In pictures: Fifty years of Folk Fest

The Winnipeg Folk Festival celebrates its 50th year running in 2025, and the Free Press has been there since Day 1. Here are a collection of photos from the earliest days to today, commemorating the past five decades of festivities at Birds Hill Park and the community that resulted.

In pictures: Flin Flon wildfire tour June 12, 2025

Free Press photographer Mike Deal was with Premier Wab Kinew as he got a firsthand look at the battle against the largest wildfire in the province during a tour of northern Manitoba Thursday.

Hudson’s Bay Company artifacts at the Manitoba Museum

Here's a small selection of items included in the massive collection of Hudson's Bay Company artifacts at the Manitoba Museum.

In pictures: Norway House evacuation

Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force helped evacuees board a C-130 Hercules aircraft in Norway House, Man., on June 3, 2025, at the Norway House Airport as crews continued to fight wildfires in northern Manitoba. Photos by David Lipnowski, The Canadian Press.

Remembering The Bay

After 355 years, the Hudson’s Bay Company has closed its doors.

The longstanding business grew as a fur-trading company and transitioned into a department store. Over recent years, it’s been in a state of financial decline. It filed for creditor protection in March and is shuttering 80 Bay stores and its Saks-linked Canadian locations.

In addition to the flagship store at Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, which closed in 2020, Winnipeg’s Hudson’s Bay stores were located in CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre. A Saks Off Fifth occupied Outlet Collection Winnipeg.

Canadian Tire aims to acquire Hudson’s Bay trademarks, including its stripes and coat of arms.

True north, strong and free

Thousands gathered in front of the Manitoba legislature Sunday afternoon to celebrate what it means to be Canadian. Free Press staff photographer John Woods was at the Rally for Canada event to capture the spirit of the event.

Gallery: HéHo! Let’s brave the cold

Extreme cold warnings greeted the start of the 2025 edition of the Festival du Voyageur but visitors were undeterred. Dressed for the weather, festival goers were treated to snow sculptures, glimpses of the fur trade life, music, and maple taffy on Sunday. The weather forecast is calling for milder temperatures for the rest of the week as the festival finishes up next weekend.

Gallery: Manitoba memories of Trudeau’s political journey

Manitoba was a frequent destination for Justin Trudeau as part of his 12-year journey as federal Liberal leader.

Gallery: The best photos from Free Press photojournalists in 2024

It feels like 2024 has flown by far too quickly. Understandably, some might feel this year didn’t go by fast enough. Regardless of how one might feel about 2024, our staff photographers were around the city and province to capture some of the best and compelling images of this year.

Slideshow: Murray Sinclair’s life and legacy honoured at memorial

More than a thousand members of the public, including dignitaries, filled the seats at Canada Life Centre Sunday afternoon, Nov. 10 to remember Murray Sinclair. Here are some of the images from the memorial service captured by staff and wire photographers.

Photo gallery: U.S. election 2024

Republican candidate former U.S. president Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 U.S. presidential election early Tuesday morning, defeating Democratic candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris.

‘Just horrible’: Manitoba man who killed partner, 2 children sentenced to life

WINNIPEG - A woman told court Thursday that years of counselling and medications have failed to keep away nightmares about the gruesome killings of her daughter and two young grandchildren.

Tammi St. Jean told a sentencing hearing in Winnipeg about the roller-coaster of emotions she has had since the slayings in 2022.

Trevis McLeod earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of his common-law partner and their children. He was handed an automatic life sentence with no parole eligibility for 16 years.

"My heart and mind cannot comprehend how someone can murder their family in such a cold, calculated and brutal manner," St. Jean wrote in a victim impact statement read aloud by Crown attorney Dayna Queau-Guzzi.

In pane view

It’s an autumn rite of passage for many — cleaning windows before the snow and cold arrive. That job is carried out on a much larger scale at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Last week, workers with Bresara Window Cleaning tackled the museum’s massive glass facade, called The Cloud, which is made of 1,335 custom-cut pieces. The museum regularly schedules a cleaning in the fall. The Israel Asper Tower of Hope, the museum’s glass spire, is cleaned in both May and September. Because of the unique angles of the museum’s design, the job can only be done with the […]

Photo gallery: Bittersweet farewell to Winnipeg’s iconic candy company

Winnipeg’s iconic candy company, the Nutty Club, closed earlier this year after more than a century of business. Free Press photographer Mike Deal visited the company’s East Exchange locations last week, where the remnants offer a stark reminder of a once-booming candy-manufacturing industry in the city.

Maps of Winnipeg’s proposed new transit routes

The City of Winnipeg plans to change almost every transit route in the city in June 2025, during a major overhaul of the transit service.

All told, there will be 142 changes to bus routes in the city during a switch to a "spine-feeder model."

Instead of every bus in the city ending up downtown, there will be a network of major routes and less frequently served feeder routes that bring passengers to the main bus routes.

A city report included maps of each of the new proposed bus routes. View them below.