'She's just fun:' Woman celebrates 111th birthday in Vancouver
At 111 years old, Merle Millicent Romney O'Hara can still make every day amazing—according to her beloved caretaker at Vancouver's Haro Park Centre.
“She’s just fun, she’s like a child,” Robert told CTV Vancouver’s Mike McCardell on Feb. 20—the supercentenarian’s birthday.
A huge birthday card was filled with well wishes for Merle, and on display in the common space of the care centre in Vancouver’s West End.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even sent Merle a birthday note, according to the senior’s personal Instagram account.
“It is a great pleasure to send you best wishes and warmest congratulations on the occasion of your one hundred and eleventh birthday,” the official letter from Trudeau reads.
Merle was not born in Canada—her life began in Kingston, Jamaica in 1912, the same year the Titanic sunk. Merle and her husband moved to B.C. after their daughter Bridget's wedding. Both women's husbands have died, but 85-year-old Bridget lives at the same care home as her mother, making Family Day and birthday celebrations easy for the pair.
According to publicly available information online, O'Hara is one of the five oldest living people in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.