Merriam-Webster's 2025 Word of the Year is "slop," low-quality AI content. Skate Canada pulled events from Alberta over its transgender sports bill. Ontario is spending billions to revamp Niagara Falls, targeting 25 million annual visitors and $3 billion in added GDP.
I'm Steph, I work for Tod Maffin, and here's some of the good news from this week. Alright, starting strong, Merriam-Webster has named its 2025 Word of the Year, and it's slop. No, not the food kind. No, not the garbage kind. In 2025, slop officially refers to low-quality digital content produced by, aka AI slop. Honestly, very on brand for the internet right now. Next up, Skate Canada is officially putting Alberta on ice. The organization says it won't host national or international skating events in the province, citing Alberta's new transgender sports law, Bill 29, as a key reason. In a statement, Skate Canada said the legislation doesn't align with its standards for safe and inclusive sport, and until that changes, Alberta is off the host list. Next, Ottawa's putting its money where its maple leaf is. The federal government's Buy Canadian policy officially kicked in this week, and it applies to projects worth more than $25 million. Translation: if the government's building something big, Canadian businesses, workers, and materials get first dibs, including Canadian steel, aluminum, them and what. Next, Canada just made the top 10 safest travel destinations in the world for 2025, landing at number 10. The ranking looked at crime, political stability, healthcare, and digital safety. Iceland took the top spot, and while I've never been, I'm pretty sure the most dangerous thing you'd have to deal with there is the fermented fish you might be pressured to eat. Speaking of being a tourist, if you've been to Niagara Falls, especially Clifton Hill, you know it's a fever dream of wax museums, fun houses, and aggressively priced fudge. Now Ontario wants to give it a glow up. Premier Doug Ford announced a multi-billion dollar plan to add attractions, expand services, and explore projects like a theme park, all aimed at drawing 25 million visitors a year and adding $3 billion annually to Ontario's GDP. And finally, up north, researchers witnessed something exceedingly rare: a polar bear mother adopting a cub that wasn't her own. Originally spotted with just one cub this spring, she was later seen caring for two, giving the adopted cub a much better chance at survival. It's only 13th recorded adoption out of about 4,600 bears studied over nearly 50 years. Polar bears in the wild only have about a 50% chance of surviving into adulthood, but having a mother caring for them significantly improves their odds. Researchers say both cubs appear healthy and will likely stay with their mom until they're about 2 and a half years old, which is nice proof that even the bears in Canada are looking out for each other. If you want more stories like these, our newsletter called Far and Wide with Tod Maffin covers these and more. It comes out every Saturday and it's free. You can get it at farandwide.ca. Dot news.
Ten times Canada helped the U.S. with its wildfires, instead of whining about the smoke. 
