treatments.
For example, the first-ever medication for what was previously considered an “undruggable” lung cancer mutation was recently approved in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada. And a new precision chemotherapy drug delivered directly to breast cancer tumour cells is giving hope to patients with the aggressive HER2-positive form of the disease.
An even bigger newsmaker has been cancer immunotherapy. Researchers have found ways to harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. “We’re truly living in the age of immunotherapy cancer treatment,” says Nigel Brockton of the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Also fuelling optimism is a focus on prevention. Decades of research and public education have led to greater awareness of how lifestyle changes can reduce our risk of developing cancer. According to the American National Institute of Health, 90 to 95 per cent of cancers can be attributed to things we can control, rather than genetic factors.
Here are some of the ways we’re winning the battle against cancer.
Cancer Prevention
HPV Vaccine
Cervical cancer was once one of the most common women’s cancers and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. In recent decades, Pap test screening led to a decline in the cancer. But a preventive tool in use for more than a decade—a vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is responsible for more than 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases—has been a game-changer. Here’s how:
- Since 2006, when the vaccine was introduced in North America, HPV infections have dropped more than 80 per cent among teen girls and young women in the United States.
- A study published in The Lancet at the end of 2021 found that in England, where the immunization program was introduced in 2008 (the same year it started in Europe), cervical cancer has been almost completely eliminated in women born since 1995, who were vaccinated at ages 12 or 13.
- A 2020 Swedish study of 1.7 million women published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that women vaccinated as teens were 90 per cent less likely to get cervical cancer.
- And in March 2022, Australia announced it is on track to become the first country to eliminate the cancer.
The WHO’s goal is for 90 per cent of girls to be vaccinated globally by the year 2030, eventually eliminating cervical cancer entirely.
mRNA Cancer Vaccines
The speedy development of Covid-19 vaccines was thanks to groundwork already done by researchers creating mRNA vaccines to fight cancer. These vaccines use a specially programmed molecule to activate an immune response in the body’s cells. Unlike the Covid-19 vaccines used to immunize billions of people, each cancer mRNA vaccine is tailor-made to treat a single patient’s cancerous tumours. Dozens of clinical trials testing their effectiveness against a range of cancers, including pancreatic, are underway.
“In theory,” says Dr. Patrick Ott, director of the Center for Personal Cancer Vaccines at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, “this personalized approach can be taken for everyone, and for every cancer.”
Cancer Screening Breakthroughs
Galleri Blood Test
Catching cancer early can be challenging. The screening methods in wide use—e.g., the mammogram since the 1970s and the colonoscopy since the 1990s—look for one type of cancer.
And blood tests look for markers like blood cell count, proteins and chemicals made by cancer cells, but are not highly specific; they are often used only after cancer has been detected by another method.
Now, a test known as Galleri, made by California-based biotechnology company GRAIL, promises to detect more than 50 types of cancer with one blood sample. Galleri finds tumour-generated genetic material in the blood; it reveals the presence of cancer and where it originated. In a study published in the Annals of Oncology in June 2021, researchers found the test detected cancers more than half of the time, and predicted a cancer’s origin with 89 per cent accuracy.
The test holds particular promise for cancers like pancreatic and ovarian, so deadly because symptoms are elusive and there are no other screening methods. Galleri is available by prescription in the U.S., but isn’t yet approved in the E.U. In June 2022, the U.K.’s National Health Service announced a massive trial of 140,000 participants to assess Galleri’s effectiveness.
Breakthroughs in Cancer Treatments
Enhertu
Though breast cancer mortality rates have been falling for three decades, it’s still the most common cancer in the U.S. (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) and in Europe. Among the deadliest type are those in which the tumours overproduce a protein called HER2. Affecting about one in five breast cancer patients, this type usually grows and spreads faster than other breast cancers—and is more likely to return after treatment.
But in 2021 in Europe, Canada and the U.K., and in 2019 in the U.S., Trastuzumab deruxtecan (brand name: Enhertu) was approved. The precision chemotherapy drug dramatically slows progress of this aggressive cancer.
“This is very important,” says Dr. Rebecca Roylance, a medical oncologist at the University College London Hospital. Roylance specializes in breast cancer and was involved in administering the U.K. trials of Enhertu. “A drug that is well tolerated is so important to improve patients’ quality of life despite the impact of their cancer and treatment.”
It works by transporting a chemotherapy drug directly to HER2 tumour cells to destroy them. Enhertu delivers more than double the chemo payload of existing treatments, and also destroys nearby cancerous cells. An international trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in July of this year showed that patients taking Enhertu went a median of 10 months without tumour growth compared to about five months with the current standard treatment.
