Wild weather uproots trees across city, leaves thousands in province without power

This summer’s latest barrage of severe thunderstorms caused widespread property damage and power outages for more than 30,000 Manitoba Hydro customers, mostly in Winnipeg, as winds of up to 133 km/h wreaked havoc.

Charleswood resident Ian Glover’s house had minor damage compared with a neighbour’s home, where a large, uprooted poplar tree crashed through the roof while the storm pummeled Winnipeg late Wednesday night and early Thursday.

“I opened the window after I woke up (around 6 a.m.) and the tree — oh my God,” Glover said. “I got my wife up and she couldn’t believe it. I was totally blown away. (Our neighbour) said the tree went right through the house into their living room.”

Glover was thankful his neighbours were not injured. Some of the tree’s outer branches clipped the corner of his home. He had not yet assessed the damage or decided if it was worth an insurance claim as of Thursday morning.

Drug site open house called off after media tipped off

Local business owners are miffed an open house for the upcoming supervised consumption site was cancelled after the media found out about it and interest swelled.

IG Wealth Management’s Portage Avenue building to be sold

The downtown IG Wealth Management building, across from the former Hudson’s Bay, will soon be up for sale.

IG Wealth Management is moving its headquarters after nearly 40 years at 447 Portage Ave.

By current timelines, staff will move into a newer downtown tower — 360 Main St. — in 2028.

Roughly 1,100 employees will make the transition, according to Nancy McCuaig, the executive vice-president of IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management’s parent company.

Preserving past, pondering future of 142-year-old downtown church

A 142-year-old church in downtown Winnipeg needs about $7.7 million for upgrades and related costs, while an ongoing heritage renewal project aims to create a blueprint for its future.

Potential options include selling Holy Trinity Anglican Church and leasing it back for a decades-long term, or building an apartment or office tower on an existing surface parking lot to generate revenue, officials said Wednesday.

“I think that is part of the negotiation and ensuring we have the right partners, but it is hard to put down on paper precisely every aspect of the future of a place of worship,” project manager Stephen Borys said of the potential duration of a sale and leaseback agreement to ensure the church still exists generations from now.

Similar agreements with 50- or 100-year leases exist elsewhere in Canada, he said, noting the option has been on the table for Holy Trinity for a year.

Downtown Winnipeg comedy club Yuk Yuk’s closes

A downtown Winnipeg comedy club, Yuk Yuk’s, closed after being one of the company’s worst performing locations across Canada.

“We’ve opened many clubs,” said Mark Breslin, Yuk Yuk’s founder. “They’re like oil wells — some of them gush, some of them trickle and some of them are just dry.

“You never absolutely know which is going to be which.”

The franchise counts at least 10 locations nationally.

Manitobans will feel pinch of feds' early retirement plan: union leader

About 10,000 federal public servants have applied for the government’s early retirement program, launched as part of a plan to cut the number of bureaucrats.

The cuts will impact services to Manitobans, with increasing workloads for those who remain, says the union representing federal employees here.

“It’s going to be increased workloads, maybe delays in services — issues getting your passport or seeking in-person support for (employment insurance),” said Krysty Thomas, Public Service Alliance of Canada regional vice-president for the Prairies.

“Those will all be affected with these early incentive retirement packages.”

WestJet flight attendants’ union serves airline 72-hour strike notice

CALGARY - Intense bargaining between WestJet and the union representing its flight attendants ratcheted up further on Thursday after CUPE issued a 72-hour strike notice, paving the runway for a possible airline shutdown during the busy summer travel season.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees cancelled a news conference in Calgary on Thursday morning, saying it wanted to focus on hammering out a deal.

The union representing 4,400 cabin crew at WestJet said the two sides remain far apart on key issues.

"We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal," Alia Hussain, chair of the union’s WestJet contingent, said in a news release early Thursday.

North American nations reject Infantino’s World Cup private equity plan after UEFA vows boycott

GENEVA (AP) — North America’s soccer body on Thursday rejected FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors, joining European nations in opposition.

The 41-member Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) held an urgent meeting Thursday after UEFA members agreed to boycott the World Cup and all other FIFA competitions to protest Infantino’s plan.

“During the meeting," CONCACAF said in a statement, "the membership expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies.

“In addition, the need for private equity investment to fund new and existing FIFA Forward programs following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history was questioned.”

Decision on corridor for Trans-Canada twinning near Ontario border expected this fall, province says

The Manitoba government is taking more time to evaluate and select a preferred corridor for the twinning of a 16-kilometre section of the Trans-Canada Highway near the Ontario boundary.

An earlier timeline indicated Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure expected to choose an alignment by the fall of 2025. A provincial spokesperson told the Free Press on Monday a decision is expected this winter, but a different spokesperson said Wednesday a decision is expected this fall.

“The department continues to evaluate corridor alternatives and will undertake additional geotechnical, environmental and design work as part of the (functional design study) to support the selection of a preferred corridor,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The study, which will include Crown-Indigenous and public consultation, is expected to be completed in late 2027, with a detailed design to follow.

Flowers and teddy bears: Makeshift memorial started for 11-year-old Calgary boy

CALGARY - Calgarians journeyed today to a north end park to hug, cry and honour the memory of an 11-year-old boy.

The makeshift memorial for Parker has grown one flower and one stuffed toy at a time on a footbridge in Laycock Park.

Close by is a culvert and a network of underground pipes.

On Wednesday, searchers found the boy's body in one of those pipes.

IIU clears WPS officers who fired shots at stolen truck in 2025 West End incident

Manitoba’s civilian police watchdog has decided not to authorize charges against Winnipeg Police Service officers who fired shots at a stolen pickup truck that drove toward them and later sparked a blaze.

Two officers were looking for a possible impaired driver when the incident happened on Home Street, between Portage and St. Matthews avenues, shortly before 6 p.m. on April 11, 2025.

“The officers made a split-second decision while their well-being could be in jeopardy after already watching the truck ram another vehicle,” Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba acting civilian director Bruce Sychuk said in a report Tuesday.

“Considering all the evidence available, I am of the opinion that the subject officers’ actions were reasonable in the circumstances.”