Sweeting lands on her feet

Not even the reigning Scotties champions are immune to change at the end of a quadrennial cycle.

Days after returning home with a silver medal from the world women’s curling championship in Calgary, Gimli’s Kerri Einarson announced she was parting ways with third Val Sweeting — a teammate since 2018.

“It wasn’t a complete surprise. I had a sense there would be changes to the team moving forward,” Sweeting told the Free Press.

“It’s always tough when those chapters close, but I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Nia Vardalos’s Tiny Beautiful Things stage adaptation finds the beauty in book of advice columns

When she dials a 204 phone number for an interview about her latest venture in Canadian theatre, Nia Vardalos is on the move.

Studies reveal inequalities in music-biz leadership roles

Nelly Furtado, Joni Mitchell, Begonia and Tate McRae — the most visible honorees and notable winners at this year’s Juno Awards seemed to be mostly women.

But look into the annual awards categories that celebrate key decision-makers behind the scenes and a less female-centric image of the Canadian music industry’s favoured leaders emerges.

For years, categories such as Engineer of the Year, Producer of the Year and the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, which often celebrates music managers and executives, have skewed toward male recipients, and this year wasn’t much different.

Before anyone makes strong accusations against the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and its hundreds of Juno jurors, it’s worth noting the number of studies that reflect macro gender disparities within the music industry.

Two plights unfold, two stories told in new Yann Martel novel

It’s been 10 years since Yann Martel’s last book, The High Mountains of Portugal, hit bookstore shelves, and 25 since Life of Pi, his breakout novel which sold millions of copies and was made into an Oscar-winning film (and stage production).

FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour brings dreams to our doorstep

Max de Oliveira was a long way from home, and yet he had never been closer to the prize that represents the dream of every young Brazilian.

The grand prize of men’s soccer arrived in Winnipeg on Monday as a part of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, and de Oliveria, who moved from Brazil to Winnipeg earlier this year, was one of hundreds of local fútbol fans who gathered at Memorial Park for a look.

Perhaps no one wore their emotions like de Oliveira. A large, toothy smile never left his face, while his bright yellow jersey left no doubt about where his loyalties lay.

“It’s big emotion, because when you’re a kid in Brazil, you grow up watching soccer on the TV and seeing the World Cup. Seeing it in person here is very emotional for him,” said de Oliveira’s wife, Taisa, who translated from Portuguese.

Accolades pour in for Scott Oake ahead of impending sendoff

Truth be told, Scott Oake wanted what is commonly known as an Irish goodbye.

The veteran Winnipeg broadcaster had hoped to keep his retirement to himself until sometime this summer, then casually let it slip he wouldn’t be returning in the fall for another season on Hockey Night in Canada.

No fuss. No muss. A quick fade to black.

“I had hoped to go out quietly, but I’m to blame for what’s going on,” Oake told the Free Press with a laugh. “You know, I told a few people, word got around and here we are.”

Manitoban Patrick Friesen returns home with new collection of poetry

Patrick Friesen’s new book of poetry, Sightings, feels like a return to familiar ground for Winnipeg readers who have followed his career from the beginning.

Though he has lived in Victoria, B.C., for many years, his creative roots run deep in Manitoba, where he first began shaping the voice that has carried him through 50 years of writing.

Our interview was conducted via email, but previous chats with the poet, at a time when The Shunning — the 1980 book that would become his breakthrough and would go on to become a play produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange and Manitoba Theatre Centre — was still a work in progress, took place in the third floor loft of his house just off River Avenue and Osborne Street.

The space was crowded with books, drafts and the quiet intensity of a writer at work. On the table beside him sat a half-filled bottle of whisky.

Actor/writer Vardalos offers readers a little sugar

In honour of the local debut of Tiny Beautiful Things — her stage adaptation of the popular Dear Sugar advice column — Winnipeg actress/writer Nia Vardalos agreed to take on the role of agony aunt for readers of the Free Press Applause newsletter.

Below, the My Big Fat Greek Wedding star tackles some tough questions in the empathetic style of Wild author Cheryl Strayed, who collected her originally anonymous columns in the 2012 book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar.

Prairie Theatre Exchange presents Tiny Beautiful Things, directed by Ann Hodges and starring Laura Olafson as Sugar, to April 19.

