Treasure hunter had good head on his shoulders

Downtown no place to be after dark, huge majority of Winnipeggers say in survey

Most Winnipeggers are afraid to walk alone downtown and believe the city needs more police officers, a new survey finds.

Winnipeg Police Service released its 2026 citizen survey Friday.

Downtown safety appears to remain a major concern, with just 44 per cent saying they feel very or reasonably safe walking alone in the area during the day. The number plummets to eight per cent overall at night, down from nine per cent in 2024, the last time the survey was conducted.

This year, 14 per cent of men felt very or reasonably safe walking alone downtown at night, compared to just three per cent of women.

Fathers united by loss share warning about dangers of fentanyl

Harlan James Edward Fourre would have turned 35 on Sunday.

But instead of celebrating his birthday, Fourre’s father organized a sombre walk through downtown Winnipeg to commemorate his son and the many others who have died of fentanyl poisoning.

Three and a half years ago, Harlan Fourre took a recreational drug he believed was ecstasy but turned out to contain fentanyl, which killed him, said his father Joseph Fourre, a Red River Métis citizen, actor and filmmaker.

Fourre said his son was a master roofer, working on a job in The Pas around the time of his death. He wasn’t known to use drugs — in fact, his boss relayed that if someone pulled out an illicit substance at the end of a job, Harlan’s response would be: “no thanks, I’m good.”

Winnipeg venues saying no to AI-made advertisements

Although the days when telephone poles and notice boards across the city were thick with gig posters, either slopped up with wheat paste or wrapped tight with packing tape, are behind us, the art of making an appealing visual ad for live music events is still a vital part of the local creative scene.

However, a widespread backlash against a new kind of slop — the use of generative AI images — has been building, especially among creatives when it comes to promoting live music.

“Live music is and always has been a DIY type of scene, especially locally,” says Evan Simpson, who has been working as a graphic designer for nearly a decade.

“For years people have been making their own flyers, or if they have the budget, hiring a designer or artist to come up with some artwork for their flyers. It’s a whole ecosystem, a scene supporting itself. If you take away the visual side of it, the spark, individuality and uniqueness of each gig poster is lost. What a sad world it would be if all art were made by AI.”

Bombers exact revenge in Banjo Bowl, lose Collaros to injury

Redha Kramdi downplayed the significance of his return for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I don’t think I have that big of an impact,” said Kramdi on Tuesday, who watched the club go 2-4 while he was sidelined with a cast on his left hand.

It sounded silly at the time, and it’s even sillier now considering how exceptional the 29-year-old safety from Montreal was in Saturday’s 22nd edition of the Banjo Bowl.

Kramdi caused two turnovers — a forced fumble and an interception — to lead the Bombers to a 19-6 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in front of a sell-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium.

Summer success sends Brezden to the Black Sea

Breken Brezden got off to a flying start as a new figure skating season dawned in August making the Manitoban one to watch, once again, among the sport’s elite in Canada.

The Dauphin athlete pocketed a silver medal in Montreal, then notched a win in Waterloo, outscoring a handful of Canada’s higher ranked women along the way.

In Montreal, Brezden, 20, topped the standings in the free skate portion of the competition and, with a total score of 171.03, exceeded the 166 benchmark Skate Canada set for international assignments.

“I’m quite happy with how my summer competitions went,” said Brezden, who trains in Hamilton, Ont.

Mayoral candidate denounced for online comments

A Winnipeg mayoral candidate is facing criticism after he posted derogatory comments about immigrants and used the word “gay” as an insult online.