On the night table: Ryan Boldt

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.

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.

Mayoralty race off to glacial start

Just a few months before voters select their next city council, Winnipeg’s mayoral race has barely begun.

Mayor Scott Gillingham, who registered his re-election bid May 1, has yet to share a single promise about what he would do if re-elected.

That decision could reflect several circumstances of this particular race, including the current slate of mayoral candidates, according to a local political expert.

“It could be (Gillingham’s) just keeping his powder dry … I think he’s likely waiting to see what shakes out for his opponents, if there will be somebody of a higher profile, like a Kevin Klein, or somebody from the right or left of him (entering the race),” said Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba.

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.

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.”