An 11 yr-old boy built this giant snowman in his yard, becoming the talk of the town.
(NBC/The Associated Press, NBC/Reuters - image credit) Schitt's Creek won the Golden Globe for best television comedy on Sunday, shortly after star Catherine O'Hara captured the award for best actress for her portrayal of Moira Rose. Dan Levy — who co-created the show with his father, Eugene Levy — accepted the award remotely and paid homage to the Canadian cast and crew. "The incredible work you all did over these past six seasons have taken us to places we never thought possible, and we are so grateful to all of you for it," he said. "Thank you to the CBC and Pop TV for making the active choice to keep this show on the air and give it the time and space it needed to grow." The show topped fellow nominees Ted Lasso, The Great, The Flight Attendant and Emily in Paris. "This acknowledgement is a lovely vote of confidence in the messages Schitt's Creek has come to stand for: the idea that inclusion can bring about growth and love to a community," Dan Levy said. "In the spirit of inclusion, I hope that this time next year, the ceremony reflects the true breadth and diversity of the film and television being made today because there is so much more to be celebrated." Earlier, O'Hara thanked Eugene and Dan Levy for creating "an inspiring, funny, beautiful family love story in which they let me wear 100 wigs and speak like an alien." "Thank you CBC for making this show in Canada," she said. Eugene Levy, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy were each nominated for acting awards as well. Jason Sudeikis bested Eugene Levy for best actor in a television series for his role in Ted Lasso, John Boyega won the award for best supporting actor for his role in Small Axe over Dan Levy and Gillian Anderson's turn on The Crown earned her best supporting actress over Murphy. Schitt's Creek, which aired on CBC and Pop TV, ended its sixth and final season last April. The Ontario-shot show swept the comedy category at the Emmy Awards last fall. Nomadland wins 2 awards, Boseman honoured posthumously Nomadland won best drama film while its director, Chloé Zhao, became the first woman of Asian descent to win best director at the Golden Globes. The film follows a woman, played by Frances McDormand, who leaves her small town to join a group of wanderers in the American West. Accepting the best picture award, Zhao paid tribute to all those who have been on difficult journeys, quoting a line from the film: "We don't say goodbye, we say see you down the road." Meanwhile, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm won best movie, musical or comedy, while star Sacha Baron Cohen won best actor for his portrayal of the fictional journalist from Kazakhstan. In a major surprise, the Globe for best actress in a drama film went to Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Day played the legendary jazz and blues singer in the biopic directed by Lee Daniels. A tearful and overwhelmed Day spoke through tears as she said she was "in the presence of giants," naming her fellow nominees Viola Davis, Carey Mulligan, Vanessa Kirby and Frances McDormand. Six months after his death at age 43, Chadwick Boseman won the Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic film for his final role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Boseman's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award for her late husband, saying "he would thank God, he would thank his parents, he would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices." Through tears, Ledward added: "I don't have his words, but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love." In the Netflix film, Boseman plays an ambitious trumpeter named Levee who aims to launch himself with his own updated version of the songs of Ma Rainey, the powerhouse blues singer played by Viola Davis. Boseman, who starred in the Marvel blockbuster "Black Panther," died in August after privately battling colon cancer for four years. Netflix, which came in with a commanding 42 nominations, won the top TV awards. The Crown, as expected, took best drama series, along with acting wins for Anderson, Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin. O'Connor and Corrin portrayed Prince Charles and Princess Diana, respectively. The Queen's Gambit, another Netflix show, won best limited series or TV movie and star Anya Taylor-Joy won best actress in a limited series. Jodie Foster, meanwhile, won her first Golden Globe in nearly three decades. Foster won the Globe for best supporting actress in a film for her role in The Mauritanian. Jane Fonda accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award, praising the "community of storytellers" for their vital role in troubled times, and calling for greater diversity in Hollywood. The 83-year-old actor and activist, star of Barbarella, Klute, Coming Home, On Golden Pond and 9 to 5, received the Globes' version of a lifetime achievement award, one of the few honorees to accept a Globe in person in Beverly Hills. The DeMille award honours "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." Previous winners include Walt Disney, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Sidney Poitier, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and Fonda's father Henry Fonda. The Fondas become the first parent and child to both receive the DeMille award. Norman Lear accepted the Carol Burnett Award on Sunday at the Golden Globes for his storied career in television, saying he "could not feel more blessed." The 98-year-old still-working television legend, creator of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time, is the third winner of the award that honours "outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen." Hosts on different coasts Earlier, co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler began the pandemic-era award show by delivering a split-screen opening from separate coasts. With Poehler at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., and Fey in New York's Rainbow Room, the two did an initial gag where Fey reached out through the screen and stroked Poehler's hair. Golden Globes hosts Tina Fey, left, and Amy Poehler, opened the show from New York and Beverly Hills, Calif., respectively. When attendees would normally be streaming down the red carpet on Sunday evening, many stars were instead posing virtually. Regina King, resplendent in a dazzling dress, stood before her yawning dog. Carey Mulligan, nominated for Promising Young Woman, said from a London hotel room that she was wearing heels for the first time in more than a year. Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of the tender Korean-American family drama Minari (a movie the HFPA was criticized for ruling ineligible for its top award because of its non-English dialogue), accepted the award for best foreign language film while his young daughter embraced him. "She's the reason I made this film," said Chung. "Minari is about a family. It's a family trying to learn a language of its own. It goes deeper than any American language and any foreign language. It's a language of the heart. I'm trying to learn it myself and to pass it on," said Chung. Other awards included Pixar's Soul for best animated film; Rosumund Pike took best actress in a comedy or musical film for I Care a Lot; and Aaron Sorkin won for best screenplay for Trial of the Chicago 7. The film, a favourite to win best drama film at the Globes, was sold to Netflix by Paramount Pictures last summer due to the pandemic. "Netflix saved our lives," said Sorkin. Issues in lead-up to show On a night when the organization that gives out the Golden Globes is facing condemnation for having no Black voting members, the night's first award went to a Black actor, with Daniel Kaluuya winning best supporting actor in a film for his work in Judas and the Black Messiah. Kaluuya's acceptance speech could not be heard from his location at first, and he jokingly shouted, "You did me dirty!" once the audio was restored. Kaluuya didn't mention the issue directly in his acceptance, though he praised the man he played to win the award, Blank Panther leader Fred Hampton, who was was killed in an FBI raid in 1969. The Globes, normally a loose-and-boozy party that serves as the kickoff for Hollywood's awards season, has been beset with problems beyond the coronavirus leading up to this year's ceremony. They include a revelation in the Los Angeles Times that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the awards, has no Black voting members in the group. LISTEN | Why the Golden Globes' shady reputation persists: Fey took a shot at the organization in the show opening, explaining to the two small live audiences made up of first responders and essential workers that "the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 no Black journalists." This year, none of the most acclaimed Black-led films — Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, One Night in Miami, Judas and the Black Messiah and Da 5 Bloods — were nominated for the Globes' best picture award. With the HFPA potentially fighting for its Hollywood life, Sunday's Globes were part apology tour. Within the first half hour of the NBC telecast, members of the press association also appeared on stage to pledge change. "We recognize we have our own work to do," said vice president Helen Hoehne. "We must have Black journalists in our organization."
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia said Saturday it intercepted a missile attack over its capital and bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of airborne assaults it has blamed on Yemen’s rebel Houthis. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen’s yearslong war announced the Iran-allied Houthis had launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh and three booby-trapped drones toward the province of Jizan, with a fourth toward another southwestern city and other drones being monitored. No casualties or damage were initially reported. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis. The attack comes amid sharply rising tensions in the Middle East, a day after a mysterious explosion struck an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman. That blast renewed concerns about ship security in the strategic waterways that saw a spate of suspected Iranian attacks on oil tankers in 2019. The state-owned Al-Ekhbariya TV broadcast footage of what appeared to be explosions in the air over Riyadh. Social media users also posted videos, with some showing residents shrieking as they watched the fiery blast pierce the night sky, which appeared to be the kingdom’s Patriot missile batteries intercepting the ballistic missile. Col. Turki al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthis were trying in “a systematic and deliberate way to target civilians.” The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh issued a warning to Americans, calling on them to “stay alert in case of additional future attacks.” Flight-tracking websites showed a number of flights scheduled to land at Riyadh’s international airport diverted or delayed in the hour after the attack. A civil defence spokesman, Mohammed al-Hammadi, later said scattered debris resulted in material damage to one house, though no one was hurt, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. As Yemen's war grinds on, Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom have grown commonplace, only rarely causing damage. Earlier this month the Houthis struck an empty passenger plane at Saudi Arabia's southwestern Abha airport with a bomb-laden drone, causing it to catch fire. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition has faced widespread international criticism for airstrikes in Yemen that have killed hundreds of civilians and hit non-military targets, including schools, hospitals and wedding parties. President Joe Biden announced this month he was ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, including “relevant” arms sales. But he stressed that the U.S. would continue to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against outside attacks. The Houthis overran Yemen’s capital and much of the country's north in 2014, forcing the government into exile and months later prompting Saudi Arabia and its allies to launch a bombing campaign. __ Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. Isabel Debre, The Associated Press
(Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse/The Associated Press - image credit) Health Canada's approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India's version to prevent COVID-19 in adults follows similar green lights from regulators in the United Kingdom, Europe Union, Mexico and India. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, called ChAdOx1, was approved for use in Canada on Friday following clinical trials in the United Kingdom and Brazil that showed a 62.1 per cent efficacy in reducing symptomatic cases of COVID-19 cases among those given the vaccine. Experts have said any vaccine with an efficacy rate of over 50 per cent could help stop outbreaks. Dr. Supriya Sharma, Health Canada's chief medical adviser, said the key number across all of the clinical trials for those who received AstraZeneca's product was zero — no deaths, no hospitalizations for serious COVID-19 and no deaths because of an adverse effect of the vaccine. "I think Canada is hungry for vaccines," Sharma said in a briefing. "We're putting more on the buffet table to be used." Specifically, 64 of 5,258 in the vaccination group got COVID-19 with symptoms compared with people in the control group given injections (154 of 5,210 got COVID-19 with symptoms). Dr. Susy Hota, medical director of infection prevention and control at Toronto's University Health Network, called it a positive move to have AstraZeneca's vaccines added to Canada's options. "Even though the final efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine appears lower than what we have with the mRNA vaccines, it's still reasonably good," Hota said. "What we need to be focusing on is trying to get as many people as possible vaccinated so we can prevent the harms from this." Canada has an agreement with AstraZeneca to buy 20 million doses as well as between 1.9 million and 3.2 million doses through the global vaccine-sharing initiative known as COVAX. WATCH | AstraZeneca vaccine overview: Canada will also receive 2 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the government announced Friday. Here's a look at some common questions about the vaccine, how it works, in whom and how it could be rolled out. What's different about this shot? The Oxford-AstraZeneca is cheaper and easier to handle than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which need to be stored at ultracold temperatures to protect the fragile genetic material. AstraZeneca says its vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions (2 to 8 C) for at least six months. (Moderna's product can be stored at refrigeration temperatures for 30 days after thawing.) The ease of handling could make it easier to administer AstraZeneca's vaccine in rural and remote areas of Canada and the world. "There are definitely some advantages to having multiple vaccine candidates available to get to as many Canadians as possible," Hota said. Sharma said while the product monograph notes that evidence for people over age 65 is limited, real-world data from countries already using AstraZeneca's vaccine suggest it is safe and effective among older age groups. "We have real-world evidence from Scotland and the U.K. for people that have been dosed that would have been over 80 and that has shown significant drop in hospitalizations," Sharma said, based on a preprint. Data from clinical trials is more limited compared with in real-world settings that reflect people from different age groups, medical conditions and other factors. How does it work? Vaccines work by training our immune system to recognize an invader. The first two vaccines to protect against COVID-19 that were approved for use in Canada deliver RNA that encodes the spike protein on the surface of the pandemic coronavirus. Health-care workers Diego Feitosa Ferreira, right, and Clemilton Lopes de Oliveira travel on a boat in the state of Amazonas in Brazil, on Feb. 12, to vaccinate residents with the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The product can be stored at refrigeration temperatures, which facilitates its use in remote areas. In contrast, the AstraZeneca vaccine packs the genetic information for the spike protein in the shell of a virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Vaccine makers altered the adenovirus so it can't grow in humans. Viral vector vaccines mimic viral infection more closely than some other kinds of vaccines. One disadvantage of viral vectors is that if a person has immunity toward a particular vector, the vaccine won't work as well. But people are unlikely to have been exposed to a chimpanzee adenovirus. AstraZeneca is working on reformulating its vaccine to address more transmissible variants of coronavirus. How and where could it be used? Virologist Eric Arts at Western University in London, Ont., said vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, which is also under review by Health Canada, and Russian Sputnik-V vaccines all have some similarities. "I do like the fact that AstraZeneca has decided to continue trials, to work with the Russians on the Sputnik-V vaccine combination," said Arts, who holds the Canada Research Chair in HIV pathogenesis and viral control. Boxes with AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine are pictured at St. Mary's Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Health Canada says the vaccine is given by two separate injections of 0.5 millilitres each into the muscle of the arm. "The reason why I'm encouraged by it is I think there might be greater opportunity to administer those vaccines in low- to middle-income countries. We need that. I think our high-income countries have somewhat ignored the situation that is more significant globally." Researchers reported on Feb. 2 in the journal Lancet that in a Phase 3 clinical trial involving about 20,000 people in Russia, the two-dose Sputnik-V vaccine was about 91 per cent effective and appears to prevent inoculated individuals from becoming severely ill with COVID-19. WATCH | Performance of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine so far: There were 16 COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group (0.1 per cent or 16/14,964) and 62 cases (1.3 per cent or [62/4,902) in the control group. No serious adverse events were associated with vaccination. Most adverse events were mild, such as flu-like symptoms, pain at injection site and weakness or low energy. Arts and other scientists acknowledged the speed and lack of transparency of the Russian vaccination program. But British scientists Ian Jones and Polly Roy wrote in an accompanying commentary that the results are clear and add another vaccine option to reduce the incidence of COVID-19.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Spacewalking astronauts ventured out Sunday to install support frames for new, high-efficiency solar panels arriving at the International Space Station later this year. NASA's Kate Rubins and Victor Glover put the first set of mounting brackets and struts together, then bolted them into place next to the station's oldest and most degraded solar wings. But the work took longer than expected, and they barely got started on the second set before calling it quits. Rubins will finish the job during a second spacewalk later this week. The spacewalkers had to lug out the hundreds of pounds of mounting brackets and struts in 8-foot (2.5-meter) duffle-style bags. The equipment was so big and awkward that it had to be taken apart like furniture, just to get through the hatch. Some of the attachment locations required extra turns of the power drill and still weren't snug enough, as indicated by black lines. The astronauts had to use a ratchet wrench to deal with the more stubborn bolts, which slowed them down. At one point, they were two hours behind. “Whoever painted this black line painted outside the lines a little bit," Glover said at one particularly troublesome spot. “We’ll work on our kindergarten skills over here,” Mission Control replied, urging him to move on. With more people and experiments flying on the space station, more power will be needed to keep everything