Ophelia Lovibond To Headline HBO Max's 'Minx' Comedy Pilot
Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
EXCLUSIVE: Ophelia Lovibond (Trying) is set as the lead in HBO Max's comedy pilot Minx, from writer Ellen Rapoport, Paul Feig's Feigco Entertainment and Lionsgate TV.
Written by Rapoport and directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, the half-hour Minx is set in 1970s Los Angeles and centers on Joyce (Lovibond), an earnest young feminist who dreams of producing a magazine by, for and about women and joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.
Rapoport executive produces with Paul Feig and Dan Magnante for Feigco. Lionsgate TV is the studio.
2020 HBO Max Pilots & Series Orders
British actress Lovibond co-stars as Erica in the Apple TV+/BBC comedy series Trying and as Binky in Mae Martin's Channel 4 comedy Feel Good. Her credits include CBS' Elementary, the Sky series Hooten & The Lady, IFC Films' The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Disney/Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, among others.
Lovibond is repped by Omni Artists Ltd., ICM Partners, Independent and attorney JR McGinnis at Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson.
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Hockey tourney shines light on mental health in honour of Aidan Burbank
An avid fan of the great outdoors, Aidan Burbank was a regular fixture on the Town's outdoor rinks and any local ponds frozen enough to allow he and his friends to have a casual game of three-on-three hockey. It was not only a passion, but a way for them to catch up after going their separate ways for school and work – and, for Aidan, an environmental science student, it may have been something of a release. After his death in October following a struggle with mental health that plagued him since childhood, his friends decided that the tradition would continue, laying the groundwork for the inaugural Aidan Burbank Pond Hockey Tournament which, in future years, will set out to raise money and awareness for mental health. Spearheaded by friends Cameron Palmer and Charles Peters, and a group which included Aidan's brother Bryn, they hit the ice at Case Woodlot over the holidays to honour Aidan in a new tradition. "This was fitting because Aidan loved to spend his time outdoors and when I think of him I think about how much he liked to be outside," says Charles. "We used to go out to the pond pretty well every year and meet him and Cameron and a couple of other buddies – we would always be going out to the ponds, so we figured that was perfect." For mother Martha Burbank, her son's peers' idea to further Aidan's legacy by carrying on and doing what he most loved to do, while making a tangible difference for those living what was Aidan's everyday struggle, the inaugural tournament "means everything." Martha had imagined the same idea – a holiday pond hockey tournament for Aidan – and was thrilled that his friends had independently thought of it. "Aidan was an amazing runner, a hockey lover and an avid outdoorsman," says Martha. "He loved the forest, he studied hundreds of species of trees in field labs at university and thrive on that. Nature, quiet and being outside helped immensely with his happiness." For the Burbanks, Aidan's struggle was something they lived with every day since he was nine years old. When he lost his fight, the family began researching what they could do to have a positive impact on mental health charities. Among the organizations they earmarked were the Canadian Mental Health Association and Jack.org, an organization with a specialization on youth mental health. "When we publicized Aidan's obituary, a lot of people donated to Jack.org, others decided the Canadian Mental Health Association. There have been tens of thousands of dollars to date in Aidan's name from maybe 70 to 80 people. The response to mental health support from neighbours, friends and people whose life Aidan touched has been overwhelming," says Martha. "We didn't want charitable donations for this year's tournament, but with this tournament, we wanted to establish a tradition of keeping mental illness at the forefront of discussion and be clear that it is important to be talked about." The inaugural tournament, she says, was, despite the weather, a beam of sunlight that helped cut through the clouds. "We have had a bad feeling in the pit of our stomachs on a lot of these days since our son died, but this day was so wonderful," she says. "I was chatting with these young men who are about 21 and I have known many of them since they were five, and maybe six other moms just independently arrived onto the ice. Everyone had a lot of compassion. A couple of the boys had a difficult time, one who plays baseball in the States was almost in tears and we were going through a lot of emotions." In addition to a fundraiser in Aidan's name, it was also a reunion in his honour. "I was just happy to be there with all these people," says Cameron, who says he hopes the tourney will become an annual tradition. "Pond hockey is something we used to do every year and being there was really important. It was a good opportunity to just get everyone together and reflect on the positive stuff. We shared good stories and good memories." Adds Charles: "It was nice that everyone could make it out for such a special cause and pay tribute. It was a little tough at first to just be out there thinking about it, but once we were all there and everyone was sharing stories, it became more of a fun event, almost like a celebration of life." Aidan Burbank lost his fight on October 15 at the age of 21. Pursuing his degree in Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of New Brunswick right up until the time of his death in mid-October, he was previously a French Immersion student at Lester B. Pearson Public School and Aurora High School. "We had been struggling with Aidan's mental health since he was nine," says Martha. "This was a very long-term challenge for us. Parents really need to continue to follow through, call, email, whatever it is – if their child is in a situation and they are struggling and you're waiting for counselling or therapy, you really have to pursue that with a lot of proactivity. Parents need to be as proactive and blunt as possible if their child is suffering and communicate with them about their suffering. They have to reach out and do everything they can to look for support systems."Brock Weir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Auroran
