Lorry driver caught on motorway holding two phones - one to each ear.
Credit: SWNS
In the opening moments of a Golden Globes night even more chaotic and confounding than usual, co-host Tina Fey raised a theoretical question: “Could this whole night have been an email?” Only the next three hours would tell. Well, sure, it could have been an email. But then you wouldn't have had Chadwick Boseman’s eloquent widow, bringing many to tears as she explained how she could never be as eloquent as her late husband. Or Jane Fonda, sharply calling out Hollywood for its lack of diversity on a night when her very hosts were under fire for exactly that. Or Chloé Zhao, making history as the first woman of Asian descent to win best director (and the first woman since 1984.) Or 98-year-old Norman Lear, giving the simplest explanation for his longevity: never living or laughing alone. Or Jodie Foster kissing her wife joyfully, eight years after very tentatively coming out on the same telecast. Of course, there were the usual confounding results and baffling snubs, compounded here by some epic Zoom fails. But then we had the kids and the dogs. And they were adorable. Next year, can we still have the kids and the dogs, please? Some key moments of the first and hopefully last virtual Globes night: AN OVERDUE RECKONING The evening began under a cloud of embarrassing revelations about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and its lack of inclusion, including the damaging fact that there are no Black members in the 87-person body. Fey and co-host Amy Poehler addressed it early: “Even with stupid things, inclusivity is important." Winners like Daniel Levy of “Schitt's Creek” and presenters like Sterling K. Brown referred to it. Jane Fonda made it a theme of her powerful speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille award. And the HFPA made a hasty onstage pledge to change. “We recognize we have our own work to do,” said vice-president Helen Hoehne. “We must have Black journalists in our organization.” “I DON'T HAVE HIS WORDS” The best-actor award to Chadwick Boseman for “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom” had been expected. That did not dull the emotional impact of his victory. His widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, tearfully accepted in his honour, telling viewers that her husband, who died of colon cancer at 43 before the film was released, “would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of all of us that tells you you can. That tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history.” But, she said poignantly, “I don't have his words." Co-star Viola Davis could be seen weeping as Ledward spoke. She was not alone. PREDICTABLE ZOOM FAILS It was obvious there were going to be awkward Zoom fails. It started early, when the very first winner, Daniel Kaluuya for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” was on mute as he accepted his award, leaving presenter Laura Dern to apologize for technical difficulties. Thankfully, the problem was resolved in time for the actor to speak. Jason Sudeikis, whose charmingly rambling speech ("This is nuts!") and rumpled hoodie signalled he hadn't expected to win, finally realized he needed to “wrap this puppy up.” And winner Catherine O'Hara ("Schitt's Creek") had some perhaps unwelcome help from her husband, whose efforts to provide applause sounds and play-off music on his phone while she spoke lost something in translation, causing confusion on social media. Oh yes, and there were those conversations between nominees before commercials — did they know we heard them? KIDS AND PETS, STILL BRINGING JOY Still, the virtual acceptances from winners stuck at home had a huge silver lining: happy kids and cute pets. When Mark Ruffalo won for “I Know This Much is True,” two of his teens could not control their joy enough to stay out of the camera shot. Not to be outdone, the adorable young daughter of Lee Isaac Chung, writer-director of the Korean-American family drama “Minari,” sat in his lap and hugged him throughout his acceptance for best foreign language film. “She’s the reason I made this film,” said Chung. Winner Jodie Foster ("The Mauritanian") also had a family member in her lap: her dog. Also seen: Sarah Paulson's dog, and Emma Corrin's cat. LOVE FOR BORAT, SNUB FOR BAKALOVA ... AND EXPOSURE FOR GIULIANI Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, breakout star of Amazon’s “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” had been widely expected to win, but lost out to Rosamund Pike ("I Care a Lot") who saluted Bakalova's bravery. In her movie, Pike said, “I had to swim up from a sinking car. I think I still would rather do that than have been in a room with Rudy Giuliani.” The former New York mayor's infamous cameo was also the butt of jokes from “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, who called Giuliani “a fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius ... I mean, who could get more laughs from one unzipping?” Baron Cohen, who won for best actor in a comedy, also joked that Donald Trump was “contesting the result” of his win. A FIERY FONDA Did you expect anything less from Fonda? In her memorable DeMille award speech, the multiple Globe winner extolled the virtues of cinematic storytelling — “stories can change our hearts and our minds” — then pivoted to admonishing Hollywood. “There's a story we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves,” she said, “a story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune out: a story about who’s offered a seat at the table and who’s kept out of the rooms where decisions are made.” She said the arts should not merely keep step with society, but lead the way. “Let's be leaders,” she said. ZHAO MAKES HISTORY When Zhao won best director for her haunting and elegant “Nomadland,” she was the first Asian American woman ever to win that award. But that wasn't the only way she made history: it was the first directing Globe for a woman in nearly 40 years, since Barbra Streisand won for “Yentl." Her film, a look at itinerant Americans, “at its core for me is a pilgrimage through grief and healing,” Zhao said. “For everyone who has gone through this difficult and beautiful journey at some point in their lives, we don’t say goodbye, we say: See you down the road.” With Zhao's win, the road widens for other female directors. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Norman Lear is 98, not 99. Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
Emma Corrin just won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Princess Diana.
