Good morning!
Your forecast: A warning of a potentially heavy snowfall isn’t something we were expecting. But it’s March in Manitoba, so anything’s possible. Environment Canada is calling for a cloudy morning, with snow mixed with rain beginning this afternoon. The high is 2 C. Tonight, there’s a chance of a snowfall, with amounts of five to 10 centimetres expected as the temperature drops to -5 C after midnight. There’s a 40 per cent chance of flurries Thursday morning and the daytime high is just 1 C. Expect a sunny, cool weekend, with a daytime high of 1 C on Friday, 2 C on Saturday and 2 C on Sunday.
In case you missed it
JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSPremier Greg Selinger in the Manitoba Legislature talks with reporters after session.
Politicians, start your engines: The 2016 Manitoba provincial election campaign officially kicks off today. Premier Greg Selinger is expected to drop the writ around noon after a final morning cabinet meeting. On Tuesday, he said his party has a comprehensive plan to present to Manitobans and a good mixture of new and experienced election hopefuls. Meanwhile, Tory leader Brian Pallister promised to personally visit nearly every constituency in the province. And Liberal boss Rana Bokhari says her party will hit the ground running. Expect an April 19 election date. READ MORE
Spat at city hall: Incensed with a decision by the mayor’s executive committee to reject funding that could be used to beat back lay-offs in the police department, city councillor Ross Eadie turned on the mayor, accusing him of padding other city departments at the expense of police. He then trained his ire on the mayor’s close confidante, Coun. Marty Morantz, and called him the worst name that came to mind: “Chicken.” Eadie finished up his performance telling reporters he should have used the word to describe everyone on the executive policy committee. READ MORE
Right to die: A terminally ill Manitoban has won legal authorization to have an immediate doctor-assisted suicide in the province’s first case of its kind. On Tuesday, lawyers for the patient appeared in a Winnipeg court room for an emergency application based on a recent Supreme Court ruling. They were seeking a constitutional exemption to allow for the procedure, which is still considered illegal in Canada. Court heard the patient in question is suffering from two terminal illnesses and likely has less than a month to live. Chief Justice Glenn Joyal approved the application and ordered a publication ban that prohibits the disclosure of the patient’s gender, age and specific medical condition. READ MORE
Up next
Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press filesThe Manitoba legislative building will be open to the public on Saturday.
Call for an election: Today, after visiting the lieutenant governor to drop the election writ, Premier Greg Selinger is expected to attend an NDP election kickoff rally in the afternoon. Conservative leader Brian Pallister will make an announcement on the economy in the morning in St. Boniface before visiting Brandon and Portage la Prairie. And Liberal leader Rana Bokhari plans an 11:30 a.m. education announcement at the Legislative Building. READ MORE
Jets a loose bunch: Out of the playoff race, the Winnipeg Jets are playing cool and loose hockey right now. Even with a rash of injuries, the Jets have rattled off a pair of consecutive NHL victories — a 3-2 win over Colorado on Saturday and a 5-2 win in Vancouver on Monday — and guiding the way has been young centre Mark Scheifele. He has 19 points since No.1 centre Bryan Little went down with injury in February. Winnipeg visits Calgary tonight. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
SubmittedTanis Cook’s five-year-old Shih Tzu, Maze, was killed in an attack by five bullmastiffs Monday.
Pack kills small dog: A Winnipeg woman had to watch in horror as her small pet dog was mauled to death by a pack of bull mastiffs on Monday in cottage country south of Grand Beach. She was also hurt in the attack. An RM of St. Clements animal control officer told her the dog that led the attack and bit her will be euthanized, while the four others will be relocated and placed in a caged pen. The owner of the pack told the Free Press he will abide by the order. READ MORE
Nygard faces strong accusation: Fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been accused of trying to orchestrate a murder-for-hire scheme in the Bahamas. He has strenuously denied the claim, which is contained in yet another lawsuit in bitter feud with his Bahamian neighbor, American billion hedge fund manager Louis Bacon. Bacon is one of a group of five plaintiffs who now allege Nygard paid two known criminals to threaten, intimidate and follow through with a plan to kill them. The Bahamian prime minister has called an investigation. Nygard’s lawyer said it’s a “pack of lies.” READ MORE
No cough meds for little ones: About one in five kids under age six continued to be given over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, despite a Health Canada-mandated warning against use of the products in young children, researchers have found. Since October 2009, the federal department has required that labels on cough and cold medications carry a warning that parents and caregivers should not administer the drugs to children under six because they are not only ineffective, but also potentially harmful, Canadian Press reports.
Trending now
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley
#AddAWomanImproveAMovie: Admit it, these movies sound intriguing: “Gangs of New Bjork,” “Virginia Woolf of Wall Street,” or “The Talented Miss Ripley.”
#SuperTuesday: Republican nomination hopeful Donald Trump scored huge wins in three states Tuesday — Florida, North Carolina and Illinois — but lost Ohio to the state’s governor, John Kasich. Florida senator Marco Rubio dropped out of the race to be the party’s presidential candidate when he lost his home state of Florida. In the race for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton won Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Illinois and has an almost insurmountable lead over opponent Bernie Sanders.
On this date
On March 16, 1936: Th e Winnipeg Free Press reported that France was insisting at the League of Nations on the punishment of Germany for Germany’s violation of the Locarno treaty. At issue was Germany’s re-militarization of the Rhineland. In Winnipeg, a head-on collision between a Winnipeg Electric railway bus and a car that was suspected to have been stolen left one young man dead and his brother injured.
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