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A train station, a barracks and a dairy are among the 10 buildings in the South West that were granted protected status in 2025.

Historic England (HE) listed nine buildings across Devon and one in Cornwall on the National Heritage List for England for their special architectural, historic or archaeological interest.

There are more than 400,000 buildings, sites and landscapes on the list and 199 places across England were added to the list over the past year.

Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire, co-chief executives of HE said the sites “reveal the fascinating history that surrounds us all”.

There are three grades of listing, Grade II, Grade II* and Grade I which provide buildings of special architectural or historic interest with legal protection.

HE has awarded the following buildings a Grade II listing:

• Casemate Barracks, Whitsand Bay Holiday Park near Torpoint

• Former sexton’s house next to the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Honiton

• Sharlands House including front wall and former stable in Braunton

• Beara Court including attached service wing, stable block, garage, gate piers, garden walls and steps in Black Torrington

• Woody Bay Station, lever hut and stable in Martinhoe

• Gullet Farmhouse, entrance gate piers, garden walls, steps and sea wall, Home Barn with attached former laundry, a boathouse, Drive Cottage, a former motor garage and a dairy in South Pool

As we stand at the threshold of 2026, the landscape of environmental advocacy in Canada has changed dramatically. Canada’s closest neighbour and biggest trading partner is driving massive political and economic restructuring. This has created great political and economic unease among Canadians at a collective and personal level.

These new threats have also forced public attention away from clean energy, climate change, plastic pollution, urban sprawl and chemical pollution. Unfortunately, many polluting industries have seized upon this moment to maximize their profits — lobbying decision-makers to roll back progress and carry out attacks on long-standing environmental protection rules and legislation.

These industries argue that it’s for the greater good — but is it? Evidence from history shows that societies succeed in the long term when they integrate protection of the environment into the economic and social development strategies. Those that do not tend to fail.  In fact, for the first time in human history, scientifically conclusive evidence is telling us that moving forward economic progress must be grounded in what is best for the environment. 

As we move into 2026, Canada has the opportunity to get some key things right to chart a course towards a better future. Here are our predictions for the biggest environmental wins coming our way next year. 

Nation-Building Projects:

This year, the federal government has been hyper-focused on nation-building projects. Next year, we will advocate for these projects to align with moving Canada towards clean energy, climate action and protection of nature. Some ones to watch are:

1. 1. High Speed Rail:  The proposed route would run from Toronto through to Ottawa and Quebec City. This train would dramatically cut travel times and highway traffic and increase business and personal productivity. It would also replace fossil fuel powered planes with electric powered trains. Building it should also involve restoring forests and wetlands and delivering benefits to communities. We hope to see another route announced for Edmonton to Calgary.
   2. Wind West: This renewable energy project would see the creation of massive offshore wind farms in Nova Scotia that could then be sent west to provide up to 25% of Canada’s electricity needs. We expect to see federal support help to move this project ahead and help remove the need for costly and polluting gas plants that are being pushed forward in Ontario and Alberta. 
   3. Clean Steel: It is key to Canada’s future competitiveness that we increase our steel exports to places outside of the U.S. (who has slapped big tariffs on it). A great way to do this and also reduce pollution is to switch from fossil fueled furnaces to electric ones. This will make our steel cheaper to manufacture and also more attractive to purchasers who want green steel. Algoma Steel has this process underway and great progress stands to come in Hamilton and in Quebec.
   4. Public Transportation: The best way to have less gridlock is to have less cars on the road and that happens when commuters are given viable and affordable choices. Watch for action to roll out a focus on building more public transit infrastructure, giving existing transit greater priority on streets and increasing the frequency of how often a bus or a train comes. 

Forever Chemicals:

The jig is up on the long-hidden truth about the risks of Polyfluoralkyl chemicals (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals”, to people and the environment. These include developmental effects, cancers and disruption of hormone regulation. These chemicals are found in a plethora of everyday products including non-stick coatings, menstrual products, and furniture. Fortunately, after long delays, 2026 is a year when we expect to see action by the federal government to ban at least some of the most egregious PFAS. We will be pushing for action on all of them. 

Ontario Deposit Return:

If you live in Ontario,  you’re probably sick of seeing littered plastic drink bottles.2026 is the year when we expect to finally see the Ontario government move to adopt a new deposit-return program that will put a price on non-alcoholic drink containers and, as a result, greatly increase recovery and recycling rates. It is not hard to do and 8 of the other 10 Canadian provinces already have successful programs in place.

Clean Energy:

The fossil fuel industry has worked hard to block renewable energy projects. Fortunately for all of us, the price of solar, wind and battery storage systems has dropped so dramatically that it will become increasingly difficult to convince citizens to stick with expensive and polluting gas and oil. Watch for an ongoing shift from gas furnaces to heat pumps and from gas plants to renewable energy production projects. 

