Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Wakaw Lions Bingo continues into 2026 with Bingo evenings planned for February 9, April 6, June 29, August 3, and October 12.
Although a New Year’s Eve Bingo is not listed, bingo players anticipate they will be able to welcome the new year of 2027, as they have traditionally.
In mid 2023, the Wakaw Lions placed its weekly bingo on hiatus. Throughout 2024 and 2025, the Lions members invited players to join the fun at the Wakaw Rec Centre four times each year to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve.
Bingo has been a popular choice for fundraising for many years, and that is especially true for service clubs like the Lions. One of the key benefits of using Bingo for fundraising is the high level of engagement and excitement it generates among participants. The game is easy to play, making it accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, and this inclusivity helps create a lively and energetic atmosphere at fundraising events, encouraging more people to participate and support the cause.
The bingo industry in Canada has moved towards online platforms in the past few years, coinciding with the overall increase in online games, and while this has provided bingo aficionados with greater opportunities to play the game, there can be downsides to engaging solely online.
Traditional bingo offers a social experience and physical engagement with the game and fellow players. Traditional bingo involves no concerns about data privacy or online security, and prize payouts are often immediate and handled in-person. Some researchers would suggest that the face-to-face social interaction of the traditional game could be a mental health benefit.
Research shows that prolonged social isolation during the pandemic contributed to increased rates of anxiety and depression. The absence of physical contact with family members, friends, and colleagues disrupted our natural support systems and daily routines. The closure of schools, community centers, and recreational facilities further limited opportunities for meaningful social connection.
There is also evidence that social isolation has impacts beyond mental health. Authors of Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review, published by the Association of Psychological Science, found that actual and perceived social isolation are both associated with increased risk for early mortality comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality.
According to a Statistics Canada study conducted from 1986 to 2022, Canadians have been “spending less and less time with friends.” In 1986, 47.9 percent of Canadians saw friends on an average day. By 2022, that figure had declined to just 19.3 percent.
However, an Ipsos poll commissioned by MNP Ltd. in late 2023 suggests that it may not be just a ‘pandemic hangover’ that is impacting Canadians’ social interactions. Inflation, they say, has many Canadians staying home and declining social invites to save money, and experiencing loneliness, anxiety, and stress along with it.
According to that Ipsos poll, 51 percent of the 2,000 Canadians surveyed said they are staying home more often to save money. A third are socializing less, and one in five feels a sense of social isolation.
Grant Bazian, President of MNP LTD, said, “Canadians are retreating from social activities and forgoing time with friends and family to cut down on costs, illustrating the isolating impacts of inflation.”
Further, younger Canadians and those with incomes of $40K or less are the most likely to spend less time socializing and with friends, resulting in increased social isolation and loneliness.
The Wakaw Lions will gladly assist in lessening feelings of social isolation by welcoming would-be bingo players at the Wakaw Rec Centre on one or all of the aforementioned dates, and for those looking for even more social connection, the Lions are always looking for new members.
