Silverman presented with Governor General’s Performing Arts Award

RCMP are investigating after a suspect or suspects broke into the vacant Portage la Prairie Mall and vandalized the building on Monday, causing more than $100,000 in damage.

Mounties were called to the vacant mall on Saskatchewan Avenue West at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday.

Police say the suspect or suspects caused "extensive" damage throughout the building. Most windows inside the building were smashed, a tree was cut down, the general office and several unoccupied storefronts were ransacked and graffiti was spray-painted on walls.

Mounties say they believe the damage will cost more than $100,000 to fix. Nothing appears to have been stolen.

There has been much talk lately about how Manitoba can strengthen its economy and improve its general well-being. Adding a third component to our education system, one that would be equal in funding and recognition to K-12 and post-secondary education, would do just that.

That third component, adult basic education, already exists, but with inadequate funding and little recognition.

Adult basic education includes adult learning centres that offer mature high school diplomas to those who have not previously completed high school, and adult literacy programs that bring adults up to high school entry level.

Adult basic education works well. Since 2003, some 25,000 Manitobans have earned their mature high school diplomas. Enough graduates move off employment and income assistance, saving the provincial government money, and into full-time employment, increasing the government’s tax revenue, so that over a 10-year period the government makes more than it spends on adult basic education. The system pays for itself.

A former city councillor and provincial cabinet minister says he will enter the race to become Winnipeg’s next mayor.

“I have decided, after some consideration, that I will be throwing my name into the election for mayor. I'm going to go up against Scott Gillingham and we're going to make a race of it,” said Kevin Klein, in a video posted to the Winnipeg Sun website. Klein is the president and CEO of Klein Media Group, which publishes the Winnipeg Sun.

Klein, a former Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood councillor and Manitoba Progressive Conservative environment minister, finished third in the 2022 mayoral race with 28,806 votes. Gillingham claimed a narrow victory with 53,663, followed by Glen Murray with 49,272.

In the video, Klein said he had decided not to enter the race weeks ago due to an unspecified health scare that required surgery. After recovering, he said he decided to run.