Electric Vehicles:

EVs will be back in style as both consumers and our governments recognize that they are better value and less polluting. There is no future for Canadian automakers and the jobs they provide if Canada tries to join the US in sitting out the move to EVs. We think we’ll be seeing more affordable EVs and a major government push on charging infrastructure.

Sustainable Housing:

Big changes to the rules that guide building in our cities will come this year. In the place of regulations that have prevented mid-rise buildings (think four stories with six apartments), we anticipate cities and towns will recognize that the housing crisis will be partly solved by encouraging more of this type of building. This will allow us to densify our existing neighbourhoods rather than relying on environmentally destructive urban sprawl. 

No new pipelines:

Finally, the cynical Alberta-Federal MOU that undercuts Canadian climate action will run up on the rocks of its own making.  Oil demand is expected to peak by the end of this decade, meaning the massive increases in oil sands production and risky bitumen pipeline to the British Columbia north coast make no economic sense. These projects will never move forward. We’ll be reading the MOU’s epitaph well before year-end.

Our vision for 2026 is clear: a Canada where clean water, a safe climate, and healthy communities ground all our efforts to create economic and social prosperity. Join us to help make it all happen.

^{A version of this post was originally published as an op-ed in the Globe and Mail.}

Trying to keep up with the flood of wellness trends last year was bewildering. Influencers promoted seemingly endless products and experiences under the banner of “wellness.” Some trends, like celery juicing, cold plunges and protein bars have been around for a few years now. But other trends that came across our radar in 2025 had more of an “old is new again” energy, like embracing full-fat dairy and cooking with beef tallow.

At NPR’s science desk, we did our best to pick apart what’s healthy and what’s hype. Here are seven of the trends NPR reported on, and what the data and experts had to say about them.

This story originally ran in NPR’s Health newsletter. Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living? Subscribe here.

Trend: A return to full-fat dairy

For decades, public health messaging warned against high-fat dairy. But the argument against it is largely “circumstantial,” says Benoit LaMarche, a Canadian food scientist who headed up an evidence review of the relationship between dairy and heart disease risk, published in May.

The review concluded that generally speaking, fat-free, low-fat and full-fat dairy products had the same effects. Some studies have even shown the benefits of higher-fat over lower-fat dairy. For instance, one study that followed 18 adults for three weeks found drinking whole milk actually outperformed skim milk when it comes to raising HDL, or “good” cholesterol.

Moreover, experts are saying that worrying about the fat content in dairy is essentially a distraction from bigger dietary concerns like eating foods with too much salt, refined carbs and sugar.

The topic’s on the radar since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to end the “attack on whole milk, cheese and yogurt.” It’s also increasingly popular online among those participating in the TikTok-driven “cottage cheese comeback.”

Bottom line: Not the worst idea. Read the full story. 

Trend: Wearing a weighted vest while taking your daily walk

Is striding around in an uncomfortably heavy vest a great workout that marries strengthening, weight loss, and cardio with fresh air and sunshine — or are wearers merely projecting a fitness-y image to their neighbors?

Weighted vests are often marketed to women in their 40s, looking to increase muscle and bone growth to mitigate the effects of decreasing estrogen. But the evidence that wearing them works for that is particularly scant.

One small study compared people walking with weighted vests with those who walked without them and found no significant difference in bone health. Another study did find some benefits for people who wore weighted vests while engaging in resistance workouts, but the study doesn’t make clear whether the vests or the exercises were the cause of healthy bone growth.

If you want a science-backed way to build muscle or replace bone density lost during perimenopause and menopause, experts like exercise scientist Lauren Colenso-Semple recommend resistance training. 

Weighted vests may have some benefits for cardiovascular health, says Roger Fielding, who studies exercise science at Tufts University. Plus walking the same distance with more weight will burn more calories. (Just don’t expect us to do choreo, ok?!)

Bottom line: Won’t hurt but there are better ways to build muscle. Read the full story.

Trend: Scientifically tracking your blood sugar, even if you don’t have diabetes

Motivation is a tricky business for people looking to get leaner or eat healthier. The reward of fitting into a dress for a wedding that’s months away, or logging lower blood sugar at your next physical is uncertain and remote – but that rum cake will provide the jolt of satisfaction you crave right now. So could real-time data shift the calculus?

That’s the promise behind wearing a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, a small device that sticks to the back of the arm. Every few minutes it sends a signal to your phone estimating the concentration of sugar in your blood. The tech has been a game-changer for some people with diabetes, providing a more user-friendly alternative to finger prick tests.

