Find your people: Why community matters

For the last month, Now or Never has been asking Canadians what they're doing right now to be well - whether that's working a four-day workweek, starting every morning with big hair and some bold prints, or doing a daily smudge. 

On this episode, we're wrapping up our Get Well series by celebrating the role of community in our well-being. 

Meet people from across Canada who are finding strength in the collective:

• Take a walk through the Wolseley Winter Wonderland in Winnipeg, where neighbours have created hockey and curling rinks, art installations, and fire pits to bring some joy through the coldest months.

• Harlequin romance novels about queer hockey players is the unique glue that has bonded Megan, Corinne, Katrina - and many others around the world - throughout the pandemic. These superfans connect with author Rachelle Goguen to share their appreciation for the community they never knew they needed. 

• "Don't go through cancer alone." When Bayo Oladele was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his wife Yinka made a promise to help others if he survived. Today the African Cancer Support Group in Calgary provides everything from a listening ear to a fresh pot of egusi soup, to those touched by cancer.

• When Nancy Gajdosik turned 80 this past summer, she was prepared for a solo celebration distanced from family. But people in her Winnipeg neighbourhood had a different idea.

• Meet the Militant Mothers of Raymur! Fifty years ago, a group of mostly single moms stared down moving trains on the railway tracks to fight for their kids' safety. Carolyn Jerome and Barabara Burnet reflect on the movement that led to the Militant Mothers of Raymur Overpass in Vancouver. 

• And Now or Never listeners call in to share the most unexpected place they ever found community.