Chilling security footage captured something amazing. Can you believe it?

This CCTV footage manages to capture some incredible footage of what appears to be the ghost of a child roaming the street. Did you see it? What do you think? Let us know!

Latest Stories

  • Peacemaker files bleak assessment of N.S. lobster tensions

    An envoy hired to defuse tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous commercial lobster fishermen in Nova Scotia has released a bleak interim report highlighting poor communication and a lack of trust between both sides. The report by Université Sainte-Anne president Allister Surette found perhaps the only thing the fishermen can agree on is blaming the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for the situation. "The lack of trust and respect has been presented to me by many of the individuals I interviewed," Surette said in his interim report filed with Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan and Carolyn Bennett, minister for Indigenous-Crown relations. "Firstly, I have heard from Indigenous and non-Indigenous parties of the lack of trust in government," Surette wrote. "Added to this level of the lack of trust and respect, some interviewed also expressed the lack of trust and respect within parties involved in the fishery and I also heard of the lack of trust and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, stakeholder groups and organizations." Appointed by Ottawa Surette was named special federal representative by the Trudeau government after an outbreak of violence and protests at the launch of an Indigenous moderate livelihood lobster fishery by the Sipekne'katik band in St. Marys Bay last fall. The band cited the Mi'kmaq's right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 but never defined by Ottawa. The fishery was conducted outside of the regulated season for commercial lobster licence holders in Lobster Fishing Area 34, who objected saying the fishery was a blatant violation of fishery regulations. The reaction included alleged assaults, arson, blockades, volleys of wharfside profanity and online venom. It garnered international attention. The blowup capped years of tensions over an escalating Sipekne'katik food, social and ceremonial lobster fishery in St. Marys Bay that was, in some cases, used as a cloak for a commercial fishery. Lobster caught under food, social and ceremonial licences cannot be sold. In one case, a Crown prosecutor said the lobster caught under those licences from Sipekne'katik supplied an international "black market operation." Despite a number of federal initiatives to integrate the Mi'kmaq into the fishery since 1999 — including half a billion dollars for training and buying out and providing commercial licences — there has been a lack of progress defining moderate livelihood and implementing the fishery. Expectations of the First Nations were not met, leaving many of them to doubt the sincerity of DFO, Surette reported. Debate over enforcement Surette said the issue is complex and will not be easily solved. Non-Indigenous fishermen have argued there is not enough enforcement when it comes to Indigenous lobster fishing while the bands have complained of harassment. "However, the point to note on this matter, and more closely related to my mandate, seems to be the lack of clear direction from the government of Canada and the multiple facets and complexity of implementing the right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood," he said in the report. Surette's mandate is not to negotiate but rather to "restore confidence, improve relations" and make recommendations to the politicians. His interim report calls for more dialogue to build trust, suggesting areas of declared common interest like conservation and marketing. A lack of information from DFO was a recurrent complaint from the commercial fishermen, said Surette. "There should be some type of formal process for the non-Indigenous to be kept up to speed, especially the harvesters, since this could affect their livelihood. Some process, even though they're not involved in negotiation, that they could have input or at least understand what's going on," he told CBC Radio's Information Morning on Friday. Improving communication He made three suggestions for improving communication: a clearinghouse for accurate information, a formal process for talks between the commercial industry and the government of Canada, and forums to create a "safe space" to talk on important issues without extreme emotions. Surette interviewed 85 people — 81 per cent were non-Indigenous. "In some cases, they were heavily focused on the fishery. Others said that they preferred dealing with the ministers at this present time," he told CBC News. Surette said he will be reaching out to gather more perspectives. MORE TOP STORIES

  • Saskatchewan to give COVID-19 vaccine doses up to 42 days apart

    Saskatchewan will start to stretch out the time between COVID-19 vaccine doses, as supplies run short. Second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine will be administered up to 42 days after the first dose. Official guidelines say the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is meant to be given as two doses, 21 days apart, while Moderna recommends spacing doses 28 days apart. The National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI), a body made up of scientists and vaccine experts, say provinces should follow the dosing schedule as closely as possible, but the panel is now offering some wiggle room. WATCH | Canada's COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee approves delaying 2nd dose NACI recommends spacing out the doses up to 42 days when necessary. The recommendation is also supported by the World Health Organization and Canada's chief medical health officer. "The flexibility provided by a reasonable extension of the dose interval to 42 days where operationally necessary, combined with increasing predictability of vaccine supply, support our public health objective to protect high-risk groups as quickly as possible," reads a statement released Thursday from Dr. Theresa Tam, as well as the provincial and territorial chief medical officers of health. The same day, Saskatchewan announced it would further space out its doses. "Saskatchewan will be implementing these recommendations of up to 42 days where operationally necessary in order to deliver more first doses to eligible people," the government of Saskatchewan said in a news release. WATCH | Dr. Howard Njoo addresses questions on taking first and second dose of vaccine 42 days apart: Saskatchewan's supply runs short As of Friday, 96 per cent of the province's vaccines have been administered, and new supplies coming in are not enough to replenish what has been used. Pfizer has said it will not ship a single vial of its highly effective vaccine to Canada next week as the pharmaceutical giant retools its production facility in Puurs, Belgium, to boost capacity. Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, says it's very reassuring to have the length between doses extended to 42 days. "When there's a sudden, further disruption that does present challenges," Shahab said during a news conference on Tuesday. "Most provinces are able to give the second dose of both Pfizer and Moderna within 42 days ... and that becomes very important with the disruption of shipment." Scott Livingstone, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, agreed. "It does mitigate some of the decreased doses coming in. We also know through contact with the federal government that once the Pfizer plant is back online, they'll be increasing our shipment," Livingstone said during Tuesday's news conference. Livingstone said the new shipments coming in will be allocated for an individual's first and second shot. WATCH | Canada facing delays in vaccine rollout More vaccines on the way Another shipment of vaccines will arrive in Saskatchewan on Feb. 1, says the government. The province is expecting 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine and 6,500 doses of Moderna's vaccine. The government says they will be distributed to the Far North West, Far North East, North East and Central West. A second shipment of 7,100 doses from Moderna will arrive on Feb. 22, and will be distributed to the Far North East, North East and Central East. "Our immunization team is trying to be as nimble as possible knowing that we could at any time through the pandemic receive more vaccines, but also then having to readjust our targets and still focusing on the most needy in this Phase 1, and we will continue to do that as vaccine supply keeps coming back up," Livingstone said.

