The Canadian Love Map

Every now and then we hit the streets to meet Canadians, and pick their brains about love.

As we enter 2023, we're asking Canadians all about New Year's resolutions and their approach to the new year. Are they an opportunity for self-improvement? Or an invitation for disappointment? A lot like love itself, we learn that when it comes to resolutions, everyone is different.

This week's love story is a bit of a departure from our regular fare. In fact, it's a place of departures. Hospice is a special approach to palliative or end of life care. And it encompasses not just the physical, but also emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones.

Hospice Halifax is a compassionate and supportive community of staff, volunteers, and donors dedicated to making dying and living as comfortable and as meaningful as possible at the end of life.

We meet Mackenzie (Fund Development Manager) and Kate (Registered Nurse) to learn about all the love behind hospice care, and how they are helping to shine a light, in the dark. 

To support Hospice Halifax, click here: https://hospicehalifax.ca/ways-to-give/

For more information, visit: https://hospicehalifax.ca/

This season, from time to time, we're hitting the streets to meet Canadians, and pick their brains about love. One thing is for sure: there's a ton of love surrounding the holiday season.

In this episode, we're asking Canadians all about how they celebrate the holidays. We find out about what special traditions they take part in and pass down, how they make the holiday season unique to them, gift giving and giving back, and how they spend time with loved ones.

We all know the common phrase, "When one door closes, another one opens". Sometimes the hardest times in our lives can actually lead us to a more authentic path.

This week's love story belongs to Steve Lund, a Canadian actor who you may know from such shows as Bitten, Street Legal and Schitt's Creek. He's currently starring in two holiday movies on a small screen near you: Christmas Bedtime Stories, and Six Degrees of Santa.

Once upon a time, though, Steve was an accomplished hockey player well on his way to the NHL. Then, an unexpected turn of events made his lifelong dream of being an actor come true. 

This week's love story belongs to Halina Stopyra and Jay Bell Redbird.

Halina was a physiotherapist who felt a calling towards a more artistic life. Her decision to follow that calling and live a more authentic life led her to meeting Jay, an Ojibway First Nation self-taught artist.

Their meeting was magical to say the least, and the two artists formed an undeniable and multifaceted connection. Halina and Jay's individual dreams combined made for a beautiful creative collaboration, and a timeless love story. Their story proves that even after death, the story isn't over.

On the Canadian Love Map, we share love stories of all kinds, including the romantic stories of couples across the country. One thing is for sure: everyone has a different idea of what romance is.

This season, from time to time, we're hitting the streets to meet Canadians, and pick their brains about love. In this episode, we're diving into all things romance. We're asking Canadians to share their thoughts on what romance is and how to keep the spark alive.

This week's story is a labour of love...literally. It belongs to Eduardo, Omar, and Christina.

Eduardo and Omar are a couple living in Spain who wanted to start a family. Meanwhile, here in Canada, Christina felt called to help a couple create one.

She has two children of her own, and always knew she wanted to try surrogacy. The trio formed a close connection instantly, as they bonded virtually with a whole ocean in between them. 9 months, baby Ruth entered the world. But the friendship didn't end there.

What started out as the ultimate act of kindness, ended not only in the creation of a beautiful family, but a unique bond and lifelong friendship between three people.

Our healthiest relationships happen when we are the best versions of ourselves. But they can also happen while we continue that journey.

Today's love story belongs to Jay and Sebastian from Toronto. They became friends when they were younger, through Jay's family's business. Then an innocent crush developed into a romantic relationship. Jay, life coach and certified Reiki master & mindfulness guide, has earned a following of over 300k followers across social media with her online brand Every Jay Living.

Jay helps inspire others to love themselves through uplifting and educational content, and healing sessions. But she wouldn't be able to do it all without the support from Sebastian.

Sometimes we forget that home is not about physical things, it's the people you are with. And sometimes, their safety is all you need.

Today's love story belongs to Anna and Valeriia, two Ukrainian sisters. They left their home in Odessa, the day the war started, and eventually made their way to Canada. Here, the sisters have rebuilt their lives, along with their teenage sister and Anna's young son.

This story encompasses sorrow, but also a surprising amount of joy. Filled with immense strength, resilience, and many skills they gained in Ukraine, they are both thriving in their careers and enjoying their new Canadian home. It even seemed meant to be, as Valeiira landed a job with Strongest Families, helping fellow Ukrainians navigate mental health challenges as they arrive in Canada.

To contribute to the wonderful programs and employment opportunities provided by Strongest Families, you can donate here: https://strongestfamilies.com/donations/

You've heard us talk about speed dating. Now we're going to take you there.

In collaboration with our guest Jean-Eva Dickie (Matchmaker and Dating Coach), we set up a special speed dating event with 15 enthusiastic singles. We got to place ourselves in the eye of the storm, capturing the real emotions and interactions as they happened.

Speaking directly to participants, we learned about their feelings before, during and after the event. We even got to eavesdrop on two daters, Hayley and Kyler, as they navigated the evening.

Prepare to be a fly on the wall as we listen in on an evening of speed dating.

Is it possible to make a meaningful romantic connection in just 6 minutes? According to our guest, matchmaker and dating coach Jean-Eva Dickie, you can.

In the world of modern dating, it can be easy to stay in our comfort zone and stick to the convenience of online dating. But beautiful things can happen when you get out of your comfort zone.

Speed Dating events get people off their phones and in front of potential matches. It's a fast and formulaic approach that gives singles the confidence and tools to help them navigate the modern, and sometimes frustrating, dating world.

