Fort Frances Times Online Edition - February 13, 2018

Jaxon Cassidy, left, and Bella Hunter were among the students in Rae-Ann Wood's Grade 2 class who enjoyed pancakes this morning at St. Michael's School to mark “Shrove Tuesday”—the last day before Lent begins. Teachers were up early making pancakes to feed all of the students there. St. Michael's students also were celebrating Valentine's Day today due to the fact tomorrow (Feb.

OTTAWA—Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says he is considering whether his party should push to abolish the use of so-called peremptory challenges in the jury selection process.

The practice, which allows Crown and defence lawyers to exclude jurors without offering reasons, is at the centre of the controversy raging over the acquittal of Gerald Stanley.

EDMONTON—Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says she wants progress within days from Ottawa in resolving a pipeline dispute with British Columbia or her government will look at further retaliatory measures.

GATINEAU, Que.—Justin Trudeau says it's time Canadians acknowledged that racism and unconscious bias against black people exist in this country.

And the prime minister says it's time to take action to ensure equal opportunity and treatment of the more than one million black Canadians, including doing more to recruit and elect black members of Parliament.

OTTAWA—The Liberal government wants its proposed stricter rules to crack down on harassment in federal workplaces to reflect the fact that colleagues no longer restrict their interactions to daytime hours at the office.

OTTAWA—Parks Canada is launching a new initiative in Nunavut to collect and share the testimony of Inuit elders who have knowledge of the doomed Franklin expedition of 1845.

The project is seeking a contractor to conduct archival research and record interviews with Inuit elders with historical knowledge of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror shipwreck sites.

TORONTO—Taxpayers would have saved $1.8 billion if the Ontario government had taken on traditional debt to fund infrastructure projects instead of partially privatizing Hydro One to pay for the work, the province's fiscal watchdog said yesterday.

NEW YORK — An Oregon woman who had worms coming out of her eye is being called the first known human case of a parasitic infection spread by flies.

Fourteen tiny worms were removed from the left eye of the 26-year-old woman in August 2016. Scientists reported the case Monday.

TORONTO—The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't let a late Tampa Bay rally affect their game plan last night.

Instead, they refocused to show they could compete with the top team in the Eastern Conference.

William Nylander scored twice and added an assist, and James van Riemsdyk scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, to lead Toronto to a 4-3 win over the Lightning.

John Morris, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Alex Gough made Canadian Winter Games history today.

Morris and Lawes downed defending world champions Jenny Perret and Martin Rios of Switzerland 10-3 in six ends to capture the first-ever mixed curling gold medal.

Gough, meanwhile, secured Canada's first Olympic medal in luge—finishing third in the women's singles final.

TORONTO—Longtime Toronto Blue Jays' radio broadcaster Jerry Howarth will not return to the booth in 2018.

Howard announced his retirement today after 36 years of calling Jays' games.

The 71-year-old said he made the decision due to health issues that have affected his voice in recent years.

WASHINGTON — The B-52, which people have called “aging” seemingly for ages, is now likely to outlive its younger, snazzier brother bombers, the swing-wing B-1 and the stealthy B-2.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A seal that depends on Arctic sea ice for reproduction will receive threatened species protection, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

CHICAGO — Marijuana users’ self-proclaimed holiday is linked with a slight increase in fatal U.S. car crashes, an analysis of 25 years of data found.

The study lacks evidence on whether pot was involved in any of the April 20 crashes, but marijuana can impair driving ability. Previous studies have shown that many pot-using motorists drive after partaking and think it’s safe to do so.

NEW YORK — Fenric Towell isn’t nervous about his first time competing at the nation’s top dog show. After all, he’s heading to the Westminster Kennel Club ring this week with 100-plus shows under his belt, a record of wins and a champion Lakeland terrier.

So what if he’s only 11?

CHICAGO—Marijuana users' self-proclaimed holiday is linked with a slight increase in fatal U.S. car crashes, an analysis of 25 years of data found.

The study lacks evidence on whether pot was involved in any of the April 20 crashes, but marijuana can impair driving ability.

A larger-than-usual crowd meeting up at your house for dinner? This Onion Beer Bread would add a lot to the menu. It’s delicious, of course, but it’s also very easy to whip up. Unlike more conventional breads, this one doesn’t involve yeast or require multiple risings. And except for the rosemary, you probably have all the ingredients in the house.