Vassy Kapelos: The Envelope She Almost Never Opened

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift · Apr 15, 2026 · 9m

A random act of kindness arrived in a hot pink envelope at a CTV newsroom during a federal by-election special. It sat unopened all day. She assumed it was hate mail. Her producer finally cracked it open at eleven at night just in case there was anthrax in it.

Inside was a photo. A baby picture of Vassy with her dad, found tucked in a car she sold to a couple in Alberta in 2013 when she was leaving for Ottawa and her first national job. Her mother had passed away by then. Her dad is 79 now. He watched the entire election special, stayed up past midnight, and was still awake when she got home…