Three dolphins have died, says Whale Release and Strandings Group The mayor of Heart’s Delight-Islington, on the south side of Trinity Bay, says he first heard reports of a pod of dolphins being trapped by sea ice along the coastline of the community around 9:30 a.m. Friday. Melvin Harnum says within a couple of hours rescue efforts started, as personnel from the local fire department and Fisheries and Oceans Canada arrived at the scene. Harnum said a group of onlookers formed to observe the rescue efforts and it was heartbreakingRead more

Coached Blue Bombers to 4 Grey Cup titles and won 11 division crowns in U.S. Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who won four Grey Cups during his 10 years in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and took the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowls, died Saturday. He was 95. The Vikings announced Grant’s death on social media. “We are absolutely devastated to announce legendary Minnesota Vikings head coach and Hall of Famer Bud Grant has passed away this morning at age 95,” theRead more

‘We are stretched and exhausted and tired, and our system is stretched and exhausted and tired’ How were you talking about COVID-19the day it was declared a global pandemic? If you were Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, it was similar to plenty of others: a mix of worry and caution, but in retrospect, a wildly optimistic mindset at what the future would hold. “We must all step up our social distancing. This is not forever. This is for the coming weeks,” said Henry at a March 11,Read more

Poley Mountain says chairlift has been repaired, inspected and is back in operation When Angie Titus of Hampton, N.B., agreed to don skis for the first time in 17 years, she didn’t anticipate being evacuated from a chairlift. Titus and her sister decided to wind up March break with a day of skiing at Poley Mountain, near Sussex, on Friday. But their day on the slopes ended when the chairlift they were on came to a stop and they were told they would have to be evacuated by rope. TitusRead more

Tax, which affects certain types of alcohol, set to increase by 6.3 per cent April 1 Those who speak for Canada’s beer industry say a sizable tax increase which will take effect next month should be reconsidered — calling it the latest blow to financially-squeezed breweries. The federal government is set to increase the country’s beer excise tax by 6.3 per cent April 1 to account for inflation. Excise duties are also imposed on spirits, wine, tobacco, cannabis and vaping products. Shane Groendahl, co-founder of Blindman Brewing in Lacombe, Alta., north of RedRead more

The Bank of Canada decided Wednesday to keep its trend-setting interest rate right where it is, at 4.5 per cent. It’s the first time in more than a year that the central bank has decided not to raise its interest rate. Although it will come as encouraging news to borrowers, the move was widely expected, as the bank signalled at its previous policy meeting and in statements since then that it was leaning toward keeping its rate steady. The bank feels confident in standing pat because there is growing evidenceRead more

Giving someone the middle finger is a “God-given” right that belongs to all Canadians, a Quebec judge said, as he recently acquitted a Montreal-area man of criminal harassment and uttering threats. In his ruling, Quebec court Judge Dennis Galiatsatos wrote that not only was Neall Epstein not guilty, the fact that he was arrested and prosecuted at all was a bewildering injustice. “To be abundantly clear, it is not a crime to give someone the finger,” the judge wrote in his Feb. 24 ruling. “Flipping the proverbial bird is a God-given, Charter-enshrinedRead more