Son’s idea of sociability may not square with dad’s

Rally against mask use in Winkler schools scores points with health minister

Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen says the organizers of a recent hundreds-strong rally in Winkler against mandatory face mask rules in local schools made “some good points."

On Tuesday, a mask-less group of around 600 parents and children gathered in a closely-packed outdoor setting to voice opposition to Garden Valley School Division’s COVID-19 pandemic precautions, including mandated masks for students grades 4 and up, with doctor’s notes required for an exemption.

“My firm belief is that all directives related to mandatory mask-wearing in Canada are infringing on the rights of individual Canadians,” organizer Heather DiFrancesco said in a presentation to GVSD board trustees while the rally took place outside.

“There are many parents who believe wearing a mask may cause psychological and physical harm to their children.”

Occupied Ukraine holds Kremlin-staged vote on joining Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Kremlin-orchestrated referendum got underway Friday in occupied regions of Ukraine that sought to make them part of Russia, with some officials carrying ballots to apartment blocks accompanied by gun-toting police. Kyiv and the West condemned it as a rigged election whose result was preordained by Moscow.

Meanwhile, in a grim reminder of the brutality of the 7-month-old invasion, U.N. experts and Ukrainian officials pointed to new evidence of Russian war crimes. Kharkiv region officials said a mass burial site in the eastern city of Izium held hundreds of bodies, including at least 30 displaying signs of torture.

The referendums in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions were widely seen as a prelude to Moscow annexing the regions. The voting, which was overseen by authorities installed by Russia, is scheduled to run through Tuesday and is almost certain to go the Kremlin's way.

Authorities in the Kherson region said residents of a small Moscow-controlled area of the neighboring Mykolaiv province also will be able to vote, and that small area was “incorporated” into Kherson until all of Mykolaiv is taken over by Russian forces.

Parcel Pizza delivers familiar favourite wrapped up with a saucy twist

Good ideas come to those who wait (for the right location).

Parcel Pizza, a new restaurant from the owners of the Roost and Oxbow, is a case of food inspired by its surroundings. The pizzeria, located on the main floor of a new residential building on Stradbrook Avenue — although it’s equidistant from Osborne Village, downtown and The Forks — is one of the only eateries in the neighbourhood. Choosing a cuisine that would draw people in was the first order of business.

“We thought that something that is universally beloved, like pizza, would be really beneficial for the area,” says co-owner Elsa Taylor. “Another reason, what with the plague and all, is that we wanted something that would be conducive to takeout and delivery.”

In addition to the location, Parcel represents several firsts for Taylor and business partners Caiden Bircham and Isaac Hedenstierna, who make up the Oddlot Collective restaurant group.

Paralympics open in empty stadium - just like Olympics

On Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET, Toronto Star baseball columnist and Deep Left Field podcast host Mike Wilner will answer your questions about the Blue Jays and anything else baseball-related.

The silent stalker overtaking our sidewalks

Under the McPhillips railway bridge lives an overload of a sensory experience — and not in a nice way.

Once in a while, the city sidewalk sweepers make their way through the narrow, dark passageway, clearing away the sometimes inch-deep pigeon droppings along the edges. But most of the time, it’s the worst part of my walk.

There’s the guano — slick as grease when the sidewalk’s filled wall to wall with standing puddles — plus dead pigeons, broken pigeon eggs, discarded needles. Regularly, small handfuls of discarded, opened, probably stolen mail, as well as torn-open delivery packaging. The smell is overpowering, and it all seems like ground zero in an avian-flu-breeding sci-fi movie.

It’s also a pinch-point on McPhillips: the roadway has narrowed to two lanes to fit under the old bridge, and the sidewalks are narrow as well, tucked between a concrete wall on one side and steel girders that can only be described as encrusted on the other.