  • Calling the civic-minded

    If you’re interested in sitting on Paradises’ 50th- anniversary advisory committee, time is running short. The call for volunteers closes on Monday, January 25. “We’re looking for community-minded individuals to be on our advisory committee,” said mayor Dan Bobbett, who said applicants ought to be energetic, motivated, and civic-minded. “2021 holds significance as our fiftieth-year anniversary of our incorporation as a municipality. It was on July 13, 1971. So, we’re pretty excited about it, and it marks a big milestone for us. We want to plan events, and we want the committee to help us do that.” Bobbett said the celebrations will give residents a chance to reflect upon of the history of Paradise, including the amalgamation of St. Thomas and other areas of metro. The celebrations are being planned with COVID-19 guidelines in mind “We want to acknowledge the golden anniversary and we’ll come up with creative ways to do that, for sure,” said Bobbett. “I’m sure we can come up with creative ways to celebrate but still social distance and keep the public health COVID-19 guidelines in mind at all times… A lot of organizations and towns have adapted to do events during COVID to be keep everybody informed and active. So, everyone is adapting to the situation as it unfolds. We’re looking at doing outdoor events wherever we can, as opposed to indoor events, because there’s more restrictions on indoor events. It will be challenging, but we can still celebrate, because it is a big milestone.” Members of the committee, which Bobbett said will roughly number ten, will work alongside a paid consultant, Pilot Consultation, who will be working on a budget of $19,820, plus HST. “The consultant will work hand in hand with the Fiftieth Anniversary Advisory Committee. Ovbiously, everything comes back to council as well,” said Bobbett. So far, no events have been announced yet, although Bobbett said that likely the town would take advantage of Paradise Park and other outdoor amenities when planning events. For now, the town has set its sight first on getting the committee in place. “We’re pretty pumped about it and pretty excited,” said Bobbett. “I’m sure that after we’ve finished the selection process, we will have a fantastic committee that will help us celebrate the 50th anniversary of incorporation,” said Bobbett. Mark Squibb, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Shoreline News

  • 14-day lockdown imposed in northern N.B. region to stop spread of COVID-19

    FREDERICTON — New Brunswick's Edmundston region is moving into full lockdown as health officials try to curb rising infections in the area bordering Quebec. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell said today the 14-day lockdown begins midnight Saturday. The new health order forces the closure of all non-essential businesses as well as schools and public spaces, including outdoor ice rinks and ski hills. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said today all non-essential travel is prohibited in and out of Edmundston, which borders northern Maine and Quebec's Bas-St-Laurent region. New Brunswick is reporting 30 new COVID-19 infections — 19 of which were identified in the Edmundston area. Russell says Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton will remain at the red pandemic-alert level, while she says Campbellton, Bathurst and Miramichi will stay at the lower, orange level. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2021. — — — This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship. The Canadian Press

  • String of stolen car parts from P.E.I. auto shops under RCMP investigation

    Lisa MacIntyre was backing a customer's truck into her shop before she learned a part had been stolen from it. The first thing she noticed is it was much louder than when she had looked it over the day before. Then, when the truck was hoisted up, she noticed the big gaping hole near its exhaust system – right where the catalytic converter was supposed to be. "You could tell that it was cut," she said. MacIntyre's business, Her Man's Shop in Morell, is one of many auto shops that has had converters stolen from on-site vehicles since at least late November. While The Guardian spoke with a few across Kings County, the RCMP's investigation is Islandwide, Staff Sgt. Darryl McMullin said. Surveillance footage showed a few individuals on MacIntyre's site at about 7:30 p.m. the night before she discovered the theft. "And we're right on the main highway, so it just seemed pretty bold." Out of the 10 to 15 vehicles on her site at the time, two trucks were hit. "The ones that they took were very easily accessible," MacIntyre said. "They'd never get through it that quickly with a hacksaw." Kevin Burke, owner of K Burke's Automotive Repair in Souris, figures the group that hit his shop would have had to use cordless power tools. One morning he happened to notice a vehicle's exhaust hanging lower than usual. For the thieves, extracting a converter was likely a 10-minute job, he said. "They know what they're going for," he said. "Quick and easy cash for them, I guess." McMullin, who's with the Kings District RCMP, said the converters can sell anywhere from $500 to $1,200. "And so you have more damage done to the vehicle as well." Many of the vehicles being hit belong to customers, meaning any damage done is at the expense of the business. "So, we'll have to replace it for the customer," Burke said. "I don't know if our insurance covers it or not." Jason Docherty, owner of Docherty's Auto Service in Montague, had eight vehicles hit over the Christmas holidays. Luckily, he considered many of them to be decommissioned. "But they're all still customer's vehicles." He learned of the theft after seeing all four tires removed from one of the vehicles. Another one had the exhaust manifold removed as well. "If they would have been vehicles that were going back on the road it'd be a substantial loss." McMullin notes the RCMP's investigation has seen significant progress and results across all three counties, which he hopes will be made public soon. He couldn't necessarily speak to whether the thefts were all connected because he's not spearheading the investigation, he said. "But I don't think we're dealing with 20 to 30 different people here. I think it's a tight-knit group that's going around." Twitter.com/dnlbrown95 Daniel Brown, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Guardian

