Don’t simply brush off inappropriate incident

BRANDON — The two mayoral candidates made their final pushes Tuesday to woo voters in Manitoba’s second-largest city.

Incumbent Jeff Fawcett said he and his team have been to nearly every doorstep in the city, while challenger Len Isleifson, a former Tory MLA, said he has covered most parts of Brandon and was even on a second go-round in some areas.

“I’m working my tail off to try to make sure that people do get out to vote, and the people I speak to, I feel fairly optimistic,” said Fawcett, who is running for his second term. “But people have to vote.”

The Brandon Sun joined both Fawcett and Isleifson as they went door knocking one day before Manitoba’s elect new municipal councils.

Indigenous leaders and bioscience professionals are gathering this week to promote health-care technology in northern communities.

Bioscience Association Manitoba is hosting its second annual Indigenous Health Innovations conference on Thursday, a day after the World Indigenous Business Forum ends its Winnipeg tenure.

“We fly a lot of people in the North to get access for care for things that technology can actually give them,” said Andrea Ladouceur, Bioscience Association Manitoba’s president.

For example, Manitobans may hop on a plane for a strep throat test when they don’t need to, she said.

RESTAURANTS are hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Many won’t recover, and some are already closed for good. And grocers, despite the influx of millions of new dollars, are managing unprecedented pressure points.

Grocers are in a high-volume, low-margin business. The $80 billion shifting over from the decimated food-service sector may have been a godsend at the beginning. However, the COVID-19 crisis has been anything but easy for the grocery industry.

Before the crisis, according to a survey by Angus Reid, 18 per cent of Canadians either avoided the grocery store or intended to avoid it. However, 52 per cent now tell pollsters they intend to avoid the grocery store. And 20 per cent of those polled say they’re shopping for someone else. This is up from four per cent prior to COVID-19. That’s an incredible jump.

In a period of one month, what was pleasant social spacing at the grocery store is now seen as an inherent health threat by many.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My husband died a while back, and I don’t miss him! He had grown old in a strange and cranky way, and I’m a cheerful person by nature. It was hard to hear him shoot down every idea I had to go out and do things together.

He wasn’t physically ill — just finished with having any fun. He had gotten depressed and wouldn’t take anti-depressants, although he was fine with getting drunk and critical towards me.

He was particularly negative about seeing friends and relatives, and living the active way we used to — always the first to get tickets to concerts and encouraging other friends to go with us for dinners at new restaurants. We also went to a lot of sports games, and visited friends and relatives. We arrive with lots of good food and drink.

So now when people ask me in that pitying voice used for widows, “Poor darling, how are you doing?” I respond, “He was miserable towards the end, and it was a relief when he died.” They look shocked, but it’s the truth, and they know it.