The bright lights in Port de Grave mean more than Christmas. They're also about memory and loss
On a twinkling wharf in a small Newfoundland town, a crowd of about 100 people stopped singing and chatting on Friday night to bow their heads in a moment of silence for local fish harvesters.
Now in its 26th year, the boat lighting in Port de Grave, N.L., draws visitors from all over the province, but organizers have kept the town's fishers at the heart of the ceremony.
The event kicks off with Christmas carols and hot chocolate, but it includes a solemn prayer for the fishers — those who died in the past year in the community from any cause, and those who continue to make it home safe while doing one of the deadliest jobs in Canada.
"Any time the fishery is on the go, you have people losing their lives," said organizer Joyce Morgan. "And we're so very thankful that [while] there have been a number of accidents on the water ... everyone has come home safely."
WATCH | Port de Grave's spectacle attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year during the holiday season:
Christmas lights adorn boats in Port de Grave
5 years ago
Duration 2:00
For twenty years in Port de Grave, Nfld., every boat in the harbour has been decked out with lights throughout the holidays. The fishing town's spectacle attracts tens of thousands of visitors.
Atlantic Canada is knit together by the fisheries and, as a consequence, by a shared grief wrought by tragedy at sea. An average of 12 fishers were killed on the job each year between 1999 and 2021, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
All of Newfoundland and Labrador celebrated this summer when seven men made it home to New-Wes-Valley, N.L., after a fire aboard their fishing vessel more than 220 kilometres from shore forced them to jump into the sea. They spent three days adrift in a life raft before being found.
Port de Grave's boat-lighting is perhaps the most well-known in the province, but other towns have similar events.
In the eastern Newfoundland town of Branch, many of the 200 residents will gather on the wharf for their own annual boat-lighting ceremony on Dec. 21, Mayor Kelly Power said in an interview.
Branch's boat-lighting tradition began in 2014, in an effort to lift community spirits following a particularly hard year. Four fishermen, including a young man, had died in the community from various causes — none on the job, Power said — and people were devastated.
So fishers draped their boats in Christmas lights, transforming the harbour into a glimmering refuge against the dark North Atlantic Ocean. The Branch boat-lighting ceremony is now a cherished event.
"We pay tribute to today's fishermen, and we offer prayers for protection and safety to our fishermen today," Power said. "And at our service, we'll light candles in a moment of silence for those who have gone before the fishermen."
Ninety-six-year-old Denis Nash, Branch's oldest resident and a lifelong fisherman, has the yearly honour of flicking the switch to turn on all the lights, Power added.
Port de Grave is about 100 kilometres northeast of Branch, on the tiny Port de Grave peninsula in Conception Bay. The area is home to about 875 people, many of whom deck out their houses in brilliant, blinking Christmas displays along with their boats.
One couple build a pathway on their property every year lined by more than 500 illuminated candy canes. Their place was a popular spot for pictures on Friday night.
Port de Grave's event began with a single fisherman — Eric Lear — deciding to light up his boat on Christmas. It has since grown and now requires volunteers to direct cars from out of town into designated parking areas.
About 50 boats were lit up on Friday, and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey was even on hand — though he politely declined requests to sing carols with the band. It was the first time a premier had attended the event, organizers said.
Visitors posed for pictures in front of a towering Christmas tree made of lobster traps. Others took selfies by an inflatable Santa strapped to the back of a fishing boat. The figure looked like it was waving and laughing as it was shaken by the ferocious wind.
"This site has become an annual Christmas event for many and a beacon of hope and strength to all that visit," fisherman Ivan Lear told the crowd as they lifted their heads from the moment of silence. "Preparing our vessels for the boat lighting is a way for all of us to give back and to brighten up the season."
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Vancouver Sun
7 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
The Bookless Club: Has geopolitical conflict directly affected your life?
