A bit of ‘locus-pocus’ can help ward off party hex

Probe into Nova Scotia mass killing continues

HALIFAX - For those grieving the victims of a gunman who left a trail of burned homes and at least 19 dead in Nova Scotia, anguished questions emerged Monday on what led to such horror.

"Why? It's just why?" said Kelly Blair, 48, who'd lost her younger brother Greg Blair, 45, and his wife Jamie.

"I honestly don't really know what happened. They were both shot. That's all we know, we don't know why. We don't know," she said by telephone from her Truro, N.S., home.

The murder and arson rampage that tore through 16 crime scenes on the weekend left tragedies that rippled throughout the province.

Will Smith apologizes: 'I was out of line and I was wrong'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The day after slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars stage and upending the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions are “not indicative of the man I want to be.”

The fallout from Smith’s actions during Sunday's ceremony continued Monday as Hollywood and the public continued to wrestle with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith striking Rock, who had made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and said it would launch an inquiry.

Later in the day, Smith gave a stronger apology than he did in his best actor acceptance speech, which notably hadn't included an apology to Rock.

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," said Smith in a statement issued by his publicist and posted on Instagram. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

New borders open up St. James race

St. James is shaping up to be a battle between the New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives in a constituency that tends to elect the candidate from the winning party.

There is no incumbent in the contest, as Scott Johnston, the PC MLA who won the seat in 2016, has opted to run in the neighbouring constituency of Assiniboia.

The NDP and the PCs are each fielding a strong first-time candidate in this bellwether constituency — one of several to watch Tuesday on election night.

Michelle Richard, 50, an urban planner and small-business owner, is running under the Tory banner against 39-year-old New Democrat Adrien Sala, director of strategy and operations for Assiniboine Credit Union.

‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

Downtown Winnipeg came alive with vibrant sights, sounds, and scents on Sunday, as Manitoba’s Sikh community flocked to Memorial Park to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

This year marked the 422nd anniversary of the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture central to the Sikh faith. Shortly after 1 p.m., a palanquin bearing a copy of the scripture was led in parade through downtown Winnipeg, with musical accompaniment.

“This is a chance to tell the public and the whole community where we come from and who we are,” said volunteer Prabh Grewal shortly before the procession got underway. “In a community there are people from every race and every country, and our main objective is to have everybody live in peace and harmony together.”

Before, during, and after the procession, the park hummed with life. As many as 55,000 people converged on the site, with the majority dressed in festive traditional attire. Near the height of the day’s 30 C heat, families relaxed in patches of shade, enjoying plates of Punjabi cuisine dished out for free at dozens of tents sponsored by local businesses.

RCMP defends N.S. shooting response

HALIFAX - Under fire for how they alerted the public to a 12-hour massacre that took the lives of 22 people, the Nova Scotia RCMP defended their actions Wednesday, saying their use of Twitter was effective.

Since the horrific string of killings started Saturday night and stretched into Sunday morning, questions have been raised as to why the province did not use an emergency alert system to transmit warnings to Nova Scotians' cellphones and television screens.

RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather said Twitter messages from the RCMP started Saturday at 10:26 p.m., when the Mounties warned of a firearms complaint in Portapique, a tiny village about a 130-kilometre drive north of Halifax.

Leather read from a statement Wednesday making it clear he was aware the RCMP's communication with the public was under scrutiny.

Ex-nurses blame red tape for holding up return to workplace

Former nurses who want to go back to work are calling out the regulatory red tape that’s in their way, even as hospitals across the province struggle to fill nursing shifts.