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CNA
21-07-2025
- CNA
Commentary: More people are considering AI lovers, and we shouldn't judge
WINNIPEG, Canada: People are falling in love with their chatbots. There are now dozens of apps that offer intimate companionship with an artificial intelligence-powered bot, and they have millions of users. A recent survey of users found that 19 per cent of Americans have interacted with an AI meant to simulate a romantic partner. The response has been polarising. In a New Yorker article titled Your AI Lover Will Change You, futurist Jaron Lanier argued that 'when it comes to what will happen when people routinely fall in love with an AI, I suggest we adopt a pessimistic estimate about the likelihood of human degradation.' Podcaster Joe Rogan put it more succinctly – in a recent interview with US Senator Bernie Sanders, the two discussed the 'dystopian' prospect of people marrying their AIs. Noting a case where this has already happened, Rogan said: 'I'm like, oh, we're done. We're cooked.' We're probably not cooked. Rather, we should consider accepting human-AI relationships as beneficial and healthy. More and more people are going to form such relationships in the coming years, and my research in sexuality and technology indicates it is mostly going to be fine. RUINING HUMAN CONNECTION? When surveying the breathless media coverage, the main concern raised is that chatbots will spoil us for human connection. How could we not prefer their cheerful personalities, their uncomplicated affection and their willingness to affirm everything we say? The fear is that, seduced by such easy companionship, many people will surely give up their desire to find human partners, while others will lose their ability to form satisfying human relationships even if they want to. It has been less than three years since the launch of ChatGPT and other chatbots based on large language models. That means we can only speculate about the long-term effects of AI-human relationships on our capacity for intimacy. There is little data to support either side of the debate, though we can do our best to make sense of more short-term studies and other pieces of available evidence. There are certain risks that we do know about already, and we should take them seriously. For instance, we know that AI companion apps have terrible privacy policies. Chatbots can encourage destructive behaviours. Tragically, one may have played a role in a teenager's suicide. The companies that provide these apps can go out of business, or they can change their terms of service without warning. This can suddenly deprive users of access to technology that they've become emotionally attached, with no recourse or support. RELATIONSHIPS CAN BE MESSY AND COMPLEX In assessing the dangers of relationships with AI, however, we should remember that human relationships are not exactly risk-free. One recent paper concluded that 'the association between relationship distress and various forms of psychopathology is as strong as many other well-known predictors of mental illness.' This is not to say we should swap human companions for AI ones. We just need to keep in mind that relationships can be messy, and we are always trying to balance the various challenges that come with them. AI relationships are no different. We should also remember that just because someone forms an intimate bond with a chatbot, that doesn't mean it will be their only close relationship. Most people have lots of different people in their lives, who play a variety of different roles. Chatbot users may depend on their AI companions for support and affirmation, while still having relationships with humans that provide different kinds of challenges and rewards. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg has suggested that AI companions may help solve the problem of loneliness. However, there is some (admittedly very preliminary data) to suggest that many of the people who form connections with chatbots are not just trying to escape loneliness. In a recent study (which has not yet been peer reviewed), researchers found that feelings of loneliness did not play a measurable role in someone's desire to form a relationship with an AI. Instead, the key predictor seemed to be a desire to explore romantic fantasies in a safe environment. SUPPORT AND SAFETY We should be willing to accept AI-human relationships without judging the people who form them. This follows a general moral principle that most of us already accept: We should respect the choices people make about their intimate lives when those choices don't harm anyone else. However, we can also take steps to ensure that these relationships are as safe and satisfying as possible. First of all, governments should implement regulations to address the risks we know about already. They should, for instance, hold companies accountable when their chatbots suggest or encourage harmful behaviour. Governments should also consider safeguards to restrict access by younger users, or at least to control the behaviour of chatbots who are interacting with young people. And they should mandate better privacy protections – though this is a problem that spans the entire tech industry. Second, we need public education so people understand exactly what these chatbots are and the issues that can arise with their use. Everyone would benefit from full information about the nature of AI companions but, in particular, we should develop curricula for schools as soon as possible. While governments may need to consider some form of age restriction, the reality is that large numbers of young people are already using this technology, and will continue to do so. We should offer them non-judgmental resources to help them navigate their use in a manner that supports their well-being, rather than stigmatises their choices. AI lovers aren't going to replace human ones. For all the messiness and agony of human relationships, we still (for some reason) pursue other people. But people will also keep experimenting with chatbot romances, if for no other reason than they can be a lot of fun.