Find out how to lower your breast cancer risk.
Lumakras
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in Europe, causing 20 per cent of cancer deaths. It’s the top cancer killer in Canada and the U.S., too, accounting for almost a quarter of cancer deaths in the U.S. Until very recently, there were no drugs to treat lung cancers caused by a dangerous mutation in the KRAS G12C gene.
The mutation, which causes the cancerous cells to duplicate wildly, affects about 13 per cent of patients with the most common lung cancer. The only treatment has been additional chemotherapy, which might give patients a few more months to live, at most.
A new KRAS-inhibiting drug could transform that prognosis. Results of a phase-one trial published in June 2021 in the New England Journal of Medicine are promising. Patients previously treated with both chemotherapy and immunotherapy took a daily Sotorasib pill (brand name Lumakras in North America and Lumykras in Europe; both have been recently approved). Around 40 per cent of patients experienced tumour shrinkage of 30 per cent or more. And according to a recent update, one in three was still alive two years after starting treatment.
“It offers hope to patients whose prognosis is grim,” says Dr. Ferdinandos Skoulidis, an oncologist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas and the lead author of the groundbreaking study. “It’s a hugely important discovery.”
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy alters cells in the body’s immune system, allowing them to recognize and fight cancer cells. The field is barely a decade old, yet it dominates cancer research: Nearly 5,000 immunotherapy cancer trials are being conducted worldwide.
“There has been a revolution in the treatment of several cancer types in recent years thanks to immunotherapies,” says Dr. Marco Donia, a scientist at Denmark’s National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy.
The field is so groundbreaking that in 2018, immunologists James P. Allison of the U.S. and Tasuku Honjo of Japan were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of the principle behind immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), the most common type of immunotherapy cancer treatment used today.
The treatment, administered intravenously, is used against many cancers but is particularly successful against lung, skin and some colon cancers. The effects of ICIs can last long after treatment ends. A 2021 survey of progress made in the treatment of melanoma published in the journal Cancers reports that ICI combination therapy results in long-term survival for more than half of metastatic melanoma patients.
“This is the first time we’re seeing solid cancers with a six-month median survival rate essentially being cured,” says Donia. (“Solid” cancers are those with tumour masses as opposed to “liquid” cancers, such as those that occur in blood.)
Another type of immunotherapy, called CAR T-cell therapy (or adoptive cell transfer), also shows great promise. The personalized immunotherapy, first used in 2017, involves extracting some disease-fighting white T-cells from a patient’s blood, genetically engineering them to recognize and target a specific cancer protein, and reintroducing them into the patient’s bloodstream. Then they circulate, attack and destroy cancer cells. The therapy has been shown to add years of life for people with blood cancers.
The treatment has been approved for specific types of adult lymphoma and child and youth leukemia in Europe, the U.S., and Canada, but because it is so individually tailored, CAR T-cell therapy is used relatively rarely, and it’s expensive. Researchers are investigating development of universal CAR T-cell therapy.
In Canada, a national trial of CAR T-cell therapy is underway. Results so far have been promising: for 13 of the 30 people enrolled, cancer cells can no longer be detected in their blood, according to Dr. Natasha Kekre, a scientist and hematologist at the Ottawa Hospital and the trial’s principal investigator.
Says Kekre: “This will allow us to cure so many people.”
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Blood-pressure readings may seem arcane at first glance, but you don’t need medical training to make sense of them. Simply put, the first number, known as the systolic pressure, represents how much force is on your veins when your heart pumps. The second number, the diastolic pressure, shows how much force remains in between heartbeats.
What’s a Healthy Blood Pressure Reading?
As these numbers rise, so does your risk of cardiovascular events. The Public Health Agency of Canada considers values of less than 120/80 in adults to be “optimal” and 120 to 129/80 to 84 to be “normal.” (There’s no lower healthy limit so long as you feel well, but see a doctor if you’re chronically dizzy or light-headed.) “High-normal,” 130 to 139/85 to 89, is the range where it may be worth changing your lifestyle (these foods can lower blood pressure), though your cardiovascular risk probably isn’t great enough to justify medication.
Values of 140/90 and higher are considered “hypertension,” a situation where lifestyle interventions are highly recommended and taking drugs is usually worth the risk. For home readings, however, the threshold is 135/85: you tend to be more relaxed in the comfort of your own space than at the doctor’s office.
How to Measure Blood Pressure at Home
Your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day due to factors such as stress levels, caffeine intake and physical activity. Therefore, doctors won’t usually diagnose hypertension after just one test. Instead, they might ask you to use a home-monitoring device or come back another day to see if your results are still the same.
