Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 15, 2022, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A1 NEWS I TOPIC ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A1TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 Enter at www.MB5050.com ENTER TO WIN Our 50/50 Jackpot! Tickets now available for the Manitoba 50/50 raffle! 12th ANNUAL March 18th, 19th, & 20th at the Red River Exhibition Place 3977 Portage Ave., Wpg., MB Everything you need for your cottage project from concept to completion, all in one place! Boats, Builders, Decks, Docks, Sheds and Sunrooms, Communication Services, Water Systems, Indoor and Outdoor Décor Specialists, Furniture, Solar, Spas, Artisan Market and so much more! HOURS: Friday, March 18th 2 pm – 9 pm Saturday, March 19th 10 am – 8 pm Sunday, March 20th 11am – 5pm TICKETS AT THE DOOR: $12 Adults $10 Seniors Kids 13 and under: FREE PARKING: Free at Red River Exhibition Place Sponsored by Get all the details at www.lakeandcabinshow.ca TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 FOR MANITOBA. FOR 150 YEARS. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. SERVING WINNIPEG AND THE WEST SINCE 1872 The ® INSIDE SAVING TIME Local engineer in charge of keeping city hall on schedule when clocks spring forward / C1 THE 411 ON 584 Running out of numbers, Manitoba to get yet another area code this fall / A4 WEATHER PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH 2 — LOW 1 A WOMAN burst onto the set of Russian state TV’s flagship evening news program Monday, chanting “stop the war” and denoun- cing government “propaganda” — a striking moment of public protest as the Kremlin cracks down on any criti- cism of its invasion in Ukraine. OVD-Info, a human rights group that tracks protest activity and detentions in Russia, identified the woman as Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor and producer with the broadcaster, and said she has been detained. Before storming the set of Channel One, Ovsyannikova record- ed a video message in which she said, “What is going in Ukraine is a crime.” “Unfortunately, I have been working at Channel One during recent years, working on Kremlin propaganda,” Ovsyannikova said. “And now I am very ashamed. I am ashamed that I’ve allowed the lies to be said on the TV screens. I am ashamed that I let the Russian people be zombified.” She ended with a call to action, alluding to the high price of dissent in Russia: “It is only in our power to stop this madness. Take to the streets, do not be afraid. They can’t jail us all.” The protest came as Russia deepens its repression of government crit- ics, blocking sources of independent information on the fighting in Ukraine and criminalizing the publication of anything it deems “fake news” about the military. Thousands of people protesting the war have been arrest- ed in Russia, according to OVD-Info, which says the invasion and its fallout have “irrevocably changed the life of Russian civil society.” A recording of Monday evening’s interrupted live broadcast was unavail- able on Channel One’s website, which says it was taken down “at the request of the copyright holder.” All previous episodes from last week are readily available. Staffer bursts onto Russian state TV, is detained MARY ILYUSHINA AND HANNAH KNOWLES DESPITE making masks optional, Manitoba Premier Heather Ste- fanson said she’ll be covering her face while doing errands, as venues across Winnipeg opt to stick with mask mandates. “If people want to continue to wear their masks, good for them,” Stefanson told reporters Monday, on the eve of Manitoba lifting most of its remaining pandemic restrictions. “It’s sort of a transition phase we’re going through.” Today, Manitoba will scrap its mask mandate and COVID-19 iso- lation requirements. But Winnipeg- gers will find a stricter approach at the airport, optometry offices, most museums and universities. Federal rules require passengers to mask up at the Winnipeg airport and while on a plane, and air travel remains restricted to those who have two doses of a COVID-19 vac- cine or a vetted exemption. A similar approach will be in place when visiting the eye doctor. The Manitoba Association of Op- tometrists says its members “should continue to require patients to wear a non-medical or medical mask, for the duration of their appointment.” Some cultural venues still require visitors to wear masks, including the Manitoba Museum and the Winni- peg Art Gallery. The same goes for federal office buildings and Crown corporations such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Royal Canadian Mint. A pioneering therapeutic clown pro- gram that brings joy to Manitoba’s sickest children faces uncertainty as it is being reassessed by bureaucrats amid ardent calls for it to continue. The Children’s Hospital program is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, delivering laughter and smiles to young patients with serious injuries or chronic conditions since 1986. Supporters say a clown gives kids, parents and staff moments of levity in harrowing or stressful times, and distracts patients during painful or anxiety-inducing hospital procedures in scary or intimidating surround- ings. A hospital source, who claims the program is no longer being funded, is hopeful it will be “revived.” “There have been a number of cut- backs over the years,” the source said. “It’s a great program, and I think we’ll see it happen again.” Shared Health, which manages Health Sciences Centre and Children’s Hospital and their spending, insists the program isn’t being scrapped. It is being “assessed” as part of a programming review that is looking at what other Canadian hospitals provide and how they use “updated” technol- ogy, said a spokesman, who declined to comment on the resident clown’s employment status. Mask mandate ends, premier will continue to wear hers No one laughing over hospital clown program’s uncertain future Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor and producer with Russian state TV, protests Monday. CRUSADING TO A TITLE After COVID wiped out two seasons, St. Paul’s Crusaders are once again the kings of high school hockey / D3 DYLAN ROBERTSON ● TV, CONTINUED ON A5 ● MORE WAR IN UKRAINE / A5 ● CLOWNS, CONTINUED ON A2 ● MASKS, CONTINUED ON A2 Decries Ukraine war, ‘Kremlin propaganda’ CHRIS KITCHING th SS n e s s d, to d in a p in a p a ‘FAMILY’ CALLS IT QUITS Highly successful Jennifer Jones rink to part ways after end of curling season / D1 JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS St. Paul’s Crusaders celebrate defeating the Westwood Warriors 6-1 in the Manitoba AAAA Provincial Boys Hockey Championship in Selkirk Monday. PLUS... Collège Jeanne-Sauvé girls one win away / D3 A_01_Mar-15-22_FP_01.indd 1 2022-03-14 10:33 PM ;