Good morning!
After the blaze: We begin this overcast Wednesday with a look back to early May when a wildfire came perilously close to destroying dozens of cottages in Whiteshell Provincial Park – a wildfire that razed nearly 15,000 acres of boreal forest. Now, three weeks later, property owners have been allowed back into the area to see the blackened woods and to marvel that their cherished cabins were spared. Free Press reporter Nick Martin has the story. READ MORE
Your forecast: There seems no way to escape the rain as the week winds down. Environment Canada is calling for showers this afternoon and a high of 24 C, while showers are also expected on Thursday as the temperature hits 19 C. The weather experts tell us it’s a good bet we’ll see rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with daytime temperatures hovering around 19 C.
In case you missed it
CLEMENS RIKKEN / HANDOUT / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILESThe Tragically Hip (left to right): Gord Sinclair, Paul Langlois, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker.
Downie, Hip to hit city: Tragically Hip will play the MTS Centre on Friday, Aug. 5 as part of its “farewell tour” across the country. The Canadian rock band released the dates of its summer cross-country tour a day after announcing that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Tickets for the show here go on sale Friday, June 3. READ MORE
Stupid show and tell: A Winnipeg man who showed a gun to invited guests at a party a few years ago has been sentenced to four years in prison. Emilio Swain, 27, pulled out a sawed-off rifle to show off to other guests — only to have the gun accidentally discharge. Fortunately the shot missed hitting anyone, exiting out a window and lodging in a building across the street. READ MORE
Up next
ADRIAN WYLE / CANADIAN PRESS FILESCatherine McKenna’s town hall is part of a public consultation process for Canada’s participation in the Paris Accord for Climate Change.
Gauging the climate: Canada’s new environment minister, Catherine McKenna, will host a public meeting on climate change tonight at 7 p.m. at the Canad Inns Fort Garry on Pembina Highway. It’s part of a public consultation process for Canada’s participation in the Paris Accord for Climate Change.
Carr not idling: Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, a Winnipeg MP, will be in his home constituency tonight for a town hall at the Asper Jewish Community Centre. The meeting begins at 7 p.m., and it’s expected he’ll field questions on Canada’s pipeline expansion. On Thursday, the city hosts the Liberal Party Convention, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to speak Saturday.
Wheaties must win: The Brandon Wheat Kings could play their final game of a widely successful 2015-16 junior hockey season tonight. But that’s not what they want. Brandon is in a must-win situation at the Memorial Cup national championship as they face the Red Deer Rebels in their final round-robin game of the four-team tournament. With a victory, the Wheaties (0-2) either play a tie-breaker or squeeze into the semifinal. Lose and the season is over for the Western Hockey League champions. The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet 360.
Around the water cooler
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESOffice of the Children’s Advocate report favoured a holistic response to the problems surrounding indigenous children in care.
Solutions for CFS: Taking a law-enforcement approach to the problems of indigenous children in care is doomed to failure, write Dylan Cohen and Mark Phillips. The recommendations in the report of the Manitoba children’s advocate espoused a holistic approach to reforming Child and Family Services, but the new provincial government has focused on information-sharing between police and other government actors instead. READ MORE
Sharks circling: For the first time in the 25-year history of the San Jose Sharks, the NHL club is one victory away from making the Stanley Cup final. The Sharks, who lead the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in their best-of-seven Western Conference final series, host Game 6 tonight. The contest begins at 8 p.m. on CBC TV. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins evened their Eastern Conference final series with Tampa Bay at 3-3, following a 5-2 triumph over the host Lightning on Tuesday night. READ MORE
Canadian masterpieces: Three paintings by Group of Seven member Lawren Harris are slated for sale tonight at an auction in Vancouver. The Heffel Fine Art Auction House says bids for Harris’s canvas “Laurentian Landscape” could reach between $1.2 million and $1.6 million. READ MORE
Trending now
#BoringBlockbusters: Would you line up to see any of these? “Batman & Superman Settle Their Differences Amicably,” “Fifty Shades of Hay,” “Snacks on a Plane,” or “Indiana Jones and the Last Croissant “?
On this date
On May 25, 1983: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that about 600 Franco-Manitobans voted in favour of proposed constitutional changes that would grant Manitoba official bilingual status and require the province to provide more services in English and French. In a federal byelection, the Tories retained their grip on the riding of Brandon-Souris, which had gone to the Progressive Conservatives for 32 years. The Metric Commission of Canada was to be disbanded.
|