running, according to NASA. The six new solar panels — to be delivered in pairs by SpaceX over the coming year or so — should boost the station’s electrical capability by as much as 30%. Rubins and Glover tackled the struts for the first two solar panels, due to launch in June. Their spacewalk ended up lasting seven hours, a bit longer than planned. “Really appreciate your hard work. I know there were a lot of challenges,” Mission Control radioed. The eight solar panels up there now are 12 to 20 years old — most of them past their design lifetime and deteriorating. Each panel is 112 feet (34 metres) long by 39 feet (12 metres) wide. Tip to tip counting the centre framework, each pair stretches 240 feet (73 metres), longer than a Boeing 777's wingspan. Boeing is supplying the new roll-up panels, about half the size of the old ones but just as powerful thanks to the latest solar cell technology. They’ll be placed at an angle above the old ones, which will continue to operate. A prototype was tested at the space station in 2017. Rubins' helmet featured a new high-definition camera that provided stunning views, particularly those showing the vivid blue Earth 270 miles (435 kilometres) below. “Pretty fantastic," observed Mission Control. Sunday’s spacewalk was the third for infectious disease specialist Rubins and Navy pilot Glover — both of whom could end up flying to the moon. They’re among 18 astronauts newly assigned to NASA’s Artemis moon-landing program. The next moonwalkers will come from this group. Last week, Vice-President Kamala Harris put in a congratulatory call to Glover, the first African American astronaut to live full time at the space station. NASA released the video exchange Saturday. “The history making that you are doing, we are so proud of you,” Harris said. Like other firsts, Glover replied, it won't be the last. “We want to make sure that we can continue to do new things,” he said. Rubins will float back out Friday with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi to wrap up the solar panel prep work, and to vent and relocate ammonia coolant hoses. Glover and Noguchi were among four astronauts arriving via SpaceX in November. Rubins launched from Kazakhstan in October alongside two Russians. They’re all scheduled to return to Earth this spring. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press
(Vernon Ramesar/CBC - image credit) The local MLA says the loss of 150 jobs at Stanfield's in Truro, N.S., is a blow to the community. The company, a fixture in the community for more than 150 years, recently lost a government contract to manufacture medical gowns. David Ritcey said the layoffs announced Friday are a hardship, especially with 55 jobs lost at the local RCMP communication centre that is moving to Dartmouth. "The great thing about this partnership was that we have another local company providing the fabric ... it was a really good community business partnership that helped Canadians," he said. Looking for other opportunities Ritcey said he has written to Lenore Zann, the MP for Cumberland-Colchester, requesting a meeting to see what other opportunities are available for Stanfield's in the federal tender process. In the meantime, he said he has been receiving "numerous calls" from employees of the company. Jon Stanfield, the company's chairman, CEO and president, did not reply to messages seeking an interview. Ritcey said Stanfield cares about his employees and having to let them go "broke his heart." He said the Stanfield family has been a staple in the community for a very long time. Jon Stanfield is president and CEO of Stanfield's Ltd. He said he is confident that Stanfield will find a way to keep the company going, "He's going to find a way to help Stanfield's continue and find a way to help Nova Scotians and Canadians with another opportunity, whatever that may be." 'They had this planned' One worker contacted Sunday said she is unhappy with the way the layoffs were handled. Alisabeth Legge, part of Friday's layoffs, said workers were "crowded" into a small room minutes before the end of their shift and told the news by Allan Henley, the vice-president of operations. She said a supervisor had told her earlier in the week that the company was aware it didn't get the contract, but "waited until the last minute" to tell employees. "They had this planned and had papers to give out and a speech ready to read, but yet waited 16 minutes until our shift was over and gave us no time to look for new employment or get our applications in to EI," Legge said. The garment manufacturer had laid off much of its staff in March 2020 after the pandemic played havoc with its sales. Stanfield approached the federal government about manufacturing the gowns, which were in demand at the time. At the end of last March, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Stanfield's would be manufacturing PPE for health-care workers. Ottawa provided Stanfield's with just under $28 million to retool and reconfigure its facility for the new work. The company was able to bring back many of the employees laid off just weeks before. MP Lenore Zann said she is disappointed and worried about the workers. Zann said the initial arrangement was reached because there was an urgent need. But the government put out a new tender last October. She said that by that time many Canadian companies had retooled and Public Services and Procurement Canada used a competitive bidding process. In late February, nine of 71 companies that bid for the work were chosen and Stanfield's was not one of them. Zann said she doesn't yet know which companies were chosen. "It's very disappointing and I'm worried for the workers," she said Sunday. "I think I'm going to suggest that I meet with them and help figure out steps going forward as to how I can actually help them and what kinds of solutions we can come up with." As recently as Feb. 22, the company posted on Facebook that production was in "full swing" and that it was proud to be making PPE for front-line workers. Zann said Stanfield sent her a text on Friday telling her he had sent out layoff notices to 150 employees. She said he told her the previous week that he didn't think his company would be awarded a second tender. Zann said she has been in contact with other federal departments to see if there are other opportunities for Stanfield's. "I don't know what is in store, but I'm certainly going to be doing everything I can to try and help them continue," she said. "Nova Scotians are hardy people and we've certainly been through a lot lately. But we will continue and we will get beyond this." MORE TOP STORIES
(Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press - image credit) Kerri Einarson beat Rachel Homan 9-7 to win her second straight Scotties as the Canadian women's curling championship wrapped up in the Calgary bubble on Sunday. More to come.
