Endometriosis painful, lack of research shameful

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes debilitating pain, heavy bleeding, extreme fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms. It affects one in 10 women. I am one of them.

Churchill port could further stunt polar bear growth: U of M researcher

Manitoba’s bold plan to transform the Port of Churchill into a shipping powerhouse could have a negative effect on the area’s treasured polar bear population, which fuels its tourism trade, new research shows.

AI systems use Canadian journalism but seldom cite media sources: report

OTTAWA - A new study released on Monday says AI systems depend on Canadian journalism for the information they provide users but don't offer compensation or proper attribution in return

Researchers at McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy tested 2,267 Canadian news stories on major AI models.

"All four models showed extensive knowledge of Canadian current events consistent with having ingested Canadian news reporting," the report says.

The researchers found when ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok were asked about Canadian news events from their training data, they did not provide source attribution about 82 per cent of the time.

After 43-year career at the zoo, Janice Martin returns to lend a hand

Armed with a zoology degree from the University of Manitoba, Janice Martin started work at Assiniboine Park Zoo in 1980 and never looked back.

She spent 43 years in various roles at the zoo until she retired in 2023. Retirement, however, was just a long lunch break for Martin. After four months away, she was back as a dedicated volunteer.

“I first started in Aunt Sally’s Farm in the summer of 1976 before going into university in the fall. Right after I graduated, there was an opening at the zoo. It was the perfect opportunity and I grabbed it. I worked my way through different areas over the years, first as a zookeeper, then a supervisor and finally as a curator for 10 years before I retired,” Martin, 68, says.

She volunteers approximately three times a week. For two of those days, she supports the zoo’s enrichment program by creating items to engage and stimulate natural animal behaviour.

Weatheradio going off the air as Environment Canada moves emphasis to online and apps

EDMONTON - A cross-Canada radio service that for decades has delivered the latest local forecasts as well as critical alerts about severe weather 24 hours a day is signing off, with listeners being advised to switch to online or cellphone-based services.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says on its website that effective Monday, Weatheradio will be permanently disconnected. The announcement says anyone who wants local weather forecasts and alerts should consult the agency's interactive weather map or download its WeatherCAN app.

In an email, the agency said the radio service, which began operating in the 1970s and broadcasts within the VHF public service band available on certain radios, has become increasingly challenging to maintain because of climbing costs.

The dial-in Good Morning service, where users can phone for a recorded local forecast, will end the same day. Marine forecasts will remain available via the Canadian Coast Guard radio system.

More Canadians delivering unpaid care potentially able to access multiple tax credits

The federal and provincial governments are recognizing the service of unpaid caregivers. For all the hours, days and nights of assistance (particularly involving aging family members), a host of tax credits potentially await when filing a return this spring.

“The purpose of these is really a realization that people providing this (unpaid work) have costs others don’t,” says Ryan Minor, Sudbury, Ont.-based tax director for CPA (Chartered Professional Accountants) Canada.

Many could use the tax break.

Statistics Canada points to about one in four individuals ages 15 and older providing care for family members or friends with long-term health conditions.

Canada, Manitoba lagging behind promise to meet 2030 target of protecting more land and water

There are just four years left on the clock for Manitoba — and the rest of the country — to meet a promise to conserve 30 per cent of land and water by 2030.

But halfway through the timeline adopted at the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity in 2022, Canada has made little progress, adding less than one percentage point to its protected land tally and three points to its protected waters.

The country needs to double its protected areas to meet its target, known as 30-by-30. But conservation groups, including the Wilderness Committee and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, warn progress could stall even further as federal funding for conservation initiatives is set to run out at the end of the month — and there’s no indication it will be renewed.

“We have a conservation economy that we can build on, that gives local jobs, that helps honour our Indigenous reconciliation commitments,” Sandra Schwartz, national executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, said.

Senior squeeze: Many older Manitobans are in an increasingly precarious financial situation

Terisa Taylor is deemed a low-income senior, based on the federal tax bracket classification, but the numbers don’t take a full measure of the person.

At age 73, the St. Boniface resident relies on the three acronyms synonymous with aging — CPP, GIS and OAS — to make ends meet.

Manitoba Rental Assistance helps cover about half her apartment costs, but she gave up her car when it became clear it was no longer affordable.

Despite that, Taylor considers herself one of Manitoba’s more fortunate seniors since she’s able to continue to pursue a meaningful life.

Tired of theft, local businesses consider IDing customers, making diners pre-pay

Fed up with shoplifting or dine and dashes, the owners of two Winnipeg businesses are considering asking customers to show identification when they enter, among other extra security measures.

Newcomer school to close amid immigration clampdown

English-language teachers are warning the consequences will be far-reaching when a school for newcomers — called “a beacon of hope”— closes its doors.

Winnipeg’s Enhanced English Skills for Employment is shutting down March 31.

“It’s sad for the students. It’s sad for the teachers, but it’s also sad for the community, Manitoba at large,” said Allyn Franc, a longtime teacher at the school that rents space on the Canadian Mennonite University campus at 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.

For more than 20 years, the school has been running free intermediate-level language classes on literacy and workplace etiquette.