Manitoba introduces $100M in supports to combat U.S. tariffs

Manitoba is responding to the latest U.S. tariffs with more than $100 million in support for workers, businesses and producers to help them withstand the headwinds, but the opposition said it’s “too little, too late.”

Impact of Winnipeg hoops giant Laping went well beyond coaching

In life, few connected with others like Jeff Laping.

A legendary high school basketball coach and influential educator for more than 30 years, he was a figurative giant in Winnipeg’s hoops community with an innate ability to resonate with anyone he met.

Laping was a best friend to many, a confidant to others, and a mentor to even more.

He died on Monday, one week after suffering from cardiac arrest.

Sturgeon Falls safety upgrades to begin Monday

Construction at Whiteshell Provincial Park is set to begin Monday, as a portion of the Trans Canada Trail closed Friday in preparation of safety upgrades at a site where two brothers drowned last month.

The province confirmed Friday that a section of trail running from the southwestern point where it meets Sturgeon Falls Road through to Sturgeon Falls will be closed during the work.

The closure is expected to remain in place for up to eight weeks, depending on progress and weather.

The improvements were announced by the province after brothers Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, and Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, went missing in the fast-moving rapids at Sturgeon Falls on July 18. Their bodies were found days later.

Police investigate after three sent to hospital in North End blaze

Three people were sent to hospital and a criminal investigation is underway after a historical home in the St. John’s neighbourhood was severely damaged by fire.

Fire crews were called to the blaze at 344 St. Johns Ave. at 10:16 p.m. on Thursday, the city said Friday.

Michael Block, who lives across the street, told the Free Press his wife called 911 after he and his son realized the house was ablaze.

“We heard some yelling from inside the house and then my son looked out the window and he could see fire coming out of the second-storey window,” Block said. “We went out (and) there was a gentleman who had walked out of the house, who was underneath that tree right there … and his pants were still on fire.”

City advised 275 people in 72 camps as of July

A tally by the City of Winnipeg shows the number of people in encampments has fallen by a few hundred since last September.

A Friday presentation to city council members shows 245 people lived in 72 encampments across the city in July, compared with about 100 encampments with 700 people in September 2025.

“There’s some good progress that’s being made … The number of people in encampments is less than half of what it was last year,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

The city did not provide numbers for July 2025. It has previously noted the number of encampments tends to increase in warmer months, which has happened each month since February 2026.

Mayoral candidate Vogiatzakis promises new express-lane permitting process

A mayoral candidate is promising a complete overhaul of the city’s permit processes, if elected.

Mike Vogiatzakis held his second of what he said would be weekly campaign pledges leading up to the Oct. 28 mayoral election. He pitched what he described as a “one-day green lane” model for approving small-scale permits: complete applications for “simple, low-risk projects” would be approved in one business day. Other residential permits would be guaranteed to be approved within five days and simple commercial permits would have a 10-day approval. Larger jobs, he said, would have a “written timeline.”

Vogiatzakis promised to open a permit hub dedicated solely to applications filed by small businesses.

“Business owners, of course, can spend months (paying) rent while waiting for permits,” he said Friday. “Homeowners and contractors can be left without clear decisions for a long time. Winnipeg has gone online with applications, but an online application is not an approval. A target is not a guarantee. My plan adds the missing link.”

U of M research role expands after $79-M federal injection

The University of Manitoba is playing in a new league.

A $79-million investment will bring five internationally recruited researchers to Manitoba to build “ambitious,” long-term research programs in areas of strategic national importance.

The five researchers will join the U of M thanks to the federal government’s $1.7-billion research talent initiative that’s designed to help Canadian universities compete globally for leading researchers.

The initiative’s flagship program, the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada, provides universities with the funding and resources to recruit world-class researchers, build research teams and pursue large-scale projects in fields considered important to Canada — from Arctic navigation and defence to sustainable mining, health equity and environmental law.

Privacy watchdog takes Google to court in long-running ‘right to be forgotten’ case

OTTAWA - Canada's privacy commissioner is asking the Federal Court to order Google to de-list specific search results, after Google refused to comply with the watchdog’s recommendations.

Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne's office said a year ago that Google wouldn't implement its recommendation to de-list specific articles in the search results for an individual's name.

The case, which has been ongoing since 2017, involves articles about a criminal charge that was dropped, which the individual said caused direct harm, including social stigma, lost job opportunities and physical assault.

The watchdog recommended Google de-list the articles for searches of that individual's name, though they would continue to be available online and appear in results for other search terms.