Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
A scheduled "Drag Queen Story Hour" at a Pennsylvania library that had drawn opposition was cancelled Saturday after a suspicious package was found in the building and two blocks were evacuated after threats were reported, authorities said.
Police evacuated the Lancaster Public Library after the package was found. A state police bomb squad later cleared the library, but police said "additional reported threats" were still being investigated. Residents of the block and another block nearby were told to evacuate, an order lifted several hours later.
A city spokesperson later told LancasterOnline that a dog had alerted on the package and that the contents were later found to be "benign" but "subsequently, we received additional written threats via email."
Lancaster Pride, a nonprofit that celebrates the town's LGBTQ+ community, posted a notice on social media that the "Drag Story Hour with Miss Amie" had been cancelled, saying "the safety and well-being of our community are of utmost importance to us."
The planned story hour drew impassioned opposition from some residents during a marathon county commissioners meeting Wednesday, the second meeting in a row marked by resident protests after Republican commissioners denounced the event as inappropriate, LancasterOnline reported.
Commissioner Josh Parsons wrote that libraries "should be places for kids to safely read and learn, not politicized social laboratories for woke ideology." Commissioner Ray D'Agostino said he thought there was a link between children being more "confused, anxious and stressed" than ever and people "trying to push adult themed issues at such an early age." Scores of people attended a prayer vigil in the plaza adjacent to the library Friday night opposing the event.
Both Parsons and D'Agostino issued statements Saturday afternoon condemning the reported threats and calling for the prosecution of those responsible regardless of their motives, LancasterOnline reported.
"Threats of violence have no place in our debates," Parsons said.
Lissa Holland, the library's executive director, told LancasterOnline that she was "really sad, very disappointed and angry" about the cancellation.
"The library should be a place of safety. ... And as I've told people numerous times this week, like every book in the library is not for every person, every program is maybe not for every person. But we don't censor," she said.
The listing for the "Drag Queen Story Hour" on the library's events page called on attendees to "Join Miss Amie Vanite as she spreads awareness and acceptance by celebrating diversity, inclusiveness, kindness and love through LGBTQ+ literature for young readers."
The Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition noted "backlash" in a Facebook post earlier this month and decried what it called "hateful comments about the LGBTQ+ community" from public officials.
"We want to be clear that drag story hours for children are NOT the same as adult drag performances," the group said. The performer, the group said, "is a professional who has done other story hours for children. She dresses up in fun, whimsical costumes, sings age-appropriate songs, and reads age-appropriate books."
Christopher Paolini, who was to read in drag as Miss Amie Vanite, said he had just arrived and was getting ready "when the alarms went off." He called the turn of events "insane," LancasterOnline reported.
"It just hurts my heart that it came to this," he said. "I'm not going to stop what I'm doing. This program is too important for too many people."
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
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.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
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.”