Fort Frances Times Online Edition - January 20, 2018

Parker Sisco of the Causeway Cougars tried to brave his way through a trio of Rainy Lake Attack players during his team's 3-1 win in yesterday's final of the annual Atom 'A' tournament held here. The Cougars won all six of their games over the weekend en route to the gold-medal in the 11-team showdown.

Caren Fagerdahl carefully applied the icing during a cupcake-decorating class with instructor Meghan Spooner on Saturday afternoon at the Fort Frances Museum. The class marked the first in the museum's winter workshop series. For a list of upcoming workshops, see last week's Times or visit fortfrances.ca/museum

PIKANGIKUM, Ont.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising a remote Northwestern Ontario reserve help with a housing shortage that the chief says is worse than ever.

Trudeau said during a visit to Pikangikum First Nation that Ottawa is serious about working with the community to improve its housing.

MONTREAL—A Quebec man whose kid sister was one of 47 people killed in the Lac-Megantic tragedy says the three men acquitted Friday never should have been put on trial.

“I think, very sincerely, that since the day of the accident, these people have been living in purgatory and it must have been extremely difficult,” Bernard Boulet told The Canadian Press.

EDMONTON—A minister in Alberta's NDP government has chastised a tweet by the Opposition's communications chair that slammed women's marches held over the weekend.

Status of Women minister Stephanie McLean was responding to a Twitter post on Saturday from Sonia Kont of the United Conservative Party, who stated that “ideological marches like the one in Washington” do not empower women.

TORONTO—Ontario's premier is double-doubling down on her criticism of Tim Hortons franchisees who cut worker benefits amid the province's minimum wage hike, saying a couple that own a trio of coffee shops east of Toronto shouldn't use employees as pawns to push back against her government's actions.

OTTAWA—Almost 90 percent of the ships that passed through the Gulf of St. Lawrence over the last five months complied with an emergency speed limit to help protect the whales that plied those same waterways—and the department will reimpose the limit immediately if the whales return this year.

OTTAWA—Shortly before the 2015 election, a group of Liberal policy advisers took a long look at how to create dedicated leave for new fathers—but once in office, opted instead for allowing all new parents extra time off without an increase in benefits.

Now, after that plan received a cool reception, the governing Liberals appear to be going back to their original idea.

MELBOURNE, Australia—Six-time champion Novak Djokovic was stunned in straight sets by Hyeon Chung not long after Tennys Sandgren upset No. 5 Dominic Thiem at the Australian Open.

TORONTO—Ontario is considering allowing licensed cannabis consumption lounges in the province once recreational marijuana is legalized this summer, and is asking the public to weigh in on the idea.

STELLARTON, N.S. — Sobeys Inc. has signed a partnership deal with British company Ocado Group to help build the Canadian retailer’s online grocery shopping business.

Under the agreement, Ocado will partner exclusively in Canada with Sobeys and support and engineering services.

WINNIPEG—Connor Hellebuyck believes he's calm in the crease.

The Winnipeg Jets' goalie had to be that as he held off the Vancouver Canucks to ensure Patrik Laine's first-period goal was the only one needed in a 1-0 victory last night.

Hellebuyck made 29 saves for this fourth shutout of the season as the Jets extended their home winning streak to six games.

PHILADELPHIA—The Vikings would have travelled anywhere to play in their first Super Bowl since 1977.

This year, though, the game is in their stadium. They won't be in it.

“I mean, we would've loved to play in the Super Bowl if it was in China,” coach Mike Zimmer said last night after the Philadelphia Eagles humbled Minnesota 38-7 for the NFC championship.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.—So many times during the Patriots' run of success over the past two decades, the defence was watching as Tom Brady sealed another victory.

In yesterday's 24-20 AFC championship victory over the Jacksonville, the defence got its chance to secure the Patriots' record 10th Super Bowl appearance.

LA QUINTA, Calif.—Jon Rahm headed over the hill to San Diego for his Torrey Pines title defence with a playoff victory in the CareerBuilder Challenge and the No. 2 spot in the world ranking.

The Spaniard is way ahead of where he even dreamed he would be this early in his career.

“To think of being No. 2 in the world, it's hard to believe,” Rahm admitted.

PARIS — Rats are increasingly scrambling from Paris sewers to the surface ‚Äî and city officials and rat-catchers are scrambling for ways to get rid of them.

A creepy video of hundreds of rats wriggling in dumpsters published by Le Parisien newspaper put new pressure on authorities to act.

KABUL — Survivors of the Taliban attack on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel recounted on Monday the ordeal of the deadly, 13-hours-long weekend standoff that claimed 18 lives, including 14 foreigners.