Heart-stopping drama

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Caution! Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions from 4:15 a.m. until 6 p.m. today. After that, the new moon in Cancer moves into Leo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Be aware of the limitations of the moon alert. Nevertheless, this can be a warm and happy day, especially with family members. This is the only new moon all year that offers you a chance to think how to improve your home and relations with family.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Structural flaws affect health-care performance

The record is not background. It is the forecast. Past performance is the best available indicator of future performance. That principle belongs to every field in which the conditions producing a result are more durable than the result itself.

Provincial independence means loss of portable health benefits

During the many decades that I practised internal medicine, at times I would warn patients about the potential adverse effects of medications or procedures. No one accused me of scare-mongering. Most thanked me for spending the time so that they could make an informed decision. Similarly, Albertans and Quebecers need a full discussion of all the risks of amputating themselves from Canada.

On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on whether to have a referendum on independence. Also, if the Parti Québécois wins the early October election, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a third referendum on Quebec independence, likely toward the end of his mandate. An Ipsos poll found that 15 to 18 per cent of Albertans were committed to separation. Meanwhile, CTV and Global polls found that 26 to 29 per cent of Quebecers favoured separation, a historic low. About 62 to 71 per cent rejected having a third referendum.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith estimated that start-up costs would be about $400 billion. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce warned that Alberta would forego $10 to 15 billion in investment in the first year.

Few have mentioned the effects on access to health care within an independent province or elsewhere in Canada. A vote for independence would cause many physicians, nurses, and health professionals to flee, for they are quite mobile. CBC reported on June 27 that from October 2025 to June 2026, the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New Brunswick granted 47 licences and received 156 applications from Quebec physicians. Also, between late October and mid-November 2025, nearly 300 Quebec physicians applied to work in Ontario; over half were family physicians.

Name-change sex abuser pleads guilty

A convicted child sex predator who changed his name before going on to abuse another victim is now facing a likely 15-year prison sentence.

Ryan Knight, 44, pleaded guilty Monday morning to sexual interference and making child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

Knight remains in custody and is expected to be sentenced in the fall, when Crown and defence lawyers will jointly recommend the repeat offender serve 15 years in prison.

Knight, who was born Ryan Gabourie, has been in custody since last July when he was charged with sex crimes involving a 13-year-old boy.

If it works in Ontario, why not in Manitoba?

Grid-scale battery storage has fundamentally changed the global energy landscape — and Manitoba needs to get on board.

Battery systems store large amounts of excess electricity for when it’s most needed. While they can be charged from any generation source, they are especially beneficial for integrating wind and solar power, which vary with weather and time of day. Batteries allow electrical grids to meet the need for firm, dispatchable and affordable capacity using renewable energy, rather than relying on coal, nuclear and fossil gas. They also provide numerous other benefits, including reducing overloading of transmission infrastructure and helping to regulate the grid’s frequency and voltage.

Average costs for grid-scale batteries plummeted by more than half between 2023 and 2025 and installations have skyrocketed in China, the U.S., Australia and Europe. Texas now has 16,500 megawatts (MW) of battery storage, while California has 15,200 MW. Closer to home, Ontario recently awarded 640 MW of contracts to three battery storage projects in a competitive auction, with batteries beating out fossil gas-fired power plants on cost every time. One of these projects will be built near Dryden, only four hours east of Winnipeg.

Each battery system will provide eight hours of capacity but will cost considerably less than Ontario’s previous battery procurements, which provide only four hours of capacity. With this latest auction, Ontario has now secured 3,600 MW of battery storage capacity, including the operational Oneida (250 MW), Hagersville (300 MW) and Napanee (250 MW) projects. Almost all have significant Indigenous participation, with the latest procurements boasting 50 per cent First Nations ownership.

Toys ‘R’ Us closing Polo Park store

Embattled toy retailer Toys “R” Us is closing its store in Winnipeg’s Polo Park area.

Staff hung signs sharing the news — and advertising liquidation pricing — on Friday. The signage does not indicate when the store, located at 1445 St. Matthews Ave., will close for good.

A store manager declined to comment on Monday, directing a reporter to Toys “R” Us Canada Ltd.’s head office. The company did not respond to interview requests.

Toys “R” Us announced in January it would close its Polo Park location, but reversed course a few weeks later. The Canada-wide company has been in creditor protection since February.