‘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