  • 'Our Friend' is an opportunity for a good cry - if wanted

    NEW YORK — If his new movie, “ Our Friend, ” makes audiences cry, Jason Segel can sympathize. He recalls being on an airplane and watching a movie that made him break down so uncontrollably that it got the attention of a woman seated next to him. “I was weeping, full-on weeping, crying so hard, and this woman couldn’t resist trying to find out what I was crying at. And she, like, peeked over and it was ‘Dreamgirls.’ This grown man, bawling his eyes out to ‘Dreamgirls,'" the actor said, laughing, in a recent interview. “Our Friend," premiering Friday in theatres and video on demand platforms, certainly covers emotional territory. Segel plays Dane, the best friend of married couple Matt and Nicole (played by Casey Affleck and Dakota Johnson). When Nicole is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Dane moves in with the family to help them during the time she has left. It’s based on the true story of an experience written about by journalist Matthew Teague in 2015 for Esquire. He wanted to write about what going through a death is really like. “I felt so unprepared to meet death, even caring for somebody who was dying and that I felt even almost betrayed by the culture. In a way, I feel like we don’t discuss this very openly or very honestly," said Teague. Production on the film wrapped before the pandemic but Affleck understands it will strike a chord with viewers about grief and loss. “I think a lot of movies are probably going to be seen through the lens of the experience that we’ve all shared over the last year, whether or not they were intended to be about those things,” said Affleck. Johnson hopes the movie will remind others to “feel a bit more grateful and a bit more compassionate with themselves and others.” From experiencing his own loss, Teague offers advice on what to say to those who know someone who is going through it. “It’s hard to know what to say. And I think sometimes the best thing you can do is just be there and just offer yourself in some way and to not expect some emotional reaction. Even now, years have passed. I’ll still be in a restaurant and someone will come up and say, you know, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss.’ And I feel like there’s an expectation that I reciprocate emotionally in some way. And so something I learned is just let people grieve on their own terms.” ___ Follow Alicia Rancilio online at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar —- This story corrects the spelling of Jason Segel's last name. Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press

  • Northern municipalities concerned over loss of daily local COVID-19 updates

    Northern Saskatchewan community leaders are upset that health officials are no longer sharing daily reports of how many confirmed cases of COVID-19 are in their communities. Pinehouse Mayor Mike Natomagan, whose community is emerging from a widespread outbreak earlier this month, said he needs those figures to plan a response and keep the community informed. He said Pinehouse currently receives reports on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "We just don't want to work blind here," Natomagan said. "We like to know on a daily basis what we're up against." The Saskatchewan Health Authority's vice-president of integrated northern health, Andrew McLetchie, said the far north was the only place in the province where leaders received such regular reports about COVID-19 transmission in their communities. The SHA chose to stop that service around the new year because it couldn't continue without affecting other services, he said. "Really, this came down to the ability to do it daily, on a regular basis. And ultimately, we just were not able to do that without impacting care that we needed to provide to people across the far north." As of Jan. 22, the province reports that the far north west has 259 cases of COVID-19, the far north central has 69, and the far north east has 179. On a per-capita basis, those are some of the highest rates of COVID-19 in the province. Natomagan said the north's lack of resources makes it more vulnerable. He's asked Health Minister Paul Merriman and Government Relations Minister Don McMorris to provide the capacity for more regular reports. Natomagan said he hasn't received a response to the request. Buffalo Narrows Mayor Robert Woods said the numbers are needed for northern communities facing an uptick in cases so leaders can inform residents accordingly. He's worried the loss of daily, locally-specific information will hold those efforts back. "It doesn't help if we don't know what we need to be prepared for," he said. McLetchie said the SHA is considering other avenues to keep leaders in the loop, such as town halls. He also said the daily number updates could be misleading "because there's often people in the community who are positive but haven't been tested yet." La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois, whose community was hit hard by COVID-19 in April and continues to see new cases, said daily information is key for warning residents. "If we're on the increase, we need to know that." Nick Pearce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The StarPhoenix

  • Don't downplay mRNA: Experts say new technology could change the vaccine landscape