Canada's pandemic hotspots are taking diverging approaches to handling the COVID-19 crisis, as Ontario prepares to trigger new lockdown measures in two public health units and Quebec enters a week of spring break. Ontario passed the 300,000 case mark today, as the province prepares to hit a so-called 'emergency brake' in the Thunder Bay and Simcoe-Muskoka District health units on Monday in order interrupt transmission of COVID-19 at a time when new variants are gaining steam. The province has also pushed back its spring break until April in an effort to limit community spread. Prince Edward Island also implemented tighter health measures, barring indoor dining and halving retail and gym capacity as part of "circuit breaker" measures meant to stop a new outbreak in its tracks. Quebec, meanwhile, has allowed movie theatres, pools and arenas to open with restrictions in place to give families something to do as the traditional winter break kicks off, even as most other health rules remain in place. Premier Francois Legault has said he's worried about the week off and the threat posed by new more contagious variants, but says he's optimistic about the province's mass vaccination campaign which will begin inoculating older members of the general public on Monday. Ontario reported 1,062 new infections linked to the pandemic today to push it over the 300,000 mark, while Quebec's health minister said the situation in the province is stable with 737 new cases and nine additional deaths. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2021 The Canadian Press
The Township of Strong council met on Feb. 23 and discussed several items, including the potential of the Almaguin Spartans using the arena, ideas for community activities in 2021 and a donation of gravel to High Rock Lookout Park. Here is the council meeting in key quotes. ON THE ALMAGUIN SPARTANS “I was just going to ask about the Spartans — are they looking at possibly coming to our arena?” asked Coun. Jody Baillie. “There’s an expression of interest on behalf of the Spartans to use our facilities possibly in the future. There is, I wouldn’t say a business plan, but we’re going to get some numbers of attendance (and) ice times,” said Coun. Jason Cottrell. ON 2021 COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES IN STRONG TOWNSHIP “It’s trying to think outside of different ways on what is an actual need for our community. So, we had some great ideas on reaching out to some of our seniors possibly like pen pals and even some of our group homes in the area — what are some ways that we can reach these individuals and different generations,” said Baillie, who is the new recreation committee leader. “We are open to suggestions.” “It’s a whole new world out there. Everything is changing and all of the events that we’ve done have been the same for so many years. It’s difficult to sit back now and think, ‘Oh that does not work,’ so any suggestions would be great,” said Strong’s Mayor Kelly Elik. ON HIGH ROCK LOOKOUT PARK “We didn’t get a whole lot done last year so we’re hopefully on track this year … we only need a half tonne load of gravel to be placed in front of the pavilion on the roadway because there’s some deep ruts there,” said Coun. Marianne Stickland. Sarah Cooke’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Sarah Cooke, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, muskokaregion.com
NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on the surface of Mars on February 18, 2021 and it has already begun to send back jaw-dropping images of the surrounding area.
MONTREAL — The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants in Quebec jumped by more than 100 on Sunday, on the eve of a ramp-up in the province's mass vaccination plan. The province is reporting 137 confirmed cases involving variants, with most of them identified as the B.1.1.7 mutation first detected in the United Kingdom. While most of the cases are in Montreal, the province's public health institute reports there are also 40 cases of the variant originally found in South Africa in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region. A further 1,083 cases remain under investigation and are listed as "presumptive." Quebec's health minister described the overall situation as "encouraging" as the province reported 737 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths due to the pandemic. Four of the deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, while the rest took place earlier. Hospitalizations rose by two to 601, while intensive care numbers rose by five to 117. Christian Dube noted that the situation in the province has been stable for the last week, but asked Quebecers not to let their guard down as spring break begins. "It's not the moment to relax our efforts," he wrote on Twitter. The province will kick off its mass vaccination program in earnest on Monday, with several large clinics in the Montreal area opening their doors to residents age 80 and older who have booked appointments through the province's website. In the rest of the province, the vaccination appointments are being accepted for those born in or before 1936. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Saturday that the start of the mass vaccination campaign was giving him "a lot of hope," even as he expressed concern about spring break week and the spread of new variants. He urged Quebecers to remain vigilant for the coming weeks to allow the province to vaccinate more people, and to wait for immunity to fully develop in those who have received a shot. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2021 Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
Relatives of more than 300 girls abducted by gunmen from their boarding school in northwest Nigeria endured an agonising wait for news amid rumours that they had been released, while security forces continued their search on Sunday. An armed gang kidnapped 317 girls from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in the town of Jangebe, in Zamfara state, at around 1 a.m. on Friday. Two Reuters' correspondents saw a heavy military presence in state capital Gusau on Sunday, with army trucks moving in convoy and police checkpoints on major roads.
LONDON — Gareth Bale turned back time for Tottenham, while Chelsea and Manchester United seemed happy just to play out time. Bale looked like the star player who left Tottenham for Real Madrid in 2013 as he scored twice in the club’s 4-0 win over Burnley, prompting Spurs manager Jose Mourinho to pronounce him “better than ever" though still not suitable to start week-in, week-out. While Bale found his form, Harvey Barnes had his good run cut short by a knee injury in Leicester's 3-1 loss to Arsenal. He is likely to need an operation and miss six weeks. Chelsea kept its unbeaten record under manager Thomas Tuchel in a 0-0 draw with Man United as both teams appeared reluctant to risk losing one point in the hope of getting three. BALE'S COMEBACK TRAIL Bale opened the scoring after 68 seconds and the Welsh forward added another early in the second half, both off assists from Son Heung-min. Back on loan from Spain, it was his first two-goal game since 2019. “Now he is better than ever,” Mourinho said. “It’s not just about the two goals he scored, it’s fundamentally about his physical performance." However, Mourinho warned that Bale would still have to rest for some upcoming games to manage his form and fitness. Harry Kane and Lucas Moura also scored, and it could have been more if not for some good saves from Nick Pope when Burnley was already four goals down. STAMFORD BRIDGE STALEMATE Chelsea's new identity under Tuchel is taking shape. There's intense, German-style pressing, but also a newfound compactness and solidity in the defence at Stamford Bridge, compared to former manager Frank Lampard's open but defensively vulnerable style. Against United's counterattacking specialists, both teams seemed risk-averse, even in the final minutes. The upshot was a ninth game unbeaten in all competitions for Tuchel at Chelsea, seven of them without conceding a goal, but it also meant that Chelsea missed an opportunity to overtake West Ham for fourth in the table. The draw also highlighted United's inability to mount an unlikely challenge to cross-city rival Manchester City for the title. City leads by 12 points from second-place United. ARSENAL BEATS LEICESTER Arsenal returned to form and the top half of the table with a 3-1 win over Leicester, with Nicolas Pepe scoring one goal and winning a penalty when Wilfred Ndidi blocked his shot with an arm. However, the game was overshadowed by an injury likely to keep Leicester's in-form midfielder Barnes out until April. He had scored six goals and assisted three more in his team's previous 10 league games. Manager Brendan Rodgers said Barnes will likely need an operation and will be on the sidelines for at least six weeks. It comes as Leicester is already without the injured James Maddison. FULHAM FALLS SHORT Fulham missed a chance for a win in a 0-0 draw with a Crystal Palace team which rarely presented any sort of attacking threat. The draw left Scott Parker's team unbeaten in five league games, with only one goal conceded during that time, but still 18th and three points adrift of safety. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
