Garbage bin drops, drone surveillance and cellphone taps: inside Winnipeg’s drug battle

The same month police began investigating what would become the largest drug bust in Manitoba history, officers already had their eyes on at least two of the suspects.

Family seeks ‘truth,’ asks feds to reopen probe into woman’s death after plasma donation

The family of a 22-year-old student who died last fall after donating plasma at a Grifols clinic in Winnipeg is disputing Health Canada’s conclusion that there wasn’t a direct correlation between the death and donation process.

Time for change? Province launches survey to review clock changes

The provincial government has asked Manitobans to weigh in on whether to end the seasonal time change.

Founder of privately owned medical device giant Arthrex Inc. to receive IDEA honours at Winnipeg gala

To say that Reinhold Schmieding is a successful businessman — or, as his parents might have said, ein erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann — is an understatement.

Roque nets two goals to lead Victoire past Charge 4-0 to win PWHL’s Walter Cup

OTTAWA -  

Just over a year ago, Marie-Philip Poulin stood in Ottawa searching for answers after her Montreal Victoire fell short in the playoffs. On Wednesday night, the Victoire captain finally got her moment of redemption.

Poulin and her Victoire teammates defeated the Ottawa Charge 4-0 to win their first Professional Women’s Hockey League championship and become the first Canadian team to raise the Walter Cup.

With two goals and six assists through nine playoff games, the 35-year-old captain was awarded the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP.

Optimism greets Manitoba’s India trade office proposal

Canola, medication, digital technology — local industry is anticipating several market changes as a provincial trade office in India launches.

The Manitoba government posted a request for proposal for its newest trade representative on Wednesday.

The listing, found on the contract website Merx, seeks a vendor to deliver “in-market services” over a year. There’s a chance of extending the contract for two one-year periods. The RFP closes June 22.

“That’s excellent news,” Alberto Velasco-Acosta, a vice-president with Winnipeg Economic Development & Tourism, said of the new rep. “They will be … an extension of our efforts of building greater partnerships in India.”

Infielder Matsubara playing big role in UBC’s historic run

Jill Matsubara has been on the road for the last two weeks, but she’s not itching to return home.

If things go her way, she’ll happily continue to live out of her suitcase.

You see, the Winnipeg-born sophomore infielder is in the midst of a historic run with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, who are preparing for their first appearance in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Softball World Series in Columbus, Ga., this week.

It took a few timely hits and some good fortune for the Thunderbirds to reach the national championship tournament, but for Matsubara, this was the inevitable next step for the program after reaching the NAIA Championship Opening Round tournament — which precedes the World Series — for the first time last year.

Tribute to composer Ron Paley pays homage to local jazz leader who’s never wavered

When asked how he kept his big band together for so many years, Duke Ellington famously replied, “You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money.”

While the remark was made half in jest, it strikes at a central truth: big bands, like orchestras, employ a lot of people and can be central economic drivers for jazz scenes.

All the more important, then, to have a leader like Ron Paley, who also inspires loyalty and admiration.

The nationally celebrated 75-year-old performer, composer, arranger and band leader is celebrated at a tribute concert this Saturday.

Louis Riel division hires province’s first Indigenous woman superintendent

The new leader of the Louis Riel School Division is a Métis teacher who has — not unlike the founder of Manitoba — dedicated much of her life to supporting Indigenous families.

Jackie Connell has been named the incoming superintendent and chief executive officer of the St. Vital-based board office in charge of educating 17,000 students.

The board of trustees announced her historic appointment, which begins Aug. 4, late Tuesday.

“I feel Indigenous women are inherently built to lead. I don’t know that education systems always see or honour that leadership,” Connell said in an interview Wednesday.

Winnipeg police get behind Ottawa’s ‘lawful access’ bill

Winnipeg Police Service Deputy Chief Cam Mackid said Wednesday the force fully supports the federal government’s proposed lawful access bill.

The legislation would give law enforcement and the national spy agency broader access to digital data following judicial authorization.

Part of the bill would require social media, internet service providers and telecommunication companies to adapt systems to allow for officials to more easily access data, after a warrant is obtained, and order certain providers to retain metadata for up to a year.

The bill has received significant pushback from advocates and technology companies who say it will erode privacy and civil rights and enable excessive surveillance.