Quebec introducing new rule to reduce bat deaths linked to wind farms

New series terrific addition to RWB repertoire

‘See the music, hear the dance,” is a famous quote from quintessential ballet influencer George Balanchine, whose pithy bons mots have defined much of American classical dance since the legendary Russian-born choreographer first blazed a trail with the New York City Ballet.

Local balletomanes were given a golden opportunity to experience both up-close-and-personal Thursday when the Royal Winnipeg Ballet officially kicked off its 87th season with its newly minted Studio Series, which runs until Sunday.

The brainchild of the company’s artistic director, Christopher Stowell, the series features an abridged “concert version” of Balanchine’s seminal Who Cares?, set to a playlist of catchy George Gershwin tunes that make up the backbone of the Great American Songbook.

The Studio Series is the latest initiative taken by Stowell as he settles into his arguably still new position. Some of those endeavours will invariably stumble; others will hit their mark. This venture belongs in the latter category, bringing a 500-plus-year-old art form, often perceived as rarified, to audience members who may be hesitant, shy or just plain intimidated to visit the cavernous Centennial Concert Hall.

Explaining Canada’s superior employment rate

Donald Trump regularly makes outrageous claims. Fentanyl was pouring across the northern border from Canada and had to be stopped. Canada is nasty to deal with and has the highest tariffs in the world. Canada needs the U.S. but the U.S. doesn’t need Canada. Canadians want to become the 51st state. And so on.

In the latest trade dispute, after Mark Carney walked away from negotiations, Trump made a new claim that Canada’s unemployment rate was 10 per cent and climbing rapidly. Insofar as the unemployment rate is closely monitored, reported monthly, and given similar attention to the rates of inflation and economic growth, the comment was likely intended to signal Canada’s weakness. It fits Trump’s narrative that Canada needs the U.S. for its livelihood and protection and would be better off more directly under U.S. influence as a 51st state, or perhaps a protectorate like the Philippines or Panama in the past.

Fact checkers quickly reported that Canada’s unemployment rate is really 6.4 per cent for July, not 10 per cent, has fallen from 6.9 per cent in April, and is at its lowest rate since May 2024. Some astute observers pointed out that Canada’s method for the calculation of the unemployment rate leads to a higher rate than the U.S. by about one per cent. Under the American methodology, then, our unemployment rate would be 5.4 per cent, not that far off the U.S. July rate of 4.1 per cent.

Detection of unemployment is less straightforward that might appear, as it is sandwiched between the labour force statuses of employment and inactivity at a particular point in time. The internationally established standard for determination of unemployment is the notion of searching for work — you are unemployed if you do not have paid employment and you are looking for work without success. Surveys have been developed to categorize respondents as employed, unemployed or inactive, including the labour force survey (LFS) in Canada and the current population survey (CPS) in the U.S.

East St. Paul product’s next wheelchair basketball chapter in Spain’s best men’s division

Every time Joshua Brown takes the court, the line between dreams and reality blurs.

You see, Brown, born and raised in East St. Paul, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy early in life. Understanding his condition, he came to terms with the challenge it would be to play stand-up sports competitively.

That didn’t stop him from dreaming, though.

Brown remembers watching Canada’s best in wheelchair basketball at the Paralympic Games on television as a youngster, and vividly recalls what went through his mind at the time.

Vinzenz Geiger rallies, wins Olympic gold in Nordic combined

Horror stories about China’s treatment of Uyghurs gives issue more attention.

Prost! Raise a glass to Oktoberfest

As September comes to a close, a pair of local breweries are bringing some serious gemütlichkeit.

For the uninitiated, gemütlichkeit’s a word that doesn’t translate neatly from German to English, but which roughly means friendliness and good cheer.

Both Devil May Care Brewing Co. (155 Fort St.) and Kilter Brewing Co. (450 Rue Deschambault) are hosting Oktoberfest parties this weekend featuring food, music, games and, of course, plenty of beer.

Both breweries are rolling out special releases to coincide with their respective Oktoberfests — expect malty festbiers, marzens, rauchbiers and other German-inspired brews, served up in hefty steins alongside Bavarian-inspired fare. Devil May Care’s festivities run through to Sunday and feature eats by Freebird Kitchen, while Kilter keeps the party going through to Saturday, Oct. 3, and is offering pretzels and Oktoberfest-themed hot dogs. Lederhosen is encouraged.

Quebec introducing new rule to reduce bat deaths linked to wind farms

Quebec's Environment Department says it is introducing a new measure to mitigate the impact of wind farms on bats native to the province.

The government will require all future wind farm projects to increase turbine cut-in speeds — when the blades start rotating and generating power — to 5.5 metres per second at night between June 1 and Oct. 15.

Those months coincide with the period of the year when bats are most active in North America — and when they are most often killed by turbines.

The department says the measure has proven effective elsewhere and should significantly reduce the risk of bats colliding with turbines in Quebec, the second-largest wind energy market in Canada, after Ontario.