The top baby names in Ontario in 2021 were Olivia and Noah. Olivia has been the most popular name for girls for over a decade, with 12 consecutive years in the number one spot. While Emma continues to be a very popular name, it is also this year’s second-most popular name for girls.

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1. Huntsville Brain Injury Specialist Appointed To Order Of Ontario After 30 Years Working In Rehabilitation

Huntsville brain injury specialist and Brainworks founder Arden McGregor was appointed to the Order of Ontario in January this year. I spoke to her about how she got started in rehabilitation and what it’s like to be honoured for doing what she loves everyday.

Huntsville Brain Injury Specialist Appointed To Order Of Ontario After 30 Years Working In Rehabilitation

2. Muskoka Musicians Work To Keep The Magic Of Music Alive As Pandemic Cripples Industry

With concerts, festivals and other events on hold for months on end, the music industry was hit hard by the pandemic. I spoke with locals in the industry about what it was like to keep the magic of music alive during the restrictions.

Muskoka Musicians Work To Keep The Magic Of Music Alive As Pandemic Cripples Industry

3. Local Artist To Paint Mural At Andy’s House To Thank Community For Support During Cancer Treatment

Artist Kimberly Rideout went through months of hell with an out-of-the-blue cancer diagnosis, intensive chemo and a major surgery. To thank the community for their support throughout her health issues, she decided to donate a mural to Andy’s House, a hospice facility in Port Carling.

Local Artist To Paint Mural At Andy’s House To Thank Community For Support During Cancer Treatment

4. Blowing Glass And Breaking Barriers: Female Glassblower Reflects On Career Through Writing

Bracebridge artist Kathy Ashby spent nearly four decades blowing glass and breaking barriers for women in a male-dominated industry. Though her days of glassblowing are behind her, she continues to inspire women, young and old, through her writing.

Blowing Glass And Breaking Barriers: Female Glassblower Reflects On Career Through Writing

5. Bracebridge Falls To Light Up Blue For Apraxia Awareness On May 14

Bracebridge Falls lit up blue on May 14 to raise awareness for apraxia, a rare neurological disorder that impacts a person’s ability to speak. I spoke with Bracebridge resident Jody Hamilton about her five-year-old son Nash and how apraxia has affected his life.

Bracebridge Falls To Light Up Blue For Apraxia Awareness On May 14

6. Orillia Youth Centre Awards Nelson Bell Bursary To First-Ever Recipient

The Orillia Youth Centre awarded Grade 12 student Ty Arends with the first-ever Nelson Bell Bursary on May 8, marking the first of many bursaries to support local youth on the autism spectrum. I connected with Ty, Nelson’s family and Kevin from the youth centre to talk about the milestone.

Orillia Youth Centre Awards Nelson Bell Bursary To First-Ever Recipient

7. The Past, Present And Future Of The Balacade

The Balacade was a community hub for decades, so when the previous owners Paul and Patricia Arney decided to sell, I connected with them and the new owners to talk about the history of the business as well as plans for the future.

The Past, Present And Future Of The Balacade

8. Local Business Owner Donates $50,000 To Woodland Cultural Centre’s Save The Evidence Campaign

Leonard Montour, a local business owner and member of Wahta First Nation, raised $50,000 for Woodland Cultural Centre’s Save the Evidence campaign, providing one of the campaign’s largest individual donations to date. I spoke to him about his donation as well as his plans to continue fundraising until he reaches $100,000.

Local Business Owner Donates $50,000 To Woodland Cultural Centre’s Save The Evidence Campaign

9. Mary Lake Marathon Raises Over $27,000 For Port Sydney Girl Facing Upcoming Surgery

Port Sydney resident Robin Mounsteven launched the first-ever Mary Lake Marathon this October. The marathon raised $27,000 for his neighbour and friend Scarlett Seymour, a three-year-old who was born with multiple organs on the outside of her body.

Mary Lake Marathon Raises Over $27,000 For Port Sydney Girl Facing Upcoming Surgery

10. Ribbons At Bracebridge Falls Removed In Preparation For Community Quilt Project

The community came together this fall to tie thousands of orange ribbons at Bracebridge Falls in honour of the Indigenous people who lost their lives at residential schools. The ribbons came down in October so that they could be made into a commemorative quilt.

Ribbons At Bracebridge Falls Removed In Preparation For Community Quilt Project

Thanks for reading about my top 10 stories of 2021, and thank you to all my sources and readers for a great year of stories. Happy New Year and have a wonderful 2022, Muskoka!

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Of that list, the top three weirdest items we’ve found at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? are:

1. A parade of 50 gnome figurines
2. Giant walkie talkies – almost as big as our truck team members!
3. An R2D2 cooler that looks identical to the character

Want to know what the other seven items are that made the cut? Check out the full list of the 10 weirdest junk items of 2021. Each item is truly one of a kind!

1-800-GOT-JUNK? prides itself on making junk disappear, weird or not, as long as two of our friendly, uniformed team members can carry it, we’ll take care of it, all you have to do is point!

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The 11^th annual edition of Canada’s Food Price Report forecasts an overall food price increase of 3 to 5% for 2021. The most significant increases are predicted for meat at 4.5 to 6.5%, bakery at 3.5 to 5.5%, and vegetables at 4.5 to 6.5%.

“Families with less means will be significantly challenged in 2021, and many will be left behind,” says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University. “Immunity to higher food prices requires more cooking, more discipline and more research. It’s as simple as that.”

The COVID-19 pandemic led to border and facility closures, shifting consumer demand and unemployment, as well as modifications in production, manufacturing, distribution and retailing practices to enhance safety — all of which impacted food prices. An oil price war and the devaluation of the Canadian dollar were also significant factors.

The 2021 Food Price Report has two new features this year. For the first time, the report is a cross-country collaboration, jointly released by long-time research partners Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, as well as the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia.

This year’s report is more robust than ever, with national expertise and collaborations between economists and data scientists strengthening the accuracy and interpretation of price forecasts and reflecting the regional differences in the Canadian food system.

This year’s report also takes into account the diversity of Canadian families by calculating average food expenditure by individual consumer based on age and gender, rather than for an ‘average’ Canadian family. For example, based on a family including a man (age 31-50), woman (age 31-50), boy (age 14-18) and girl (age 9-13), the annual food expenditure is predicted to be $13,907 in 2021, an increase of up to $695 (5%) compared to 2020.

Last year’s report predicted the average Canadian family would spend up to $12,667 on food in 2020. Based on the 2020 inflation rate to date, this figure is likely to be closer to $12,508, largely because consumers ate at restaurants less frequently.

Food price factors to watch for in 2021 include the continued impact of COVID-19, the effects of climate change, the growth in e-commerce and online services, the continued loss of the food manufacturing sector, the national ban on some single-use plastics and the impact of the U.S. presidential election on food policy and the Canadian dollar.

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