As COVID-19 vaccine supplies ramp up across the country, most provinces and territories have released details of who can expect to receive a shot in the coming weeks. Here's a list of their plans to date: Newfoundland and Labrador The province says it is in Phase 1 of its vaccine rollout. Health-care workers on the front lines of the pandemic, staff at long-term care homes, people of "advanced age" and adults in remote or isolated Indigenous communities have priority. Chief medical health officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has said Phase 2 will begin in April if vaccine supply remains steady. The second phase prioritizes adults over 60 years old, beginning with those over 80, as well as Indigenous adults, first responders, rotational workers and adults in marginalized populations, such as those experiencing homelessness. Adults between 16 and 59 years old will be vaccinated in the third phase of the rollout, and Fitzgerald has said she expects that to begin this summer. --- Nova Scotia Health officials in Nova Scotia announced Tuesday that vaccination rollout plans for the month included the province's first pharmacy clinics. Prototype pharmacy clinics will launch in Halifax and Shelburne on March 9, Port Hawkesbury on March 16 and Springhill on March 23. Nova Scotia plans to have vaccine available to at least 75 per cent of the population by the end of September 2021. --- Prince Edward Island Health officials in Prince Edward Island say they will shift their focus to getting a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults by July 1, even if it means delaying the second shot for some. Chief medical officer Heather Morrison has said people over the age of 80 will get a second dose based on their existing appointments. Going forward, she said, other residents will get a longer interval between their first and second doses, but she didn’t specific how long that will be. --- New Brunswick The province is also focusing on vaccinating those living in long-term care homes, health-care workers with direct patient contact, adults in First Nations communities and older New Brunswickers in the first phase, which lasts until at least March. The next phase is scheduled to begin in the spring and includes residents and staff of communal settings, other health-care workers including pharmacists, first responders and critical infrastructure employees. The government website says once the vaccine supply is continuous and in large enough quantities, the entire population will be offered the shots. --- Quebec Quebec started vaccinating older seniors Monday, after a first phase that focused largely on health-care workers, remote communities and long-term care. In Montreal, mass vaccine sites including the Olympic Stadium opened their doors to the public as the province began inoculating seniors who live in the hard-hit city. The government announced last week it would begin booking appointments for those aged 85 and up across the province, but that age limit has since dropped to 70 in some regions, including Montreal. Quebec announced Tuesday it had reached a deal with pharmacies that will allow them to start administering COVID-19 vaccines by mid-March. Health Minister Christian Dube said about 350 pharmacies in the Montreal area will start taking appointments by March 15 for people as young as 70. The program will eventually expand to more than 1,400 pharmacies across the province that will administer about two million doses. The Montreal region is being prioritized in part because of the presence of more contagious variants, such as the one first identified in the United Kingdom, Dube has said. --- Ontario The province began vaccinating people with the highest priority, including those in long-term care, high-risk retirement home residents, certain classes of health-care workers and people who live in congregate care settings. Several regions in Ontario moved ahead Monday with their plans to vaccinate the general public, while others used their own systems to allow residents aged 80 and older to schedule appointments. Toronto also began vaccinating members of its police force Monday after the province identified front-line officers as a priority group. Constables and sergeants who respond to emergency calls where medical assistance may be required are now included in the ongoing first phase of Ontario's vaccine rollout, a spokeswoman for the force said. A day earlier, Toronto said the province expanded the first phase of its vaccination drive to include residents experiencing homelessness. The provincial government has said it aims to begin vaccinating Ontarians aged 80 and older starting the week of March 15, the same day it plans to launch its vaccine booking system, which will offer a service desk and online portal. It has said the vaccine rollout will look different in each of its 34 public health units. When asked about the lack of provincewide cohesion, Health Minister Christine Elliott said that public health units know their regions best and that's why they have been given responsibility to set the pace locally. She also says the province will soon share an updated vaccine plan that factors in expected shipments of the newly approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The province will do that after getting guidance from the federal government on potentially extending the time between first and second doses, like B.C. is doing, of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to four months, Elliott says She also says Ontario seniors won't receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine since there's limited data on its effectiveness in older populations. --- Manitoba Manitoba is starting to vaccinate people in the general population. Appointments are now available for most people aged 94 and up, or 74 and up for First Nations people. Until now, vaccines have been directed to certain groups such as health-care workers and people in personal care homes. Health officials plan to reduce the age minimum, bit by bit, over the coming months. Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of the province's vaccine task force, has said inoculations could be open to all adults in the province by August if supplies are steady. --- Saskatchewan The province is still in the first phase of its vaccination rollout, which reserves doses for long-term care residents and staff, health-care workers at elevated risk of COVID-19 exposure, seniors over the age of 70 and anyone 50 or older living in a remote area. In all, nearly 400,000 doses are required to finish this stage. The next phase will be focused on vaccinating the general population by age. It hopes to begin its mass vaccination campaign by April, but there if there isn’t enough supply that could be pushed back to June. Saskatchewan will begin immunizing the general population in 10-year increments, starting with those 60 to 69. Also included in this age group will be people living in emergency shelters, individuals with intellectual disabilities in care homes and people who are medically vulnerable. Police, corrections staff and teachers are among the front-line workers not prioritized for early access to shots. The government says supply is scarce. The province said this week that it may follow British Columbia's lead in delaying a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to speed up immunizations. The government says it hopes a national