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
What's up: Dirty Catfish Brass Band, night market, Ballet in the Park, Angela's Shadow, wildfire relief
SUPPLIED The Dirty Catfish Brass Band are at Blue Note Park tonight. SUPPLIED The Dirty Catfish Brass Band are at Blue Note Park tonight. Laissez les bons temps rouler avec le Dirty Catfish Brass Band, an ensemble that's been keeping Winnipeg dancing since its formation in 2011. This outdoor show — open to fans younger than 18 so long as they're with a parent or legal guardian — can serve as an introduction to the exciting world of New Orleans music, and might convince up-and-coming musicians to register for the brass band's summer camp program next month at the Winnipeg Conservatory of Music. From Aug. 18 to 22, students aged 13-19 with a minimum of one year's playing experience, can hone their skills on brass (trumpet, trombone, mellophone, sousaphone and tuba), saxophones, clarinets and drums, with guidance from the Dirty Catfish members. Registration is $375 at — Ben Waldman TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The first Manitoba Night Market at Assiniboia Downs was held in 2017. TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The first Manitoba Night Market at Assiniboia Downs was held in 2017. Manitoba Night Market returns Sunday with fun for all ages kicking off at 3 p.m. and carrying on into twilight. Over 140 vendors will be on hand peddling their wares, among them Hoovers' Cards, Blush Stitch Studio, Farmstead on the Red, Jacked Up Jill Coffee, Flying Pig Patch bakery, All For Loaves and Little Resin Heaven. There will be 20-plus food trucks on site serving up savoury and sweet treats, including Donut Forget Your Coffee, Tot Wheels, Wacky Waffles, Willy Dogs, The Churro Stop and Epic Street Grub. Wash down your street food with a cold one in the market's beer gardens, Manitoba Night Market will also feature live music stages as well as a kid zone full of all kinds of activities and games. For those looking for fresh ink, a tattoo pop-up will also be on site. Be sure to stick around after sunset to catch the fire show. Tickets for the rain-or-shine event are $10 at Showpass; parking is an additional $5. — Ben Sigurdson NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Ballet in the Park returns to the Lyric Theatre for three nights starting Wednesday. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Ballet in the Park returns to the Lyric Theatre for three nights starting Wednesday. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Ballet in the Park is to summer in Winnipeg what Nutcracker is to winter: a beloved annual tradition. The annual al fresco performance is a once-a-season chance to watch the company and RWB School students perform for free, making it the perfect introduction to the art form. The two-hour mixed-repetroire program also means audiences will see a wide cross-section of ballet, from classical to contemporary. Program highlights include a remounting of Cameron Fraser-Monroe's groundbreaking T'əl: The Wild Man of the Woods, which made its world première at the Centennial Concert Hall in 2024. This is the first edition of Ballet in the Park under new artistic director Christopher Stowell, who will host. A suite of family-friendly activities are also on offer, including crafts and face painting, an interactive creative movement dance class led from the stage and food vendors. Registering for your free ticket at the RWB website will allow you to receive updates about what's happening before the show along with weather updates, since Ballet at the Park happens at the discretion of Mother Nature. You'll also be able to show your ticket at the information tent to receive a limited-edition button and be entered to win a full-season subscription. And be sure to go early to grab your spot on the lawn; this event is a popular one. — Jen Zoratti SUPPLIED Angela's Shadow stars Sera-Lys McArthur as Angela (left) and Renae Morriseau as her childhood nanny. SUPPLIED Angela's Shadow stars Sera-Lys McArthur as Angela (left) and Renae Morriseau as her childhood nanny. Ghostly premonitions, family secrets and racism drive the narrative of Angela's Shadow, an Indigenous thriller screening at Dave Barber Cinematheque. Set in Canada in the 1930s, the film follows Angela and Henry, a pair of young socialites with a baby on the way. Angela's previously unknown Cree ancestry is revealed during a visit to her childhood nanny's northern Ontario reserve. Supernatural encounters ensue and Henry's racism leads to a psychosis-fuelled murder plot. Angela's Shadow is director Jules Koostachin's second feature-length film. 'I wholeheartedly believe that Indigenous cinema is its own genre, a blend of comedy, sci-fi, drama, supernatural and thrillers. Our stories represent the strength of our diversity and our deep cultural connection to our communities,' Koostachin said in a media release. The Cree filmmaker and member of Attawapiskat First Nation will be in attendance for a Q&A on Saturday. — Eva Wasney SUPPLIED A wildfire south of Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the incorporated community of Cross Lake. SUPPLIED A wildfire south of Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the incorporated community of Cross Lake. As most readers know, Manitoba is in the midst of record-breaking forest fires. They've displaced more than 10,000 people. Lives have been lost, as have scores of homes as the fires have burned through over a million hectares so far. 