Ask anyone who knew actor, comedian and broadcaster Candy Palmater -- when she entered a room, her one-of-a-kind fun and unique personality filled it.
That's how Palmater's loved ones and colleagues are remembering her after her partner, that she had died on Saturday at the age of 53.
"Her smile could light up a room and no matter what kind of day I might have been having, as soon as I got to see my Candy, it was just instantly better," said hairstylist Connor Lange, who became close friends with Palmater after she sat in his chair at the salon he was working at.
"Candy was amazing. The way that she just looked at life, every single day … she lived to the fullest while still being able to slow down and just enjoy all the little things that she loves so much," Lange told Â鶹´«Ã½.
Born in New Brunswick and raised by her Mi'kmaw father and white mother, Palmater went to Dalhousie Law School in Halifax and became the first Indigenous law student valedictorian.
She later left her career in law and went to work for the Nova Scotia Department of Education, focusing on the need for Mi'kmaw culture and teachings in the province, before finally becoming a comedian.
Current APTN CEO Monika Ille had been the manager responsible for programming in Eastern Canada at the network in 2009, when she received a VHS tape of Palmater performing stand-up. At the time, Palmater was pitching her own comedy variety show.
"I have to say that I fell in love with Candy as I saw her. She was so good, sharing her story. She was funny, bright. She looked good on camera," said Ille.
Palmater's pitch became the "The Candy Show," which aired for five seasons on APTN.
"She had this drive. She had this passion. She had this larger-than-life personality and she wanted to make sure that people's voices were heard, especially Indigenous people," Ille said.
As her stardom grew, she hosted the "The Candy Palmater Show" on CBC Radio One and became a regular host on .
"When I think of Candy, she was … larger than life, eternally sunny, endless kindness, and always led with joy," Melissa Grelo, co-host of The Social, told Â鶹´«Ã½.
"Candy was a natural storyteller and would so flawlessly and easily share some of the most challenging things she's ever experienced in life, and yet, be able to always see on the other side of things --- the lessons that were learned and how it made her a stronger person."
A true feminist trailblazer, Palmater changed perceptions of what it meant to be gay, to love one another and self-acceptance. Last year, she also worked with Vancouver-based filmmaker Shana Myra on "Well Rounded," a documentary that tackles fatphobia.
"Her boldness and her voice, really, I think, lends courage to other people. And that was part of her stated comedy philosophy. She really wanted to use her humour for good," Myara told Â鶹´«Ã½.
According to social media, Palmater had been sick for months diagnosed with EGPA, a rare disease that causes the blood vessel inflammation.
Lange was with her during her final days in hospital. He said even then, she had that same bright spirit Canadians grew to love.
"Every single day, when I walked into that hospital room, she just greeted me with her huge smile," Lange said.
"She was just beautiful, strong and fearless every single day and I think that's something that we can really learn from her."
Luis Armando Albino was six years old in 1951 when he was abducted while playing at an Oakland, Calif., park. Now, more than seven decades later, Albino has been found thanks to help from an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
The prime minister's official itinerary says the interview will be shot during his trip to New York, where he is meeting with other world leaders ahead of the 78th gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.
An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told delegates at the United Nations the world is at a global inflection point, having a choice between walking away from multilateralism or setting differences aside to confront serious global challenges.
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Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
Comedian John Mulaney and actor Olivia Munn now have a second child, a daughter named Mei June Mulaney.
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The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.
The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
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Pasquale Monaco says he’s debating whether to keep renting out the two-bedroom basement apartment of the Montreal building he owns after it was flooded — again — in August, when the remnants of tropical storm Debby sent four feet of water rushing into the space.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson avoided directly weighing in during a gubernatorial campaign event Saturday on a CNN report outlining evidence that he made disturbing posts on a pornography website's message board more than a decade ago.
An explosion in a coal mine in eastern Iran killed at least 33 workers and injured 17 others, officials said Sunday, marking one of the worst mining disasters in the country's history as others remained missing hours after the blast.
More than a year after the Titan submersible imploded, killing all five voyagers on board, the story of the ill-fated expedition to the Titanic has taken the form of a modern-day Greek tragedy overflowing with mortal pride and heedlessness.
In less than two months, Americans will go to the polls to choose their next president. But the process that translates those millions of votes into one seat in the Oval Office is much more complicated than a straight tally.
Donald Trump has long pledged to deport millions of people, but he's bringing more specifics to his current bid for the White House: invoking wartime powers, relying on like-minded governors and using the military.
At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student's body, officials said.
The prime minister's official itinerary says the interview will be shot during his trip to New York, where he is meeting with other world leaders ahead of the 78th gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.
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A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Body mass index, a long-time tool used to measure a person's health, may soon be out the door as some health professionals push for a system they say is more accurate.
Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.
Comedian John Mulaney and actor Olivia Munn now have a second child, a daughter named Mei June Mulaney.
Tim Burton's legacy sequel to the 1988 horror comedy topped the North American box office charts for a third
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The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
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Nick Kolomyja reckons axe throwing may have saved his life.
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After Sunday's loss, the White Sox are 36-120 with six regular-season games to go in 2024.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a nickname for the opposition’s end zone. They refer to it as the “chicken box.â€
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Unifor says workers at General Motors' CAMI assembly plant and battery facility in southwestern Ontario have ratified a new collective agreement.
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Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia's war in Ukraine.
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The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
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The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
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Â鶹´«Ã½ Montreal at Six for Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024 with anchor Matt Gilmour.
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Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch was happy with his team’s start to exhibition play, especially considering not a single player in his lineup on Sunday played with the club during its lengthy recent playoff run.
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The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
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A year after being recognized as one of 19 ‘Bee Campuses’ by Bee City Canada, Georgian College continues to promote the importance of bees to agriculture, the economy and education.
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The Amherstburg Uncommon Festival is living up to its name with the addition of a drone light show — a first for Essex County.
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A Victoria woman is now $1 million richer after winning a Maxmillions prize on a recent Lotto Max Draw.
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The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
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Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way’s annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.
Lethbridge County has rescinded its fire restriction as a result of the recent cool, wet weathr.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
The Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its latest Gold Maple Leaf bullion coin – made entirely from gold sourced from a single mine in northern Ontario
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Newfoundland and Labrador sponsored a minor football team in England, now they’re about to play one of the biggest clubs in European soccer.
Newfoundland and Labrador's chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
A 16-year-old biennial event aimed at fostering business in the country's eastern Arctic and northern regions has been cancelled indefinitely as a dispute unfolds between Inuit in Canada and a Labrador group claiming to share their heritage.
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