For people without diabetes, the theory is, a wearable glucose monitor can show you which snacks or meals make your blood sugar spike too high, and you can modify your diet accordingly.

According to the research, CGMs have helped some people lower their blood sugar or lose weight – others not so much.

There was a lot of personal variation in the results of two recent studies, says Collin Popp, a researcher at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who helped lead one of the studies. “We had individuals coming back and saying, ‘You changed my life. I lost 30 pounds and I feel great.’ Other people in the study put on weight,” he says.

If you try a CGM, you may want to take the data with a grain of salt. One recent study found that the same meal eaten on two different days gave very different readings. Another small study found that the continuous glucose monitor overestimated people’s blood sugar levels compared with measuring it in a blood test.

Bottom line: Continuous glucose monitors can be helpful, but take them with a grain of salt. Read the full story. 

Trend: Drinking a bright blue dye

Here’s a weird one. Wellness influencers have been singing the praises of a synthetic dye that stains their tongues blue, and they claim it offers a host of benefits. Methylene blue dye is far from new. Formulated as a textile dye in the 19th century, it’s since been prescribed as a treatment for malaria, cyanide poisoning, and methemoglobinemia, a rare blood disorder.

Biohackers claim that methylene blue improves the function of the cells’ mitochondria, thereby slowing aging, improving mood and cognition, among other benefits.

Studies in rodents have shown methylene blue does improve mitochondrial function and reduce inflammation. But in preliminary human studies, the results haven’t shown significant benefit in healthy people, says Lorne Hofseth, a researcher at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy.

And there’s risks, including serotonin toxicity – a drug reaction that can cause elevated blood pressure, diarrhea, seizures, and even death. And like other supplements, methylene dye isn’t tested for safety before it goes to market. It can be hard to know what you’re really getting.

Bottom line: You’re probably turning your tongue blue for no reason. Read the full story. 

Trend: More protein in everything … even your Oreos!

If you want protein on the go, you don’t have to look far. Grocery and convenience store shelves are lined with bars, cookies, brownies and other snack foods with “high protein” printed on the label.

But how do you suss out marketing from fact? It turns out there’s no particular metric manufacturers need to meet in order to advertise a product as “high protein.” For instance, a candy with 1 gram of protein may have a high-protein marketing claim on the front of the package, which admittedly is a lot more than most candy, says physiologist Stefan Pasiakos, but clearly doesn’t make it healthy.

One quick rule of thumb to assess protein claims is to check the percentage of the daily value of protein on the nutrition facts label on the package. Anything 20% or above can be seen as high protein, according to the FDA.

And even if they are high protein, packaged snacks can also be high in calories, sugar, or processed ingredients. You’ll do better to get protein from whole foods like yogurt or during meals, say nutritionists.

That being said, protein snacks can be a convenient way to reduce muscle soreness after a workout.

Bottom line: Junk food is still not a good choice, even with protein added. Read the full story.

Trend: Beef fat is back, baby! For cooking (and skincare?!)

This March, Health Secretary Kennedy sat down at a fast food burger joint with Fox News host Sean Hannity, to talk about obesity and metabolic disease. The two were at a Steak N’ Shake in honor of the chain’s switch from vegetable oil to tallow, or rendered beef fat, to cook French fries.

Tallow was phased out of fast food chains decades ago, but Kennedy says it’s a healthier alternative to seed oils (aka vegetable oils), which he claimed in a post on X are “one of the driving forces of the obesity epidemic.”

So are fries cooked in beef tallow any healthier?

“People should eat fewer French fries, whatever they’re deep fried in,” says nutrition scientist Christopher Gardner.

Beef tallow and other saturated fats can lead to clogged arteries and high blood pressure, he notes. And as a threat to health, seed oils have been unfairly villainized, says cardiologist. Dariush Mozaffarian, at Tufts University.

The real health villains in junk food are excessive amounts of refined grains, starches, and sugars, as well as salt and other preservatives, chemical additives, he says.

Meanwhile skincare products made from beef tallow are trending this year, too. It’s all part of a cultural moment where people are skeptical of synthetic ingredients, says Jennifer Reich, a sociologist at the University of Colorado Denver. As a sort of shortcut to healthier choices, Reich says people opt for things like beef tallow that seem natural because it ostensibly comes from a farm instead of an overseas factory supply chain. Yet for some users, they can make skin problems like acne worse.

Bottom line: Not so fast. Read the full story on cooking with tallow. 

Trend: Creatine supplements are everything

Wellness influencer Bobby Parish declared creatine the “supplement of the year” for 2025 in a promotional TikTok post. It’s a compound made from three amino acids that your muscles use as a source of energy. Long a favorite of body-building gym bros, it’s another product that enthusiasts now credit with multiple benefits, including brain function and regulating blood sugar.