'We need to get our people in hotels,' Garden Hill vice-chief Craig Munroe said last week; 4,000 people live in the remote First Nation, several hundred kilometers northeast of Winnipeg. 'It's coming so close to our houses and it's creeping into our community. I'm praying that it will not wrap around our whole community.' Munroe is organizing a fundraiser, which can be found online on GoFundMe as 'Garden Hill Anisininew Nation Fire Evacuation,' to help cover accommodations and essentials for displaced members of his community. These are just some of the ways people can support victims of the 2025 Manitoba Wildfires. The Canadian Red Cross and the Winnipeg Foundation also accept donations online, while the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, First Nations Family Advocate Office, Southern Chiefs' Organization, Morgan's Warriors accept non-perishable foods and other supplies at their sites. Check their websites for more info. — Conrad Sweatman
Toronto Sun
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Thousands head home in Flin Flon, Man., after wildfires weeks earlier forced them out
Published Jun 25, 2025 • 3 minute read People stop along a highway as a large active wildfire fills the sky with smoke in the background in the La Ronge, Sask., area in an undated handout photo. Photo by Handout-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency WINNIPEG — Buses carrying residents from the northern city of Flin Flon were being loaded up Wednesday morning, preparing to bring them back after a menacing wildfire forced thousands to flee weeks earlier. 'Welcome home to everyone,' Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk said in a Facebook video Wednesday morning. 'Can't wait to have you back in community.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Re-Entry Update, June 25, 2025, 10:15am Welcome home! We hope you're travelling safe, and we can't wait to see you in the community. We will be at the Wellness Centre today, tomorrow, and Friday, from 9:00am to 7:00pm. We have food, mental health services, public health, a community dietitician, and the Red Cross is handing out hygiene and cleaning kits. When you come to the Wellness Centre, come around to the Zamboni door to enter. It's wheelchair accessible. The Wellness Centre is for everyone in our area: Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, Cranberry Portage, cottages, etc. A huge thank you to the Northern Neighbours Foundation, who gives large amounts of donations to our region, and have supported the food bank for the last 10 years. We also have masks here to help protect people from smoke throughout the summer. They will be coming to the Whitney Forum to present the Flin Flon Food Bank with a $50, 000 cheque to offset the costs of the Food Bank this month. They are a great option if you want to donate locally to support relief efforts and future community initiatives in general. Buses are being loaded or have departed from southern Manitoba as we speak. If you slipped through the cracks and missed the bus, please email info@ and we will connect you with the right people to get you home. Posted by The City Of Flin Flon on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Buses began leaving Winnipeg and Brandon before 10 a.m., a schedule posted online showed. Residents staying elsewhere could expect to leave for Flin Flon later Wednesday, while some travelled back on their own. The town has set up a supply centre that will be open for the rest of the week. Residents will have access to mental health services, hygiene and cleaning kits, food items and masks to help cope with the wildfire smoke. 'This is going to be a long summer, so please come down,' Dallas-Funk said from the centre. Pallets of food items could be seen in the background. The nearby wildfire is still burning, but officials said crews have been able to contain it to outside the community, which sits near the Saskatchewan boundary. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. About 5,000 Flin Flon residents, as well as roughly 1,000 from the city's surrounding area, were displaced to temporary lodgings across Manitoba due to nearby blazes. Mayor George Fontaine has said the city hasn't lost homes or businesses to fire, and residents are to start cleaning up things like spoiled food in fridges and freezers as they return. They have been told to have an emergency bag packed in case the fire re-enters the community. Another northern community whose residents have already returned home is warning its residents that another evacuation could be imminent. The town of Lynn Lake said an evacuation order could be triggered later Wednesday or Thursday due to wildfire smoke. Those 600 residents returned home last week after being displaced for nearly a month. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At one point, about 21,000 people across Manitoba were forced out in what is believed to be the largest exodus the province has seen in recent years. Many communities have been allowed to return home in recent weeks. Some, such as the Tataskweyak and Mathias Colomb Cree nations, remain evacuated. The Bakers Narrows Provincial Park is set to reopen Wednesday morning for permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators. The campground will remain closed for nightly and seasonal campers until at least July 17. Elsewhere, campgrounds in Nopiming Provincial Park, in eastern Manitoba, have been given tentative reopening dates after some areas were issued mandatory evacuation orders last month. The Bird Lake campground will remain closed until at least July 10, while the campground at Tulabi Falls requires extensive cleanup. It is expected to remain closed until at least Aug. 4. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In Saskatchewan, the village of Denare Beach, just across the boundary from Flin Flon, said on social media it's allowing seasonal residents and non-residents to enter the community. Full-time residents were able to return Sunday. 'Please have respect for our residents during this difficult time,' the village said. 'Do not trespass on private property.' It said residents should boil their water as a precaution, and phone lines remain down. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has said 218 personal residences in Denare Beach were burned down by wildfire. As of Wednesday, there were 19 wildfires in Saskatchewan, with five uncontained. Two communities remain under evacuation. — With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina NHL Toronto & GTA Toronto Maple Leafs MLB Toronto & GTA
Toronto Star
24-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Manitoba government hires former reporter to lead trade office in Washington, D.C.
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government has hired a former journalist to lead a trade office in Washington, D.C. Richard Madan, who has worked in the United States capital for a decade as a reporter for Canadian television networks, is tasked with promoting Manitoba's interests in trade negotiations.
Globe and Mail
18-02-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Notice of Pollard Banknote Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results Conference Call
WINNIPEG, MB , /CNW/ - Pollard Banknote Limited (TSX: PBL) ("Pollard Banknote" or "the Company") will release its fourth quarter and full year 2024 results on March 10, 2025 , after markets close. Management of the Company will hold a conference call that evening at 7:00 p.m. CDT to review the financial results. The call will be hosted by John Pollard , Co-Chief Executive Officer, Doug Pollard , Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Rob Rose , Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. All interested parties are invited to participate. CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS: To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may register and enter your phone number at to receive an instant automated call back. The call will also be webcast live and archived for 90 days at website About Pollard Banknote Pollard Banknote is a leading lottery partner to more than 60 lotteries worldwide, providing high-quality instant ticket products, licensed games, in-lane ticket options, and sales-driving merchandising solutions from its Schafer Retail Solutions + portfolio. It also offers a full suite of digital offerings, ranging from world-class game apps to comprehensive player engagement and iLottery solutions, including strategic marketing and management services. The company is a proven innovator and has decades of experience helping lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales, and proceeds for good causes. Pollard Banknote also provides pull-tab tickets, bingo paper, ticket vending machines, and its Diamond Game and Compliant Gaming electronic games and devices to charitable and other gaming markets in North America. Established in 1907, Pollard Banknote is owned approximately 64% by the Pollard family and 36% by public shareholders, and is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: PBL). For more information, please visit our website at Forward-looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking" statements and information, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this document, such statements include such words as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "plan," and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management's current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this document. There should not be an expectation that such information will in all circumstances be updated, supplemented, or revised whether as a result of new information, changing circumstances, future events, or otherwise.