    When drug companies like Pfizer and Moderna learned to successfully incorporate messenger RNA technology into a COVID-19 vaccine, experts say they likely opened the door to a significant shift in the future of immunization.The milestone in vaccine development was met with enthusiasm from most, but the seemingly swift pace and novel approach is causing hesitancy in others. Experts say the new technique shouldn't dissuade people from getting the vaccine. While the mRNA method is new to inoculations, the actual technology has been around for decades. The difference now, they say, is scientists have ironed out the kinks to make a useful product."It sounds fancy, mRNA, but there's nothing outlandish about it," said Dr. Earl Brown, a virology and microbiology specialist with the University of Ottawa. "This is the way our cells operate — we live by mRNA."Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna were the first inoculations approved for humans to use mRNA, which provides our cells with instructions to make proteins. In the case of COVID vaccines, the injected material shows cells how to make a harmless piece of the coronavirus spike protein, which then teaches our immune system to recognize the virus and fight off a future infection.Scientists made the vaccine by programming genetic material from the spike protein into mRNA, a process that theoretically could work for other viruses."As long as you know how to create those instructions — that genetic code you need to convince your body to create that target — you can design an mRNA vaccine against any antigen," said Nicole Basta, an associate professor of epidemiology at McGill."But the question is whether it will be effective, and whether it will be safe."The development of future mRNA vaccines might be quick, Basta says, but they would need to go through the usual evaluation process and clinical trials to ensure safety and efficacy. So vaccines for other viruses won't be popping up overnight.Still, Basta adds, there's potential for using mRNA to either improve upon existing vaccines or to develop new ones against other pathogens.Dr. Scott Halperin, a professor at Dalhousie University and the director of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, sees mRNA vaccines as "evolutionary rather than revolutionary."Part of the reason COVID vaccines came together so quickly was the technology had been developing for years, Halperin said. The global pandemic offered scientists a pressing opportunity — and unprecedented funding and collaboration — to try again for a viable injection.Previous research had been done on creating mRNA vaccines against Zika and other viruses, Halperin added, and there were earlier efforts focused on cancer treatments. Coronavirus-specific research was further sped up by spike protein analysis from SARS and MERS.While the mRNA technology itself is impressive, Halperin says improvements need to be made to create a more temperature-stable product before these types of vaccines and treatments "truly take over.""The logistics of delivering mRNA vaccines right now, we wouldn't want to have to do that for every vaccine we produce," he said, referencing the ultra-cold storage temperature that's currently needed. "But I do think it's an important milestone."Scientists are expected to continue advancing the technology, just as they did recently in solving two confounding problems with mRNA — its fragility and instability.Brown says fragility was resolved by packaging the mRNA in a fat coating, giving it something to help bind onto cells so it wouldn't disintegrate upon injection. The instability was conquered by modifying the uracil component of RNA, one of the four units of its genetic code."The technology application is new, but the science is mature," Brown said. "We've just reached the point at which we can apply it." Traditional vaccines typically contain a killed or weakened virus, Brown said. Those methods are still being used in COVID vaccine development, including by AstraZeneca-Oxford, whose product has not yet been approved in Canada.A benefit to using mRNA is the speed at which a vaccine can be developed or updated once scientists know what to target, Brown says. While experts believe current vaccines will work against recent variants of the COVID virus — including one originating in the U.K. that's more transmissible — Brown says mRNA's adaptability could theoretically come in handy if new strains emerged that necessitated an update. "In six weeks they could produce something," he said. "It would still have to go through Phase 3 trials, but it does give you more flexibility and a big leg up."This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2021. Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press

  • Durham doctor and her husband, a Toronto paramedic, are charged with failing to disclose info about contact they had with U.K. visitor

    A Durham doctor and her husband, a Toronto paramedic, have been charged with failing to disclose information to local public health officials about contact they had with a U.K. visitor in light of the spread of a new variant of the COVID-19 virus present in Britain. The couple, Dr. Martina Weir and Brian Weir, are alleged each to have failed to provide accurate information about “all persons that the defendant may have had contact with during their period of communicability,” as well as “providing false information in relation to contact with anyone who travelled from the United Kingdom,” according to court documents. The non-criminal charges were laid under the province’s Health Protection and Promotion Act and relate to a Section 22 order put in place by Robert Kyle, the commissioner and medical officer of health for the Durham Region Health Department. Local public health officials have the power to enact the orders to require businesses or individuals to adhere to certain restrictions in order to curb the pandemic. The public health alleges the offences occurred December 25 and December 26, which is when the Province announced publicly that the first two cases of the variant had been found in a Durham couple. At the time, the Province said the cases had “no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts. Both individuals have been informed and are now in self-isolation as per public health protocols.” The U.K. variant is about 50 per cent more transmissible than the virus that has been in circulation in Ontario. According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, a Dr. Martina Weir works at Lakeridge Health sites in Bowmanville, Oshawa and Whitby. Lakeridge Health wouldn’t comment, stating the matter is before the courts. But a hospital spokesperson said in an email “we can confirm that the physician did not enter any Lakeridge Health facilities during December and did not work or provide patient care at any Lakeridge Health hospital during the month of December.” The hospital said it follows strict COVID-19 prevention guidelines for physicians, staff and patients and has had an active screening process in place since March last year, as well as prevention communication and education initiatives. “Physicians and staff must attest that they have not travelled outside the province or country or had contact with anyone travelling outside the province or the country,” said the spokesperson. The Star confirmed with a source that Brian Weir works for Toronto Paramedic Services, where he is a scheduler. TPS spokesperson Dineen Robinson said in an email that her organization does not “provide personal information in respect of our staff,” but said “we can confirm that Mr. Weir does not currently work in a public-facing position.” “We trust that all staff will follow public health guidelines and provincial regulations put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Robinson in the email. “In the event that we become aware of any staff member not respecting COVID-19 protocols required in the workplace, we will take appropriate action.” The allegations against the couple were set out in court documents filed by a Durham public health inspector before a justice of the peace in Whitby on January 12. Durham Public Health wouldn’t confirm they were responsible for the charges. The Province said it does not have any direct involvement with laying of charges. “Those are local enforcement matters,” said a ministry of health spokesperson in an email. The Section 22 order charges state that non-compliance can lead to a “fine of not more than $5,000 for every day or part of each day on which the offence occurs or continues.” The Star reached out to the couple last night for comment, but was unable to contact them. Patty Winsa Toronto Star Reporter and Jason Miller, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Toronto Star

