logo

Ontario short story festival named after Alice Munro coming to an end

CBC04-03-2025

Organizing committee said decision to close festival was 'unanimously decided'
An Ontario literary festival named after Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro is coming to an end.
In an online post, the committee overseeing the annual Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story said it "unanimously decided" to close the festival in 2025.
"The committee would like to share their sincere appreciation to the community, volunteers, and funders for their many years of support and to the authors who continued to bring exceptional programming to the event," reads the post.
Festival organizers said the remaining funds will be donated to charities supporting women and children, and the short story contest will continue through Huron County Library.
Festival organizers declined to comment on the decision with CBC News.
"Thank you for your inquiry … but the committee is not making any further comments outside what has been posted," the committee's chair, Allie Brenner, said in an email.
The move follows revelations last summer that Munro chose to remain married to her second husband after learning he had sexually abused one of her daughters as a child.
In a Toronto Star op-ed, Andrea Skinner wrote that her stepfather Gerald Fremlin sexually assaulted her in the mid-1970s when she was nine years old and continued to harass and abuse her until she became a teenager.
Skinner said she told Munro about Fremlin's abuse when she was in her 20s, but Munro continued living with Fremlin until his death in 2013, the same year Munro won the Nobel Prize in literature.
Munro died in May 2024 at the age of 92.
After Skinner's op-ed, it emerged that Fremlin had pleaded guilty in 2005 to indecently assaulting her decades earlier. He served a suspended sentence with two years of probation.
A second woman later came forward to The Toronto Star, saying Fremlin exposed himself to her when she was nine years old while he was staying at her family's home, years before he and Munro were married.
Media Audio | Ottawa Morning : Why do parents' sometimes protect their children's abusers?
Caption: Sex abuse allegations against Alice Munro's husband highlighted the reality that abusers are often protected. As Beverley Chalmers, author of Child Sex Abuse: Power, Profit and Perversion, tells Ottawa Morning, the response is all too common.
Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.
Munro's recognitions go beyond the short story festival. In Wingham, Munro's hometown, a literary garden is also named after the author.
Verna Steffler, a friend of Munro's for more than 30 years, helped start the garden in 2002 while president of the Wingham Horticultural Society.
Speaking with CBC News in July, Steffler said she was shocked by Skinner's op-ed and said she "didn't have a clue" about what Fremlin had done, expressing hope that it would spur more victims of sexual assault to come forward.
On Monday, Steffler said she hadn't heard about the festival's closure until CBC News contacted her and expressed disappointment about the decision.
"I think maybe, deep down, I thought it might very well come to an end. I guess I didn't expect it maybe right now, but I guess if it's going to happen, it probably would be right now," she said.
Steffler said there had been no changes to the garden named after Munro, which is maintained by the horticultural society. A separate monument to Munro is also located in Clinton, Ont.
"When we did the garden, the idea was, we need to celebrate. We have a world-renowned writer in our community, and we need to celebrate that," she said.
"Her being the writer is totally different than her being a mother. I still fully support that she's still one of the best writers we've had."
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

She came to Canada for university, but she'd never been accepted. The scam cost her $7K

timean hour ago

She came to Canada for university, but she'd never been accepted. The scam cost her $7K