(Stuart Forster/Shutterstock - image credit) A young Indigenous man was shot dead by Tofino RCMP in a residence on Saturday night, Indigenous leaders have confirmed. B.C. RCMP said in a written statement that at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday two officers from Tofino RCMP attended a residence on the Opitsaht First Nation as they searched for a woman believed to be in distress. After they arrived, a man was shot and killed. Another man was taken into custody. The woman was located and taken to hospital for medical assessment. The victim has been identified by community leaders as 28-year-old Julian Jones. The Opitsaht First Nation is a village near Tofino, a community of the Tla-o-qui-aht people, located at the southwest end of Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound. Moses Martin, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation chief councillor, said he had spoken to RCMP, who said an investigation into the incident is ongoing. The statement from RCMP said the Vancouver Island General Investigative Section (GIS) is investigating the call to police, including allegations that the woman was being held against her will. Second shooting of Tla-o-qui-aht Hugh Braker, president of the Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia, said Jones was well-known in the Tofino and Port Alberni communities. "This is causing a lot of profound shock in the community. This is the same First Nations community that lost a young woman last year to a fatal police shooting. And we're still not satisfied with the results of the inquiry into that death," he said. In June of last year, Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation woman, was shot and killed by a police officer during a wellness check in New Brunswick. Moore grew up on Vancouver Island and had recently moved to be with her mother and six-year-old daughter. "We're sick and tired of police investigating police. We just don't trust investigations," said Braker, saying his organization will be issuing a letter calling for an open, and rapid investigation. Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, echoed these concerns. "You question whether or not the police are properly trained to de-escalate a situation. There must be other ways, you know, to have someone stand down," Sayers said, noting that Jones was not a large man, standing five feet, two inches and weighing 120 pounds. "People are reeling, wondering why this happened ... What kind of fear is there in these officers of Indigenous men that they have to do this?" The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia, a civilian-led police oversight agency, is now investigating the incident.
(Robert Short/CBC - image credit) Nova Scotia reported record-high testing numbers and three new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a tally that comes as the Halifax region and some surrounding communities entered a second day of tighter restrictions. One new case was in the central health zone and is a close contact of a previously reported case, according to a Department of Health news release. The northern health zone and eastern health zone had one case each, both related to travel outside the region. All the new cases are self-isolating. The province now has 38 known active cases. Two people are hospitalized and in intensive care related to the virus. On Friday, Premier Iain Rankin warned against non-essential travel within the province and elsewhere and introduced new restrictions for the Halifax Regional Municipality, up to and including Porters Lake, as well as Enfield, Elmsdale, Mount Uniacke and Hubbards. The restrictions came into effect on Saturday and will be in place until at least March 26. Nova Scotia completed a record 4,839 COVID-19 tests on Saturday. In Sunday's news release, Rankin commended Nova Scotians for responding in great numbers to get tested. "Let's continue to make proactive testing a top priority," he said. "No matter whether you live in Halifax or elsewhere in the province, I encourage you, even if you don't have symptoms, to book an appointment at one of the primary assessment centres or drop into a pop-up testing site." Pop-up testing in Halifax Nova Scotia's health authority will be holding rapid COVID-19 testing at two pop-up sites in Halifax. Testing will be available at the Halifax Convention Centre from 3:30-9:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. Testing will take place at the Paul O'Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library from 10:30 a.m to 6 p.m. on Monday and from noon to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Halifax workplace exposures Halifax Regional Police confirmed on Saturday that one of its employees had tested positive for COVID-19. In an email, the watch commander said they were working closely with Public Health to follow the required protocols and that there would be no impact on service. Irving suspended operations Friday at its shipyard on the Halifax waterfront after one case of COVID-19 was confirmed the day before. Irving said Friday it planned to test employees on Saturday and Sunday. Irving said the focus this weekend would be on priority roles, production and production support. Irving announced via Twitter on Saturday that testing for employees would also take place on Monday at the Halifax Shipyard from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Another tweet indicated that 795 employees had been tested on Saturday. In a news release Sunday evening, Irving said staff and members of Local 28 could return to work on Monday. It said if no cases are detected during testing on Sunday and Monday, the day shift would resume all production activities at the Halifax Shipyard on Tuesday. The company said 1,600 people work at the Halifax Shipyard each day. Atlantic Canada case numbers MORE TOP STORIES
(Travis Kingdon/CBC - image credit) A P.E.I. restaurateur is calling on Islanders to take self-isolation requirements more seriously, and wants governments to impose harsher penalties on those who don't. Kevin Murphy, president of the Murphy Hospitality Group, says he doesn't blame the province for disallowing in-room dining as a circuit-breaker measure announced Saturday. But he said the restaurant industry continues to suffer the impacts of other people's carelessness. "It's getting very frustrating for the restaurant industry when these protocols are not being followed, and this is the impact it's having on our island, our industry, our restaurants," he said. "And … it's really time that these are taken seriously. And we have to make examples of people that want to continually break the protocol because it's us that are paying in the business community and it's been going on a year." The province has fined dozens of people for violating public health measures, but Murphy suggests more needs to be done. He said while his restaurants will remain open for takeout, he has laid off some staff for the third time this year. "No one takes this into account when they see this, that there's hundreds, if not thousands of Islanders that are laid off today and tomorrow. "And when it's two weeks, three weeks or four weeks, you know, their income and their life, the quality of life, it's just tough for them." Mike Perry, owner of The Breakfast Spot, says closing restaurants has a trickle-down effect on other businesses. Mike Perry, the owner of the The Breakfast Spot in Summerside, which was identified as a COVID-19 exposure site, said he had planned to open on March 6 after a deep cleaning but now must wait until at least March 14 under the new rules. "It's devastating. We've lost this weekend's sales, next weekend sales and the following," he said. It's just so difficult for all of us here, every restaurant. — Mike Perry "It's just so difficult for all of us here, every restaurant. And it ripples down into other businesses as well that depend on the traffic that we create as a restaurant, [such as] more people coming into town. "And it's devastating for many, many businesses." Speaking to CBC News before Premier Dennis King and Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison placed the Island into a 72-hour modified red zone with tighter restrictions late Sunday, Perry said the circuit breaker was the right thing to do, and suggested perhaps government should have done even more. "It looks like it's spreading quickly. I think the government has to do what they can." More from CBC P.E.I.