In a special Insights edition of Canadian Love Map, Jean-Eva Dickie tells us all about how it works, why it works and everything in between.

You might be familiar with the idiom “you can't go home again”, but whoever wrote that clearly wasn't from Newfoundland.

This week's love story belongs to Chris and Christina, who are husband and wife, best friends and business partners in brewing.

They met in junior high and later in life bonded over their love of home brewing. Life sent them on separate paths, but their passion for beer brought them back together. The friendship evolved into romance and bubbled up into a business that led them home to sea swept Newfoundland to open their own brewery.

On the Canadian Love Map, we share love stories of all kinds, including the stories of couples across the country. For some, they were in the right place at the right time. For others, existing friendships turned into something more. But what about people who are still looking for love?

This season, from time to time, we're hitting the streets to meet Canadians, and pick their brains about love. In this episode, we're diving into the world of modern dating and asking Canadians to share their thoughts on the mission to find love.

Have you ever unexpectedly crossed paths with someone

Today's love story belongs to Kimberley and Manuel. It's an international tale that started with heartbreak and ended in an unexpected love match...in mid air.

It all started on an airplane. Kimberly was returning to Canada after a needed trip to Mexico, while Manuel was living in Mexico and flying to Canada. Their paths crossed by chance, but their connection seemed to be meant to be.

Their union felt like a fantasy, with lots of tropical trips and romantic adventures. But of course, reality presented some complications along the way. 

Through it all, they always came back to each other.

Charm Diamonds was a labour of love that started as one store and became Canada's largest family owned jeweller.

In this special episode, we get to hear the story from the very beginning, told by founders Richard, Sharon, and their son Troy. From overcoming business challenges, to outstanding stories of going the extra mile for loyal customers, it's clear that love is behind it all at Charm Diamond Centres.

Jewellery is their expertise, but it's the family's work ethic and commitment to their customers that has kept the doors open for 50 years.

You've probably heard the saying, “you have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else”.

This week's love story belongs to Roni Davis. For a long time, Roni was obsessed with having the perfect body. But when she got it, and it didn't bring her happiness. She eventually decided to look within and change her relationship with food, and herself.

Now she's helping inspire and educate others to do the same.

Ever feel like reconnecting with a high school flame?

Today's love story belongs to Jen and Brian, two transplanted East Coasters living in Peterborough, Ontario.

The pair were smitten with eachother in their high school years, and life eventually sent them in other directions. But sometimes certain sparks never die. The two kept in touch and became closer when Brian reached out to support Jen through a tough time.

After reconnecting via distance, Jen took a leap of faith and made the move to Ontario, which prompted some chance circumstances that led her to a breast cancer diagnosis.

Some could say her faith in the union, saved her life. Their relationship was truly life changing for both of them.

During dark times, we could all use a happy story to bring us some hope. This fantastic love story belongs to Audrey and Jim from White Rock, British Columbia.

During lockdown, Jim was ready for companionship and hopped on an online dating site for seniors. At the same time, Audrey was about to delete her account. The pair had a 94% compatibility score, which prompted a message from Jim.

A whirlwind romance followed, including a memorable first date, a grand romantic gesture, a proposal over a bowl of pasta and an intimate wedding ceremony.

Their love story took the world by storm, gained international attention and stole our hearts.

Like any adventure, the map of love includes some detours and speed bumps.

Welcome to a new special series on the Canadian Love Map: Love Insights. In these occasional episodes, we'll be diving into the interesting topics surrounding love and talk relationship experts to better understand the complexities of these subjects. We will also hear from the everyday people who are experiencing them.

This week, we're putting a positive spin on breakups by asking: how can we convert what looks like a dead end into a better and brighter beginning?

 This week, we talk to Trina Leckie, a relationship coach and the host of the Breakup Boost podcast. Trina makes a career out of coaching people through these challenging times by giving them the tools to heal, find confidence and get back to dating as a better version of themselves.

Can a detour actually lead to a delightful new destination? Let's find out!

Love always has a beginning. And that beginning is unique to each story. A lot of the time, romance starts with the first date.

In Season Four,  we took to the streets to meet Canadians, and pick their brains about love. This season, we're bringing you more of that with our occasional love on the spot episodes.

This week Podstarter producer Nathan Stone asks Canadians to share their experiences of first dates, and the factors that determine how enduring those first impressions are.

“Love is the light that is part of your life. It's unconditional. It's always been there.” 

This week's love story belongs to Sean Leonard of Millbrook First Nation in Miꞌkmaꞌki.

Shawn is an Aboriginal psychic medium and the star of an APTN tv show "Spirit Talker". Shawn knew at a young age he had a special gift, but he further understood his purpose after having a vision of his father, who had passed away. Since then, it's been his purpose to connect with the other side.

His work is all about love, as he helps people heal through his gift of connecting them to lost loved ones. Shawn believes our connection to the world beyond the physical realm is inside all of us. All we have to do is give it a chance, and listen.

"Passion, wherever you introduce, it explodes in all directions, and it hits everybody."

Dave Carroll is a beloved singer, songwriter, speaker and author. Dave's viral song United Breaks Guitars went viral in 2009, becoming the number one music video on YouTube that year. It turned a messy airport situation into a customer service learning experience and planted the seeds for an international career in inspiring others.

His message of compassionate design reminds us that we are connected, and encourages us to always look out for others.

Dave is now spreading his message of self acceptance and compassion to the younger generation with a brand-new children's book, “Tom The Tomato Plant”. The story is all about gratitude, seeing yourself in other people, and the positive rewards of helping others.