With an admission letter to a Quebec university in hand, Aminata flew from Benin, west Africa, to Montreal with $2,000 in her pocket to fulfil her dream of pursuing higher education in Canada. Back in 2022, she'd connected with a man who she says positioned himself as a consultant who could process her documents and submit her university and immigration applications. But not long after she landed in Montreal and made her way to Chicoutimi, Que., she realized it was all a scam. She had not been accepted to university. She did not have a scholarship. Her immigration papers were fraudulent and based on a falsified acceptance letter. My dream turned into a nightmare, Aminata said. CBC is using a pseudonym to protect her identity because, due to her falsified immigration papers, she is without legal status in Canada. Clasping her hands while sitting in her apartment in Chicoutimi, nearly two years after the ordeal, the 30-year-old Beninois still doesn't feel settled or safe. I'm living with the fear that at any time I can get deported, she said. This is not a life. Aminata doesn't want to go back home now, saying she would have to completely start again in Benin. CBC News is using a pseudonym to protect her identity because of her immigration status. (CBC) Photo: CBC / Rachel Watts Aminata was not the only victim of the scam. CBC News has spoken to another woman who says the same man who presented himself as a consultant took her money after he was hired to submit her university applications. According to an expert, not only is this type of fraud becoming common, but prospective students in Africa are among those targeted by scammers in high numbers. 'I gave him all my money' For Aminata, it all started when she came into contact with the consultant through her uncle. She said the pair agreed on $4,000 before the price for the agent's service went up. I gave him all my money, she said, adding that it totalled about $7,000 in the end. She sent along the required documents — her birth certificate and diplomas. Within a few months, she was emailed an acceptance letter into the master of organization management program at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. She says the man also managed to get her the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (new window) (CAQ) — the province's mandatory document which permits international students to apply for a study permit. Although she considered deferring her acceptance to stay in Benin to save up money, she says the agent, who is also from Benin and studied in Chicoutimi, pressured her to book the flights and start school immediately. He asked me to not worry. [That] everything is under control, she said. But something was off. She arrived in Montreal on Aug. 28, 2023, and in mere days, the whole scheme unraveled. WATCH | Aminata says her dream turned into a nightmare: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? They paid a consultant thousands to help them go to university in Canada. It was a scam Two women who came from West Africa to study in Quebec say they found out after they arrived that the university acceptance letters arranged for them by a consultant, which their immigration papers were based on, were fraudulent. She says the consultant suddenly informed her he was deferring her acceptance. A fellow Chicoutimi student in whom she confided about her situation told Aminata she needed to go to the administration to sort out her status as a student. She says the consultant wouldn't answer her calls but when she finally got him on the line, he became defensive, started shouting, and told her not to give the school the documentation and acceptance letter he provided. They told me that they feel like I have been scammed, she recalled the school's administration saying, adding that she found out her real application file was open but incomplete. She says the consultant had submitted fraudulent paperwork. That day, I was feeling like this is not true, she said. Another victim, same story Fatim only realized she was a victim of a scam after seeing Aminata's story in a Radio-Canada report. (new window) Her story was the same as mine, said Fatim, who travelled to Quebec from Benin in July 2023. CBC News is also using a pseudonym to protect her identity because of her concerns over her immigration status. She arrived with the intention of starting university in Chicoutimi after receiving an admission letter and documentation from the same consultant as Aminata. Aminata pictured with her university acceptance letter. She believed it was authentic until she approached the school's administration. Photo: Radio-Canada / Priscilla Plamondon Lalancette Upon arrival, she says the consultant abandoned her despite promises to help her defer her acceptance. I didn't know it was fraud but I had felt that something was not normal, said Fatim, who says she still feels overwhelmed and imprisoned by her situation. Her father, who was responsible for connecting with the consultant, sent him thousands of dollars to help secure the university applications — even selling a property to afford it. Knowing the effort and money he put into helping her, Fatim says she tried to keep the truth from him after her schooling fell through. One day my dad said, 'my girl, tell me what's really going on?' said Fatim. I remember it like it was yesterday. She said once her father found out what happened, his health took a turn for the worse. He felt responsible for getting his daughter into trouble without even knowing it. He died in December 2024, and Fatim couldn't get back home. Although she considered returning to Benin to her family and husband — whom she hasn't seen in nearly two years — she says she wants to build a life for herself in Canada and prove to Immigration Canada that this was truly not her fault. She says the agent had previously told her she could apply for asylum in Canada to secure her immigration status — a step she said didn't feel right. She says she didn't want to abuse Canada's system. Fatim recalled telling the consultant, I want another way out of this mess you've gotten me into. CBC News contacted the man who Aminata and Fatim say scammed them. In a brief phone call, he denied allegations that he is an agent who helps people submit applications to university. He also denied having taken any money. CBC has not been able to reach him for follow up questions or an interview. His number has since been deactivated. Dozens of fraudulent admission letters The way things are, victims of immigration fraud often have little recourse, says Richard Kurland, an immigration lawyer and policy analyst based in Vancouver. He says it's also more difficult for people to do their due diligence because they are less familiar with the Canadian college system. The communication infrastructure is not the same, he said. And literally some people have sold the farm to get to Canada to study. Now those are tragedies. In his career, he says scams for immigration foreign study permits have become as common as Vancouver rain. The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) says 44 cases of fraudulent admission letters were identified by the registrar's office between June and December 2023. While most of the individuals who received these letters did not show up on campus, 12 did, said a university spokesperson in an emailed statement. In cases where individuals showed up on campus with a CAQ document and study permit obtained through the falsified letter, UQAC says they took the necessary precautions to advise the authorities. UQAC says several calls were made to Quebec's Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration to question the validity of the CAQ paperwork obtained by these students. In an emailed statement, the ministry told CBC that in the past few years, admission letters containing irregular elements and inauthentic parts have been detected in several files. The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi says between June and December 2023, 44 cases of fraudulent admission letters were identified by the registrar's office. Photo: Radio-Canada / Julien Gagnon Although these situations remain marginal in relation to the overall volume of requests processed, they are rigorously monitored, read the statement. The ministry also confirmed that in order to act as an immigration consultant, an individual must be recognized as such by the government. When an immigration consultant obtains this recognition, his or her name is entered in the register of immigration consultants (new window) . The name of the consultant both women used is not part of the province's list. 1,550 study permit applications linked to fraud In 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that investigations uncovered nearly 1,550 study permit applications were linked to fraudulent letters of acceptance. This number also includes those that were detected two to three years prior, it says. These applications were intended for designated learning institutions (new window) (DLIs) — a school approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students, read the statement. In most of these cases, the fraud was detected and subsequent applications were refused, it said. IRCC says the verification process for acceptance letters requires that DLIs verify the authenticity of all letters. To date, the improved letter of acceptance verification system has intercepted more than 10,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance, IRCC says. 'Nobody is doing anything' Both Fatim and Aminata have blocked the consultant's number and are being represented by the same lawyer in their attempt to find a solution for their cases and move forward. Aminata says when she was first informed about the scam, she told UQAC that the agent who falsified her acceptance was a student. UQAC confirmed to Radio-Canada that he was then expelled from his university program. Aminata applied to the university again, contacted the prime minister, the federal minister of immigration, provincial politicians, the anti-fraud service and local police. After that, there was a silence, she said. Saguenay police confirmed to Radio-Canada that they could not take on Aminata's file because the fraud happened overseas. In an emailed statement, it says the victim was referred to her embassy and local police force. They asked me to talk and I talked and nobody is doing anything, Aminata said. I still have that little bit of light … hope that things will change. Rachel Watts (new window) · CBC News

