We grew up watching them.

For so many families in our part of Ontario, Marineland was part of childhood. For ours, it was too. Since 1999, we made the trip almost every summer. My children grew up absolutely captivated by the belugas. They weren’t just animals we saw once—they became part of so many family memories. Watching everything unfold over the past little while has been emotional in ways I didn’t expect. My heart aches for the belugas as they make this enormous transition into their new homes. I find myself tearing up every time I see another one arrive safely. But my heart also aches for the trainers and caregivers who spent years alongside them. I can’t imagine the emotions of saying goodbye to animals you’ve known and loved for so long. There are so many layers to this story, and so many different opinions about how we arrived here and what the right path forward should have been. The one thing that has stayed with me through all of it is this: behind every conversation, I saw people who genuinely cared. People who loved these incredible animals and wanted the very best for them, even if they didn’t always agree on what that looked like. And somehow, that’s the part I’ll carry with me. The love. The hope. And the overwhelming gratitude of watching these beautiful belugas begin their next chapter. Wishing every one of them calm waters, gentle days, and many years ahead. 🤍#onthisday #marinelandcanada