The evidence still isn’t strong for those two claims, but when it comes to adding lean muscle mass, the evidence for creatine supplements is “overwhelming,” says Jose Antonio, a professor of exercise and sports science at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. It can also help provide energy to keep at your workout longer.

But one big caveat here: Taking supplements isn’t enough to see strength gains – you actually have to get your butt to the gym and work out. A review of 35 studies found that when creatine supplements were combined with resistance training, adult men added around 2 to 3 pounds of lean body mass.

For safety precautions and some basic guidance on how to dose if you’d like to try creatine, check out the report by NPR’s Maria Godoy.

Bottom line: These might actually be pretty helpful, but don’t skip the gym. Read the full story.

As of Jan. 1, most job postings in Ontario need to include salary figures, carbon monoxide alarms need to be on every level of a home and municipalities are now out of the recycling business.

The new job posting rule is one of several changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act

Courtney Ginson, the recruitment manager at Levert Personnel Resources in Sudbury, welcomes the changes and says many job seekers are nervous to ask about wages in interviews.

“It’s the uncomfortable thing that people have a hard time asking, they don’t know how to ask. But it’s something that they should know,” she said.

“And I think you’re going to get a better candidate when you do disclose that. There’s no point in posting a position and not disclosing the wage and then somebody applying and coming in for an interview and wasting everyone’s time.”

Among the other changes are a requirement that employers get back to job seekers no more than 45 days after an interview.

“We’ve all been in that position where we’ve applied for something and we’ve interviewed for something and we’re just… it’s unknown, no feedback given,” said Ginson.

“And we get our heart set on a great opportunity that we feel we are perfect for and then we just get nothing in response.”

There are also new requirements as of Jan. 1 for carbon monoxide detectors in Ontario.

Alarms are now required on every floor of a home, not just outside of bedrooms.

“It gives you more time to get out of the home. It’ll give you more warning about the dangers of carbon monoxide and how to react to it and to save your family,” said former Brantford fire captain John Gignac.

He is the executive director of the Hawkins-Gignac foundation, which was created after four members of his family died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Woodstock in 2008.

Laurie and Richard Hawkins, who grew up in North Bay, and their two children died after a blocked vent from their gas fireplace caused carbon monoxide to build up in their home.

“Carbon monoxide is colourless, odorless, and tasteless, so the only way you’ll ever know it’s in your home is if you have a carbon monoxide detector. Otherwise you’re leaving it to chance,” Gignac said.

Also with the coming of the new year, comes a big change in Ontario’s blue box program.

A law first passed in 2016, has now taken effect, shifting the responsibility for recycling from cities and towns to the companies that produce the packaging.

They have set up a non-profit called Circular Materials, that now oversees blue box collection across the province.

CEO Allen Langdon says the new provincial law lays out specific targets for how much must be recycled and how much can be sent to landfill.

“They vary from category to category. So cardboard and paper products would be the highest at 80 per cent and the lowest would be flexible plastics at 10 per cent,” he said.

“But starting in 2028 they will be legally enforceable targets and we will be expected to meet them.”

Greater Sudbury just made the switch and environmental services director Renee Brownlee says most people won’t notice.

But the city will continue picking up at apartment buildings and small businesses, which aren’t covered by the new program.

“If you start telling people that they can’t participate in recycling or you make it difficult for them, everything ends up going into the garbage and that is using up space in our landfill site unnecessarily,” Brownlee said.

“The changes that have been made really haven’t left municipalities a lot of time to give people a lot of notice. So a lot of things are a little bit at the last minute. Not exactly how we like to do things.”

Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie also moved over to the new privately-funded recycling program on Jan. 1, while North Bay made the switch last year.

A new Ontario law that took effect 50 years ago— on Jan. 1, 1976— made seatbelts mandatory for the first time in Canada.

But provincial police say, all these years later, they are now giving out more and more tickets for drivers and passengers not wearing them.

OPP wrote 13, 000 tickets for seatbelt violations in 2024, about 7,000 more than they gave out in 2020.

“Yeah it is surprising; once I looked into it that the charges are rising so much year over year. Seatbelt laws are nothing new,” said North Bay OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer, who used to be a car crash investigator.

Const. Kyler Brouwer speaks for the OPP in North Bay and used to be a car accident investigator.

“I’ve been to countless fatalities where you can see the person has been ejected. I’ve been to lots of collisions, where I’ve seen a complete rollover into the ditch, the person is just able to walk away because they were properly wearing their seatbelt.”

Brouwer says the number of seatbelt charges have also been trending up in northeastern Ontario.

About 700 tickets were given out in 2024, more than double what it was in 2020.