#nicrt2

For Haley Smith, mountain biking is more than an Olympic sport. ‘It’s what keeps me alive’

One of the most gruelling climbs Olympian Haley Smith has ever had to do in her life wasn’t even on a mountain bike. The 27-year-old cyclist from Uxbridge, Ont., was in Europe in October readying for races during last year’s condensed world cup season when she mentally and physically hit a wall. The COVID-19 pandemic had turned Smith’s whole world upside down, like it had for so many other Tokyo…

Toronto family perfecting vegan versions of Lebanese delights

Some people inherit precious heirlooms. Sharon Kelly inherited a love of cooking. “I learned it from my mom, and she learned how to make traditional Lebanese food from my Situ, which means grandma in Lebanese,” Kelly says. “I’m the youngest of five, but the only one that carried on preparing some of the traditional food.” In turn, she passed the practice on to her twin daughters, creative…

Canadian oil company will stay put in Russia, even as scores of energy companies suspend operations

While scores of energy companies have left Russia since the conflict erupted Ukraine, a Calgary-based oil company is staying in Western Siberia where it conducts extraction services for Russia’s largest oil producer. Calfrac Well Services Ltd., one of the largest hydraulic fracturing companies in the world, told investors on Wednesday it was “evaluating the options” for its Russian operations but…

Some Russians denounce invasion of Ukraine and feel ‘shame and guilt’ — but it’s not expected to matter

A man holding signs outside of a bus window with the words “War Stop.” A woman being led away by police while clasping balloons in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. Police wrestling a protester to the ground as bystanders watch cautiously. These were the scenes circulating in photos and videos posted to social media Thursday as thousands of Russians took to the streets in opposition to the…