(Daniel DeLucia/Shutterstock - image credit) Vancouver police say they have fined the host of a gender reveal party that took place Saturday night at a downtown Vancouver apartment building. VPD say they responded to the gathering at 8:15 p.m. at an apartment building near Robson and Hamilton streets. Officers found 17 people inside the 26th floor suite attending a gender reveal party. Police say the host was given a $2,300 ticket and the party was shut down. In British Columbia, under the current public health orders to stop the spread of COVID-19, hosting an event at a private residence with members of different households is not allowed. Hosts and organizers of such events can be fined $2,300, and the ticketed individual has 30 days from the date the ticket was issued to either pay or dispute the ticket. B.C. has been living under these restrictions since November. They were extended indefinitely in early February, with Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry saying they will review how things stand in March.
GLASGOW, United Kingdom — Canadian international David Wotherspoon helped St. Johnstone win the Scottish League Cup for the first time in the club's 137-year history with a 1-0 win over Livingston on Sunday. Shaun Rooney's 32nd-minute header off a corner proved to be the difference maker at an empty Hampden Park in the final of the cup competition sponsored by Betfred. Wotherspoon, a 31-year-old midfielder, played the full 90 minutes for St. Johnstone. Wotherspoon was born in Perth and represented Scotland at the youth level but is eligible to play for Canada through his Winnipeg-born mother. He reached out to Canada Soccer after seeing Scott Arfield switch to Canada. Wotherspoon made his debut for Canada against New Zealand in 2018 in John Herdman's first game as coach. He also played against Cuba in CONCACAF Nations League play in 2019. He started his soccer career in the Celtic youth ranks, switching to Hibernian before joining St. Johnstone. He won the Scottish Cup, which is separate from the League Cup, in 2014 in his first year with St. Johnstone. The Perth-based club currently stands eighth in the Scottish Premiership. Livingston is fifth. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2021 The Canadian Press
(CPR Global/Youtube - image credit) A McMaster University team is teaching hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to individuals around the world who are unwilling, untrained or cannot perform full CPR. CPR Global's supervisor Dr. Tapas Mondal says hands-only CPR is commonly used by bystanders when they witness a sudden collapse of an adult in public. "Cardiac arrests [are] exponentially increasing in the developing world due to many bad habits in those countries [that come with] industrialization," Mondal told CBC News. "Even though this is going up, the knowledge at the same time is not parallel to this problem. "In the developed world there is a known solution to this, but in the developing world, this is missing," Mondal said. The hands-only CPR procedure — which is just as effective as traditional CPR — consists of four steps and can help save lives until the ambulance arrives. Dr. Tapas Mondal speaking to participants during a hands-only CPR training in 2018. Mondal said CPR Global's goal is to give this knowledge, and change people's attitude. Over the last several years, team members have travelled to remote places around the world to promote the use of hands-only CPR among bystanders, using demonstrational mannequins. CPR Global's broad objectives are: To develop online video modules in many different languages, which will be readily available to people across the globe by incorporating technology such as a mobile app. To use these videos as low-cost training, certification, and skills evaluation tools in both developed and developing countries. To encourage more women to become leaders in CPR as women in different cultures face barriers with regards to CPR procedures with a male resuscitator. Mondal said CPR Global has trained hundreds in South East Asia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. "In Africa we have so far touched Uganda and Nigeria," he said. Adil Merali says 'there's so much not only misconception but also stigma' about CPR. Adil Merali, another CPR Global team member and faculty member with the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster, said they have also done online CPR training, including with a high school in China and his MBA class at the university. "There are a lot of international students who are here in Canada who never had CPR training as part of their curriculum and there is so much misconception of what CPR is," Merali said. "Some people think it is just mouth-to-mouth. There's so much not only misconception but also stigma." 'Getting rid of the misconceptions' CPR Global has also partnered with local doctors to do CPR training at mosques in Hamilton. "This was run at 5 a.m. after the morning prayers and we had three generations of women, like a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter to the hands-on training," Merali said. "Again a lot of immigrants who came to Canada some years ago don't even know what CPR training is and are now getting exposed to the concept, getting rid of the misconceptions of what bystander CPR training is and getting training in this." Funding, volunteers needed Merali said there are two main hurdles facing CPR Global right now. "One is the volunteers. We would love volunteers to join and help us conduct in-person or online-CPR training," he said. "[We also need] funding for not only travelling to the very remote areas in different countries but also to buy the mannequins and to organize. "Organization is a huge cost — everything from providing snacks, providing audio-visual, marketing material to attract people, to keeping documentation on who got training … it's a huge cost and everything is self-funded right now, we are just putting in our own money," Merali said. CPR Global's team member, Muhammad Taaha Hassan Another team member, Muhammad Taaha Hassan, said while there are many students volunteering, they "would like to have even more members so we can have even more outreach to spread CPR global's work not just here in Canada but across the world."