  • Les succès de Marcus Villeneuve

    Le coiffeur natif de Chicoutimi-Nord, Marcus Villeneuve, se fait de plus en plus connaître dans le milieu artistique québécois. Alors qu’il est depuis trois ans le coiffeur officiel de Véronique Cloutier, il est aussi derrière les plus récents changements capillaires de Jay du Temple, qui ont beaucoup fait parler. L’année 2020 a été différente pour le coiffeur. En effet, alors que son milieu a été durement affecté par la COVID-19, Marcus voit tout de même du positif dans ce qui s’est passé, et surtout en ce qui s’en vient.  Pour ce confinement-ci, l’artiste qui fêtait ses 32 ans mardi prend ce temps pour décrocher et recharger ses batteries. Il sait maintenant à quoi ressemblera la réouverture des salons. « Maintenant que nous l’avons vécu une fois, on sait que quand ça va recommencer, ça sera vraiment de plus belle. Je ne suis pas inquiet que la clientèle soit au rendez-vous », se console-t-il, lors d’un entretien par visioconférence avec Le Progrès. Des clients célèbres En plus de travailler à son salon Chez Marcus, à Québec, il a tout au long de l’année continué à s’occuper de Véronique Cloutier, ce qu’il fait depuis maintenant trois ans. C’est pour lui un rêve qui se réalise. Avec elle, il touche à tout, aux séances photo, aux galas, à la télévision, et plus.  « Quand j’ai fait mon cours de coiffure à Alma, il y avait beaucoup de madames qui faisaient leur formation en même temps que moi. Elles voulaient, par exemple, ouvrir un salon dans leur sous-sol, pour coiffer les membres de leur famille et leurs voisins. Moi, mon but, c’était de coiffer une vedette, pas plusieurs, mais de vraiment me concentrer sur une, la suivre dans ses événements et que ce soit ma signature sur son cheveu. Dix ans plus tard, je suis vraiment content que ce soit arrivé. Avec Véro, je ne pourrais pas être plus comblé », note fièrement l’homme originaire de la région.  Si l’animatrice radio est sa principale cliente, elle n’est tout de même pas la seule vedette québécoise qui est passée sous les ciseaux du coiffeur saguenéen. Il a déjà travaillé avec Marilou, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse et c’est également lui qui est derrière les nombreuses récentes couleurs capillaires de Jay du Temple, qui ont particulièrement fait jaser. Ce n’est pas la première fois qu’une coiffure de l’artiste enflamme le Web. « J’ai déjà fait un “wetlook” à Véro, pour un gala Artis, qui n’avait vraiment pas passé. Ça m’avait plus atteint, parce que c’était mon travail qui avait été remis en cause. Mais là, c’est l’extravagance de Jay qui est remis en question et ses cheveux entrent là-dedans. Je suis quand même fier d’avoir fait partie de ce changement-là et de ce débat de société », révèle le coiffeur. Dix ans après avoir commencé à coiffer, Marcus repense souvent à son parcours. Ayant vécu de l’intimidation à l’école, n’ayant pas fini son secondaire, il ne l’a pas toujours eu facile. Mais aujourd’hui, il est vraiment fier de ne pas s’être laissé abattre, alors qu’il gagne maintenant très bien sa vie en vivant son plus grand rêve. Il pense d’ailleurs que sa grande force de caractère lui vient de la région, celle qui l’aime toujours autant après ces années et qu’il a toujours hâte de retrouver. Année à venir L’année qui commence s’annonce prometteuse. Déjà, l’homme a été approché par Redken pour être ambassadeur de la marque pour 2021. Il a été bien sûr flatté par cet honneur, alors qu’il travaille avec eux depuis maintenant 10 ans. Il prend ce rôle très au sérieux. « Nous en avons longtemps discuté. Je leur ai expliqué que je ne veux pas vraiment éduquer les autres coiffeurs avec ce rôle, mais plutôt les inspirer, pour qu’à leur tour ils inspirent eux aussi », souligne-t-il.  Il compte utiliser les réseaux sociaux pour y arriver. Si le contexte le permet, il aurait aimé faire une tournée dans les régions, au cours de l’année, pour rencontrer et discuter avec les personnes intéressées. De plus, l’homme prépare un grand projet qu’il dévoilera dans les prochains mois. Il laisse comme indice qu’il a décidé de faire de la limonade avec des citrons et que cela touche son salon. Il ne peut en dire plus, mais a très hâte de le partager.Myriam Arsenault, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Quotidien

  • Tony Award-winning choreographer Bob Avian dies at 83

    NEW YORK — Bob Avian, a Tony Award-winning choreographer who had a role in some of the most beloved and influential shows on Broadway, including “Dreamgirls,” “A Chorus Line,” “Follies” and “Miss Saigon,” has died. He was 83. Avian died Thursday of cardiac arrest at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said Matt Polk, head of the theatrical publicity firm Polk & Co. Tony-winner Tony Yazbeck on Twitter called Avian “a sweet and kind spirit who generously gave his creative talents to legendary works.” Marvin Hamlisch said: “His legacy will live on stage for years to come.” Avian rose from a dancer in “West Side Story” and “Funny Girl” to work alongside such theatre luminaries as Michael Bennett, Cameron Macintosh, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was with Bennett that Avian enjoyed a long professional partnership, working as associate choreographer or assistant director on such Bennett-choreographed productions as “A Chorus Line,” “Promises, Promises,” “Coco,” “Company,” “Follies, “Seesaw” and “God's Favorite.” He was a producer on the original “Dreamgirls” and “Ballroom” and did musical staging for “Sunset Boulevard” starring Glenn Close in 1994, “Putting It Together” with Carol Burnett and the original “Miss Saigon” with Lea Salonga in 1991. Avian earned six Tony nominations and won twice, for choreographing “Ballroom” and co-choreographing “A Chorus Line.” He won an Oliver Award for choreographing Boublil and Schonberg's musical “Martin Guerre” in London. He also choreographed “The Witches of Eastwick” in the West End starring Ian McShane. Avian's association with “A Chorus Line” continued when he directed the 2006 revival on Broadway and the London revival at the Palladium in 2013. He also directed touring versions. He earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University and also studied at Boston Ballet School. In 2020, his memoir “Dancing Man: A Broadway Choreographer’s Journey” co-written with Tom Santopietro was published by University Press of Mississippi. He is survived by his husband, Peter Pileski, and a sister, Laura Nabedian. Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press

  • In-school learning in northern Ontario appears more ‘political’ than scientific, Nipissing Chief says