Even from the front door I could sense that something was off. Where she is usually welcoming and exuberant, she seemed deflated and preoccupied. She smiled, not her usual smile, but a wan spreading of the lips in a poor facsimile of a smile. Was I late? I checked my watch. No, I was right on time. What then …? She doesn't want me to use her name. She's not worried about you knowing it, but she says she has reason to be careful … so let's call her Vicky. Vicky is my hairdresser. Well, she's much more than that. Vicky is my tricho-psycho care provider, reliably restoring both my outward and inward presentation of self. Our running joke is that I enter the salon like The Lord Of The Rings' Gollum, but leave like a Texas beauty queen waving from my perch on the retracted hood of a Cutlass convertible. A little more about Vicky: She's an active participant in the merchants' association. She takes an interest in neighbouring businesses. She will escort an elderly client back to her car. She decorates her storefront for Halloween and Christmas. She offers tea, coffee and old-world courtesies. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. And that's what was on her mind this morning. Her old world. The world she fled. Vicky is from Tehran. I should have recognized that her mind would be on the events rapidly unfolding back in Iran. That's where she grew up. That's where many of her family still live. But it took me a moment to marshal my thoughts. 'Any news from back home?' A watery, insipid question, but a start. And there it was. Fear. Fear and grief. She was enveloped in it. At a glance, her outward appearance was unaltered, but it only took a moment to see the anxiety encasing her body. She had spent the night sleeping with her phone on her chest. Well, not really sleeping, just skin sleeping, waiting on a call, any call. She told me that the news wasn't entirely accurate. It was worse than what we were hearing. The government had decommissioned social media outlets, and the internet was effectively shut down. The local population was getting its information by word of mouth. There were shortages of everything. Cars lined up for costly fuel that was in short supply. Many people, even if they have a car, can't afford the wartime fuel surcharges. Daytime temperatures in Tehran ranged in the high-30s, and people were collapsing from the heat while waiting for the chance to get enough gas to make a run for the border, maybe Turkey or Armenia. Local airports are closed. She told me that in the middle of the night she had a call from a cousin. His family had evacuated, but he had elected to stay in Tehran. No one had heard from him. Vicky had been exhorting him to leave. He'd originally said he couldn't. That he was needed there. And then the bombings got closer. He had managed to find an operating landline and was calling to say that he'd taken her advice. He was en route to Holland. Vicky was now tasked with getting this information to other family members. When I saw her she still hadn't been able to make contact. Vicky's father died a while ago and she had just inherited his house in Iran. There's nothing to be done about it until hostilities cease. She wonders if the house will still be standing when that day arrives. She wonders if anything will be standing when that day comes. Jane Macdougall is a freelance writer and former National Post columnist who lives in Vancouver. She writes The Bookless Club every Saturday online and in The Vancouver Sun. For more of what Jane's up to, check out her website, Question: Has geopolitical conflict directly affected your life? Send your answers by email text, not an attachment, in 100 words or less, along with your full name to Jane at thebooklessclub@ . We will print some next week in this space. Question: Do you have a To-Do list or a honey-do list at your house? • I am also a list maker. Daily, weekly, monthly and by-the-season lists. Anything from 10-minute jobs to an hour-plus went on my lists. As I've become a senior I've begun to put things on my list that I've already done and feel no guilt at crossing them off. When my dear father was well into retirement he would say, 'I did nothing today, and tomorrow I'm going to finish it.' I'm soon going to add 'do nothing' to my list. Carol Leukefeld • I have three To-Do lists: Daily, weekly, and when I can get around to it. I need to be careful not to spend more time organizing my lists than doing the actual chores. Pat Shaw • I could not survive without my To-Do list. I cross things off with such satisfaction. Keep it within a week and it won't overpower you. On the other hand, my Honey-Do list is 23 years old and the only thing he crossed off was to remember my birthday, once. Terry Malakoff • The first mistake you made was to make a list. They are like nagging spouses — always disappointed. Ken Bryden • I have used To-Do lists for many years and modified them over time. I now take an 8×11 piece of paper and fold it into 16 squares — eight on the left and eight on the right. I print the month at the top of the page and use seven boxes down each side to cover two weeks. I enter all the dates and plans for the two weeks, placing 'chores' and appointments in the appropriate boxes. The two extra boxes at the bottom of the page are for plans that don't have a specific date. I take great pleasure in checking off the items as each is completed. This sheet of paper sits beside my placemat at the kitchen table. I cannot ignore it. Being a former teacher for many years, I was used to having a daybook outlining plans for the day. I can relax knowing what each day will bring. Leslie Purvis • After the usual trial and error, and never feeling the sense of accomplishment getting to the end of the list, about 10 years ago, I devised a new plan: a Weekly To-Do list. This way, prioritizing has already happened, and as the week progresses, and items — whether business, volunteer, or stuff at home — and so many items are crossed out, what a great feeling of satisfaction. Friday at 5 p.m. is 'wine time' and the completion of the To-Do list until the following Monday. Any items not completed are moved to the top of the following week's list. It works. Jean Lawrence • Your article on the To-Do list resonated with me as I feel such lists free up a lot of mental energy. I have a To-Do Book, a coil-ringed