Mayor Gillingham poised for repeat

Incumbent mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham remains in the lead among decided voters in a new poll that suggests a majority of Winnipeggers want change ahead of Wednesday’s election.

Gillingham was backed by 36 per cent of decided voters in an Abacus Data survey released Friday, followed by candidates Kevin Klein (19 per cent) and Mike Vogiatzakis and a surging Noah Redden, who were tied for third (both at 14 per cent).

While a majority of respondents expressed a desire for a new mayor, Curtis Brown, a vice-president with Abacus, said “none of the other candidates has convincingly made the case that they represent the best change.”

“In the absence of that, Scott Gillingham definitely has the advantage. He looks likely to be able to win,” Brown said.

Sun sets on Hellebuyck era

Now that the Connor Hellebuyck era of the Jets has finally concluded, what impact will the departure have on the netminder’s legacy?

Well, it’s a complex answer and one that could change with the benefit of time and a side order of sober second thought.

Given how raw things are right now and how things quickly went sideways — with the franchise goalie essentially forcing his way out of town with his trade request back in April — many members of the Winnipeg Jets fan base quickly found themselves at the “good riddance” stage of the grieving process.

This wasn’t how this story was supposed to end and there’s no doubt some feelings have been hurt along the way.

Bombers top B.C. Lions 34-10 to earn playoff spot

Dru Brown saved the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season.

They were a trainwreck for the opening 40-plus minutes in Vancouver on Friday night before Brown provided the ultimate spark, accounting for 31 consecutive points in a 34-10 victory over the B.C. Lions to clinch a playoff berth.

The Lions — who had nothing to play for and rested a long list of key starters — somehow led 10-3 late in the third quarter when Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was forced to leave the game. Lions defensive tackle Nathan Cherry was flagged for roughing the passer after driving Collaros into the turf, and the 38-year-old pivot was ruled out shortly thereafter.

And then Brown’s brilliance began.

Province orders ban on private teacher-student messaging

Manitoba teachers are no longer allowed to text or use social media to contact a student – regardless of whether they coach a school sports team or supervise other activities outside typical instruction times.

Security under magnifying glass after suspicious death on Mountain Avenue

Homicide detectives are investigating the suspicious death of a 70-year-old man at a seniors high-rise on Mountain Avenue.

Forensic investigators and detectives have been at the building, at 595 Mountain Ave., and questioning residents about the death of Richard Boychuk, whose body was found in his second-storey suite Tuesday morning.

The 70-year-old, who used a wheelchair, had lived in the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corp. apartment for several years, said close friend Angela Abdilla.

She would clean, shop and take care of Boychuk, a former Elvis impersonator.

Churchill expansion debated at University of Manitoba forum

A group of about 50 students, residents and environmental advocates gathered in Winnipeg on Friday to discuss Indigenous sovereignty and the future of northern Manitoba.

The event at the University of Manitoba was the final stop on the Arctic Crossroads Tour, an Indigenous-led public engagement campaign highlighting the potential impacts of proposed major infrastructure projects on northern First Nation communities. The tour also stopped in Churchill, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and Brandon this week.

Event host Clayton Thomas-Müller — a climate activist, author and member of Pukatawagan Cree Nation — said concerns raised by attendees run counter to Premier Wab Kinew’s assertion earlier this year that there is no Indigenous opposition to a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline to Churchill.

“There is a ton of Indigenous concern, as well as fear to speak out,” Thomas-Müller, the Arctic and Hudson Bay campaigner for Climate Reality Project Canada, said in an interview.

British Columbians vote in early election, with David Eby’s job on the line

VICTORIA - British Columbians are voting today in an early election called by NDP Leader David Eby in the biggest gamble of his political life.

The five-week campaign saw the major parties fight over issues from health care to housing, the province's record deficit and the increasing cost of living.

Polls opened at 8.a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. in the snap election that Eby called two years early, initially saying he needed a new mandate to tackle challenges posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

But Eby said Friday the election was needed to end the frustrations of a "stalled out" legislature where the NDP held a one-seat majority, and he regretted not making that clearer.

More than 400,000 protest across France, challenging Macron as Paris clashes erupt

PARIS (AP) — Clashes erupted in Paris as a mass march drew to a close Saturday, with more than 400,000 people rallying across France over school funding and soaring living costs in a fresh challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

The Paris march began peacefully, a week after widespread rioting and looting during protests across the country. Near its endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some protesters threw projectiles while police fired volleys of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse people.

The Interior Ministry put nationwide turnout at 410,000, while the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000. The ministry’s estimate included 110,000 in Paris, where authorities had confined the march to the city’s southeastern edge, away from the center.

Elsewhere in France, police used tear gas in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Strasbourg and water cannons in Nice and Nantes, French media reported. In Marseille, officers fired tear gas during clashes with several dozen people near the march’s endpoint.

Pam Grier is still blazing trails in film

Work as long as Pam Grier, and you’ll have stories. And does Pam Grier ever have stories.