Relationships

Wedding, marriage. (Needpix.com)

Marriage Pact offers fun for some, lasting love for others

Annual U.S. college matchmaking ritual giving participants a love match backup plan

 

An AI avatar generated on Luka Inc.’s Replika mobile phone app and webpage are shown in this photo, in New York, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2024. Unlike more general-purpose AI chatbots that answer typical questions and even do homework, companion bots, like those made by Replika and others, are programed to form relationships with the humans talking to them on the other side of the screen. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Virtual valentine: people seeking romantic connection with the perfect bot

The intelligence may be artificial, but for some the interactions are inspiring real emotion

 

Sanket Palit and Caitlyn Santos chat at a speed-dating event on a Hullo ferry that sailed to and from Nanaimo on Feb. 1. (Karl Yu/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo-Vancouver fast ferry love boat has a place in modern matchmaking

Hullo ferry offered speed dating event this month in time for Valentine’s Day

 

Somatic sex coach Maxine Fischer gives insights into the cons of online dating, polyamoury, sex positivity and the barriers facing daters in Victoria. (Julia Di Paolo)

Looking for love B.C.: the complexities of connection on line and in the wild

From dating app letdowns to polyamoury, a glimpse into what dating is like in the modern West Coast

Somatic sex coach Maxine Fischer gives insights into the cons of online dating, polyamoury, sex positivity and the barriers facing daters in Victoria. (Julia Di Paolo)
The happy couple, Meghan Russell and Doug Groenendijk, during the Season 1 finale of Farming For Love. (Photo courtesy of CTV)

B.C.’s Farmer Doug chooses his mate for budding relationship from reality TV series

Farming life connects Chemainus’ Groenendijk and Ontario woman

The happy couple, Meghan Russell and Doug Groenendijk, during the Season 1 finale of Farming For Love. (Photo courtesy of CTV)
Abby Tow, a Sexual Health Peer Educator at the University of Oklahoma, dumps condoms into a container at the health center on campus, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Norman, Okla. Tow said she wonders if helicopter parenting has played a role in what she calls the “baby-fication of our generation”. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Sex? Sexual intercourse? Neither? Teens weigh in on evolving definitions – and habits

Situationships and evolving views on what constitutes sex revealed in American study

Abby Tow, a Sexual Health Peer Educator at the University of Oklahoma, dumps condoms into a container at the health center on campus, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Norman, Okla. Tow said she wonders if helicopter parenting has played a role in what she calls the “baby-fication of our generation”. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Sugar-dating scams are becoming quite common, according to the Better Business Bureau. (Lori Lo - Pixabay/Special to The News

Being a sugar baby isn’t so sweet, warns Better Business Bureau

B.C. student narrowly avoids sugar-dating scam

Sugar-dating scams are becoming quite common, according to the Better Business Bureau. (Lori Lo - Pixabay/Special to The News
Burnaby’s Central Park in Burnaby, B.C., is transformed into a matchmaking corner on weekends, where Chinese-speaking parents gather to find a mate for their single children, as seen here on Feb. 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nono Shen

B.C. park site of Chinese-style matchmaking, as parents seek wedded bliss for kids

Central Park in Burnaby, has become a go-to spot for parents searching for their kids’ marital bliss

Burnaby’s Central Park in Burnaby, B.C., is transformed into a matchmaking corner on weekends, where Chinese-speaking parents gather to find a mate for their single children, as seen here on Feb. 11, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nono Shen
The Tinder dating app logo is seen on a smartphone in Toronto, Thursday, July 9, 2020. For a monthly or annual fee, there are many dating apps and sites that will give you access to their pool of suitors. Others like Hinge, Tinder, Grindr and Bumble have free versions along with paid tiers or features that banish ads, let users’ message prospective dates before matching or boost one’s profile. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini

Will paying for dating apps make you more likely to find you love?

Open-minded attitude and the right profile are the biggest indicators of success

The Tinder dating app logo is seen on a smartphone in Toronto, Thursday, July 9, 2020. For a monthly or annual fee, there are many dating apps and sites that will give you access to their pool of suitors. Others like Hinge, Tinder, Grindr and Bumble have free versions along with paid tiers or features that banish ads, let users’ message prospective dates before matching or boost one’s profile. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini
Newlyweds Deep Punia, left, and Parminder Punia pose for wedding photos at Pitt-Addington Marsh nature preserve, in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Statistics Canada says 98,355 marriages were registered in Canada in 2020 -- one-third lower than in 2019 -- likely due to COVID-19 and the various public health measures that were introduced mid-March. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Early pandemic sees largest recorded drop in number of new marriages: StatCan data

98,355 marriages were registered in Canada in 2020

Newlyweds Deep Punia, left, and Parminder Punia pose for wedding photos at Pitt-Addington Marsh nature preserve, in Pitt Meadows, B.C., Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. Statistics Canada says 98,355 marriages were registered in Canada in 2020 -- one-third lower than in 2019 -- likely due to COVID-19 and the various public health measures that were introduced mid-March. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck