Canadian political culture grew out of War of 1812

THE War of 1812 -- a conflict between Britain and the United States, much of it contested on Canadian soil -- was a decisive event in Canadian history.

The U.S. proved unable to conquer and annex Britain's Upper and Lower Canadian colonies, thus ensuring that Canada would develop as an independent nation within the British imperial orbit.

This summer marks the 200th anniversary of the outbreak of the war. Recent years have witnessed a flurry of scholarship on the conflict -- Ontario historian Wesley Turner's 2011 biography of British general Isaac Brock comes to mind -- but it is difficult to imagine a better introduction to the War of 1812 than this account by York University professor of political science James Laxer.

This military and diplomatic history of the War emphasizes the roles played by two inspired leaders on the British and Canadian side: Brock, the commander of the forces of Upper Canada and the head of its civil government; and his ally Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief who joined the British to fight the Americans who were systematically encroaching on native land.

Manitobans will continue to spring forward, fall back

Premier Wab Kinew has rejected the idea Manitoba would make daylight time permanent.

British Columbia has announced it will adopt year-round daylight time. The one-hour time change this Sunday — a shift forward — will be the last for most people in that province.

“Not right now,” Kinew said after being asked whether Manitoba would follow suit.

“Everybody’s got an opinion on it, but we only have so many hours in a day, and we’re going to spend those hours on health care and lowering your cost of living.”

Local Iranians bittersweet about war

Farimehr Hakemzadeh is communicating with loved ones in Iran and refreshing news and social media feeds as often as possible for updates on the escalating war in the Middle East.

The Iranian-Canadian, who lives in Winnipeg, has gone through a range of emotions since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Tehran’s repressive Islamic regime Saturday — from hope for change and peace, to fear for the safety of family and friends.

“It’s very obvious that there’s a lot of fear in all of our hearts for the people, for the innocent lives that are being affected,” she said Tuesday.

“For nearly half a century the Iranian people have been living under this fear. They have been living under fear for executions, imprisonment and trauma (by Iran’s regime).”

Trial against Meta in New Mexico highlights video depositions by top executives

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors began presenting never-before-seen video depositions of Meta executives at a trial in New Mexico on Tuesday to bolster accusations that the social media conglomerate failed to disclose what it knows about harmful effects to children on its platforms, including Instagram.

New Mexico prosecutors are billing depositions from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram leader Adam Mosseri as centerpieces of the state's case against Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Prosecutors have accused Meta of violating state consumer protection laws.

Prosecutors say the dangers of addiction to social media as well as child sexual exploitation on Meta's platforms weren’t properly addressed or disclosed by the company.

Meta attorney Kevin Huff pushed back on those assertions during opening statements on Feb. 9, highlighting efforts to weed out harmful content from its platforms while warning users that some content still gets through its safety net. He said Meta discloses the risks.

The sidelines: perhaps the safest place to be

The military power of the United States — and of Israel — is brought to bear on Iran, and the Canadian response is well, muted. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Last spring forward for B.C. as it moves to permanent daylight time

VICTORIA - British Columbia's southern population centres will be facing winter sunrises around 9 a.m. — and around 9:30 a.m. in the north — after the decision to adopt year-round daylight time, springing forward by one hour this Sunday for the last time.

Premier David Eby said Monday the decision is about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy.

"British Columbians have been clear that seasonal time changes do not work for them,” Eby said.

He announced the change inside the legislature's Hall of Honour, surrounded by about 40 local elementary schoolchildren, and he addressed them first.

End the ban: France backs return of intellectually disabled athletes to Winter Paralympics

LANS-EN-VERCORS, France (AP) — On a well-groomed, snow-covered slope in the Montagnes de Lans ski area near the French city of Grenoble, a group of Alpine skiers take aggressive lines through the gates. Their trajectories are precise, the tempo is fast and the technique polished.

Among this competition squad are world champions — some with multiple medals to their names.

Yet none will line up in the starting gates at the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games, where more than 650 athletes will compete in 79 medal events from March 6.

The reason? They have cognitive disabilities and are not eligible to compete.

Hockey games and missed opportunities

When I was 16, I quit hockey. I was a closeted teenager, and I was sick to death of the bullying, the violence, and the culture. Hockey made me ashamed. For a decade, I found it easier to come out of the closet than to tell people I had once loved hockey.

Duelling protests in Winnipeg condemn, celebrate strikes on Iran

The courtyard outside the U.S. consulate in downtown Winnipeg hosted contrasting demonstrations Sunday as Manitobans reacted to U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran’s regime and the latter’s retaliatory attacks.

Peace Alliance Winnipeg condemned the joint strikes, with supporters holding signs reading “No war on Iran” and “Ceasefire,” shortly before members of Winnipeg’s Iranian diaspora danced and waved flags while celebrating the death of Iran’s supreme leader and expressing hopes of “liberation.”

“All of us hope that soon the Islamic Republic of Iran will be overthrown, and we hope for the return of Pahlavi monarchy to Iran,” said Iranian Monarchists of Manitoba manager Shahla Shojaei, who moved to Canada from Iran in 2017.

“The reason that I came here (to Canada) was because there is no freedom in Iran. Human rights were suppressed.”

Chief says more funding needed to repair homes after power outage, flooding

A northern First Nation hit by a days-long power outage and subsequent water crisis is seeking additional government funds to cover the cost of mould and asbestos removal in homes.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias said Friday there is a shortage of funding to remediate the hazards and bring homes with damage up to code so they are habitable.

“We can’t have (residents) return to a situation where there might be some bacteria or moulding issues that will affect their safety, that affect their health, and possibly cause medical issues that will be made worse because they already have existing health issues,” he said during a virtual call.

Pimicikamak’s leaders said an estimated 1,300 homes were damaged after pipes froze and burst two months ago. Water leaked into basements and crawl spaces. The community’s water and sewage plants were also affected.

The number of impoverished children is growing

Canada is, unfortunately, beginning to look like the land of poor prospects for its children.

The country saw an increase in child poverty for the third straight year in 2023 — the most recent available public data — according to an annual child poverty report card recently released by Campaign 2000, a non-partisan coalition dedicated to ending child poverty in Canada.

It doesn’t matter which measuring stick you use: according to the official Market Basket Measure, child poverty has more than doubled since 2020, to 10.7 per cent — or 802,000 children. Meanwhile, the Census Family Low Income Measure, After Tax — which Campaign 2000 uses and claims is a better indicator — put the number at 18.3 per cent, or 1.4 million children.

According to 2023 data, Manitoba was the second-highest in child poverty rates based on the CFLIM-AT measure, at 26.9 per cent (Saskatchewan had the highest, at 27.1 per cent). Winnipeg was sixth-highest among large urban centres for the same year, at a rate of 22 per cent.

Drone application big step in crop protection

It’s been a long time coming, but Health Canada is finally moving forward with a plan that would allow farmers to spray weeds using drones.

The department that oversees Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has launched a 30-day public consultation process on a proposal to regulate drone applications of pesticides similarly to manned aircraft applications.

The change, if approved, would allow manufacturers whose products are already approved for application by manned aircraft to add application by drones to their product labels without going through the costly and time-consuming process of applying for a label change.

Currently, there are no agricultural pesticide products registered for drone application largely because the current regulations require every product to go through a separate registration process providing supporting data.

Canadian sovereignty is not just about borders, but culture too

It was “elbows up” in Davos — then came “leg up” in Ottawa.

The bawdy moment between Prime Minister Mark Carney and actor Hudson Williams happened in late January when both were at a gala celebrating the country’s film and TV successes.

“Do the leg thing,” Carney instructed Williams, one star of Heated Rivalry, the Canadian-made gay love story about hockey rivals and overnight international smash hit. Williams swung one leg up onto the prime minister while photographers captured the viral moment tossed into their lap.

Whether or not Carney has seen Heated Rivalry, it’s hard to imagine a sleeker image for elbows-up nationalism: loudly Canadian but still cosmopolitan, pro-hockey but not exactly hoser-ish — and eager for international markets.

Mayor encouraged after downtown housing unit approvals reach 15-year high

The city approved more than 1,000 new downtown housing units last year, marking a 15-year high, while work continues to help entice people to move to the area.

Building permits were issued for 1,040 new downtown dwelling units in 2025, nearly double the 596 issued in 2018 and greatly improved from the 141 granted during the post-pandemic slowdown in 2022, city data show.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the permit data reflects renewed interest in developing downtown.

“Before the pandemic, Winnipeg’s downtown had a lot of momentum and now we really see that momentum is really strong again,” he said.

Siloam Mission staffers demand CEO be removed one week into the job

Siloam Mission staff members are calling for the removal of the inner-city shelter’s new CEO and its board chair, as well as an independent review of its executive leadership and board oversight.

They allege CEO Sonia Prevost-Derbecker, who was formally introduced in the role Feb. 20, has made derogatory and demeaning remarks about Indigenous people, individuals struggling with substance use, and the neighbourhood around the 300 Princess St. building. They said they were also concerned she had asked about her personal spending authority.

“Our position remains firm: meaningful governance change is required,” said a recent email from staff to the shelter’s board of directors.

“We believe this includes the removal of (chair Tracey Silagy) from the board and the replacement of Sonia as CEO. Without these steps, confidence cannot be restored.”

Federal judge extends order protecting refugees in Minnesota from being arrested and deported

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Friday extended an order protecting refugees in Minnesota who are lawfully in the U.S. from being arrested and deported, saying a Trump administration policy turns the “American Dream into a dystopian nightmare.”

U.S. District Judge John Tunheim granted a motion by advocates for refugees to convert a temporary restraining order that he issued in January into a more permanent preliminary injunction while the case develops further.

The order applies only in Minnesota. But the implications of a new national policy on refugees that the Department of Homeland Security announced Feb. 18 were a major part of the discussion at a hearing held by the judge the next day.

“Minnesota refugees can now live their lives without fear that their own government will snatch them off the street and imprison them far from loved ones,” Kimberly Grano, an attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project, told The Associated Press.

Manitoba premier says U.S. men’s hockey team offside on Trump phone call

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is praising Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck for his performance in this year's Winter Olympics, but says when it comes to promoting sport and respect, the entire U.S. men’s hockey team was way offside.

Kinew, speaking to reporters in Winnipeg, made the comment when asked about the American players celebrating in their dressing room after their gold medal win over Canada and laughing at disparaging comments about the gold medal-winning women’s team made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The women’s team, for America, deserved a lot better than they got, both from the men’s team but also from their president,” Kinew said Friday.

"With Hellebuyck, I’m a Winnipeg Jets fan, so I’m going to bite my tongue about the Trump stuff. But (to Hellebuyck), win a Stanley Cup for our city now.”

Solomon to meet OpenAI CEO Altman in wake of mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

VANCOUVER - Federal Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon will meet with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman next week looking for a plan on how the company might prevent another tragedy like the mass killings in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.

Solomon said in a statement on Friday that he plans to talk to Altman "to seek further clarity and to ensure that the commitments made are translated into concrete action."

OpenAI had sent a letter to Solomon on Thursday, outlining its commitment to strengthen detection systems, to identify potential warning signals of serious violence, and better prevent attempts to evade safeguards.

Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar had her ChatGPT account flagged internally and shut down by OpenAI last June, but the company did not notify police at the time. She went on to murder eight people on Feb. 10 in Tumbler Ridge, before killing herself.

Trump raises the possibility of a ‘friendly takeover of Cuba’ coming out of talks with Havana

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. is in talks with Havana and raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba” without offering any details on what he meant.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House as he left for a trip to Texas, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in discussions with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”

“The Cuban government is talking with us,” the president said. “They have no money. They have no anything right now. But they’re talking to us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

He added: “We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

Opposition parties back changes to status rules in Indian Act, Liberals say not yet

OTTAWA - All four opposition parties in the House of Commons are backing legislation to change the status rules in the Indian Act to end the "second-generation cutoff."

But the Liberals say that while they support changes to registration eligibility, more consultations with First Nations are needed before the law is amended.

Bill S-2, introduced in the Senate with support from the Liberals, initially sought to restore First Nations status to some 3,500 individuals.

Those individuals' ancestors lost their status before 1985 due to a law that said they could not maintain status if they wanted to vote in federal elections or own property.