Picking up the sodden pieces and trying to save the past

RM of ROCKWOOD — When J’aime Killbery realized her family’s home in the village of Balmoral was under a tornado warning Tuesday night, she decided to sleep in their basement.

Kinew tours flood-devastated areas in western Manitoba, pledges government help

Premier Wab Kinew, who got an aerial view of the devastation from flooding in the Parkland region Wednesday, said the province is ready to help, any way it can.

Manitoba businesses cleanup after storm, prep for future

Businesses should plan long-term for a greater number of severe storms says expert.

Alerts aplenty: probe underway after barrage of messages during storm

The federal agency responsible for emergency weather notifications says it’s looking into the deluge of tornado and thunderstorm alerts Manitobans received Tuesday night.

“Environment Canada understands that some people may have received what they felt was an excessive number of these alerts and we’re investigating with our partners to confirm the system worked as expected and explore potential improvements,” Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said Wednesday.

After the storm, Winnipeggers — including Mayor Scott Gillingham — were left wondering why they received so many alerts on their devices about tornadoes in their “mobile coverage area.”

“I live in St. James and I had no less than 20 (Tuesday) night — just in the evening,” Gillingham told reporters Wednesday.

School divisions cancel classes, field trips thanks to water damage, power outages

Classes were cancelled for more than 2,500 students in Winnipeg on Wednesday while many of their peers attended schools that opened without power.

An overnight storm caused wind and water damage, flooded school fields and downed phone and internet lines.

The aftermath also prompted principals to call off extracurriculars and outings to The Forks, Oak Hammock Marsh and other sites affected by torrential downpour.

“Let’s call it ‘a rain day,’” said Tony Kreml, superintendent of north Winnipeg’s Seven Oaks School Division. “I’ve been doing this for over 30 years — I can never recall a rain day.”

The Latest: Iran and US exchange fire as hostiles escalate in Mideast region

Iran retaliated against U.S. air and cruise missile strikes as hostilities escalated Thursday with attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain in renewed fighting after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.

The exchange came shortly after the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes overnight Thursday. Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The new assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war appeared to have stalled, with Iran insisting it would maintain its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Talks have also faltered because of Israel's attacks against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.

In a first exchange of missile fire from Iran and airstrikes by the U.S. on Wednesday, Iranian missiles were launched at missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Those came in the wake of American strikes in reprisal for the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter in the strait.

Video game giant Ubisoft closes Winnipeg office

Video game developer Ubisoft has closed its Winnipeg office, affecting about 65 employees.

Caroline Stelmach, spokeswoman for the company, confirmed the closure on Wednesday. She did not say when, exactly, the office closed.

“Ubisoft is continuing to take targeted actions to reduce costs and focus resources on its strategic priorities as part of its efforts to strengthen the business over the long term,” Stelmach said in an email.

The video game giant — headquartered in France and best known for its Assassin’s Creed franchise — opened its Winnipeg studio in the Exchange District to much fanfare in 2019.

City mulls grant to give life to vacant buildings

The city is looking at a vacant building grant that could entice developers to convert empty buildings into new homes.

If city council approves, the incentive would offer up to $35,000 per eligible project, with a target to create at least 100 new housing units.

“Winnipeg is seeing an increasing number of vacant buildings. Some of those need to be demolished … but some of them are able to be rehabilitated and (be brought) back into occupancy,” said Lissie Rappaport, manager of the city’s Housing Accelerator Fund office.

In total, 535 empty buildings in Winnipeg had “active orders” under the vacant building bylaw, with a combined 980 dwelling units no longer in use, in a 2025 city housing assessment.

‘One more step… to re-imagine downtown’: Air Canada Window park redesigned as colourful Indigenous-themed meeting place

A downtown park at 355 Portage Ave. has been redesigned as a safe, bright and colourful gathering place.

Now supporters of the $3.75-million redevelopment will strive to keep the updated Air Canada Window park in that state, shaking its past issues with open drug use and other social challenges.

“Today, it’s just one more step… in the ongoing work that we’re doing to strengthen and to rebuild and to re-imagine downtown,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

The renovated park features gardens with Indigenous plants, large trees, a curved metal sculpture with blue and green pieces, wooden benches and a multi-purpose stage, with the words “I want to see you dance when the drum beats” etched into its base.

Trump ‘not looking to renew’ CUSMA trade pact, says no need for Canadian imports

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is "not looking to renew" a critical continental trade pact, indicating the United States will blow past a July 1 deadline for renewal.

If the deadline passes, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known in Canada as CUSMA, stays in place subject to an annual rolling review for up to 10 years.

"We don't need anything that Canada has, we don't need anything that Mexico has, but they need everything that we have," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "And they should have to treat us better."

Trump complained about the trade deficit the U.S. has with Canada — which is caused by Canadian energy exports — and has claimed the U.S. doesn't need Canadian or Mexican cars, lumber or energy.