Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bills Wednesday that ban gender-affirming care for minors, target drag shows, restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and force people to use certain bathrooms.
DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ2S+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he prepares to seek the Republican presidential nomination. He signed the bills in front of a cheering crowd at the evangelical Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The ceremony had a campaign-like feel, with DeSantis tossing Sharpies to a crowd, as opposed to when he privately signed measures on abortion and gun rights.
Democrats opposed the bills, and LGBTQ2S+ rallies were held at the Capitol during the session that ended two weeks ago. But Republicans have a super-majority in both chambers and easily approved the bills for DeSantis' signature.
"It's kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions," DeSantis told the crowd, standing behind a lectern with a sign reading "Let Kids Be Kids."
DeSantis presented a narrative that expert panels in the nation's major medical associations have said is false, such as the idea that children are routinely being "mutilated." While he said he is protecting parents' rights, his opponents say he is denying the rights of parents with transgender kids.
"They have cloaked themselves in being the party of less government and parental rights, and what we're seeing now is the total opposite," said Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is gay. "Every other parent has the right to raise their child the way that they want to as long as your child is not gay, trans, bisexual. That's freedom for some parents, but not for all parents."
The gender care law also bans the use of state money for gender-affirming care and places new restrictions on adults seeking treatment.
Three Florida parents have asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order immediately blocking the new law's enforcement. Attorneys for the families, who have a pending challenge to the state Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, will be in court on Friday to argue that their children should be able to receive medical care as the case continues. The families are represented by Southern Legal Counsel, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Human Rights Campaign.
Planned Parenthood immediately started canceling gender-affirming care appointments after the bill was signed as the organization assesses the law's implications.
Transgender medical treatment for children and teenagers is increasingly under attack in many states and it has lately been subject to restrictions or outright bans. But it has been available in the United States for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations as appropriate care for people diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Guidelines say surgery generally should be reserved for those ages 18 and older.
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health updated its recommendations last year, saying that if parents agree and careful psychological evaluations show both emotional maturity and longstanding gender discomfort, some surgeries can begin before 18.
The association of more than 3,000 doctors, social scientists and others involved in transgender health said the goal is to improve psychological well-being and reduce suicidal behavior by enabling transgender teens to experience puberty changes around the same time as other teens.
But DeSantis spoke to applause at the bill-signing.
"We never did this through all of human history until like, what, two weeks ago? Now this is something? They're having third-graders declare pronouns? We're not doing the pronoun Olympics in Florida," DeSantis said.
The gender-affirming care ban and the law targeting drag shows go into effect immediately. The bathroom restrictions and the law banning schools from forcing children to "provide his or her preferred personal title or pronouns" take effect July 1.
Jones said the governor's choice of venue displayed the unpopularity of his campaign platform.
"If he's so confident in his policies, don't go hiding behind signing the bills at a Christian school or place where you're more prone to get praise for your bigotry," Jones said. "Do it out in the community. "
Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who sponsored the ban on gender-affirming care for minors, invoked his religion to defend the state's actions.
"God does not make mistakes with our children," Fine said.
Jones called Fine's take on the Bible disingenuous.
"For anyone to use Scripture in the same breath as you are being discriminatory and hateful towards a community of people, it don't work like that," Jones said. "You can't take a book that was built on love and turn it around and fit your narrative."
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
U.S. President Joe Biden is out to win votes by scoring some laughs at the expense of Donald Trump, unleashing mockery with the goal of getting under the former president's thin skin and reminding the country of his blunders.
Ukraine's troops have been forced to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the embattled east, the country's army chief said Sunday, warning of a worsening battlefield situation as Ukrainian forces wait for much-needed arms from a huge U.S. aid package to reach combat zones.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Laurentian University's board of governors approved a budget of just over $201.7 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”