(Reed Cowan - image credit) A former WE Charity donor is calling for the RCMP and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to investigate the charity's finances after learning a Kenyan school he was told he funded bore a plaque with the name of another donor. Reed Cowan, an American television journalist, said he believes two groups were told that they had funded the same school. He is calling for the charity to return all funds raised in the name of his deceased son, Wesley, 4, who died in 2006 following an accident. "I demand that every penny paid to WE and Free the Children by the groups I brought there for what feels like a sham experience be immediately reimbursed. Every penny," he said in a video statement posted on YouTube on Saturday. Cowan said he has repeatedly asked for an accounting of where his money went and has never received that information. NDP MP Charlie Angus has also sent letters to the RCMP and the Canada Revenue Agency, asking both organizations to investigate WE Charity's finances following what he describes as "explosive" allegations from Cowan at the parliamentary ethics committee on Friday. In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, WE Charity said it was confident it conducted itself appropriately at all times and any investigation would reach the same conclusion." Charity co-founder offers 'mea culpa' to plaque swapping Cowan describes helping raise millions of dollars for the charity. He said he was told by senior staff at WE Charity that he was the sole fundraiser of a school in Kenya, which went on to display a plaque bearing Wesley's name. Cowan, an American TV journalist, wipes away tears while testifying remotely in front of the parliamentary ethics committee on Friday. The committee is probing WE Charity's ties to the family of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as to the family of former finance minister Bill Morneau. However, Cowan recently learned that the plaque was removed and swapped out for another donor's name — even though Cowan said he was told repeatedly that the school was "Wesley's" and that he was the sole donor to the project. "I have on video many WE Charity staffers saying, 'This is Wesley's school. This school.' So why, in recent months, was this school photographed as bearing the plaque of [another donor]?" Cowan said. He said he discovered a video online of another group being celebrated for opening the school. Cowan said he raised the subject with WE Charity co-founder Craig Kielburger, who he said offered "a little bit of a mea culpa." 'I feel like my son was the victim of fraud' Cowan testified in front of the parliamentary ethics committee on Friday as part of an ongoing probe into WE Charity's ties to the family of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as to the family of former finance minister Bill Morneau. He was emotional during his testimony, wiping away tears as he described learning that his son's plaque had been removed. "[It] feels to me like returning to my son's grave and finding it broken, open, defiled and empty," Cowan told the committee. "If there is a pattern of duplicitous relations with donors ... how do I feel about it? I feel like my son was the victim of fraud." Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, are flanked by WE Charity co-founders Craig Kielburger, left, and his brother, Marc, at WE Day celebrations in Ottawa in 2015. Following Cowan's testimony, WE Charity sent a statement to CBC News saying, "Mr. Cowan's experience was unfortunate but exceedingly rare." It also said Cowan "misconstrued" the online video appearing to show another group being celebrated for opening the school Cowan funded. The video "shows a group of international volunteers building the schoolhouse that was in fact dedicated to Mr. Cowan's son when it was completed," WE Charity said in a statement. Donor denies any confusion Cowan took exception to WE Charity's statement, denying any confusion on his part. "I think they want me to be confused. And I think they want all of you, as donors, to be and stay confused. At least for me, the confusion is lifting," he said. Cowan said WE Charity co-founder Marc Kielburger spoke to children in Florida with him in 2009, and they told students about Wesley's school in Kenya. Cowan said he recently learned that by then, the plaque had been swapped out for another plaque. "He was in the room fundraising with me in front of thousands of kids ... the plaque for Wesley had already been taken down by that point and he never told me," Cowan said. WE Charity also said on Friday that Cowan's fundraising paid for four schools. Cowan said he was told each school cost between $10,000 and $12,000 and that his fundraising ought to have paid for 24 schools. Additional concerns about donor transparency Cowan is the latest person to raise questions about the way WE Charity used donor funds. CBC's The Fifth Estate spoke with more than a dozen former employees who had concerns that the organization was not always transparent with donors. One donor, James Cohen, said WE Charity originally told him his organization's donation would pay for the entire cost of a borehole in Kipsongol, Kenya. Another donor shared an email sent by WE Charity saying her group's donation "is actually enough money to implement a clean water system" in that same village. The WE organization told the Fifth Estate there was no donor confusion. In a letter, it pointed to emails where Cohen later understood he was paying for a water kiosk and not the entire borehole. In his committee testimony, Cowan referred to a Bloomberg article from December that said staff joked that WE plaques "should be made of Velcro because they were swapped so frequently." Cowan is calling on other donors to speak publicly about their experience. "I'm calling on all of you, those tens of thousands of donors, to step up like I've had to do," he said. "To step forward and join me in asking for accountability. For demanding to see that what exists on the ground in Kenya and elsewhere reflects the huge money that was raised by children." For tips on this story please contact Kate.McKenna@cbc.ca or call 514-710-5413 or Harvey.Cashore@cbc.ca at 416-526-4704
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted on NBC's Meet the Press that Canada's vaccine response has been slow. But he also said with new vaccines being approved, 'we're going to have everyone vaccinated probably by the end of the summer.'