committee that provides guidance on immunizations will support waiting up to four months to give people a second dose. If that happens, the province could speed up how soon residents get their first shot. --- Alberta Alberta is now offering vaccines to anyone born in 1946 or earlier, a group representing some 230,000 people. Appointments are being offered through an online portal and the 811 Health Link phone line. Shots are also being offered to this cohort at more than 100 pharmacies in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton starting in early March and the government has said there are also plans to include doctors’ offices. Health Minister Tyler Shandro has said all eligible seniors should have their first shots by the end of March. But he said Monday that the province will not give Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to anyone over the age of 65 after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization expressed concerned there is limited data on how well it will work in older populations. The first phase of the vaccine rollout also included anyone over 65 who lives in a First Nations or Metis community, various front-line health care workers, paramedics and emergency medical responders. Phase 2 of the rollout, to begin in April, is to start with those 65 and up, Indigenous people older than 50 and staff and residents of licensed supportive living seniors’ facilities not previously included. --- British Columbia British Columbia will extend the time between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to four months so all adults could get their initial shot by the end of July. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says evidence from the province and around the world shows protection of at least 90 per cent from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The province launched the second phase of its immunization campaign Monday and health authorities will begin contacting residents and staff of independent living centres, those living in seniors' supportive housing as well as homecare support clients and staff. Seniors aged 90 and up can call to make their appointment starting next Monday, followed a week later by those aged 85 and over, and a week after that by those 80 and up. Henry says the approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine means some people will get their first shot sooner than planned. She says B.C. will focus its rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine among essential workers, first responders and younger people with more social interactions who would have to wait longer to receive their first doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. It's now possible that all adults could get their first shot by July, Henry says. --- Nunavut The territory says it expects enough vaccines for 75 per cent of its population over the age of 18. After a COVID-19 vaccine is administered, patients will be tracked to ensure they are properly notified to receive their second dose. Nunavut's priority populations are being vaccinated first. They include residents of shelters, people ages 60 years and up, staff and inmates and correctional facilities, first responders and front-line health-care staff. --- Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories its priority groups — such as people over 60, front-line health workers and those living in remote communities — are being vaccinated The territory says it expects to vaccine the rest of its adult population starting this month. --- Yukon Yukon says it will receive enough vaccine to immunize 75 per cent of its adult population by the end of March. Priority for vaccinations has been given to residents and staff in long-term care homes, group homes and shelters, as well as health-care workers and personal support workers. People over the age of 80 who are not living in long-term care, and those living in rural and remote communities, including Indigenous Peoples, are also on the priority list for shots. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2021. The Canadian Press
WARSAW, Poland — A Polish court on Tuesday acquitted three activists who had been accused of desecration and offending religious feelings for producing and distributing images of a revered Roman Catholic icon altered to include the LGBT rainbow. The posters, which they distributed in the city of Plock in 2019, used rainbows as halos in an image of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. Their aim was to protest what they considered the hostility of Poland’s influential Catholic Church toward LGBT people. The court in the city of Plock did not see evidence of a crime and found that the activists were not motivated by a desire to offend anyone’s religious feelings, but rather wanted to defend those facing discrimination, according to Polish media. The conservative group that brought the case, the Life and Family Foundation, said it planned to appeal. “Defending the honour of the Mother of God is the responsibility of each of us, and the guilt of the accused is indisputable,” the group’s founder, Kaja Godek, said on Facebook. “The courts of the Republic of Poland should protect (Catholics) from violence, including by LGBT activists.” The case was seen in Poland as a freedom of speech test under a deeply conservative government that has been pushing back against secularization and liberal views. Abortion has been another flashpoint in the country after the recent introduction of a near-total ban on it. One defendant, Elzbieta Podlesna, said when the trial opened in January that the 2019 action in Plock was spurred by an installation at the city's St. Dominic's Church that associated LGBT people with crime and sins. She and the other two activists — Anna Prus and Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar — faced up to two years of prison if found guilty. An LGBT rights group, Love Does Not Exclude, welcomed the ruling as a “breakthrough.” “This is a triumph for the LGBT+ resistance movement in the most homophobic country of the European Union,” it said. The image involved an alteration of Poland’s most-revered icon, the Mother of God of Czestochowa, popularly known as the Black Madonna of Czestochowa. The original has been housed at the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa — Poland's holiest Catholic site — since the 14th century. Podlesna told the Onet news portal that the desecration provision in the penal code "leaves a door open to use it against people who think a bit differently. “I still wonder how the rainbow — a symbol of diversity and tolerance — offends these feelings. I cannot understand it, especially since I am a believer,” Podlesna told Onet. Podlesna was arrested in an early morning police raid on her apartment in 2019, held for several hours and questioned over the posters. A court later said the detention was unnecessary and ordered damages of about $2,000 awarded to her. Because of all the attention the altered icon has received, it is now a very recognized image in Poland, one sometimes seen at street protests. Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