    ​Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod says the public health directive supporting in-class learning in northern Ontario schools is more political than scientific. The community’s high school opted to keep Nbissing students online until at least February 16 after the province extended its COVID-19 pandemic emergency order. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit is one of the few in Ontario to support in-class learning, a decision panned by many in light of it closing down toboggan hills, outdoor skating rinks and snowmobile trails. “We're just trying to deal with the Covid and we just shut our rinks down and we're just kind of monitoring what provinces and municipalities are doing and making sure that we're consistent or more stringent in areas like our school being closed,” McLeod said about Nbisiing Secondary School Thursday. “It's all online right now, despite the provinces still allowing it, at least in northern Ontario, the high schools are still open,” he said, noting that seems to be out of step with what some provincial experts are saying. “I was listening to Dr. Kevin Brown. He's the co-chair of the Covid Science Table for Ontario,” said Chief McLeod. “He was giving an update to the Chiefs of Ontario and he honestly can't understand why the schools in northern Ontario are still open. And you know, that, to me was troublesome, right? ‘You have one of the top epidemiologists saying that he doesn't understand. I was expecting ‘Here, this is the data, shows this or that,” because I like listening to the data, not just listening to people rant on Facebook. But, yeah, he was lost for an answer as to why it's still open. “And so obviously it's a more political call than a science one,” McLeod said. The school posted the update on its website, as did the community. “In response to Ontario’s second declaration of emergency and to align Nbisiing with Nipissing First Nation’s response to the provincewide stay-at-home order and shutdown restrictions, Nipissing First Nation (NFN) Council has approved changes to Nbisiing’s return to in-person learning date,” it reads. “In order to keep people home as much as possible to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 in our community, protect vulnerable populations, and keep our school community safe, Nbisiing will continue to teach all classes virtually and will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, February 16th, 2021 (Monday the 15th is Family Day).” Nipissing FN only closed its outdoor rink in Garden Village, which is enclosed with walls and roof, because they don’t want people from outside the community taking advantage of it while their rinks are ordered closed. “Our problem with the skating rinks, as soon as North Bay and Sturgeon closed, we have to close because they all come down hours and we don't want them there,” he said. Chief McLeod did what many others are doing in response by creating their own ice sheets, whether that’s in a yard or on the lake. They can control the numbers and make it safe by following the known protocols, he added. “Well, I made one in my backyard and I Facebooked all my family members saying, ‘You want to come skating with your family, book it … just message me so I know that there's no other family there and you can have it to yourself.’” Dave Dale is a Local Journalism Reporter with BayToday.ca. LJI is funded by the Government of Canada. ​ Dave Dale, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, BayToday.ca

  • Coronavirus: Trudeau says COVID-19 vaccines are what he thinks about 'when I wake up in the morning, when I go to bed, and every hour in between'

    Speaking to reporters outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is thinking about getting Canadians the COVID-19 vaccine "when I wake up in the morning, when I go to bed, and every hour in between."

  • Rebuilding the Dank Bank

    Two weeks ago, little was left of the Dank Bank after it caught fire in the middle of the night. But rather than throwing in the towel, the owners, Mary and Victor Nicholas, rolled up their sleeves and re-opened within days. Last Wednesday, with the help of community members, the owners cleaned everything up and brought in a trailer to get the business going again - hoping that they could quickly raise enough money to rebuild the Dank Bank. On January 8, the cannabis store in Kanesatake was completely destroyed, only two months after its grand opening. Mary estimated the damages to the structure and products at more than $130,000. “It’s a difficult time for anybody, but the best thing is that everybody is safe,” said Mary. “It is what it is.” After investigation, the Surete du Quebec (SQ) ruled out the possibility of arson. The fire department, which was called around 2:30 a.m., checked the security cameras. “Nobody was in the building, but a security guard was there and saw the fire coming out of the roof,” said the director of the Oka Fire Department, Sylvain Johnson in an interview with The Eastern Door. Johnson confirmed that the cause of the fire was declared electrical. Mary said that her brother and herself were both relieved of the result that came out of the investigation. However, the non-criminal cause doesn’t make it less difficult for the owners who rushed over and watched their business burn to the ground. “It was a shock, as you can imagine, it wasn’t an easy thing to see,” said Mary. “They showed me where the fire caught and started from, there was no accelerant or anything, so I’m confident it was electrical.” Mary explained that she and her brother not only had to deal with the incident, but also with community members who were more suspicious of the fire’s cause. “I know others wanted more answers, and dramatized it, but it doesn’t help anybody and anything,” said Mary. “But you can’t change people’s minds.” While Kanesatake has a long history of arson, one of the reasons why some Kanehsata’kehró:non were skeptical of the investigation’s outcome was the fact that Molotov cocktails were thrown at Mary’s car earlier in December. “It was almost a month apart, so obviously I immediately thought it was connected,” said Mary. “I’m not gonna lie, that’s the first thing that popped in my head.” No suspects were arrested and the investigation is still ongoing. But Mary said that instead of pointing fingers and starting accusations, she prefers focusing her energy on rebuilding. And this time, said Mary, they will be more careful when it comes to the electricity. “I’m good to say that cutting corners for a quicker construction doesn’t pay off,” she said, laughing. virginie.ann.news@gmail.com Virginie Ann, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door

