Red River course focuses on Indigenous cooking techniques, ingredients

With the lunch rush over, the kitchen takes a collective sigh of relief. Jokes are cracked while the flattop is scraped clean and smiles float around the room as prep stations are tidied for the next day’s service.

Gabriel Nanacowop, who had some nerves about overseeing Wiisinin Diner as chef-of-the-day, is feeling particularly satisfied.

“It was good, fast-paced,” says Nanacowop, one of 11 students enrolled in Red River College Polytechnic’s Indigenous Culinary Skills program.

Red River has been offering the yearlong certificate program for nearly a decade. In it, Indigenous students are given a crash course on food preparation, kitchen safety and business basics, with a focus on cultural ingredients and cooking techniques.

How soon will Canadians feel the carbon levy’s demise? Depends what you’re buying

CALGARY - Prime Minister Mark Carney killed the consumer carbon levy as one of his first acts upon taking office earlier this month. As of Tuesday, the price everyday Canadians pay for emissions will be set at $0. 

Here is what consumers can expect: 

Fuel

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com, said Canadians should see a “pretty sizable rollback” in fuel prices within 24 hours of the retail carbon charge being removed. 

‘Sobering statistic:’ One-fifth of pollinators in North America at extinction risk

FREDERICTON - Many butterflies, bees and moths are fluttering into oblivion. A new report co-authored by a Canadian researcher warns that more than one-fifth of pollinator species it studied in North America are at risk of extinction.

Out of 759 pollinators — animals critical for food production and healthy ecosystems — studied in Canada, more than 10 per cent were at some level of risk of extinction, says the study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS. And of 1,579 pollinators assessed in the United States, 22.5 per cent were found to be at some level of risk.

The study is the most comprehensive look at North American pollinators and their conservation status to date, John Klymko, scientist at Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre in Sackville, N.B., and one of the co-authors, said in a recent interview.

Commonly known pollinators, which transfer pollen from one flower to another, are bees, butterflies and moths, Klymko said. But they also include vertebrates like hummingbirds and bats. "Many plants are reliant on pollinators in order to reproduce," he said.

How soon will Canadians feel the carbon levy’s demise? Depends what you’re buying

CALGARY - Prime Minister Mark Carney killed the consumer carbon levy as one of his first acts upon taking office earlier this month. As of April 1, the price everyday Canadians pay for emissions is to be set at $0. 

Here is what consumers can expect: 

Fuel

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com, said Canadians should see a “pretty sizable rollback” in fuel prices within 24 hours of the retail carbon charge being removed. 

Price vs. patriotism: How to shop Canadian without blowing your budget

To balance prices with patriotism, experts agree shoppers should first evaluate how much they can comfortably spend and then think about how staunch they want to be about shopping Canadian.

Looking for the leaf: Companies alter labels to attract Canadians at grocery stores

As Canadians scour grocery store shelves for maple leaves amid the trade war with the U.S., some companies are changing their packaging to make their domestic roots more obvious. 

Crosby Foods is one of them. The New Brunswick-based company, which sells molasses and other products and employs just under 100 people, was founded in 1879 by the great-great-grandfather of its now-president, James Crosby. 

The Canadian-owned company packages its molasses here, where it also undergoes some processing. 

But the company can’t display the “made in Canada” or “product of Canada” declaration that many manufacturers, American and international ones included, are able to use. 

As Ramadan ends, a new cookbook sheds light on Pakistan’s varied cuisine

When Maryam Jillani was growing up in Islamabad, the last day of Ramadan was about more than breaking a month-long fast with extended family.

A joyous occasion, the Eid al-Fitr holiday also was marked with visits to the market to get new bangles, wearing her best new clothes and getting hennaed. Not to mention the little envelopes with cash gifts from the adults.

“But, of course, food,” said Jillani, a food writer and author of the new cookbook “Pakistan.” “Food is a big part of Eid.”

At the center of her grandmother Kulsoom’s table was always mutton pulao, a delicately spiced rice dish in which the broth that results from cooking bone-in meat is then used to cook the rice. Her uncle would make mutton karahi, diced meat simmered in tomato sauce spiked with ginger and chilies.

