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5 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,D ecem ber 30,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca *Individual results vary. Endorsements produced by clinicsusing the MHS Method of Hypnosis Training. 226-641-0645 41 Erb St. E, Waterlookitchenerhypnosis.comKitchener "I lost 55 pounds with hypnosis & I feel great!" - Helene WEIGHT LOSS STOP SMOKING STRESS MANAGEMENT "I had tried everything - all kinds of diets, exercise programs, and nothing seemed to work. With hypnosis I have lost weight and I know I will keep it off. It is my new lifestyle now." 226-641-0645 WEIGHT LOSS STOP SMOKING STRESS MANAGEMENT HOLIDAY SPECIAL 30% off first program purchased Valid until Feb 28, 2022 HYPNOTIC SCREENING Valid until January 31, 2022 One coupon per person. Not valid with any other offer. No cash value. Valid until February 28, 2022 COVID-19 was top of mind for our Waterloo readers in 2021. From an interview with a Water- loo resident about CERB claw backs to news about public health measures and an extensive list of positive COVID-19 cases in stores, here are Waterloo Chronicle's top stories of 2021. This list is based on page views and includes stories that drove the most traffic to our sites. 3. More employees at Loblaws- owned stores in Waterloo Region, Guelph test positive for COVID-19 As COVID-19 continued to rage through Canada and Waterloo Re- gion, our COVID-19 case tracker, which listed positive cases in su- permarkets and drug stores in Wa- terloo, Cambridge, and Guelph, drove thousands to our site. The list, updated regularly, in- cluded data from Loblaw Compa- nies' daily COVID-19 test updates with numbers for two week's worth of cases. It's one of the arti- cles with the most page views as readers checked back regularly to see if their neighbourhood store was on the list. 2. Restrict gatherings to house- hold members, Waterloo Region Public Health warns In June, Waterloo Region Pub- lic Health warned people, espe- cially those who live alone, to have close contact only with immediate household members or one other household. The warning came at a time when the Delta variant was start- ing to grab hold of the region. At the time, there were 14 cases of the Delta variant in Waterloo Region and public health predicted more cases to be detected. The news drove a lot of traffic to our sites with many readers ex- pressing frustration on social me- dia. 1. 'I can't live off of $1,200 a month': Waterloo man's CERB support clawed back through in- come supplement Our biggest story of the year features an interview with a Wa- terloo man who opened up about his struggles during the pandem- ic. Brian Burechails, who used to operate a local bagel shop for four decades, has had to rely on the food bank due to unexpected gov- ernment clawbacks. His most recent GIS at the time had been reduced from $708 to a measly $282 due to the CERB claw- back. He barely had enough to cover his bills. The Chronicle caught up with him in September at a food bank satellite location on Amos Avenue, where he shared that he uses his bicycle for trans- portation, burns wood in winter to cut down on heating costs and doesn't watch TV, relying on li- brary rentals for entertainment. Comments from residents poured in on social media, with some expressing anger at the clawbacks and most others ex- pressing sympathy with the plight of Canada's older adults. A follow- up story in December prompted Burechails' Westvale neighbours to help him out. Many have pledged to send him gift cards, and many more have promised to drop off groceries and care packages. YEAR IN REVIEW: WATERLOO'S TOP 3 STORIES OF 2021 Clockwise from top left: Waterloo Region Bar; Waterloo resident Brian Burechails; Loblaws COVID-19 case tracker. Metroland photo illustrationLORAINE CENTENO acenteno@metroland.com NEWS COVID-19, CERB CLAWBACKS MAKE THE LIST SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code to read the Waterloo Chronicle's top stories of the year.