A legend in women’s rights activism, journalism and literature passed away on Wednesday. Gloria Steinem was 92 when she died at her home in New York City, following challenges surrounding her declining health. The Ms. Magazine founder was a staunch advocate of the women’s movement stemming back to the late 1960s following a journalism assignment that changed the course of her career. Although mostly having made US appearances, Steinem’s influence has spread across the world, including in the empowerment of women in Canadian journalism and activism. A memoir on her life is set to be released this fall, while tributes for the late icon continue to pour in.

Ottawa Fire Services sent their water rescue team on Wednesday evening for two back-to-back incidents involving stranded water-goers on the Ottawa River. The distress calls came from a parasailer near the 3100 block of Carling Avenue and a swimmer near the 100 block of Greenview Avenue. Crews tended to both rescues and safely returned the stranded individuals ashore with no injuries reported. Firefighters added a reminder for those who tread the Ottawa River, regardless of method, to ensure appropriate safety equipment and flotation devices are fitted due to “how quickly conditions…can become dangerous.”

The Bank of Canada announced recently that the design for a new $20 bill has been finalized and will go into circulation in 2027. The new bill, maintaining its customary green colour, features a portrait of King Charles on the front and the Canadian National Vimy Memorial on the rear. It is the second bill of the vertical orientation, and the first  to feature a new monarch since Queen Elizabeth’s original appearance as a princess on the first $20 bill series issued in 1935. Along with floral and herbal design details signifying the King’s dedication to the environment and honouring the Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the new issue also comes with new security features that the Bank of Canada says are “easy to check and hard to counterfeit.”