Life & Style – Winnipeg Free Press

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Grief therapy takes many forms at Camp Firefly.

Local grief camp helps youth process the loss of loved ones

AV Kitching 7 minute read 4:24 PM CDT

The young campers of Camp Firefly are having a whale of time.

Some children are attempting the climbing wall, while others brace themselves before zooming down the zipline. After this they might try their hand at archery, fishing or kayaking.

Those who’d prefer less strenuous activities are welcome to ride bikes, go for a walk in the surrounding forest or check out the colouring, art and fidget-toy stations set up on the grounds of Headingley’s Camp Manitou.

It looks very much like a typical day at summer camp.

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Inspector Clouseau? The mystery man in an AP photo after the Louvre jewel heist creates a buzz

John Leicester, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Inspector Clouseau? The mystery man in an AP photo after the Louvre jewel heist creates a buzz

John Leicester, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 8:33 PM CDT

PARIS (AP) — It was shortly after the stunning heist of the crown jewels at the Louvre when Paris-based Associated Press photographer Thibault Camus caught in his frame a dapperly dressed young man walking by uniformed French police officers, their car blocking one of the museum gates.

Instinctively, he took the shot.

It wasn't a particularly great photo, with someone's shoulder obscuring part of the foreground, Camus told himself.

But it did the job — showing French police sealing off the world's most-visited museum after the brazen daylight robbery last Sunday.

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Updated: 8:33 PM CDT

Police officers block an access to the Louvre museum after a robbery Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Percussionists plenty proud to pound out rhythm at Blue Bomber games

David Sanderson 8 minute read Preview

Percussionists plenty proud to pound out rhythm at Blue Bomber games

David Sanderson 8 minute read 11:40 AM CDT

There are few things Andrew Smith enjoys more in life than drumming and football.

The 35-year-old Winnipeg school teacher took up the drums at age 12, around the same time he began pulling for his hometown Blue Bombers.

Imagine Smith’s reaction, then, 11 years ago when he showed up for his weekly advanced drum lesson and was told by his instructor that the Bombers were hoping to introduce a drumline — a battery of percussionists most often associated with high school and university marching bands — to the game-day experience.

It got better. His teacher, who had been tasked with helping to form the ensemble, wanted to know if Smith was interested in signing on.

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11:40 AM CDT

Blue Bombers drumline member Kaitlyn Childs, 23, has fun while playing a snare drum during the game between the Blue Bombers and visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders at Princess Auto Stadiumon Oct. 17. (Brook Jones / Free Press)

Solomon considering age restrictions for chatbots in privacy bill

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Solomon considering age restrictions for chatbots in privacy bill

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 1 minute read 11:24 AM CDT

MONTREAL - Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says his upcoming privacy bill could include age restrictions for chatbots to protect children.

He says he is also considering including in the legislation the right to delete deepfakes.

Solomon maintains he hasn’t changed his mind about rejecting a wide-ranging regulatory approach to AI.

But he says he is open to taking action on specific urgent and current issues.

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11:24 AM CDT

Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon gives remarks during the All In AI conference in Montreal on Thursday, Sept., 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Vancouver health authority sued over death of Canadian senator’s son

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Vancouver health authority sued over death of Canadian senator’s son

The Canadian Press 3 minute read 12:49 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Coastal Health authority is being sued over the death of a Canadian senator's son whose body was found on the grounds of Vancouver General Hospital, four days after he went missing from involuntary psychiatric care.

The lawsuit accuses the health authority and medical staff of negligence in the November 2023 death of musician Benjamin Marks Woo whose mother says she had warned staff that he posed a risk of suicide and drug overdose.

Woo's father is Senator Yuen Pau Woo and his mother is Dr. Patricia McAvity, who is suing the authority for damages in the lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday.

McAvity's civil claim says her son had suffered mental illness for about 10 years, and he was committed as an "involuntary patient" at Vancouver General Hospital in August 2023.

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12:49 PM CDT

An ambulance drives past the emergency entrance of Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, April 9, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

These artisans are threading their Blue Jays fandom into their work

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

These artisans are threading their Blue Jays fandom into their work

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 10:48 AM CDT

TORONTO - As the Toronto Blue Jays head into their first World Series run since 1993, some fans are turning their love for the team into wearable art.

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THE SWEATER

As a kid, Karla Courtney spent the summers with her grandparents in Newfoundland, knitting and watching the Blue Jays on TV.

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Updated: 10:48 AM CDT

Karla Courtney is shown wearing the Toronto Blue Jays-themed sweater she's knitting during the playoff run as the Blue Jays celebrate their ALCS victory in Toronto in this Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Karla Courtney (Mandatory Credit)

Man who stabbed 3 at Vancouver Chinatown festival found not criminally responsible

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Man who stabbed 3 at Vancouver Chinatown festival found not criminally responsible

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 3:55 PM CDT

VANCOUVER - A man accused of aggravated assault for stabbing three people at a Vancouver Chinatown festival, in an attack that prompted debate over the handling of some psychiatric patients, has been found not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Eric Gottardi said Friday that the court doesn't convict people of crimes for being sick.