La Ville de Chambly se dote d’une conseillère en développement économique pour mieux accompagner les entreprises et les commerces du territoire dans leur processus d’implantation ou d’expansion. C’est Mme Kim Desaulniers qui, chargée d’occuper ce tout nouveau poste, veillera à offrir aux entreprises un soutien de proximité, à stimuler l’achat local, à contribuer au rayonnement des acteurs locaux et à attirer de nouveaux investissements. Un rôle clé à jouer La mairesse de Chambly, Mme Alexandra Labbé, explique que l’arrivée de Mme Desaulniers était prévue au budget et qu’elle est financée par l’aide gouvernementale octroyée aux municipalités pour mieux faire face à la pandémie. « Les pouvoirs d’une Ville sont très limités lorsqu’il s’agit d’aider directement les commerçants. Pour le conseil, il était vraiment important de trouver une ressource qui pourrait aider les entreprises, directement ou indirectement, en élaborant un plan de relance, et orienter les gens au bon endroit. On est aussi en train d’agrandir le parc industriel, en prévision de l’implantation de nouvelles entreprises, et Mme Desaulniers se chargera notamment de cet aspect. Elle aura plusieurs mandats et terrains de jeux et soutiendra l’équipe d’urbanisme. Mais à Chambly, on le voit bien, la relance se passe rapidement et on ne manque pas de projets pour occuper notre nouvelle ressource. » Un défi de taille Avec la pandémie qui fait des ravages chez nos entrepreneurs et qui a précipité le départ de l’ex-président de la Chambre de commerce du Bassin de Chambly (CCIBC), M. Sébastien Dion, Mme Desaulniers, ainsi que la nouvelle présidente de la CCIBC, Mme Anick Cormier, devront composer avec les retombées de la crise et s’armer d’idées pour mieux aider la relance. « On peut saluer le beau travail de Sébastien Dion, qui a changé beaucoup de choses pour l’achat local et qui laisse une belle marque. Les commerçants et les gens de Chambly peuvent être fiers de ce qui a été accompli dans les dernières années », souligne Mme Labbé. « Heureusement, on est bien contents de voir Anik Cormier, qui était déjà au C.A. depuis longtemps, reprendre la présidence. Elle forme avec les deux vice-présidents (Sandrine Milante et Luc Rousseau) un beau trio au comité exécutif. » Chloé-Anne Touma, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Journal de Chambly
MARYHILL — The proposed gravel pit on Shantz Station Road, a controversial project proposed near Maryhill, is moving through the review phases for development. Most recently, the Region of Waterloo’s ecological and environmental advisory committee gave a green light, saying that after the company made some revisions to its plans, the project meets all policy and legislative requirements. The committee is a group of experts that advise the region on development applications, environmental assessments and other environmental matters. In turn, the Region of Waterloo is a commenting body on this project. The decision to approve the project’s applications will be made by Woolwich. Capital Paving, a Wellington County-based aggregate extraction company, applied for a licence to remove aggregate above the water table, a zone change to allow for aggregate extraction on current farmland, and an Official Plan amendment in 2019. The site is outside the areas the township currently designates for aggregate extraction in its Official Plan, and extracting there will require an amendment. To access the pit, Capital Paving may use an older driveway that runs through a wetland. The driveway was used in the early 2000s for truck access to a now-closed gravel pit. This access road will be paved and widened, and an extension built to the extraction area through a neighbouring woodlot. Though this wetland area is habitat for species at risk, the committee believes the proposed access route makes more sense than the alternative of an access route to Foerster Road. This route would be longer, more costly, run along a township road that would need to be upgraded to accommodate the increased truck traffic, and could endanger pedestrians crossing between sections of a golf course. The ecological and environmental advisory committee gave recommendations to lessen the project’s environmental impact. These include planting more trees to make up for the damage, prioritizing planting the trees in the preliminary stages of the project and implementing a formalized agreement with the neighbour to ensure trees are retained over the years, according to Ken Hough, who presented about the project at the committee’s February meeting. Also, once the pit is in its rehabilitation phase, the committee recommends the extension through the woodlot be taken out and the road through the wetland be put back to its original size. Ecological passages to allow amphibians and reptiles to move across the access road were also recommended, though this was considered unnecessary by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Hough said. Overall, the access road “was a bit contentious but ultimately probably as good as we could achieve,” Hough said at the meeting. An amendment to Woolwich’s Official Plan would allow for aggregate extraction outside the designated area. The Hopewell Creek Ratepayers Association is a community group opposed to the pit. The group cites concerns with how close the project will be to Maryhill, a possible reduction in air quality, increased truck traffic and negative impact on nearby businesses. “Shouldn’t aggregate mapping adopted by the region count for something?” says a letter last year from the group to the township and region. “Shouldn’t this mapping give citizens some certainty about where an aggregate proposal could arise?” “It is very common when an application becomes public pretty much anywhere in Ontario, there’s going to be certain degree of opposition,” says George Lourenco, the resources manager for Capital Paving. “I don’t know of a single application in the entire province that isn’t going through issues with a community or a certain number of neighbours that are nearby the operation.” “I think it’s important to understand that gravel is only located in certain locations in the province. Mother Nature didn’t bless us with gravel everywhere. So we can only go to those places where it’s located and has a good enough quality and a certain amount, or a certain size of deposit to be able to warrant going for a licence.” Lourenco also says the aggregate industry stresses that aggregate extraction needs to be close to where it will be used. The Ontario Stone Sand and Gravel Association estimates that adding one kilometre to the route of all aggregate trucks in Ontario would burn approximately 2.5 million extra litres of diesel fuel each year. Other completed reviews and discussion about the project are on the Township of Woolwich’s ongoing projects page on its website. Leah Gerber’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about the Grand River Watershed. Email lgerber@therecord.com Leah Gerber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Waterloo Region Record
