Great fun on the run

Property tax promise will be hardest pledge to keep

The majority of the promises made by Brian Pallister and the PC party in the provincial election campaign were modest ones. Most should be easy to implement.

The pledges, including spending $2 billion more on health care over four years, building 20 schools and working closer with police to fight crime, are largely continuations of what government was already doing.

This election was more about Pallister seeking approval for his government’s agenda – especially in health care – than getting a new mandate.

But there was one surprise election commitment – phasing out education property taxes – that will be far more difficult and controversial to implement.

Wildfires in Brazil’s Amazonas state worsen air quality in Manaus

SAO PAULO (AP) — Smoke from wildfires disrupted daily life in Brazil's largest Amazon region city of Manaus on Friday as the country's dry season approached its peak.

The city, the capital of Amazonas state, suspended in-person work at municipal administrative offices, citing worsening air quality. Public school classes were canceled, and residents were urged to wear face masks.

The city said in a statement that the concentration of pollutants averaged 196 micrograms per cubic meter, which is considered an unhealthy level way above the normal range of about 3 to 9.

“For several days, Manaus has been affected by heavy smoke from fires in municipalities elsewhere in Amazonas state and in other states,” the city said. “The serious situation extends beyond the capital and threatens the health and quality of life of thousands of families.”

Red Cross volunteer honoured for years of service

Melanie Young was taken aback when she was awarded the Order of the Red Cross after 14 years of service.

“I appreciate it but it’s still a surprise. I feel like I don’t deserve it. There’s so many volunteers and so many teams everywhere involved in what we do. So many others that deserve it,” says the Canadian Red Cross volunteer.

The Pas resident was given the organization’s highest honour for supporting Manitobans during some of their most difficult moments at a private ceremony this month.

Young was the only recipient of the award in the province this year and is one of 483 Canadians to have received the honour since its creation in 1984.

Joker leads eyebrow-raising list

LOS ANGELES — An awards season that had been short on clarity and long on surprises came into focus Monday morning as the nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced, with nine films representing a wide range of genres earning best picture nods and the dark comic-book smash Joker leading the field with 11 nominations.

Following closely behind with 10 nominations apiece, including best picture, are the First World War epic 1917, Quentin Tarantino’s 1960s fantasia Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic The Irishman. Along with Joker, the other nominees for best picture are Ford v Ferrari, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story and Parasite, the latter of which became the first South Korean film to earn a nod for the academy’s top prize.

Nominees for director are Scorsese, Todd Phillips (Joker), Sam Mendes (1917), Tarantino and Bong Joon Ho (Parasite). It was a shutout for female directors, with potential nominees including Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Lulu Wang (The Farewell) and Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) failing to make the cut. (See sidebar for the full list of nominations.)

As always, the nominations included more than a few notable snubs and a couple of surprises.

Dawson Armstrong

Christian Banke