Weinstein jury set to keep deliberating after tensions spill into public
Weinstein jury set to keep deliberating after tensions spill into public

Winnipeg Free Press

time11 hours ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Weinstein jury set to keep deliberating after tensions spill into public

NEW YORK (AP) — Jurors in Harvey Weinsteinn'ssex crimes retrial appear to be moving past some interpersonal tensions and focusing on one of his three accusers as deliberations stretch into a fourth day Tuesday. At the end of Monday's session, jurors requested to start off Tuesday with electronic copies of emails and other evidence pertaining to Jessica Mann — the accuser with arguably the most complex history with Weinstein. During days of testimony, Mann said the Oscar-winning movie producer raped her in 2013 amid a consensual relationship that continued for years afterward. Weinstein's lawyers emphasized that she kept seeing him, accepting invitations and sending warm messages to him. Mann said she 'compartmentalized' the pain he caused her. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the case. In addition to the rape charge, he's accused of sexually assaulting two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokola. Weinstein didn't testify during the current trial, but maintained through his attorneys that he had completely consensual encounters with his accusers, who wanted his help building show business careers. Weinstein was one of the movie industry's most powerful figures until a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him became public in 2017, fueling the #MeToo movement and eventually leading to criminal charges. The jury is made up of seven women and five men. Their closed-door discussions began Thursday and apparently have been fractious at times. One juror asked Friday to be excused because he felt one member of the group was being treated unfairly. Monday began with two jurors giving contrasting takes on the atmosphere in the deliberation room. First, the foreperson complained to the judge, prosecutors and defense lawyers that some jurors were 'pushing' others to change their minds, talking about Weinstein's past and going beyond the charges. The foreperson didn't specify what was said. Trial evidence has included some testimony about allegations outside the scope of the current charges, such as mentions of the groundswell of claims against the ex-studio boss in 2017. Another juror soon asked to speak to the court. In her estimation, things were 'going well' and jurors were 'making headway.' By the end of Monday, the jury as a whole said in a note that it was 'making good progress.' Weinstein originally was convicted in New York in 2020 of raping Mann and forcing oral sex on Haley. Sokola's allegation was added last year, after New York state's highest court overturned the 2020 conviction and sent the case back for retrial. Meanwhile, Weinstein is appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. The Associated Press generally does not identify people without their permission if they say they have been sexually assaulted. Sokola, Mann and Haley have agreed to be named.