The latest COVID-19 developments in Canada
The latest COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times Eastern): 6:50 p.m. Alberta is reporting 967 new cases of COVID-19. There have also been 21 additional deaths linked to the virus. The province says there are 806 people in hospital, and 136 of those are in intensive care. --- 6:45 p.m. Alberta is easing some of its public-health restrictions imposed in December to limit the spread of COVID-19. Health Minister Tyler Shandro says personal and wellness services, including hair salons and tattoo parlours, can open by appointment only. Outdoor social gatherings, which were previously banned, will be allowed in groups of up to 10 people. And the limit of people attending funerals is increasing to 20, although receptions are still prohibited. The changes are to take effect Monday. --- 6:15 p.m. British Columbia health officials say they have detected their first case of the South African strain of COVID-19. The province also has four cases of the U.K. variant of the virus. Officials reported 536 new infections and seven new deaths. This brings the total number of cases in B.C. to 59,608 and deaths to 1,038. So far, 52,605 have recovered from the virus and 69,746 COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered. --- 5:05 p.m. Prince Edward Island has confirmed one new case of COVID-19. Chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison says the case involves a man in his 50s who arrived in the province following travel outside Atlantic Canada. After an initial negative test, he tested positive in routine testing and is self-isolating with no symptoms. P.E.I. has eight active cases of COVID-19 and has had a total of 104 cases since the pandemic began. --- 3:15 p.m. Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new case of COVID-19 related to international travel. It says the case involves a man aged 20 to 39 in the eastern health region who is self-isolating at home. Health officials say there are currently four active cases in the province and one person is in hospital. --- 2:15 p.m. Nova Scotia is reporting six new cases of COVID-19 today. Three cases were identified in the central zone -- one of which involved a student at Dalhousie University in Halifax who lives off campus. The other cases were identified in the northern zone and are connected to previously reported cases. Nova Scotia says there are 32 known active COVID-19 infections across the province. --- 2 p.m. Manitoba is reporting 261 new cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths. That brings the death toll in the province due to the virus to 755. The province says there are 290 people in hospital and 37 of them are in intensive care. --- 2 p.m. New Brunswick is reporting 23 new cases of COVID-19 today. There are now 246 active reported cases in the province. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Jennifer Russell says more than 2,000 people in New Brunswick are in self-isolation. The province has reported three COVID-related deaths this week. --- 1:30 p.m. Quebec's health minister says the province plans to wait up to 90 days before administering booster shots to patients who have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Christian Dube says the strategy will allow Quebec to vaccinate more vulnerable seniors and reduce the pressure on the health system. Dube says health officials will be able to reduce the interval between first and second doses once more vaccines are available. Canada's vaccine advisory committee has recommended the second dose of approved COVID-19 vaccines be given a maximum of 42 days after the first, but Dube says the committee has acknowledged that the interval can be extended when necessary, based on the disease's progression. --- 12:50 p.m. Canada has seen 7,727 cases of COVID-19 on an average day in the last week and hospitalizations and deaths are still increasing. In her daily national update on the pandemic, chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the burden is worsening on hospitals and local health authorities. She says infection rates are highest among people older than 80, who are most at risk of serious illness. If there's good news, it's that no new cases of the so-called U.K. or South African variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 were detected in Canada yesterday. --- 12:30 p.m. Canada will have received a total of 929,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the week. Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, the vice-president of logistics at the Public Health Agency of Canada, says that includes the delivery of 380,000 fresh doses this week alone. The shipment is set to include about 208,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine and 181,000 doses of the one developed by Moderna. Fortin says weekly deliveries will grow to one million total from both companies by April. --- 11:45 a.m. Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on the Liberal government to ease access to paid sick leave for Canadian workers to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Singh is criticizing the lag between filing for the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit and receiving it, a delay he compared to applying for employment insurance. He is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to recall Parliament and legislate 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated employees through the Canada Labour Code, and to further promote the one-week, $500 benefit that is already in place. The New Democrat leader says uptake of the benefit is low, which suggests a lack of awareness among sick workers as well as what he deemed an "impossible choice" between working and staying home. Singh is also calling for tighter restrictions on travel, but did not specify an "exact mechanism" to limit trips abroad. --- 11:15 a.m. Quebec is reporting 2,132 new cases of COVID-19 and 64 more deaths, including 15 that occurred in the past 24 hours. The province says hospitalizations rose by seven, to 1,523, and 230 people were in intensive care, a rise of one. Health Minister Christian Dube is scheduled to hold a news conference about Quebec's vaccination campaign. The province had administered 107,365 doses as of Tuesday. Quebec has reported a total of 236,827 COVID-19 infections and 8,878 deaths linked to the virus. -- 11:10 a.m. Ontario labour inspectors will will blitz big-box stores this weekend to enforce public health rules. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says inspectors will visit stores in Toronto, Hamilton, Peel Region, York Region and Durham Region. He says the inspectors will have the power to issue tickets of up to $750 to store supervisors, workers, or patrons if they're not following public health rules. Inspectors will focus on ensuring people are wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and following safety guidelines. -- 10:30 a.m. The province of Ontario says there are 3,326 new cases of COVID-19 in the province and 62 more deaths linked to the virus. Health Minister Christine Elliott says 968 of those new cases are in Toronto, 572 in Peel Region and 357 in York Region. Vaccinations continue across Ontario with 14,237 doses administered since Wednesday's update. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2021. The Canadian Press Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said in the 12:30 p.m. entry that weekly deliveries will grow to one million each for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern vaccines. In fact, it will be one million total doses a week.
Federal parties on P.E.I. say they're ready for an election, but nobody wants one
Representatives of the four political parties that ran a full slate of candidates on P.E.I. in the 2019 federal election say they're ready to go again in the spring. But they all say there shouldn't be a spring federal election. A cabinet shuffle by the federal Liberals has spurred speculation around the possibility of a spring writ. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he won't trigger an election at that time, but the Liberals are preparing for one all the same. "We are planning for a spring election in the event that the opposition defeats the government on the budget," said Charlottetown MP Sean Casey, suggesting there's no "downside" to being ready for an election that doesn't happen. If he doesn't want an election, I would encourage him to stop talking about an election. — Barry Balsom Liberal MPs in the Atlantic region held a day-long caucus meeting Wednesday, during which Casey said election preparations were to be part of the discussion. "I think it would be irresponsible for the opposition to bring us down in the middle of a pandemic," Casey said during a break in the meeting. "I don't think that's what Canadians want.... I hope it doesn't happen, but I expect it will." 'Stop playing games' But according to some of their representatives on P.E.I., the opposition parties are in no mood to bring down the government. "We're organized to fight an election. We're hoping we don't have to," said Barry Balsom, president of the Egmont Conservative Association. Egmont is where the Liberals came closest to losing on P.E.I. during their 2019 sweep of the province, Conservative candidate Logan McLellan coming in 1,082 votes behind incumbent Bobby Morrissey. Balsom said a search committee is in place to look for candidates, and couldn't say whether McLellan might run again. But he said the Liberals have a mandate to govern, and should do so. "We're in the middle of a pandemic crisis. We're in an economic crisis. I think that we should stop playing games here and let the government do its work." Since the federal Liberals won a minority government in 2019 — garnering fewer votes overall than the Conservatives — the Conservatives have had a change in leadership, selecting Erin O'Toole in August of 2020. "This is entirely in the prime minister's court," said Balsom. "If he doesn't want an election, I would encourage him to stop talking about an election.… I'm sure our party is willing to work with the government for Canadians." 'Never been better prepared' David Daughton, P.E.I.'s representative on the federal council of the Green Party of Canada, said he expects the prime minister "to seek to lose a vote that can be spun to blame other parties for a pandemic election. It is irresponsible to call an election while significant pandemic risks persist." The provincial Green Party became P.E.I.'s Official Opposition in 2019, but similar electoral success has thus far eluded the federal party in the province. I'm always getting ready for an election, and that's especially true when you've got a minority government situation where anything can happen. — Lawrence MacAulay If the writ comes this spring, Daughton said the federal party has "never been better prepared," with district associations in place in all four of P.E.I.'s federal ridings. Mark Greenan, P.E.I.'s representative on the federal council for the NDP, said while the New Democrats would prefer "to continue to make a minority parliament work" rather than go to an election "during the second wave of a pandemic," he said the party is now debt-free and "ready to fund an even stronger campaign than we were able to last time." Which incumbents will run again? No P.E.I. candidates were among the 43 the Liberal Party of Canada had named as of Thursday. But in an email, a spokesperson told CBC the party is "looking forward to being able to re-elect our hard-working team of Liberal MPs whenever the next campaign eventually arrives — including the strong team of Liberal MPs representing Prince Edward Island." Casey said he plans to run again and has met the party's criteria to be able to avoid having his nomination contested, but was awaiting confirmation from the party. Morrissey said he planned to run again in Egmont, and Malpeque MP Wayne Easter, first elected in 1993, said "I am running until I am not." Easter said he expected parties in Ottawa to continue to work together, and added "I don't see an election in the works." CBC was sent a statement on behalf of Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay, who has been elected 10 consecutive times starting in 1988. "I'm always getting ready for an election, and that's especially true when you've got a minority government situation where anything can happen," the statement said. More from CBC P.E.I.