The trial heard that Blair Donnelly, 66, had asked the Holy Spirit for a sign not to carry out the stabbings in September of 2023, but he didn't get one and carried on with the attack because he “wanted to obey God.”

At a trial that wrapped last month, Donnelly testified he had initially planned to cycle to a coffee shop in Coquitlam on the day of the attack, but felt "prompted by God to go to Chinatown."

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Updated: 3:55 PM CDT

The Law Courts building, which is home to B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, is seen in Vancouver, on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

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‘A part of something:’ The mental health benefits of being a Blue Jays fan

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

‘A part of something:’ The mental health benefits of being a Blue Jays fan

Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 2:13 PM CDT

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays have given Robert Stanton something to look forward to every day.

“After the World Series is over, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do,” Stanton said, sitting on a park bench in downtown Toronto as a spatter of October rain drizzled on his blue cap embroidered with a vintage Jays logo.

The 70-year-old retired supply chain manager has been a baseball fan since he was five and he’s been entranced by the Cinderella story of the Jays' most recent evolution, on their way to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hundreds of kilometres away in St. John’s, N.L., Matthew Robbins, also a big baseball fan, said he feels like he’s had a spring in his step since earlier this week, when the Jays clinched their first World Series spot since 1993.

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Updated: 2:13 PM CDT

Michael Greer stands in front of a wall of Toronto Blue Jays hats at the Eaton Centre, in Toronto, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Alberga

Company recalls 2 million pounds of barbecue pork jerky that may contain metal wire

Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Company recalls 2 million pounds of barbecue pork jerky that may contain metal wire

Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 6:48 PM CDT

A South Dakota company is recalling more than 2.2 million pounds (998,000 kilograms) of Korean barbecue pork jerky sold at Costco and Sam's Club stores because the product may be contaminated with pieces of metal, federal health officials said Friday.

LSI, Inc., of Alpena, voluntarily pulled the product after customers complained about finding pieces of wiry metal in the jerky, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Company officials said the metal came from a conveyor belt used in production. No confirmed injuries have been reported,

The recall includes 14.-5-ounce (410-gram) and 16-ounce (450-gram) plastic pouches of meat jerky labeled “Golden Island fire-grilled pork jerky Korean barbecue recipe.” Roughly four dozen lots of jerky are affected. The products have a one-year shelf life with best-by dates ranging from Oct. 23, 2025, to Sept. 23, 2026. The packages contain the establishment number M279A inside the USDA mark of inspection.

People shouldn't eat the recalled jerky and should throw it away or return it to stores for refund.

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Updated: 6:48 PM CDT

This combination of images provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows packaging for Korean barbecue pork jerky sold at Costco and Sam's Club stores which was recalled because the product may be contaminated with pieces of metal, the USDA said Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (USDA via AP)

US coffee prices spike due to tariffs and poor weather

Dee-ann Durbin And Chris Rugaber, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

US coffee prices spike due to tariffs and poor weather

Dee-ann Durbin And Chris Rugaber, The Associated Press 4 minute read 3:36 PM CDT

It’s getting more expensive for Americans to get their caffeine fix.

The average U.S. price of a pound of ground coffee hit $9.14 in September, a 3% increase from the August average of $8.87 and 41% higher than in September 2024, according to U.S. government figures. Coffee prices have been increasing sharply since the start of this year.

Consumer prices for food purchased for home use and away from home were 3% in September compared to the same month a year earlier, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday. The consumer price index, which measures a broader sample of all coffee products, including instant coffee, showed U.S. coffee prices up 19% from September 2024 and flat compared to August.

Nikki Bravo, the co-owner of Momentum Coffee in Chicago, raised prices by about 15% last week for lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks at her four locations.

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3:36 PM CDT

FILE - Coffee beans are poured into a grinder at a cafe in College Park, Md., on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

2,000 mink released from Iowa farm in what trade group calls ‘terrorist act’

Jack Dura, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 5:28 PM CDT

One or more intruders broke into an Iowa mink farm and released 2,000 of the furbearing animals in what a trade group called a “terrorist act” under federal law.

Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, fencing was cut and pens and nest boxes were destroyed to release the mink, which are raised for their pelts, Fur Commission USA said. The farm is near Woodbine, Iowa, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Des Moines.

Just over 60% of the mink had been recovered by Friday morning, though time is running out to find them all before they succumb to threats in the wild, Fur Commission USA Executive Director Challis Hobbs said.

People have attacked mink farms similarly and been charged under the federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which defines a person as a terrorist if they are trying to impede or ruin an animal operation, Hobbs said.

P.E.I. fossil hunter finds animal footprint estimated at 290 million years old

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

P.E.I. fossil hunter finds animal footprint estimated at 290 million years old

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 2:13 PM CDT

CHARLOTTETOWN - An amateur fossil hunter in Prince Edward Island has found an animal footprint believed to be the oldest of its type ever discovered — at an estimated 290 million years old.