exercise book that sits open on my desk. Like life's tasks, it's always ongoing. An entry for each task, sometimes a longer entry for things such as 'correspondence' or 'home improvements'. There is satisfaction in the tick off, but some entries get a big 'X' — for no longer relevant or never getting done. And yes, it is valid to add things accomplished but not previously entered. Michael Welsh • As I get older, I find that everything has to go on a list or I forget it. Or I delay it. So I don't just have a list. It is like a diary. I can go back over several days and realize I didn't get the bluetooth speaker fixed or replaced for a month. I think you should write a book about the 'To It' story. I'm sure people have a million things to share. A lot on my list is technical. My printer won't connect again, so I have go to the library for that. I ordered a meditation app a month ago and haven't installed it yet. Anne Beresford • Every morning as I drink my coffee I write a To-Do list. I keep it simple so that at the end of the day I can hopefully cross the items off. Pull some weeds, mail that birthday card, clean the bathroom, put out recycling, make a dentist appointment. Those I can do, but there are others that I keep in my head. Finish a painting, write a couple of paragraphs for the book I want to write. Today, I managed to cross off some of the above. Joan Ellis • I always make a list as I'm going to bed about people I need to contact, and it never ends. If I find time to call or message one or two, but there's always new names to add to the list. At least I try, so I get an 'E' for effort. Caroline Duncan • I keep a To Do list, primarily on my iPhone as a file in my 'notes'. All caps. Frequently edited. But always some stuff at the bottom not yet done. Separate file for house reno plans. The other To-Do list is written on a pad beside my laptop. Cross referenced with my iPhone/laptop To-Do list. Plus hasty circled reminders of pressing tasks, and my husband's medical appointments. Today, I cleared off three notepad pages where every note had been crossed out 'Done' or didn't matter anymore. Shopping list noted at the bottom of the page for easy removal to take to the store. Additional To-Dos with dates have a separate file in 'notes' on my phone instead of the calendar. Works just fine. How do others manage to stay organized. Sheila Humphrey • I am a consummate list maker, with paper and pen, not on any device. For many years, I have kept a small notebook and pen on my bedside table to capture bright ideas and tasks to be done, transferring these notes to The List for the next day. The notes eliminate worry about remembering in the morning. These notes and other short lists land on the kitchen counter to be included on The List, usually prioritized. As The List becomes a mess with completions and additions, it is rewritten, and the process continues. Sometimes that corner of the kitchen counter can even be Listless. Sheila Charneski • Lately, 'teaching old dogs new tricks' is my To-Do list, focusing mindfulness thoughts encouraging thankfulness, more joy, less stress blocking energy, more appreciation of happiness-inducing moments, of which there are many to be grateful for: feeling the love of my Grands, sorting our treasured beach stone collection, a latest great-grand bebe photo shared, the smell of a summer rain, my lavender blooming, marking another season passing by, proud thoughts of our shared family, and the enduring love and affection of my good man. This seemingly never-ending merry-go-round of lists will eventually end, but in the meantime, my To-Do always includes a promise to drink my coffee while it's hot. Jo-Ann Zador • I now know that I have company in my list-making, which has become daily, weekly, and monthly lists. Soon it will be lists of lists. They never seem to all be completed, and the leftovers move to the next list. Since I retired, list-making has become a necessity, and woe is me if I misplace one. They really do help, though, in not forgetting some of the less-urgent but perhaps most important things, such as calls to seldom-seen friends. Liz Thunstrom • I love lists. I write lists for everything — groceries, pre-party cleaning plans, menus, guest lists, things I want to tell my sisters on the phone — just about everything. My favourite 'trick' is to write down basic things (cleaning bathroom, sweeping floor, etc.) so that I can have the pleasure of crossing them off when done. Life just wouldn't be the same without a list to refer to. Claire Robertson • I'm a lifelong compulsive list maker. During my working years, it was a tool for organizing and prioritizing tasks. Lists helped ensure I didn't drop too many of the balls I was juggling. Now, in retirement, it's also a memory aid. But there's still nothing more satisfying than crossing a task off the list. I fear without my lists, inertia or distraction might overtake me. But distraction is inevitable, so I love the concept of the Bonus Round. I've been known to add in my distraction actions to The List just for the pleasure of crossing it off. Now I can happily consider this extra points for me and not dwell on the items still on the list. Thanks for that. Kelly Tuhten • I have a To-Do list system which differs from my husband's. He writes lists of things on a pad of paper (which I provide), in front of the computer. I don't know when his list is outdated, so they tend to pile up. My list is a little different. It is a patchwork of Post-Its stuck to an old mouse pad, also on the computer desk. Every day, I look at the Post-Its Patchwork and, when I complete a task, I throw a Post-It away. If I have to run an errand outside of the house, I take the corresponding Post-It, and put it in a little pocket in my purse. When that task is completed, I throw that Post-It away too. I think that my system works pretty well, and it doesn't interfere with his To-Do list. I buy my Post-Its in bulk, from the local dollar store. Adele Cameron • I have no physical To-Do list, but have several To-Do emails. I used to write things down, but then rarely checked the list. I read my emails every day, so I started sending myself reminders. I just email myself from my phone and put 'To-Do' in the subject line. So today, for example, I have 'buy vegetables', 'get prescriptions refilled' and 'shred old documents', among several others. It's a great feeling when I delete one of these emails. Susanne de Pencier
