Memo warned PM of public anxiety about mental health, firearms after B.C. shootings

OTTAWA - Three days after the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., government officials warned Prime Minister Mark Carney that online sentiment was shifting from collective grief toward "emerging accountability narratives" — including questions about mental health intervention, firearms access and whether warning signs were missed.

The memo to Carney from the Privy Council Office said the overall public reaction was dominated by a sense of shock and national mourning, with strong expressions of solidarity and support for victims, families and the devastated northeastern British Columbia community.

It also advised that confidence in first responders remained intact after the violence that claimed nine lives and left more than two dozen injured, "but scrutiny of broader systems is likely to increase as investigations progress."

The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain a copy of the memo. Several passages were redacted from the document before its release.

Museum diorama detailing marshland, rye farm decommissioned owing to pest infestation

What was designed as a triumph of taxidermy has instead become a buffet for pests.

Manitoba Museum has been forced to decommission the Delta Marsh and Rye Farm two-part diorama in the Parklands Gallery after discovering the extent of the devastation wrought by mice, clothes moths and beetle larvae. The open-air exhibition, completed in 2003, represents the province’s most important wetlands and the challenges faced by early farmers, including Ukrainian immigrants in the 1920s.

“Pests are a major issue,” says Amelia Fay, the museum’s director of research, collections and exhibitions. “All museums have pests and use discreet pest-management systems, but this specific diorama was particularly vulnerable because of how authentically it was constructed, using real plant materials and organic elements that various types of critters like to consume.”

Pests can enter the museum when the doors open; clothes moths drift in with foot traffic, mice can get in through tiny gaps and dermestid beetles can hitch a ride with visitors or via tiny cracks, laying eggs in areas close to food sources for future larvae.

After 39 years, Antoni Cimolino prepares to take his final bow at Stratford

STRATFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA -  

Antoni Cimolino is ending his tenure at the helm of Canada's most influential theatre institution on a reflective note. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his farewell season is rich with metaphor. 

Its name, "This Rough Magic," is tied to a line from "The Tempest," which was the last play written by Shakespeare alone. The magic, Cimolino explained, is the theatre itself. 

‘SkyMed’ moves from CBC to Paramount Plus as new love triangle unfolds for Season 4

TORONTO - The star of a Canadian medical drama that just premiered its fourth season says he feels elevated by the recent success of other homegrown TV shows such as "Heated Rivalry" and "North of North."

"We do have a tone, we do have a voice. There is a lot of talented people in Canada. And there's no reason that we shouldn't be at the top there doing our thing," actor Aaron Ashmore said during a video interview in Toronto.

Ashmore stars in "SkyMed," an action-packed medical drama on air since 2022. It features a mix of romance, daring rescues and a close-up look into the dangers pilots and nurses face while flying in remote parts of Canada.

After three years on CBC, Season 4 is now streaming on Paramount Plus Canada. The public broadcaster did not acquire the fourth season of the show, saying it was part of "difficult programming decisions" it makes each year.

Q&A: Anna Gomez is the sole Democrat on the FCC. She has a warning for big media companies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anna Gomez wakes up every morning and checks her phone to see if President Donald Trump has fired her yet.

For now, she remains the sole Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, where she's on an increasingly urgent mission to press media companies to more forcefully combat an administration she says is cracking down on free speech.

Her immediate focus is Disney, the parent of ABC. It is the subject of investigations launched by the FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally.

In an extraordinary four-page letter earlier this month to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro, Gomez outlined what she described as the FCC's “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control” against the company. She noted probes touching on everything from diversity practices to ABC's moderation of a 2024 presidential debate and the guests booked on “The View” along with the administration's calls for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired.

Cypriot social media star Fidias will keep his European Parliament job after winning Cyprus seat

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cypriot YouTuber and TikToker Fidias Panayiotou, who translated his online popularity into a meteoric political career at home and in Europe, said Monday that he’ll hold onto his European Parliament seat, despite winning one in Cyprus’ House of Representatives.

“I’ll stay in the European Parliament because it would be good for the Direct Democracy party to have a European Parliament member,” Fidias, who goes by his first name, told reporters before a proclamation ceremony.

“We could’ve done better but we’re happy with what has happened, this is a small victory.”

Fidias whipped up much speculation by being coy about his political future throughout his campaign.

Sonny Rollins, saxophonist and restless genius of jazz, dead at 95

NEW YORK (AP) — Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist and restless genius whose bold, distinctive tone and constant experimentation kept him on the cutting edge of jazz for more than 50 years, died Monday at age 95.

Spokesperson Terri Hinte told The Associated Press that Rollins died at his home in Woodstock, New York. She cited no specific cause of death, but said he had been largely housebound over the past couple of years because of various physical problems.

From his early days as a teen phenom to his more measured solo work and experimentation with free jazz, Rollins was revered for his improvisational skill. He was one of the last living greats of the bebop era and — along with John Coltrane and Charlie Parker — one of the most influential saxophonists of his time.

Rock fans got a dose of his music with the Rolling Stones’ 1981 album “Tattoo You,” which features’ Rollins’ wistful sax solo on the ballad “Waiting on a Friend," devised after watching Mick Jagger dance.

