Seeds of mistrust sown prior to your vows

Billboard evangelism may look outdated but group says it’s effective

Maybe you’ve seen them in Winnipeg — billboards that say things like: “Jesus is alive!” “Are you prepared to meet Jesus?” “After you die, you will meet God.” They include a phone number to call: 844-FIND-TRUTH.

There are two billboards in Winnipeg. One is on Henderson Highway in Elmwood. The other is on Balmoral Street, by Cumberland.

Have you ever wondered who is behind them, and why they do it?

You might be surprised to learn they are created and sponsored by an Amish/Mennonite organization called Christian Aid Ministries (CAM). Based in rural Ontario, the group is funded by Amish and some conservative Mennonite denominations and individuals.

Return to office mandate keys: clarity, consistency, consideration

A recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision is prompting renewed conversation across Canada about remote work, employer authority and what happens when expectations about where work is performed are not clearly set out.

While the case itself is rooted in B.C., the implications are relevant for employers in Manitoba and elsewhere who are continuing to refine their return to office strategies in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world.

At the heart of the discussion is a simple but important question: if an employee was hired during a period when remote work was widely accepted or even standard, can an employer later require that employee to return to the workplace full time?

The court’s message, in essence, reinforces something many employment lawyers have been emphasizing since pandemic restrictions eased: remote work is not automatically a permanent entitlement.

Agassiz Youth Centre staff get transfers amid shutdown

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — Almost all employees of a Portage la Prairie youth jail that will shut down next month are transferring to other corrections sites, after Manitoba Justice pledged to offer them jobs.

Most staff from Agassiz Youth Centre put the Manitoba Youth Centre in Winnipeg as their first choice when asked to rank three preferred options, said one employee, who asked not to be named.

“Most people were OK with the decisions handed to them, but there was some disappointment if they didn’t get their first choice,” the employee told the Free Press. “A few have looked into other employment options as a result.”

The staff member said more than 20 workers will transfer to the Women’s Correctional Centre in Headingley, a few will go to jails in Headingley and Brandon, and at least one will work at Milner Ridge, about 20 kilometres southwest of Lac du Bonnet.

Paper trail

WHAT IT IS: Copy Paperis a 2014 textile-based piece by Ontario-born, Winnipeg-based artist Kristin Nelson, currently on view at WAG-Qaumajuq as part of the exhibition Terra Cognita/Incognita.

Of the 125 works in the show — which uses historical and contemporary pieces from WAG-Qaumajuq’s permanent collection to explore how artists have represented the landscape over time and across cultures —probably the most attention-getting are the beautiful paintings of Canada’s lakes, plains, forests and mountains.

So, how does this seemingly modest, somewhat enigmatic work connect to Terra Cognita/Incognita’s larger themes?

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In the middle of the exhibition, an antique desk holds several objects of beauty and utility, and this is where Copy Paper sneaks in, as something both “cognita and incognita,” known and unknown.

French tandem cements place among greatest ice dance duos with Olympic gold medal

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron stayed for another four years after being edged out by Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir at 2018 Games.

Grade 6: Twilight of the age of innocence

It's Friday morning at Windsor School and we are in the guitar room doing the Chicken Dance while singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

I say "we" because there are no observers allowed at circle time, only participants.

Silly song-and-dance combos might seem like a strange way to start a morning meeting in your world, but that's how we roll in the Circle of Power and Respect -- CPR as it's known in the Responsive Classroom approach to elementary education. That approach is based on the premise children learn best when they have both academic and social-emotional skills.

In CPR, we connect as a class and listen to each other's stories, hopes and fears without putting each other down. Everyone is seen, heard and acknowledged.