Saskatchewan reverses ban of U.S. alcohol products that are produced in Canada

REGINA - The Saskatchewan government is walking back part of its decision to stop purchasing all American-branded alcohol products in response to U.S. tariffs.

The province says it is allowing the sale and distribution of 54 Canadian-produced U.S. brands to resume.

Some American brands like Budweiser and Coors are produced in Canada, and the Saskatchewan government says it heard concerns that its ban was too broad.

It says the province is "realigning its approach" to be consistent with other provinces by focusing on U.S.-produced alcohol.

Blend your way to better chicken vindaloo

Vindaloo is an Indian dish of Portuguese influence that typically is associated with the state of Goa on India’s southwestern coast, but the curry is popular around the world. Made with pork, lamb or chicken, it’s notable for its vinegary tang, a generous dose of garlic and the spiciness of dried chilies.

In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we puree a host of spices in a blender, along with fresh garlic and ginger, bracing white vinegar and a bit of brown sugar. The result is a thick paste that is sweetly aromatic. After the chicken soaks for a bit, both meat and marinade go into the skillet to cook and reduce.

The Kashmiri chili powder used in India is vibrantly colored with moderate heat; we found a mixture of sweet paprika and cayenne to be a good substitute. If you purchase Kashmiri chili powder, substitute 4 teaspoons for the paprika and cayenne.

Don’t worry if the chicken sticks to the pot immediately after it is added. Allow it to cook undisturbed and it eventually will release with ease. And don’t be afraid to allow the chicken and puree to brown as they cook. This brings out the flavors in the spices and tames the pungency of the aromatics, yielding a sauce that tastes full and round. Sprinkle the finished dish with sliced chilies and cilantro and serve with basmati rice.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh promises grocery price cap for ‘basic food items’

OTTAWA - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tried to change the election channel back to the cost of living on Saturday, visiting a food bank in Ottawa where he promised to go after corporate grocery chains he said are "ripping" people off.

It has been a difficult first week of campaigning for Singh, whose party has plummeted in the polls, and who struggled to generate significant levels of enthusiasm as he campaigned in Montreal and around southern Ontario.

Without a drastic turn around, the NDP could be decimated when Canadians go to vote on April 28 and Singh spent much of the first seven days of campaigning insisting no matter what the polls say, he is still running to be prime minister.

"I want folks to know they've got a real choice in this election," he said Saturday. "If you want someone that's going to fight for you, that us."

The cookbook ‘Pakistan’ serves up recipes for mutton pulao, garlic chutney and sweet seviyan

A mainstay at the Eid al-Fitr table of Maryam Jillani’s grandmother, Kulsoom, was mutton pulao, an aromatic rice dish prepared in a gently spiced bone broth. It’s both comforting and celebratory — and can be absolutely revelatory when paired with a sharp condiment like a garlic chutney.

Dessert included seviyan, sweetened vermicelli noodles simmered in spiced milk.

Here are recipes from J illani's cookbook, “Pakistan,” for the mutton, chutney and seviyan:

Mutton Pulao (Aromatic Rice with Mutton)

As elver fishery season set to launch, N.S. First Nation rejects federal rules

HALIFAX - The fishing season for baby eels is set to begin in the Maritimes, but at least one First Nation says it won't abide by federal rules that limit the lucrative catch.

In a March 5 letter, Chief Bob Gloade of Millbrook First Nation, near Truro, N.S., told the federal Fisheries Department his community won't use Ottawa's recently developed smartphone app to log fishers' harvests from Nova Scotia rivers.

As well, Gloade said, his nation doesn't recognize Ottawa's jurisdiction to oversee the Indigenous fishery.

"We the Mi'kmaq of Millbrook have our own management plan that we have authorized under the treaties … We are not regulated by your colonial commercial licensing schemes, nor do we accept your proposed management plan," the chief wrote.

Premium Brands reports Q4 profit more than doubles, revenue up

VANCOUVER - Premium Brands Holdings Corp. reported its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled compared with a year earlier as it saw record revenue for the quarter.

The specialty food company says it earned $37.3 million or 84 cents per share for the 13-week period ended Dec. 28.

The result compared with a profit of $15.0 million or 34 cents per share in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue for the quarter totalled $1.64 billion, up from $1.55 billion.