LONDON — A British newspaper publisher said Tuesday it plans to appeal against a judge’s ruling that it invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. The former American actress Meghan Markle, 39, sued publisher Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday and on the MailOnline website that reproduced large portions of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. High Court judge Mark Warby ruled last month that the publisher had misused the duchess’s private information and infringed her copyright. He said the duchess “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private” and concluded the paper’s publication of large chunks of it was “manifestly excessive and hence unlawful.” In written submissions released as part of a court hearing on Tuesday, Associated Newspapers’ lawyer Antony White sought permission to appeal, saying a bid to overturn Warby’s ruling “would have a real prospect of success.” Lawyers for Meghan, meanwhile, demanded the publisher hand over the letter and destroy any electronic copies or notes it held. They also asked the judge to order the Mail on Sunday to remove the five articles from its website and to run a front-page statement about the duchess’ legal victory. Ian Mill, an attorney for Meghan, said “the defendant defiantly continues to do the very acts which the court has held are unlawful.” “The defendant has failed to deliver up copies it has of the letter such that the threat to infringe and further to misuse her private information remains real and, inexplicably, the defendant has still not removed the infringing articles from MailOnline," he said in a written submission. Meghan, a former star of the American TV legal drama “Suits,” married Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born the following year. In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California, and are expecting a second child. In his ruling last month, the judge said a “limited trial” should be held to decide the “minor” issue of whether Meghan was “the sole author” and lone copyright holder of the letter. It is expected to take place in the fall. Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Lady Gaga's dog walker, who was shot last week during a robbery in Hollywood when two of the singer’s French bulldogs were stolen, described the violence and his recovery “from a very close call with death" in social media posts Monday. Ryan Fischer’s posts included pictures taken from his hospital bed, where he says “(a) lot of healing still needs to happen” but he looks forward to reuniting with the dogs. Fischer was shot once as he walked three of Lady Gaga's dogs on Wednesday night on a street just off the famed Sunset Boulevard. Video captured by the doorbell camera of a nearby home captured Fischer's screams of “Oh my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!” Police are seeking two men in the attack and said Monday they are still investigating. The two dogs, named Koji and Gustav, were returned unharmed Friday evening when a woman showed up at a Los Angeles police station with them. Detectives do not believe she was involved in the robbery or shooting and did not know if she would receive the $500,000 reward Lady Gaga had offered for the dogs' return. The singer is currently in Rome to film a movie. Fischer thanked Lady Gaga for her support during the ordeal, writing “your babies are back and the family is whole ... we did it!" in Instagram posts. A third dog, named Asia, escaped the assailants and lies down next to Fischer “while a car sped away and blood poured from my gun shot (sic) wound,” he wrote. The doorbell video shows a white sedan pulling up and two men jumping out. They struggled with the dog walker before one pulled a gun and fired a single shot before fleeing with two of the dogs. Stefanie Dazio, The Associated Press
L’annonce de la mort de la jeune Rosine Chouinard-Chauveau, fille des comédiens Normand Chouinard et Violette Chauveau, que l’on a justifiée par le délestage dans tous les médias, a chamboulé le Québec. Celle qui a perdu la vie à 28 ans, en raison du report d’une chirurgie dont la nature n’a pas été révélée au public, laisse dans le deuil son jeune fils Maël, ses parents et tout l’avenir qu’il lui restait, faute de lit ou de personnel. La charge mentale des ambulanciers Patrick Dufresne, un ambulancier de Chambly bien connu chez nous, a raconté avoir fait partie des premiers répondants à l’urgence entourant le drame. Bien qu’il n’ait pas voulu s’adresser directement au journal par peur d’outrepasser son mandat, il a témoigné sur les médias sociaux. « Nous avons tout tenté pour la sauver, sans savoir qui elle était à ce moment. C’est toujours émouvant d’annoncer la mort aux proches. Encore plus en sachant maintenant que le délestage a causé sa mort. » Au début de la pandémie, on rapportait qu’Urgences-santé était intervenue plus de 2000 fois auprès de patients potentiellement infectés par la COVID-19 en seulement un mois. Aujourd’hui, on parle d’une charge supplémentaire générée par l’augmentation des AVC, des malaises cardiaques et autres menaces fatales engendrées par l’inaction et l’absence de soins, ce qui n’est pas sans affecter le moral des paramédicaux. Des chiffres parlants Québec calcule que l’on fait 34 % moins d’interventions chirurgicales dans les hôpitaux et que l’on en serait à 44 % sans l’aide du privé. Encore aujourd’hui, le délestage semble être un concept flou pour beaucoup de Québécois, qui croient à tort que seules les interventions non vitales telles que les chirurgies orthopédiques en sont affectées. D’une branche médicale à l’autre Du côté des médecins, on parle de délestage calculé. Le Dr Sarkis Meterissian, chirurgien-oncologue au Centre universitaire de santé McGill (CUSM), a raconté n’avoir délesté la chirurgie d’aucune de ses patientes atteintes d’un cancer du sein diagnostiqué, car ce type d’intervention en est une d’un jour ne nécessitant pas de monopoliser un lit pour une plus longue période. Ailleurs, dans les hôpitaux Charles-Le Moyne et Pierre-Boucher, des patientes du cancer du sein sont quand même délestées alors que leur cancer progresse, selon des sources internes et externes. Rappelons que ces hôpitaux ont été désignés par le ministère de la Santé pour recevoir des patients atteints de la COVID-19 depuis des mois, ce qui complique l’organisation du personnel et réduit la capacité d’accueil en zone froide. À l’Hôpital du Haut-Richelieu, on découragerait des patients de venir en consultation pour des anomalies cardiaques parce qu’ils pourraient y attraper la COVID. Ce serait le cas de Stéphanie Samson, une Chamblyenne que l’on a renvoyée chez elle. « Si l’on vous admet en cardiologie, vous risquez d’attraper la COVID », lui aurait-on dit. Eric Sabbah, cardiologue à l’Hôpital Pierre-Boucher, a confié au journal qu’en matière de délestage pour les maladies du cœur, l’erreur réside dans le fait d’avoir « peur de venir à l’hôpital et d’attraper la COVID », ce qui retarde le dépistage et la prise en charge médicale. Il ajoute que « c’est impossible de penser que dans un même hôpital, on sera capable de garder une section COVID et une section non COVID. C’est malheureusement la base du problème de tout délestage. Même si l’on veut garder une section qui roule et qui est verte en soins intensifs, elle devient rapidement chaude, et les gens qui doivent être opérés pour d’autres raisons n’ont plus de place en surveillance aux soins intensifs. On préfère donc retarder leur opération pour éviter toute complication postopératoire. C’est un calcul. On se dit qu’ils sont mieux d’attendre de trois à six mois sans attraper la COVID, quittes à ne pas se faire opérer ». L’anxiété chez les médecins La peur d’attraper la COVID-19 occupe l’esprit du Dr Sabbah, comme pour beaucoup d’autres au front. Sur le terrain, les chirurgiens et les médecins spécialistes étant des ressources rares et indispensables pour beaucoup de patients, le stress lié à l’idée de contracter la COVID et de ne plus pouvoir exercer est omniprésent. On peut penser au cas de patients qui ne peuvent plus être reçus en consultation par leur médecin, leur cardiologue ou leur chirurgien, parce que ce dernier a contracté la COVID, ce qui mène au report d’un diagnostic ou encore d’une intervention qui pourrait leur sauver la vie. C’est donc que ces médecins doivent composer avec la peur pour leur propre santé, pour celle de leurs proches, mais aussi pour leurs patients, qui risquent d’être délestés s’ils en viennent à ne plus pouvoir les traiter, malgré eux. Aujourd’hui, la mort de Rosine Chouinard-Chauveau donne un visage au délestage, soulevant l’indignation des uns et des autres, bien que le mystère plane encore sur le mal qui l’affectait. Reste à savoir si les questions que son décès a exacerbées trouveront réponse auprès des instances décisionnelles et médicales. Chloé-Anne Touma, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Journal de Chambly