Edmonton Journal
21-06-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Vermilion plane crash claims two lives
Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) signage is pictured outside TSB offices in Ottawa on Monday, May 1, 2023. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press A passenger and pilot were killed in a plane crash near Vermilion's aerodrome just past noon Saturday. RCMP responded to the scene, just 1.2 kilometres from the aerodrome's runway. The pilot, a 46-year-old woman from Slave Lake, and the passenger, a 76-year-old man from Mannville, did not survive the crash. RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said police responded after witnesses in the area said they had seen a plane go down. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Nic Defalco, spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said that air-crash investigators have been dispatched, and would arrive at the crash scene some time Saturday evening. 'It's too early to say anything about the incident,' said Defalco. Investigators can't confirm if the plane was landing or taking off, or even the model of the aircraft. 'We are deploying investigators to the scene, and that's basically where we're at.' The aerodrome has a single runway, at 966 metres long. Vermilion is located 193 kilometres east of Edmonton. Read More . Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun Cult of Hockey Edmonton Oilers Cult of Hockey Cult of Hockey News
CBC
09-06-2025
- CBC
I'm an aunt who chooses to be childless. Merchandise with passive-aggressive mom digs gets under my skin
This First Person column is the experience of Nicole Starker Campbell, who lives in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ. My sister-in-law, Laura, handed me a gift wrapped in Christmas paper, apologizing for what she said was a tacky present. I unwrapped a coffee mug and held it up for a look. The yellow-and-dusty-rose colour scheme and random pink paintbrush stroke pattern signalled that this cup was made in the '80s. Judging from the tiny chips on the bottom, it had seen some use. But printed on the side of the ceramic cup was, "For a Very Special Person," and below that, the word "Aunt." Laura and my niece, Serene, had been browsing in a thrift shop when Serene saw the mug and declared she wanted to give it to me for Christmas. Laura suggested they pick out a brand new mug, but my niece looked at her with eyes the same blue as mine and said, "But it says, 'For a very special person.'" Most of the text wore off years ago, yet that cup is still one of my favourites. I love my nieces and nephews to pieces and happily advertise that I'm a proud auntie. But when I recently saw another mug decorated with the phrase "Aunts … Like Moms, Only Cooler," I paused. This cup was less a tribute to aunts and more of a passive-aggressive dig. While many mothers are also aunties, this alluded to a comparison that concludes childless aunts are cool and moms are not. In other words, women stop being fun and interesting once they have a child. The us-against-them trap This false chasm existing between mothers and childless aunts is just a construct pitting women against each other. I think most of us live in the vast grey area between two polarizing stereotypes: that all women want to be mothers and that all childless women hate kids. In fact, there's no "womaning" better, there are just different choices. Even so, I admit that I still get caught in the us-against-them trap sometimes. Years ago, while chatting with a friend as she made us coffee, we began talking about the question of when to have children. She had decided it was time for her and her husband to start trying. Sitting at her kitchen island, I explained that I'd never wanted children and wasn't going to have them. As she reached into the cupboard for coffee mugs, she replied, "Oh, don't worry, you'll have kids one day." As if to say, you'll come around. My friend didn't ask why I felt the way I did and didn't seem interested in a conversation about the different choices that women make. At the time, it felt like she'd simply dismissed my feelings as being wrong. WATCH | Why fewer people are planning to have kids | About That: Why fewer people are planning to have kids | About That 1 year ago Duration 10:05 Research suggests a significant shift over the last two decades in the number of North American adults who are planning on having kids. Andrew Chang explores three main reasons for the generational change. I now realize my friend wasn't trying to intentionally dismiss my decision not to have kids. Rather, it was a lack of understanding about why I would make a choice that was different than hers. Most of the women in our friend group have felt the pull of motherhood. I haven't. I love kids, but I've never wanted any of my own. The responsibility of being a mom has always been far too daunting for me, and being an aunt is where I thrive. Most of the moms I know are cool — and their kids think they're cool, too. These mothers have living room dance parties with their sons and daughters, shepherd their children through mental health challenges or have even parented their kids through tough divorces. For all my advocating for, and defending of, the ability to not choose motherhood, I realize that children are still central to my identity. Growing up, I used to visit a favourite aunt who never had children. Some of my favourite childhood memories involve driving around Seattle in her Corvette, talking, sipping iced mochas and listening to Wham! Now, I'm making those memories with my nieces and nephews. I enjoy babysitting my nieces and nephews, bringing them to the water park, buying them cool YA books and taking them on trips. They've come to stay with me for a fun weekend visit and also when they needed support during a challenging time. As an auntie, I get to love my siblings' and friends' sons and daughters, and be involved in their lives, free from the pressures of parenthood. I'm happy to play an important supporting role. Serene is now in her early 20s. This past Christmas she gifted me a bright pink coffee mug that says "Best Aunt Ever." To my nieces and nephews, just being their aunt is enough, and I'm cool with that.