  • Eight deaths related to COVID-19 reported Friday

    There were another eight deaths related to COVID-19 reported in Saskatchewan on Friday. This follows 13 deaths that were reported on Thursday by the province. Six deaths were reported in the Regina zone with two from the 80-years-old and over age group, one from the 70 to 79-year-old age group, two from the 60 to 69-year-old age group and one from the 40 to 49 age group reported. There was also one death reported in the 80-years-old and up age group in the Central East zone and one death in the 60 to 69 age group reported in Saskatoon. The number of deaths in the province has grown to 247. There were 312 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the province on Friday. The North Central zone, which includes Prince Albert, reported 38 new cases. North Central 2, which is Prince Albert, has 139 active cases. North Central 1, which includes communities such as Christopher Lake, Candle Lake and Meath Park, has 58 active cases and North Central 3 has 108 active cases. There was one case with pending information added to the North Central zone. North Central now ranks fourth in the province in Active Case Breakdown behind Saskatoon, Regina and the North West. Seven previously reported cases have been found to be out-of-province residents and removed from the counts. There are currently 175 people in hospital overall in the province. Of the 147 reported as receiving in patient care there are 17 in North Central. Of the 30 people reported as being in intensive care there are four in North Central. The current seven-day average is 275, or 22.4 cases per 100,000 population. Of the 21,643 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 3,196 are considered active. The recovered number now sits at 18,200 after 203 more recoveries were reported. The total numbers of cases since the beginning of the pandemic is 21,643 of those 55,675 cases are from the North area (2,144 North West, 2,680 North Central, 851 North East) There were 1,448 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered yesterday in Saskatchewan bringing the total number of vaccines administered in the province to 31,275. As of January 22, 96 per cent of the doses received have been administered in Saskatchewan. There were 101 doses administered in North Central on Thursday. An additional 46 doses, not previously reported, were administered in Saskatoon on January 20 Pfizer’s Feb. 1 allocation to Saskatchewan has been confirmed to be 5,850 doses. Moderna shipments are expected for February 1 (6,500 doses) and will be distributed to the Far North West, Far North East, North East and Central West; and February 22 (7,100 doses) and will be distributed to the Far North East, North East and Central East. There were 3,147 COVID-19 tests processed in Saskatchewan on Jan 14. As of today there have been 485,003 COVID-19 tests performed in Saskatchewan. Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Daily Herald

  • It’s 2021 and Tahsis still has to fight for good roads

    When it comes to roads, Tahsis always has to drive a hard bargain with the provincial government. And this has always been a “historical issue” according to Mayor Martin Davis, who said that the remote west Vancouver Island village has repeatedly raised the need for improvements with the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Head Bay Road connects Tahsis to Gold River and Highway 28. Along the 60km road, there are segments that are still unpaved. For Tahsis the most recent concern is increased logging traffic. The ongoing road dispute between Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nations (MMFN) and Western Forest Product has seen loaded trucks rerouted from the Gold River log sort to the Nesook Dump, said Davis. In October last year, MMFN announced that it was restricting access to the portion of Highway 28 that passes through Ahaminaquus Indian Reserve Number 12 (IR 12) to the logging company until a land-use compensation agreement was reached. READ MORE: Vancouver Island First Nation blocks highway access to logging trucks in Gold River With this rerouting, the road leading into Tahsis is seeing “a lot more wear and tear and damage,” said Davis. The concerns were communicated to the ministry and Mainroad Contracting – contracted by the ministry to maintain the road leading to Tahsis – in December 2020. That was when ministry staff submitted a report on Head Bay Road FSR after completing 53 monitoring records, including surface condition deficiencies and other maintenance activity. Mainroad also provided the ministry with 58 quality inspection reports on work they had done or identified for the future. In addition the ministry completed two audits of the Head Bay FSR – a short response time audit and a snow and ice audit. The audits identified road segments that were quite rough, surface condition issues and a number of potholes in the paved section that needed to be addressed. The report concluded that Mainroad was performing their maintenance at regular intervals to meet the highway maintenance specifications. Since then, there have been “noticeable improvements,” said the mayor and added, “It’s never perfect, but it seems that holding their feet to the fire does drive results.” In the meeting with the transportation minister, the mayor also raised concerns about road safety and asked for markers along corners where rollovers are common. “It’s a very dangerous road, we keep getting rollovers on the road,” said Davis and added, “I’m trying to get the transportation ministry to put in better signage warning people of tight corners or even reflectors along the side of the road.” In response, new delineators have been installed at a number of locations along Head Bay FSR and old culvert replacement is ongoing this month. But despite these improvements, there’s more work that needs to be done, says mayor Davis. “We are not receiving any commitment to further paving on the road and my suggestion to test an embedded plastic road grid to stabilize gravel bridge approaches received a half-hearted commitment to ‘look into it.’ This is an issue as there are often bad potholes on each side of bridges, which makes braking and vehicle control more difficult. ALSO READ: Tahsis to improve transportation service for senior residents Binny Paul, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Campbell River Mirror

  • Alaska job numbers down in December amid ongoing pandemic

    JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska had 24,100 fewer jobs in December than a year earlier amid ongoing economic repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the state labour department reported Friday. Karinne Wiebold, a department economist, said there aren't many bright spots to glean from the December jobs report. “One possible glimmer is that we think oil and gas employment has bottomed out, so while the year over year losses are still steep, it should not get much worse,” she said by email. That sector reported about 6,800 jobs in both November and December, but the department said there's no sign yet of a “bounce.” Oil and gas employment stood around 10,000 in December 2019, the department said. Leisure and hospitality recorded the largest losses, with much of the December drop attributed to bar and restaurant restrictions in Anchorage aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, the department said. The sector had 8,600 fewer jobs than in December 2019, according to the labour department report. State government gained 500 jobs in December, compared to a year earlier, primarily due to pandemic-related hires, such as contact tracers and additional staff to help process unemployment insurance claims, the department said. The Associated Press