SAINT-WENCESLAS. Les Loisirs de Saint-Wenceslas invitent les amateurs de raquette et de randonnée pédestre à tester un circuit de 1,4 km. Un essai, s’il est concluant, qui mènerait, possiblement au développement de nouveaux sentiers dans la forêt située au bout de la rue Saint-Arnaud. «On est en campagne et il faut aller en ville pour marcher dans le bois», s’étonnait Éric Thériault. L’entrepreneur, avec l’aide de Mathieu Lessard, l’initiateur de la Course de la conquête du bois, va s’attaquer au problème. «Déjà, le circuit est tracé pour la course à obstacles. On a discuté au comité des loisirs de le rendre accessible cet hiver et, après autorisation de la municipalité, le site était fonctionnel après quelques jours», explique Éric Thériault qui s’assure de l’entretien avec sa motoneige. Accessible à pied ou en raquette, le circuit est pensé tant pour les débutants et les familles que pour ceux qui sont à la recherche d’une expérience plus intense. «On a la rivière Blanche et les arbres sont magnifiques, encore plus avec la neige qui tombe en ce moment, c’est féerique», ajoute Mathieu Lessard. «C’est un site avec beaucoup de potentiel pour les amateurs de plein air qui pourrait être exploité à l’année. C’est un joyau à découvrir», conclut Éric Thériault. Stéphane Lévesque, Initiative de journalisme local, L'Hebdo Journal
Police say a person has died in a house fire near Peterborough, Ont. Provincial police say flames broke out at a home in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township around 6 p.m., Monday. They say the building was fully engulfed by the time officers and firefighters arrived. Investigators say two occupants managed to get out of the home, but another person was found dead inside. They say the office of the fire marshal is investigating. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and no details about the victim have been released. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2021. The Canadian Press
Le Centre d’entrepreneuriat et d’essaimage de l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (CEE-UQAC) a remis plus de 1000 $ à la communauté étudiante postsecondaire du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, dans le cadre de son concours Idée d’affaires. Le but de cette initiative est de stimuler l’esprit entrepreneurial des étudiants. Ils n’ont aucune obligation de se lancer en affaires pour ce concours, c’est leurs idées qui comptent. Pour cette 23e édition du concours, 26 projets ont été soumis au jury composé d’Émilie Lavoie Gagnon, de la RUCHE Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, de Karine Jean, de l’INKUB Desjardins, et de Joanne Doucet, de la Suite entrepreneuriale à Alma. Le CEE-UQAC était fier de souligner que la pandémie ne semblait pas avoir freiné la motivation entrepreneuriale des étudiants. Le concours était ouvert à tous les étudiants et diplômés de moins de cinq ans, professeurs, chargés de cours de l’UQAC pour sa catégorie universitaire. Pour la catégorie collégiale, les mêmes critères s’appliquent pour tous les étudiants, diplômés, professeurs et chargés de cours de l’un des collèges de la région. Le premier prix universitaire a été attribué à Marc-André Girard, un étudiant libre. Son projet intitulé FoodBrawl lui a valu la somme de 750 $. D’ailleurs, les projets sont confidentiels, seuls leurs noms sont dévoilés. Laurie Simard, étudiante au doctorat en biologie, a raflé le deuxième prix, qui était accompagné d’une bourse de 250 $, pour son projet Programme COGNi-ACTif. Son équipe était composée de Tommy Chevrette, Martin Lavallière, Julie Bouchard et de Yan Breuleux. Le prix Coup de cœur est allé au projet TrépAnimal de Pierre-Yves Glidden et de Patrick Dubé. Quant au prix collégial, accompagné d’une bourse de 250 $, il est allé à Fabrice Tremblay, qui étudie en AEC Programmeur-Analyste au Collège Multihexa. Myriam Arsenault, Initiative de journalisme local, Le Quotidien
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four senior Russian officials over the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile political foe. The 27-nation bloc imposed bans on travel and froze the assets in Europe of Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Igor Krasnov, the prosecuto general, Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard, and Alexander Kalashnikov, head of the Federal Prison Service. EU headquarters said the four were listed “over their roles in the arbitrary arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Alexei Navalny, as well as the repression of peaceful protests in connection with his unlawful treatment.” Navalny, 44, an anti-corruption investigator, was arrested in Moscow in January upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation. In February, a court sentenced Navalny to two years and eight months in prison for violating the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated. The European Court of Human Rights has also ruled that it’s unlawful. Navalny’s arrest and imprisonment have fueled a huge wave of protests across Russia. Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, detaining about 11,000 people, many of whom were fined or given jail terms ranging from seven to 15 days. The sanctions were the first used by the EU under a new system for imposing restrictions on people and organizations deemed responsible for human rights abuses. The Associated Press
The European Commission said on Tuesday that it was considering emergency approvals for COVID-19 vaccines as a faster alternative to more rigorous conditional marketing authorisations which have been used so far. The move would mark a big shift in approach to vaccine approvals, as it would entail using a procedure that the EU had considered dangerous and that before the COVID-19 pandemic had been reserved for exceptional authorisation at national level of drugs for terminally ill patients, including cancer treatments. The potential change comes as the EU executive and the bloc's drug regulator come under increasing pressure for what some consider slow vaccine approvals, which have contributed to a slower rollout of COVID-19 shots in the 27-nation union, compared to the United States and former EU member Britain.
With its support in polls dropping, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party is considering changes to electoral laws which could rescue its prospects in elections due to be held by 2023, three AK Party officials say. Polls show combined support for the AK Party and its MHP ally has fallen to just 45%. For the first time, pollsters say, disenchanted supporters who drifted away from the AK Party appear unlikely to be won back.
