Japanese Olympic athletes get shots as general public lags

Cockerill’s already successful year keeps getting better

Life is pretty rich these days for Aaron Cockerill.

Better wait for the next bus if a candidate promises quick, on-budget transit fixes

Winnipeg’s transit system needs fixing. But voters should be skeptical of municipal election candidates who promise to restore old routes, put hundreds of bus stops back where they used to be and somehow make everything better without spending substantially more money.

That’s not a transit plan. It’s wishful thinking.

Winnipeg’s transit network underwent a massive overhaul last year, fundamentally changing how people get around the city.

The new system has some real advantages, depending on where you live and where you need to go. It also has some serious shortcomings, including reduced service and less convenient connections for many riders.

Peasant Cookery's largely unchanged menu features unpretentious French home-cooking

This Exchange District venue has seen some ups and downs since it opened as Oui Bistro in 2007 and then rebranded as Peasant Cookery in 2010. Passersby will have noticed the fresh fire engine-red paint on the exterior, a change matched inside with new chef Melissa Makarenko.

Recent visits find the cooking sometimes uneven but often very good, especially when it plays to the strengths of the menu (which is largely unchanged), featuring unpretentious French home-cooking with local ingredients and a few contemporary twists.

Take the classic onion soup. The melty cheese is there, all right, but it’s the fundamentals that matter, like the properly deep and dark but still mellow broth that relies on veal stock and the low and slow caramelization of the onions.

The pan-fried chicken livers, cooked just to doneness and still tender, are also good, offset by a robust sauce of tomato and red wine. (More toast, though, please.)

Ruck earns second silver, Knox third bronze for Canada at swimming World Cup

TASHKENT - Canadian swimmers Taylor Ruck and Finlay Knox added to their medal hauls Friday at the second stop of the three-meet World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series.

Ruck, a four-time Olympic medallist from Kelowna, B.C., captured silver in the women's 100-metre backstroke in 56.38 seconds, behind Dutch winner Marrit Steenbergen, who finished in 55.32.

Ruck also had a runner-up finish Thursday in the 50 freestyle.

Knox, of Okotoks, Alta., took bronze in the men's 200 individual medley in one minute 52.33 seconds, behind Americans Shaine Casas and Carson Foster.

Herd ushers in new era of men’s hoops with roster of newcomers

The stage is new. The role, however, is a familiar one to Taven Vigilance.

For the first time since his days as a highly touted high school recruit at Oak Park, Vigilance will be asked to help drive the Manitoba Bisons offence this season.

An elevated role for the 6-7 guard, entering his third year comes as the Bisons turn the page to a new era of the men’s basketball program, having lost all five of its starters from a season ago.

Vigilance spent this summer honing his craft, knowing this opportunity was coming. He focused on his ability to dribble off a screen, in particular, which is a common demand of Bison ball-handlers who need to understand how to decisively read defenders off the pick.