  • Veteran says mental health supports for family members are essential

    A military veteran in this province says there should be no compromise when it comes to providing mental health treatment and care for the families of service members. "People often think about the veteran themselves but they don't think about the families and how they're affected," said Mark Gauci, who spent two decades split between the army and air force. "If you've got a service member coming back with PTSD, that's not a singular condition. That affects everyone around them," he said. His comments follow a new report from the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman that is calling for better access to mental health treatment for veterans' families. A year ago, Veterans Affairs Canada brought in a new guideline that limited access to mental health treatment for some family members of veterans. The reason for the change was because of political embarrassment, the CBC's Murray Brewster reported earlier this week. There was an upswell in public criticism after news broke that convicted killer Christopher Garnier received taxpayer-funded PTSD treatment because his father was a veteran. Then-veterans minister Seamus O'Regan ordered a stricter interpretation of existing rules which directly impacted some veterans and their families right across the country — including in Newfoundland and Labrador. Revised but not reversed CBC News documented several cases where military veterans across the country started reporting family members had mental health services reduced or stopped. The ombudsman's office says it urgently requested the new guideline be reversed in January of last year. The guideline was revised in May, but not reversed. In the meantime, the office started an investigation into the need for access to mental health treatment benefits for families. Retired colonel Nishika Jardine issued her findings in a report released earlier this week. The report confirmed that, in some cases, the stricter interpretation resulted in limiting mental health services previously provided to family members. It said there was "a lack of transparency with respect to how these significant changes in interpretation were implemented." It also said "the lack of clear communication caused confusion and frustration among some Veterans and their families, especially since some family members only found out about the changes during their mental health appointments." Recommendations include family members In its recommendations, the report calls on the federal government to provide government-funded mental health treatment to family members of Veterans when their mental health condition is related to military service, regardless of the Veteran's own treatment needs. It also calls for a full gender-based analysis on treatment benefits to see whether anyone is being left out and for Veterans Affairs to be flexible when it comes to the urgent mental health needs of family members of veterans. As CBC reported earlier this week, Veterans Affairs Canada has said it will review the issue but no timeline has been given. Immediately it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. That support was there and it was needed. And that family member is doing much better because of that. - Mark Gauci In a written response to the ombudsman's report, Veterans Affairs said existing regulations "do not provide the department the regulatory authority to offer funding for treatment benefits for a veteran's family member in their own right," although the department will aim to "be as flexible as possible where it can." Meanwhile, Gauci says his own experience with mental health support from Veterans Affairs was a huge help for his whole family. While payments for treatment were briefly stalled last year, they ended up resuming. "Immediately it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. That support was there and it was needed. And that family member is doing much better because of that," said Gauci. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Wellington County begins roads master plan, seeks public input

    WELLINGTON COUNTY – The County of Wellington is undertaking a large study to improve and identify needs on its road network. The Road Master Action Plan (RMAP) intends to map out improvements to all county roads that connect the seven municipalities. Provincial and municipal roads are not included in the scope of the study. Don Kudo, county engineer, said the last time Wellington County did a transportation master plan was in 2005 making this a good time to take another look. “There’s also a number of different current issues and concerns that residents have with respect to road safety and needs that we’d like to review in this plan,” Kudo said. He explained the study is looking long range to 2041 which will help with budget forecasts and more currently at operational improvements. A press release lays out four key objectives that are guiding the study: The county is seeking public input throughout the process with a survey and mapping tool available until Feb. 11. “Community engagement is critical to the success of the RMAP,” said Andy Lennox, county roads committee chair, in a press release. “By engaging, we can be certain that the RMAP is shaped by our community. Residents have an opportunity to participate in meaningful engagement.” The map allows participants to pin points on particular county roads or intersections to highlight areas that have speeding issues, safety concerns, improvement suggestions or general comments. “We thought we would try to either see if there’s other new locations or confirm the issue we’ve heard in the past and the mapping tool allows residents to really provide a direct input,” Kudo said. “We can see how many other residents will have the same concerns and that’ll point us in the direction for areas of focus to look at what we can do at some of these locations.” Although geared toward county residents, Kudo said they welcome input from those in other municipalities who regularly use county roads. Those who provide input before the deadline will receive a $5 voucher for Ride Well, the county’s rideshare program, and a chance to win a $25 gas gift card. The survey and mapping tool can be found here. Keegan Kozolanka, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, GuelphToday.com

  • Alberta premier wants direct compensation from U.S. if Keystone XL pipeline dead

    EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is making another demand of Justin Trudeau over the Keystone XL pipeline ahead of the prime minister's call today with new U.S. President Joe Biden. In a letter to Trudeau, Kenney reiterates that the prime minister must press for a meeting with Biden so that Canada can make its case for the pipeline, which Biden cancelled this week on his first day in office. Kenney also repeats that if that fails, Trudeau must take retaliatory measures such as trade sanctions. But he also asks that Trudeau press Biden for direct compensation. Kenney says Alberta and pipeline builder TC Energy Corp. invested in the project believing it was going ahead under stable review and governance. The premier committed $1.5 billon to the project last year, with another $6 billion in loan guarantees. Biden made it clear last spring that he would cancel the Keystone line if he became president. He said that shipping more product from Alberta’s oilsands did not mesh with his broader objective of battling climate change. The Keystone line would have taken more Alberta oil to refineries and ports in the United States to relieve a North American bottleneck that has led to discounts and sometimes sharp reductions in the price of Alberta’s oil. In the letter dated Thursday, Kenney says the Keystone project that Biden once rejected is now a different, more environmentally friendly undertaking. “Keystone XL will be the first pipeline of its kind to operate at net-zero emissions on its first day of operations and will purchase 100 per cent of its power load from renewable energy sources,” Kenney writes. “I propose that we approach Washington together to begin a conversation about North American energy and climate policy.” If that doesn’t happen, he is pushing for “proportionate economic consequences." “At the very least, I call upon the government of Canada to press the U.S. administration to compensate TC Energy and the government of Alberta for billions of dollars of costs incurred in the construction of Keystone XL to date. “These costs were incurred on the assumption that the United States had a predictable regulatory framework and based on the presidential permit authorizing the Keystone XL border crossing, which was installed in the summer of 2019.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2021. Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press