Before a blood-pressure test, sit down for five minutes in a quiet environment, if possible, advises Dr. Joep Perk, a European Society of Cardiology spokesperson for hypertension and prevention. During the test itself, breathe normally, support your elbow at heart level and don’t talk. Make sure the arm cuff is in contact with your skin, not your clothing.
If your blood pressure has never been high, you only need to check it once every few years. People who are hypertensive, however, are encouraged to record measurements regularly—perhaps once or twice a week. “This gives doctors the data they need to tailor your medication,” says Perk.
As a bonus, frequent blood-pressure checks remind you to follow your prescription, since you’ll likely see the numbers rise if you don’t. “Hypertension doesn’t make you feel physically unwell,” Perk says, “and it can be hard to feel motivated to adhere to treatment. Self-monitoring helps you take an active interest in good control.”
Next check out the sneaky reasons your blood pressure reading is off.
While mashed potatoes are hands-down one of the best ways to make taters, all that peeling, boiling and draining can take a while (especially during the holidays). So when we saw Instagram food blogger Eitan Bernath‘s handy microwave mashed potatoes hack, we knew it was a keeper.
How to Make Microwave Mashed Potatoes
Eitan doesn’t share any measurements on Instagram other than the time, so we’ve laid them out in a handy recipe format for you.
Ingredients
- 6 large russet potatoes, peeled
- ½ cup cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Peel and quarter the potatoes, then throw them into a resealable plastic bag. You want to make sure they remain in a single layer.
- Put the bag in the microwave for 15 minutes.
- Flatten them in the bag. Then, put the spuds through a ricer.
- Add warm cream, butter, salt and pepper.
And voila! You’ve got the perfect mashed potatoes ready for dinner. According to Eitan, the consistency is exactly the same as potatoes boiled on the stovetop.
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How to Make the Microwave Mashed Potatoes Your Own
A lot of the comments on Instagram point out that using resealable plastic bags isn’t very eco-friendly—and could possibly lead to chemical leaching as the plastic is heated. Fortunately, this hack works great in a glass bowl, too.
To save yourself a step, feel free to leave the potatoes unpeeled. Just be sure to use red potatoes instead of russet. Their thinner skin will incorporate more easily, while the thicker skin of russet potatoes can interfere with the smooth texture of your mashed potatoes.
Next, find out how to make store-bought stuffing mix taste homemade.
Nothing is more festive than a locally grown, freshly-cut Christmas tree filling your home with smells of forest and holiday. (Find out the best time to buy a Christmas tree in Canada.) But by the end of December or early January, it’s more eyesore than a centrepiece, littering your carpet with dead needles. This year, instead of kicking the tree to the curb as everyone else does, repurpose it in your yard—and watch as birds, insects and perennials reap the winter benefits.
Use your old Christmas tree to insulate perennials
Cut or saw off branches from the tree and layer them flat over your perennial beds as winter mulch. Even if snow already blankets the ground, the branches add an extra layer of protection from fluctuating winter temperatures, says Vijai Pandian, a horticulture specialist with the Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) extension. Use only local trees, as the greens from other areas can carry pests.
Make bean poles
After you cut off branches, place the trunk in the garden as a pole for beans, cucumbers or other climbing vegetables, says Debbie Kopydlowski, a Milwaukee County master gardener volunteer. If you have multiple trees, angle trunks together like a teepee. The idea also works well for flowers like morning glories or black-eyed Susan vines.
Create a heritage fence
Save your tree, and maybe your neighbour’s, from the landfill by building a unique barrier. Remove tree branches, cut the trunks into equal lengths and use the sections as fence posts around your garden. You can also pile the trunks and branches as section dividers in the garden, between, for example, leafy greens and ornamentals.
Feed birds and house pollinators
What could be better for backyard birds than a tree strung with food? Debbie recommends placing your tree outside and decorating it with strings of popcorn, berries, citrus fruits, or suet packets made from seeds and peanut butter. Drill 1-inch holes in the trunk for pollinating insects to use for eggs and larvae. (Just make sure you never feed this to birds.)
Replant for the future
Go to the garden centre for a live tree, and decorate it in your house before planting it outside after Christmas, suggests master gardener volunteer Pat Nylen. You will have a pretty tree for the holidays and beyond. Just be sure to dig a hole before the ground freezes to make planting easier. Keep your Christmas tree fire-safe by keeping it watered. (Here are more holiday safety hazards you should keep in mind.)
Nourish your soil
Chop up the trunk and branches for compost or, at minimum, keep the needles to mix in with your soil. They add to the acidity.
Next, check out 50 more things you should be repurposing.