Tony Awards offer many intriguing matchups in a star-studded season
Tony Awards offer many intriguing matchups in a star-studded season

Toronto Sun

time2 days ago

  • Toronto Sun

Tony Awards offer many intriguing matchups in a star-studded season

Published Jun 08, 2025 • 3 minute read George Clooney appears at the "Good Night, and Good Luck" Broadway opening night on April 3, 2025, in New York. Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision / AP, File Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — A pair of singing androids. Two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. A drunken Mary Todd Lincoln. A musical with a corpse as its hero. Romeo, Juliet and teddy bears with rave music. Not to mention George Clooney. 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 Broadway has had a stuffed season with seemingly something for everyone and now it's time to recognize the best with the Tony Awards, hosted by Cynthia Erivo, set for Sunday night on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Broadway buzz is usually reserved for musicals but this year the plays — powered by A-list talent — have driven the conversation. There's Clooney in 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Othello,' Sarah Snook in a one-woman version of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and her 'Succession' co-star Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk in 'Glengarry Glen Ross.' (Clooney, Snook and Odenkirk are nominated for Tonys.) There were two Pulitzer winners — 2024 awardee 'English' and 'Purpose' from 2025 — but perhaps one of the season's biggest surprises was 'Oh, Mary!,' Cole Escola's irreverent, raunchy, gleefully deranged revisionist history centred on Mary Todd Lincoln. All three are nominated for best play, along with 'John Proctor is the Villain' and 'The Hills of California.' 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. On the musical side, three options seem to be in the mix for the top prize: 'Maybe Happy Ending,' a rom-com about a pair of androids; 'Dead Outlaw,' about an alcoholic drifter whose embalmed body becomes a prized possession for half a century; and 'Death Becomes Her,' the musical satire about longtime frenemies who drink a magic potion for eternal youth and beauty. 'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Death Becomes Her' and another musical nominee, 'Buena Vista Social Club,' lead nominations with 10 apiece. The 2024-2025 season took in $1.9 billion, making it the highest-grossing season ever and signaling that Broadway has finally emerged from the COVID-19 blues, having overtaken the previous high of $1.8 billion during the 2018-2019 season. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We're going through this strange period, which I would think someday we can draw the line from COVID to this, as you can draw the line from the early 1980s with AIDS to the explosion of big musicals again,' says Harvey Fierstein, who will get a special Tony for lifetime achievement. Audra McDonald, the most recognized performer in the theatre awards' history, could possibly extend her Tony lead. Already the record holder for most acting wins with six Tonys, McDonald could add to that thanks to her leading turn in an acclaimed revival of 'Gypsy.' She has to get past Nicole Scherzinger, who has been wowing audiences in 'Sunset Blvd.' And Kara Young — the first Black female actor to be nominated for a Tony Award in four consecutive years — could become the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively, should she win for her role in the play 'Purpose.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Other possible back-to-back winners include director Danya Taymor, hoping to follow up her 2024 win with 'The Outsiders' with another for 'John Proctor Is the Villain,' and 'Purpose' playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who won last year with 'Appropriate.' Other possible firsts include Daniel Dae Kim, who could become the first Asian winner in the category of best leading actor in a play for his work in a revival of 'Yellow Face.' And Marjan Neshat and her 'English' co-star Tala Ashe could become the first female actors of Iranian descent to win a Tony. Broadway this season saw a burst in alt-rock and the emergence of stories of young people for young people, including 'John Proctor is the Villain' and a 'Romeo + Juliet' pitched to Generation Z and millennials. Sunday's telecast, as usual, will have a musical number for each of the shows vying for the best new musical crown, as well as some that didn't make the cut, like 'Just in Time,' a musical about Bobby Darin, and 'Real Women Have Curves.' This year, there's also room for 'Hamilton,' celebrating its 10th year on Broadway. But the musicals 'BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical' and 'SMASH' didn't get slots. Sports Sunshine Girls Canada Sunshine Girls Columnists

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store