Arya Peruma got into coding at the age of seven, and the 15-year-old from Mississauga is now helping educators spark that same passion in more elementary students while also boosting the efforts of girls and other youth often underrepresented in technology. Peruma is currently researching DNA microarrays to see if artificial intelligence can be used to predict someone’s risk of developing cancer, but the 10th-grader has yet to take a dedicated computer science class, which, in Ontario, is first offered in Grade 11. “By then, it’s already too late to learn,” she says. “The passion for the subject matter starts when you're really young, and in order to spark the interest, you have to be exposed to it, and the younger the better. “It’s something that is really vital and crucial to learn, not just if you want to go into the field of computer science or programming, but it’s something that will develop cognitive skills, critical thinking and so many more really integral problem-solving skills.” Coding concepts are included as early as Grade 1 in a new math curriculum the Ford government unveiled last year. “This is definitely a step in the right direction, but I think more needs to be done,” Peruma says. To help spread the word, she started the Coding for Young Minds community group in 2019. So far, some 5,000 students around the world have taken up her offer of free live tutoring sessions on various aspects of coding and programming. “It's really important to me because especially thinking back to how many barriers they were for me to access supplemental education, it made me think that if I have these barriers, what would the barriers for other students be?” she says, pointing out that online programming and coding classes can be prohibitively expensive and not particularly approachable for younger learners. Top tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google have consistently reported workforces made up overwhelmingly of white and Asian men since the companies began releasing diversity reports in 2014, a fact critics say creates a web of subtle biases that exclude minorities. Peruma will be taking her project to another level this year, creating a three-part free virtual workshop series for educators wanting to know how to engage their students in the topic. “One thing I really like to be able to do is connect everything back to real life,” she explains. “When you're talking about algorithms with younger students, we can compare it to a cooking recipe and tell them that it's a step-by-step procedure just like a cooking recipe.” Late last year, Peruma helped cut the ribbon on an in-person coding lab in Mississauga. For now, she mostly uses the space to host her virtual tutoring sessions, but once COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, the space will offer local students access to equipment including a 3D printer and tailored training to accommodate special needs. Morgan Sharp, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, National Observer
Health officials in Prince Edward Island say they expect to be able to give a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults in the province by July 1. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Heather Morrison says all people over 80 will get their second dose based on their existing appointments, but going forward, the time interval between doses will be extended.
KITCHENER — Get ready for more major Highway 401 construction: the bridges crossing the Grand River in Kitchener are about to be replaced. Work will start this spring and is scheduled to finish in spring 2025, according to Jacob Ginger, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation. Both of the bridges crossing the Grand River will be replaced to widen the highway from six lanes to ten lanes total in that section. Ramp closures and lane restrictions will be needed to complete the work, but in general two lanes of traffic will be maintained in both directions on the 401, says Ginger. Work to replace the bridges will be done in three stages beginning with the westbound lanes. While the bridges are being replaced, work will also be done on the King Street overpass and on the King Street interchange ramp. This will involve widening the 401 in certain areas to stage a westbound speed change lane from King Street to Homer Watson Boulevard. Pavement and storm sewers will be reconstructed, and lighting improved. The Ministry of Transportation has completed the detailed design of the project and is now finding a contractor. This portion of the Grand River is home to multiple species at risk including one mussel species and two fish species, according to Gary Wheeler, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. The ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks has given the Ministry of Transportation a permit to complete work in the area that allows the ministry to capture, collect, transport, harm or kill the species at risk, as well as damage habitat. To minimize the impact of the project, the ministry is required to choose a bridge design with minimal in-water components, complete the in-water aspects of the project outside of the species’ spawning season, find and relocate individuals of the species before construction begins in the water, among others requirements. “No direct impacts such as killing or harming individual members of the Species are expected to occur given the proposed mitigation measures and capture/handling and relocation protocols,” says Wheeler. “However, individual members of the species may be incidentally harmed or killed and, therefore, the permit authorizes accidental harm or mortality,” Some habitat destruction is expected because the project will use in-water rock-based causeways and because of staging equipment on the banks of the river, says Wheeler. He says these areas will be rehabilitated after the project is finished. The bridges cross the Grand River about four or five kilometres downstream from the Kitchener wastewater treatment plant. This is within the section of the river researchers dubbed the ‘Dead Zone’ where mussel species were found to be completely missing most likely because of high nutrient levels coming from the plant. Since the plant received upgrades that greatly improved the river’s water quality more than seven years ago, area researchers have been monitoring the dead zone to see if mussel species make a comeback. Leah Gerber’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about the Grand River Watershed. Email lgerber@therecord.com Leah Gerber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Waterloo Region Record