Patrick Brunet said he found the footprint, which is 25 centimetres wide, along the shore of Hillsborough Bay last spring. Brunet, from North Rustico, P.E.I., said he was doing his usual walkabout when he noticed a curved-shaped piece of rock that had fallen from about halfway up a cliff.

“I looked at it and thought, this is the biggest footprint I have ever seen,” Brunet said in an interview. “I didn’t recognize what kind of footprint it was, but immediately I knew this is something important.”

Brunet quickly contacted provincial officials along with John Calder, a geoscientist who advises the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and Parks Canada.

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Updated: 2:13 PM CDT

A fossil hunter in Prince Edward Island has found an animal footprint believed to be the oldest of its type ever discovered, at an estimated 290 million years old. The fossil, at lower left of the rock, is shown in an undated handout beside a centimetre scale and a person's hand. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Government of Prince Edward Island (Mandatory Credit)

Eight people airlifted from flash flood on northern Vancouver Island

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Eight people airlifted from flash flood on northern Vancouver Island

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 9:07 PM CDT

Police say eight people were rescued by air from a flash flood on Vancouver Island as a fall storm lashed coastal British Columbia with heavy wind and rain.

RCMP say the Port Hardy detachment received an SOS signal from an iPhone shortly before 7:20 p.m. on Thursday, with a man reporting he and another person had become trapped after floodwaters disabled their vehicle.

It happened as the pair were returning from San Josef Bay, a remote area on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.

The Mounties say a second group in an RV stopped to help, but they also became trapped when rising floodwaters and debris blocked the road in both directions.

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Updated: 9:07 PM CDT

People walk along a sidewalk as waves and debris crash into the breakwater below Dallas Rd. in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Severe weather conditions overnight caused power outages across Vancouver Island. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers

Dorany Pineda And Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

In a California farming region, researchers are mapping rural heat to protect farmworkers

Dorany Pineda And Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press 6 minute read 7:04 AM CDT

In the summers, the sky is jet black when Raul Cruz arrives at this Imperial Valley sugarcane field to start his day. He chops, cleans and bundles the crop, taking heed as the sun rises. It's hard work, but so is starting at 4 a.m., even though he knows it's the safest thing when temperatures in this California desert frequently soar into the triple digits.

“We just have to because we need to beat the heat," said Cruz, who’s worked here for 15 years. They finish work by 9 or 10 a.m. to avoid the risk of heat stroke, he added, but when heat starts creeping up around 8 a.m., "mentally, it's stressful."

The hot climate that makes this Southern California region a farming powerhouse is also what makes it dangerous for farmworkers, who are increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand the health consequences of heat stress on farmworkers and where heat is most extreme in this rural landscape. They hope their findings can lead to a better understanding of rural heat islands, identify gaps in research and help develop interventions that better protect them in the face of climate change.

“Workers could potentially be dying or having some serious issues," said project leader Nicolas Lopez-Galvez, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU. “It’s better to start acting sooner."

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7:04 AM CDT

Farmworker Raul Cruz chops sugarcane in Niland, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

EU accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching transparency rules

Sam Mcneil, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

EU accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching transparency rules

Sam Mcneil, The Associated Press 3 minute read 6:12 AM CDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in fines.

The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online, including making it easier to report counterfeit or unsafe goods or flag harmful or illegal content like hate speech, as well as a ban on ads targeted at children.

“We are making sure platforms are accountable for their services, as ensured by EU law, towards users and society,” said Henna Virkunnen, the EU’s executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy in a post on X. ““Our democracies depend on trust. That means platforms must empower users, respect their rights, and open their systems to scrutiny. The DSA makes this a duty, not a choice.”

The 27-nation bloc launched investigations in 2024 into both Meta and TikTok. They found that the companies did not allow easy access to data for researchers. They also found that Meta's Instagram and Facebook did not make it easy for users to flag illegal content and effectively challenge moderation decisions. “Allowing researchers access to platforms’ data is an essential transparency obligation under the DSA, as it provides public scrutiny into the potential impact of platforms on our physical and mental health,” according to a statement by the European Commission, the EU's executive body. The inquiry found both Facebook and Instagram deployed “dark patterns” or deceptive interface designs for its protocol for flagging malicious content like child sex abuse or terrorist content. That led to a kind of obfuscation, with the Commission saying it was “confusing and dissuading” and “may therefore be ineffective.”

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6:12 AM CDT

More trick, less treat: expect smaller candies at Halloween as prices rise

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

More trick, less treat: expect smaller candies at Halloween as prices rise

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read 3:00 AM CDT

Those dipping into the Halloween candy pile early might have noticed some unwelcome changes: portions so small the chocolate bar is more of a square or so few M&Ms you can count them on one hand.

The amount of chocolate content might be lower, too, with sugary substitutes added to the ingredients list.

Trick-or-treaters hoping the trend is temporary are likely to be disappointed, as climate change and other factors are expected to make higher cocoa prices a new long-term reality.

Companies trying to manage sky-high prices for ingredients can only pass along so much of the cost to consumers, so they have turned to portion sizes, alternate ingredients and other strategies as well.

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3:00 AM CDT

October 24, 2025

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