Liberals set to debate age restrictions for social media

MONTREAL - Liberal party members will soon grapple with the question of whether children and young teens should be barred from accessing social media accounts for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and YouTube.

The policy resolution is expected to hit the floor at the Liberal party policy convention in Montreal for debate and a vote on Saturday.

Jonathan Nuss, the head of the Outremont Liberal riding association, is one of the main proponents of a resolution calling on the party to ensure social media platforms limit user accounts to Canadians aged 16 and older.

The Montreal lawyer and father of two young children said he wants this resolution to kick-start a national debate on addictive technologies and the harmful effects social media can have on young children — a debate that's already happening among parents across the country.

Survey reveals widespread support in province for LGBTTQ+ community’s rights

More than seven out of 10 Manitobans believe the rights of people in the province’s LGBTTQ+ community should be protected by law, new poll results reveal.

Karoline Leavitt puts the ‘pro’ in propaganda

It’s not often a press secretary is so rabidly enthusiastic about their mission that they develop their own following, but then Karoline Leavitt is exceptional.

Tale of flight stuck on ‘freezing Canadian island’ gets warm laughs in Newfoundland

ST. JOHN'S - Newfoundlanders were having a chuckle on Monday over international media reports saying passengers on a British Airways flight diverted to St. John's last week were stranded on a frozen island somewhere in Canada.

Headlines describing Newfoundland as a "freezing island" had people cracking jokes and sharing weather statistics on social media. A spoof video on Reddit collected upvotes for its David Attenborough-style tale of marooned passengers scrounging for food and Wi-Fi signals in the capital city of more than 200,000 people.

It certainly wasn't easy for many of the 255 passengers who were grounded for two nights in Newfoundland and Labrador's capital city, Heather McKinnon, general manager at the Delta Hotel in St. John's, said Monday. They had no access to their luggage when a storm blew in and some spoke of missing funerals and weddings, she said in an interview.

But McKinnon said she hopes most know that Newfoundland is not a frozen wasteland, as the headlines appeared to suggest.

AP says it will offer buyouts as part of pivot away from newspaper-focused history

The Associated Press, one of the world's oldest and most influential news organizations, said Monday it is offering buyouts to an unspecified number of its U.S.-based journalists as part of an acceleration away from the focus on newspapers and their print journalism that sustained the company since the mid-1800s.

The News Media Guild, the union that represents AP journalists, said more than 120 of the staff members it represents received buyout offers on Monday.

The news organization is becoming more focused on visual journalism and developing new revenue sources, particularly through companies investing in artificial intelligence, to cope with the economic collapse of many legacy news outlets. Once the lion’s share of AP’s revenue, big newspaper companies now account for 10% of its income.

“We’re not a newspaper company and we haven’t been for quite some time,” Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the AP, said in an interview.

Vancouver police used Pokémon card sting. It was super effective!

VANCOUVER - Up until someone started using bear spray on unsuspecting victims trying to sell their Pokémon trading cards online, Vancouver police say they weren't aware of the resurgent collectible trend.

Sgt. Ryan Campbell says thefts occurred on five consecutive days from March 23, with victims saying they were bear-sprayed and robbed after arranging meetings on Facebook Marketplace.

Campbell says officers from the major crime section arranged a sting operation by posting a card for sale online and successfully lured a suspect, before arranging a meeting with the man.

He says the suspect, who is in his 20s and is believed to have acted alone, was taken into custody on March 27 without incident.

April Fools’ Day jokes highlight real-life issues, joys of local small businesses, owners say

Oh Doughnuts patrons received a prank with their pastries on Wednesday morning.

The beloved Winnipeg business posted on social media that, at day’s end, it would shut its doors for good.

“The economy has been rough for us all, but as a small business it just became too difficult to keep this doughnut train going,” the post stated.

Eagle-eyed readers noted it twice mentioned April 1 — a hint it was in fact an April Fools’ Day jest.

Hershey says it will shift back to classic recipe for all Reese’s products after criticism

Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year, a change that comes after the grandson of Reese’s founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have always been made with real milk chocolate or dark chocolate and peanut butter. But a small portion of Hershey’s and Reese’s products, like mini Easter eggs, are now made with a coating that contains less chocolate.

Hershey said that in 2027, it will shift those products to “their classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate recipes.”

The Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company said it will also be making other changes to its sweets portfolio next year, including transitioning to natural colors and enhancing Kit-Kat’s recipe to make it creamier. The company said it plans to increase its research and development funding by 25% next year.

PWHLPA president Stacey says salary leak ‘a shock’ but may help players push for more

MONTREAL - Laura Stacey was caught off guard when PWHL player salaries leaked last week.

Now she hopes the added transparency helps players seek better contracts moving forward.

Stacey, the president of the Professional Women’s Hockey League Players’ Association, addressed the situation Tuesday after The Hockey News published salaries from the 2024-25 season, despite the union voting last summer to make that information available only to players and agents.

“It is amazing for the players that our salaries are public so that one another can help each other, especially in terms of expansion and signing new contracts and free agency,” the Montreal Victoire forward said after practice at Verdun Auditorium. “With that being said, we voted on it to be public for our eyes and for our agent's eyes only, so I think that was a bit of a shock for us and not something that we necessarily wanted, or the way we wanted it to come out.