‘It makes me feel insignificant,’ says woman awaiting surgery for scoliosis A woman in northeastern Alberta has been waiting in pain for almost two-and-a-half years to get a surgery that would correct a severe curvature of her spine. “It’s been getting progressively worse over the years,” said Sarah MacPhail, a therapist and clinical social worker in Cold Lake, Alta., 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. MacPhail was a teenager when she was diagnosed with scoliosis, where the spine is curved from side to side. In cases with substantial curvature — an S-or C-shapeRead more

If a material cannot be recycled, the best thing to do is to make it last longer, says one entrepreneur A whirring sound fills the room as Tess Gobeil switches on a red machine, and a wheel begins to spin. She holds up a sandal and runs its soles against the wheel’s surface, smoothing its edges. The sanding belt is one of several wheels on the large piece of equipment used to restore shoes, including the one in Gobeil’s hand — one of many in the queue for repairs atRead more

Want to be part of a future gallery? Email us at [email protected] The sun is setting on 2022, so we’re looking back at some of our favourite photos from you. We received thousands of photo submissions over the course of the past year. We love seeing all of your submissions, and we know you love seeing them too. So when it comes to picking the selections for our end of the year gallery, what goes into it? Sometimes it’s the pops of colour or lighting or composition. A lot of theRead more

The program can write a limerick and create a story, but does it know everything about the picture province? How accurately can an artificial intelligence describe New Brunswick? ChatGPT, owned by San Francisco-based firm OpenAI, is a sophisticated artificial intelligence that answers questions or completes tasks. Its responses are designed to mimic humans, and although the AI is easy to use, the program itself warns users when they sign up that not everything ChatGPT says is accurate. We decided to ask ChatGPT a series of questions about New Brunswick to test itsRead more

The Southwestern Ontario Black Entrepreneurship Network launched Dec. 5 Even before starting her business, Cherie Warner-Richard said she had an “entrepreneurial bug.” Growing up around her entrepreneurial grandmother and her “crafty” mother inspired her to become who she is today. “I feel like they laid the foundation for me to be brave enough to take on this challenge,” said Warner-RIchard, who owns Cee Wee Designs, a bag and accessories store. Cee Wee Designs was among businesses at the launch of the new Southwestern Ontario Black Entrepreneurship Network (SWOBEN), which aims to serve as aRead more

Nearly 850 trees would be cut down to make way for sprawling water park, underground parking lot Toronto is reviewing plans to turn Ontario Place into a sprawling private water park and spa with underground parking for more than 2,000 vehicles — a project that would require nearly 850 trees on the grounds be cut down. City staff and council are currently examining a development application submitted by the province on Nov. 25. The controversial proposal has been in the works for more than a year and needs to be approved by the cityRead more

Results of camera work to be transmitted to Earth on Monday A 17-metre-long Canadian-made robotic arm on the International Space Station will inspect a docked Soyuz spacecraft after a leak was noticed just before a spacewalk last week, Russia’s state space corporation said on Sunday. After the spacewalk was called off on Thursday, Roscosmos said there had been damage to the outer skin of an instrument assembly compartment of the Soyuz MS-22 capsule. It said there was a coolant leak. Roscosmos said cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna KikinaRead more

Taykwa Tagamou Nation hopes to join other Indigenous governing bodies with child welfare laws in effect Taykwa Tagamou Nation Chief Bruce Archibald still remembers how it felt to be taken away from his home as a toddler and sent to live with another family that didn’t practice his Cree traditions. “Things like that shouldn’t happen,” he said. Archibald was two years old when he was placed with a French-speaking family. Today, Archibald is using that experience as motivation to keep Indigenous kids rooted in their culture. Taykwa Tagamou Nation, locatedRead more

Saskatoon residence is a ‘community where people thrive,’ CEO says It’s time for learning circle. Eleven-year-old Rachel Molnar is wrangling more guests for her Grade 6 classroom. But those participants aren’t other Grade 6 students. That’s because Molnar is a student in a classroom inside Sherbrooke Community Centre in Saskatoon. She and other students like her are spending the year in iGen, an intergenerational classroom where students and residents exchange wisdom and knowledge with each other Monday through Friday. “I love the energy, I love seeing everyone so happy,” RachelRead more

A male suspect died following an interaction with officers, police say York police said six people, including an alleged gunman, are dead following a shooting at a condo tower in Vaughan on Sunday night. Officers were called to the building at 7:20 p.m. ET on Sunday in response to a shooting in progress. It’s unclear what drove the violence, but York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said five people were killed at the scene, which he described as horrendous. He said a sixth victim was taken to hospital but is expected to survive. At least one woman, who wasRead more