Some insiders want Alberta’s premier to avoid her own impulses and tendencies There’s a heady moment from the first season of The West Wing — the Aaron Sorkin drama series that launched a thousand political clichés — where fictional president Jed Bartlet gets confronted by his chief of staff about struggles in his re-election campaign. It turns out they’re both weary of adviser over-management and Bartlet’s cautious, middle-of-the-road positions. The prez wants to speak out. Leo, his aide, sketches out the beginnings of the new strategy for a less restrained candidate. In big markerRead more

USPS says Vancouver Island marmot is a ‘symbol of conservation’ The endangered Vancouver Island marmot is having a moment. The chubby little rodent was featured on the Netflix docuseries Island of the Sea Wolves earlier this year. Now, it’s on a U.S. postal stamp — one of a new collection featuring 20 endangered species. As its name would suggest, the marmot is found solely on Vancouver Island. It’s puzzling, perhaps, that a U.S. institution would include it in an American collection. The U.S. postal stamp featuring the Vancouver Island marmot, an animalRead more

Hockey Canada scandal and its fall-out a sensitive topic for junior players Speaking to junior hockey teams across Manitoba, Brock McGillis, one of the first professional hockey players to come out as gay, challenges players to share interests outside of the “safe four topics” of conversation — hockey, women, sports and music. At the beginning of this year’s hockey season, the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) arranged for every one of its teams to hear a presentation from the LGBTQ advocate. It’s part of the league’s commitment to addressing criticisms thatRead more

‘How many other women are they not looking for?’ Cambria Harris asks from Brady Road landfill blockade WARNING: This story contains distressing details. People visiting the Brady Road landfill south of Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon were turned away as protesters blocked access to the waste management facility to call on all levels of government to search for the remains of missing people. Cambria Harris, the eldest daughter of Morgan Harris — one of four victims of alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki — wants the federal government to pick up the tab forRead more

Indigenous lands contain about 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity Behind the rainbow-tinted windows of Montreal’s Palais des congrès, the hallways of the sprawling downtown convention centre hum with activity as international delegates hurry from one meeting to the next during the United Nations biodiversity summit, COP15. A total of 195 nations plus the European Union have a seat at the negotiating table as world governments meet on the traditional land of Kanien’kehá:ka Nation to hash out a global biodiversity framework. The framework aims to save nature from the brink by cutting pollution, ensuringRead more

Bill 1 expected to pass Wednesday night or early Thursday morning Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s sovereignty bill galloped toward the finish line Wednesday, with the government using debate time limits to rebut what it called Opposition delay tactics. Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said the government was on pace to pass the bill Wednesday night or in the early hours Thursday, saying Smith’s United Conservatives are desperate to take the controversial bill out of the spotlight. “I suspect we’ll see them jam it through today in order to try toRead more

Retired senator Murray Sinclair combined competing resolutions and ushered in new position Assembly of First Nations chiefs agreed to set their differences aside and demand Canada immediately compensate people harmed by the underfunded on-reserve child-welfare system, in an 11th hour show of unity on Wednesday night in Ottawa. Delegates gathered for the AFN’s annual winter assembly heard impassioned pleas as they mulled whether to back a $20-billion class-action settlement agreement or the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which refused to approve the deal. But following an intervention from retired senator and former TruthRead more

‘This is March 2020 for kids,’ warns B.C.-based family physician B.C. recorded at least five influenza-related deaths in children in November, a marked increase from previous years, triggering warnings from doctors across Canada about the severity of this year’s influenza season. The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed five deaths, but Wednesday afternoon, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) said it is aware of six influenza-associated deaths among children and youth. Numbers between agencies can vary based on how deaths are tracked and reported. For example, the cause of death in anRead more

How long the event lasts depends on where you are in Canada If you happen to have clear skies on Wednesday night, you’ll be able to catch a planet disappearing behind the moon. The event occurs at a special time for Mars. On Wednesday night, Mars will be directly opposite the sun’s position in the sky, rising as the sun sets and setting as the sun rises. This is called an opposition and is when Mars is at its brightest in the night sky. “Having the moon hide a bright planetRead more

Jeremy Skibicki was accused of rape, death threats, violence by former spouses Alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki threatened to kill two previous partners in the last seven years, according to a court hearing involving one woman and a protection order filed by the other. In June 2015, the Winnipeg man — now charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of four women — was convicted of assaulting his common-law partner. After spending about two months behind bars, he was sentenced to two years probation. According to a statement of facts agreed to by Crown and defence attorneys,Read more