Retired doc goes extra mile, raises $123K for arts groups

Probe into Nova Scotia mass killing continues

HALIFAX - For those grieving the victims of a gunman who left a trail of burned homes and at least 19 dead in Nova Scotia, anguished questions emerged Monday on what led to such horror.

"Why? It's just why?" said Kelly Blair, 48, who'd lost her younger brother Greg Blair, 45, and his wife Jamie.

"I honestly don't really know what happened. They were both shot. That's all we know, we don't know why. We don't know," she said by telephone from her Truro, N.S., home.

The murder and arson rampage that tore through 16 crime scenes on the weekend left tragedies that rippled throughout the province.

Ex-nurses blame red tape for holding up return to workplace

Former nurses who want to go back to work are calling out the regulatory red tape that’s in their way, even as hospitals across the province struggle to fill nursing shifts.

Pandemic has seen a record number of adults taking music lessons

For some people, it’s called six-string therapy. For others, it has become 88 keys to coping with 2020.

It seems learning to play a musical instrument has struck a chord for adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since the whole COVID outbreak, a lot of people are starting to turn toward in-home lessons or online lessons,” says Mike Fondse, operations manager at Quest Musique’s Portage Avenue location. “As far as music lessons, home recording, anything regarding playing music at home has skyrocketed recently.”

It’s no surprise, really. In the spring, when lockdown protocols to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus kept people at home, they took up baking, tried learning a new language, or planted their first gardens, among other activities.

Parts of River Heights hammered by storm

A powerful storm cut a swath of destruction through River Heights on Sunday, leaving much of the area without power.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the storm. Yet by the time it subsided, parts of the quiet neighbourhood, especially Borebank and Lindsay streets between Grant and Taylor, had been ravaged. Downed power lines; toppled Manitoba Hydro poles; trees splintered and crashed down on vehicles and homes.

In one case, a vehicle appeared to have been picked up by the wind and flipped into a yard, under a partially downed tree. In others, shingles had been stripped from roofs. Some residents described looking out during the storm and seeing power lines ablaze, and the blue glow of electricity arcing over their back yards.

Jennifer Boychuck was at home with her son, Matthew, when the worst of the storm struck. She was in her kitchen, washing dishes, when she noticed the winds picking up to an alarming level.

‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

Downtown Winnipeg came alive with vibrant sights, sounds, and scents on Sunday, as Manitoba’s Sikh community flocked to Memorial Park to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

This year marked the 422nd anniversary of the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture central to the Sikh faith. Shortly after 1 p.m., a palanquin bearing a copy of the scripture was led in parade through downtown Winnipeg, with musical accompaniment.

“This is a chance to tell the public and the whole community where we come from and who we are,” said volunteer Prabh Grewal shortly before the procession got underway. “In a community there are people from every race and every country, and our main objective is to have everybody live in peace and harmony together.”

Before, during, and after the procession, the park hummed with life. As many as 55,000 people converged on the site, with the majority dressed in festive traditional attire. Near the height of the day’s 30 C heat, families relaxed in patches of shade, enjoying plates of Punjabi cuisine dished out for free at dozens of tents sponsored by local businesses.

Dynacare labs quickly reach capacity ahead of strike

Patients were being turned away from several Dynacare locations Saturday morning as people packed the labs in hopes of getting their blood collection done before workers strike.

By 10:30 a.m. the lobby at the Dynacare at 1581 Regent Ave. was standing-room only and walk-up patients were being turned away as the wait time for those lucky enough to get in creeped past two hours.

One woman got in right before workers cut off walk-ins at 10 a.m. after travelling to two other locations.

“I was driving by at 7:15 this morning and there was already a line-up to the road, so I was like ‘nope, not going there’ so I went to the one on Sterling Lyon (Parkway) and it was closed, and then I went to the one at St. Vital Mall and there had a line zig-zagging all the way through the corridors so I gave up and came back,” said Joanna, who declined to give her last name.