Town suspends beaver trapping following public outcry
The Town of Aurora has suspended the trapping of beavers at stormwater management ponds following a public outcry. According to Eliza Bennett, Acting Manager of Corporate Communications for the Town of Aurora, the Town has suspended trapping activity pending consultation with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources about "best practices and alternative methods for beaver management." "Our preference is always to have peaceful co-existence with local wildlife, and we are hopeful that we can find a way to protect residents from flooding and enhance our handling of wildlife at the same time." Residents raised alarm bells over the use of traps to capture beavers in stormwater management ponds near Bayview Avenue and St. John's Sideroad. One such resident, Rachel Evans, who said she had concerns not only with the impact on wildlife but on dogs and pedestrians as well. "I have heard from numerous nature walkers that the Town is setting wildlife traps in ponds to kill beavers," she said. "These lethal traps are hidden in the water at the end of wildlife trails. Check out reports from dog owners across the country whose pets suffered broken muzzles and leg amputations after stepping on a concealed trap in the water. "There is no law that requires public posting of the location of these cruel traps, but we expect Town policy of transparency. Let us know the location of these traps and why they are necessary. Aurorans take pride in the natural trails and forests. Killing wildlife should be the last resort." The issue was subject to significant discussion on social media as well, prompting the Town to state that the practice of trapping is to "maintain public safety and to manage risks associated with beaver activity as it relates to public health and infrastructure." "We have a healthy beaver population in our Town, and our preference is always for co-existence, tolerance and prevention," said Ms. Bennett. "We actually use a number of methods to manage beavers, including wrapping trees with wire, planting species of trees that beavers don't touch, and removing dams where necessary. That being said, in some cases, and despite our best preventative efforts, beaver activity results in a risk to public safety, or a risk of damage to public infrastructure." In this particular case, Ms. Bennett said a beaver dam was blocking the outlet of the stormwater management pond "impairing the facility's functioning and creating risks to both public and private property." "As such, for this type of situation, we operate a nuisance beaver program that includes trapping – a common practice in municipalities across North America. This is, again, a last resort. Trapping is done with licensed trappers and in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. We work closely with these bodies to make sure that the program is run within regulations." The trap in question, she added, was subsequently stolen.Brock Weir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Auroran
MATCHDAY: Roma visits Lazio looking to put pressure on top 2
A look at what's happening around European soccer on Friday: ITALY Roma will be looking to put pressure on the top two in Serie A when it visits Lazio in the capital derby. Roma is third in the standings, three points behind Inter Milan and six below league leader AC Milan. Roma drew against Inter in its last match, which came on the back of three successive victories. However, Lazio is finding its feet after injuries and Champions League commitments took their toll. Lazio has won its past two matches and risen to eighth in the league, five points below the top four. GERMANY Third-place Bayer Leverkusen faces a tough task away at Union Berlin, which is exceeding all expectations in fifth after a strong start to the season. Leverkusen was briefly the Bundesliga leader last month but hasn't won any of its three league games since, though there was a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the cup on Tuesday. It will be Leverkusen's first game since completing the signing of Dutch defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah from Manchester United on Wednesday. Injuries to other players mean he could make his debut against Union. FRANCE Monaco travels to play Montpellier with its attack clicking after 10 goals in three games. Coach Niko Kovac took a while to find the right balance in his first season in charge. But he seems to have figured out how to use France striker Wissam Ben Yedder and German forward Kevin Volland as a front pairing. Volland has netted in his past four games, and the return of attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin from injury should also help Monaco's push to break into the top three. Monaco is in fourth place and can close the gap on third-place Lille to three points if it wins at Stade de la Mosson, where Montpellier's home form has been less strong than in recent seasons. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press