Do masks with antiviral coating offer more protection?

Payment for plasma a necessary next step

In an ideal world, enough volunteers would roll up their sleeves to donate blood plasma to meet the needs of Canadian patients. That’s not happening; not even close.

Do masks with antiviral coating offer more protection?

Do masks with antiviral coating offer more protection?

It’s an intriguing idea, but there haven’t been enough rigorous independent studies to establish whether antiviral masks are better at protecting wearers or preventing the spread of the virus.

Their specifics vary, but many antiviral masks are supposed to be made or coated with materials that have extra virus-fighting properties, such as copper.

Websites for several antiviral masks do not provide detailed information about how researchers tested their safety or effectiveness, said Hyo-Jick Choi, a materials science expert at the University of Alberta.

Provincial restrictions against drive-in religious services remain

A Manitoba judge rejected a church’s request Saturday to hold drive-in services despite the province’s COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings and in-person religious events.

“The onus that an applicant must meet to obtain a stay of legislation is extremely high,” Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench said in his rare weekend ruling.

“I do not believe that the applicants meet their burden of showing that (they) will suffer irreparable harm if the injunction is not granted.”

Joyal held a special Saturday court hearing in a case brought by Springs Church, which has faced more than $32,000 in fines for drive-in services in recent weeks and wanted a ruling before a planned service later in the day.

Stars align for progress on carbon-tax impasse

How many political leaders does it take to levy a carbon tax? After yet another face-to-face meeting between Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, two may not be enough.

On Monday morning in the toasty confines of a downtown Winnipeg hotel, Pallister got 30 minutes of face time with Trudeau, who is in Winnipeg for a three-day cabinet retreat. Trudeau and his ministers have been holding court with various subject matter experts and strategists in preparation for the spring sitting of the House of Commons.

However, it's impossible for the prime minister to visit a provincial capital for a meeting like this and not set aside time for a parlay with the resident premier. Although these events are typically more about photo opportunities than actual deal making, staff for both the premier and prime minister tout them as productive relationship building sessions. Pallister and Trudeau could certainly use some of that.

Past mini-summits between the two leaders have not been productive. In fact, at times, they have seemed downright destructive. Could this meeting, held in the face of some of the worst of Manitoba's winter weather, be any different?

Try growing Salvia and Veronica speedwell in your garden

Salvia and Veronica speedwell are two of the most popular garden plants.

Both include varieties that produce dense, upright spikes of tiny purple or blue flowers and come in a range of colours and forms. Gardeners frequently confuse Salvia and Veronica, but there are distinct differences between the two.

Salvia, which is a member of the Lamiaceae family, has highly aromatic leaves, square stems and tubular two-lipped flowers. Salvia is also a significantly larger and more diverse genus than Veronica, with hundreds of different species of annuals and perennials.

Veronica, formerly classified in Scrophulariaceae, is in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The leaves and flowers of Veronica are not known for fragrance. The stems are characteristically round, and the flowers are star-like with four spreading lobes that fuse at the base.

‘Didn’t realize how close I was’ to getting hit, pedestrian says

A West Broadway pedestrian says it was like a scene straight out of the movies as he narrowly avoided being plowed into during a midday police pursuit.

Adam Orbanski was crossing Langside Street along Broadway Friday and had just made it to the curb when a vehicle slammed into another metres away from him.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Orbanski said Monday after viewing security footage of the incident captured by a nearby business. “I didn’t realize how close I was, I guess, until my friend sent me the security footage. I’m lucky to be alive.”

Orbanski said he was walking home from work when he began to hear sirens. As he crossed Langside, he could see one vehicle approaching him quickly.