Article by Jonathan Perron-Clow, CIA PMR member - Canada COVID-19 pushes us to New Collaboration As we all sat at home during the spring of 2020, our favorite balloon events getting cancelled left and right, a few of us got chatting about the dream of bringing competitive ballooning back to Eastern Canada. The day after the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu International Balloon Festivalin Quebec was cancelled, we hatched our plan. It would be a low-tech, informal activity with no publicity, and we’d make it as COVID-proof as possible. It was but one of a number of opportunities Canadian balloonists took advantage of in what was a difficult year on families, businesses and events at home and around the world. It led to a change in venue for the Canadian Hot Air Balloon (HAB) Championship and to better connections with balloonists across the country.