Quebec court authorizes class action over COVID deaths in Montreal care home

MONTREAL - A Quebec judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against a private Montreal North long-term care home over alleged mismanagement of a COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 during which at least 68 residents died.

Lead plaintiff Antonio Capobianco alleges that Résidence Angelica's actions contributed to the death of his 95-year-old mother, Filomena Greco, and others, as well as lasting impact on the survivors and their families.

The lawsuit alleges the residence failed to follow proper protocol to manage a COVID-19 outbreak, including by transferring COVID-positive patients to a unit with people who were not known to be infected.

It also alleges that the residence failed to respect government-mandated infection control procedures, including ensuring staff members who were sick or had been exposed to the virus didn't come to work. 

Le destin renversé du 261 rue Youville

À défaut d’obtenir des excuses officielles de la part du gouvernement pour la loi Thornton de 1916, ou même l’ensemble des lois et politiques assimilatrices qui ont été en vigueur dans la province pendant des décennies, les jeunes franco-manitobains qui ont posé sur papier leur interrogation dans notre édition du 11 au 17 mars 2026 souriront peut-être à la lecture de ce papier.

L’on apprenait au début du mois de mars 2026 que la Division scolaire franco-manitobaine ouvrirait sa 26e école à Saint-Boniface.

Au 261 rue Youville, ce sont les murs de l’école confessionnelle Springs Christian Academy qui appartiennent désormais à la DSFM.

En réalité, l’établissement est l’un des plus anciens bâtiments scolaires publics de Saint-Boniface. Fermé en 1989 en raison d’une baisse du nombre d’inscriptions, elle n’a rouvert ses portes sous le nom de Springs Christian Academy qu’en 1991.

Canadian men’s rugby squad returns to the ‘Peg for first time in 33 years

The last time Winnipeg hosted an international rugby match, Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You topped the music charts and Harrison Ford ruled the box office in The Fugitive.

The Canadian men’s national team was also a pesky squad that punched well above its weight on the pitch, finding ways to contend with European powerhouses like Wales and England.

Gareth Rees remembers those days fondly. The former fullback helped make up the backbone of that Canadian team, which also took it to the United States at Maple Grove Rugby Park in 1993.

The Americans were dominated 20-9 that day.

Lawes talks pause, and possible retirement, from curling

It was a decision Kaitlyn Lawes wrestled with all season.

Curling has been the only constant in the 37-year-old’s life, but with two daughters — Myla and Ella — under the age of three at home, the Winnipeg skip ultimately decided she needed to take a step back and focus on her young family.

“It just felt like the right time if I were to ever take a break,” Lawes told the Free Press on Monday. “I didn’t take maternity leave with either of my girls. It was just kind of feeling like I needed to be home and needed some time to rest and recover from these last four years.”

It was two weeks after this year’s Scotties — an event Lawes went undefeated at before dropping the final to Kerri Einarson on Feb. 1 — when she officially made up her mind. She had several curlers reach out before and after nationals about potential new teams for the upcoming quadrennial, and while there were some intriguing conversations, Lawes knew what she had to do.

Winkler-product records first career major league hit, walk-off RBI single

Have yourself a week, Tristan Peters.

Nearly two decades after Corey Koskie recorded the final hit of his big-league career, another Manitoban is beginning to write his own story at the highest level.

If the past seven days are any indication, it’s going to be a real page-turner.

Peters, the pride of Winkler, started this MLB season with a bang, belting his first career hit last Saturday in Milwaukee — a line-drive double to left field off Brewers right-hander Chad Patrick.

This year’s jazz festival trumpeted as worldly journey of discovery

Jazz Winnipeg knows how to cast (and bask in) the spotlight.

After teasing audiences with headliner announcements since late last year, Jazz Winnipeg announced the full lineup — including 50 artists from eight countries — for the 2026 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, which runs June 16-21, at a press conference on Wednesday.

“This year’s festival is all about discovery,” said Jazz Winnipeg’s artistic director Zachary Rushing. “It’s about bringing world-class artists to Winnipeg … and giving audiences something unforgettable.”

The festival’s marquee shows include, on the international side, members of the famous Australian funk-jazz band the Cat Empire (Thurs., June 18, at the West End Cultural Centre), as well as American jazz royalty Miles Electric Band (Sun., June 21, at The Burton Cummings Theatre) and Jason Marsalis Quartet (Fri., June 19, at Desautels Concert Hall).