NEW YORK — Many nights growing up, some combination of the Staveley-Taylor sisters huddled on the staircase to listen when their parents invited friends over and took out guitars to sing Bob Dylan or Crosby, Stills and Nash songs. They were supposed to be in bed. Let that be a lesson, parents. Kids are always absorbing things, and you never know if it will change their lives. Today, Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor perform together in their own band, the Staves, characterized by the celestial harmonies of three sisters who grew up blending their voices. “There was always music on in the house,” said 31-year-old Camilla, the youngest of the trio. “Our parents were very musical. They could sing and harmonize and we soaked that in. I don't really remember a time when we didn't sing together.” The sisters' first gig, when Camilla was only 14, came at the Horn pub in their native Watford, a town in Hertfordshire, England. Family and friends heard them cover songs by Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles and Norah Jones. “I think everyone we had ever met came down,” said Jessica, 34. “We had done our most successful show and it was the first time in our lives. We thought, ‘This is great, we can pretty much take over the world now.’” About a decade ago, their educations complete, the sisters decided to take a stab at a career in music. Most popular at home in England, the Staves released their third album, “Good Woman,” last month after a long and rough layoff. It's lyrically and sonically bolder than the more stately folk sound typified by the aching beauty of “No Me, No You, No More” on a 2015 album produced by Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver. The voices remain ever central, however. The Haim sisters are a modern-day comparison, although Haim's sound is sunnier, California pop-rock. A more apt reference point is the American trio of Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche, first active in the 1970s. All three Staveley-Taylor sisters write music, although older sister Emily, 37, took on more of an editor's role recently since becoming a mom in 2019 (tending to her daughter, Emily sat out a Zoom interview with The Associated Press). To avoid arguments, all songs are credited to the Staves. Middle sister Jessica most often sings the melody, with Camilla taking the high harmonies and Emily low. They mix it up a bit on “Good Woman,” including some unison singing. “We always kind of feel that until the others can fit into a song, only then does it become a Staves song,” Jessica said. “If not, maybe it's for another project.” The sisters have spent some time in the United States, moving briefly to Nashville in their early days, and to Minnesota near Vernon when they made an album with him. “Every time we'd go and do something in America, our friends would say, ‘Have you broken America?'" Jessica said. “They think it would be like the Beatles coming in to JFK.” The Staves weren't planning on a near six-year wait between albums. Their mother, Jean, died in the summer of 2018, two weeks after their grandmother died. Camilla, who had stayed behind in Minnesota, saw a long-term relationship break up and she, too, headed back to England. “We just felt very alone and very at sea,” Jessica said. “It ended up that we just needed some time away to be a family and not worry about being a band, and to look after each other. In an annoying way, we just sort of imposed a lockdown on ourselves.” With that break came a crisis in confidence. Did they even want to do this anymore? What kind of band did they want to be? Would Emily still want to be a part of it? Were the songs they had written any good? They had intended to make “Good Woman” themselves, but instead called in producer John Congleton for some perspective. His enthusiasm proved infectious. Most of these life experiences are evident in the new songs, if you listen closely enough. Pulling through self-doubt, in a relationship or a chosen field, are themes of the title cut, “Failure” and “Paralysed.” The luminous “Sparks” references the loss of their mother. “When you miss someone's presence, you don't really think about the huge things,” Camilla said. “You think about the small things — how someone smells, hearing the keys in the door or how their footsteps sound. At the time, that was kind of the only way we could express our sadness and how we were feeling. It would take far longer for us to zoom out and be remotely philosophical about it.” Part of what they were trying to capture on “Good Woman” was the way their band gives the Staves a fuller, more muscular sound than is often heard in their recordings. “We pushed ourselves and pushed the limits on certain songs of where they could go,” Jessica said. “I like the feeling of confidence and boldness. It comes, I must say, from growing older and experiencing more of life and more things that cement your sense of self... I think we found more of a voice for this record.” David Bauder, The Associated Press
P.E.I.'s chief public health officer announced four new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, as her office continues efforts to control two outbreaks that started in the last week of February. Dr. Heather Morrison announced the new cases in her regular weekly briefing. The new cases were: A man in his 20s, a close contact of a person in the Charlottetown cluster of cases. He had been in self-isolation already. Morrison noted that he tested negative at first, but continued to isolate and a second swab tested positive after he developed symptoms. A man and woman in their 20s. These could be related to both Charlottetown and Summerside clusters, and contact tracing is continuing. A man in his 20s, likely related to travel. Later on Tuesday, the province added another restaurant to the list of public exposure sites on P.E.I.: Bombay Cuisine at 339 University Ave. in Charlottetown, on Saturday, Feb. 20 between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Island added 12 cases over the weekend, and the number of active cases rose to 18, the most since the spring. In response, the province implemented a three-day lockdown starting Monday, and ramped-up testing. With the new cases, P.E.I. has 22 active cases, its most ever, out of 136 diagnosed since the pandemic began nearly a year ago. Excluding cases linked to travel, the current outbreaks include at least 11 in Summerside and up to nine in Charlottetown. Results seen as good news While Morrison was not yet able to say if the red phase of restrictions could be lifted on Thursday as scheduled, she characterized the results of the testing so far as relatively good news. "It looks like we will be able to connect a lot of these cases to each other," said Morrison. Chief of Nursing Marion Dowling gave more details about testing and vaccination at Tuesday's briefing. (CBC) "We've tested a significant number of people, and despite all those additional tests, we're not getting a whole bunch of unlinked cases. And that's really key and important for us to know as we move forward and try to determine if there is any more widespread community transmission." Morrison said 10,000 tests had been gathered in a mass testing campaign since Saturday, 2100 rapid tests among them. Only 2,000 tests from that batch are still awaiting analysis. Also at Tuesday's briefing, Chief of Nursing Marion Dowling confirmed that staff had been pulled from a Charlottetown Airport testing pilot project in order to reinforce efforts at the Summerside clinics and testing sites elsewhere on the Island. UK variant in past cases Two cases announced last Wednesday — including one woman charged with public health violations for visiting Toys R Us in Charlottetown when she was supposed to be self-isolating — have been confirmed to involve the B117 variant, first detected in the UK. Morrison said analysis of the other recent cases is continuing, and she is expecting more news by this weekend. Confirmation of two new cases involving the variant is a concern, said Morrison, because it appears to be more contagious. Morrison said until definitive results are in new cases will be treated as if they were the variant strain. COVID-19 and testing on P.E.I. The province's COVID-19 data page shows that males make up 60% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 on the Island, and females 40%. All but 10 cases have been detected in people aged under 60. As of Sunday, Feb. 28, a total of 100,507 COVID-19 tests had ended up with negative results after being analyzed. Testing was being slowed on Tuesday by bad weather, with storm-related closures announced for testing clinics at Slemon Park and Three Oaks High School in Summerside as well as at Bordon-Carleton. More from CBC P.E.I.