Drake pulls historic hat trick, claiming top 3 spots on Billboard chart

TORONTO - Drake once said he "started from the bottom," but this week he's occupying the entire top floor of the Billboard charts.

The Toronto rapper has rewritten music history by becoming the first artist to claim the top three spots on Billboard's top 200 album chart, the company announced Sunday.

His trilogy of albums — "Iceman," "Habibti" and "Maid of Honour" — debuted at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the chart dated May 30.

With "Iceman," Drake also notched his 15th No. 1 album, moving past Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among solo male and R&B/hip-hop artists, and tying him with Taylor Swift for the most No. 1s among solo artists. Only The Beatles sit ahead overall, with a record 19 No. 1 albums.

Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, continuing a more than century-old tradition. The three-day competition begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday night.

The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. After a long run at a convention center in suburban Maryland, the bee returns to the nation's capital this year at Constitution Hall, a few blocks from the White House.

Another change for this year: ESPN NFL analyst and recent “Celebrity Jeopardy!” champion Mina Kimes has joined the bee as its television host.

This is the 98th bee; it was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s champion will be the 111th, because the bee ended in a two-way tie several times and an eight-way tie in 2019.

Emerging film fest fosters creativity, community

While Ontario and Quebec film artists have long spoken ambivalently about working in the shadow of a cultural superpower, Prairie film artists tend to express a different kind of marginality.

“Canada doesn’t hold a candle to Hollywood and all that, but Winnipeg really struggles in the shadow of the folks in Toronto who set the agenda and who get most of the funding,” Winnipeg filmmaker Kevin Nikkel recently told the Free Press.

Nikkel’s son Caden, also a filmmaker, is driven by a similar sentiment.

He’s the programmer behind the Manitoba Emerging Filmmakers Festival (also organized by Matthew Shoup, Kieran Peters and Taryn Edgeworth). The festival, now in its third year, will show dozens of films next weekend in the Exchange District.

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop opens for tours. Here’s what’s inside the once-hidden puppet studio

Deep in a cavernous New York City warehouse, the artisans behind some of the world’s most beloved children’s characters have been fashioning costumes and puppets for years in relative anonymity.

In ‘Pressure,’ the story of the meteorologist who helped save D-Day

D-Day was supposed to happen on June 5, 1944. The story of why it ultimately took place on June 6 is one that has been a bit lost to history, consumed by the larger events surrounding it.

One day might not seem like much in the grand scheme, but it was a seismic delay in plans for the unprecedented and daring invasion, which would deploy nearly 160,000 Allied troops in Normandy. Ultimately it came down to a recommendation from a shrewd Scottish meteorologist, Group Capt. James Stagg, who had to tell everyone, including Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Allied leadership, something they didn’t want to hear: The weather was going to be catastrophically bad. And no, he wasn’t certain about it.

The tense 72 hours before the invasion are brought to life in “Pressure,” in theaters May 29, on the eve of the operation’s 82nd anniversary. An adaptation of David Haig’s acclaimed stage play, the film sheds light on this bit of history that would effectively change the course of the second World War.

The very different styles of Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott

Box Office: ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ tops charts and ‘Obsession’ grows in second weekend

After nearly seven years away from the big screen, a new Star Wars movie drew healthy but not record-breaking crowds to global theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” made $82 million in ticket sales from 4,300 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. By the end of Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, it’s expected to have earned $102 million domestically and $165 million globally.

It exceeded opening weekend expectations for the movie, a continuation of Disney+ spinoff series “The Mandalorian,” but it’s also on the low end of Disney-era Star Wars releases, closer to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which made $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame in 2018. While “Solo” was considered a disaster, the metrics around “The Mandalorian and Grogu” are a little different.

The production budget for “Solo” was in the $300 million range, while “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was made for significantly less — a reported $165 million, not accounting for marketing and promotion costs. It makes the journey to profitability more likely, especially when factoring in positive audience scores. Although critics were mixed to negative on the movie (it currently carries a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), ticket buyers overall gave it an A- CinemaScore. Boys under the age of 13 are especially high on the movie: They gave it an A CinemaScore and a perfect five on PostTrak. Parents also gave it a five out of five.

The Jon Favreau-directed movie stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter and puts him and his tiny green companion on a mission to save Jabba’s son Rotta the Hutt, who is voiced by Jeremy Allen White.

Colbert exits late night on defiantly joyful note

Having The Late Show come to an end obviously wasn’t what Stephen Colbert — or the show’s still-faithful following — would have wanted

Life of A Basketball Fan: Taylor Swift attends Cavs-Knicks in Cleveland with fiance Travis Kelce

CLEVELAND (AP) — Turns out, Taylor Swift likes basketball, too.

The global music superstar sat courtside at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night along with fiance and Cleveland native Travis Kelce as the Cavaliers hosted the New York Knicks desperately needing a win in the series.

Swift and Kelce, who recently signed a 3-year, $54 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, took their seats in Rocket Arena shortly before the opening tip. Their appearance caused a stir as fans reacted to seeing the power couple together.

Kelce didn't need long to settle in and was animated while cheering for the Cavs.