Good morning!
Not your mother’s video game: The Portal, the first virtual reality arcade in Winnipeg and one of only four in the country, offers an immersive 3D, 360-degree experience. Reporter Martin Cash donned the headset and writes about his terrifying — and intensely fun — experience shooting zombies. READ MORE
Your forecast: Rain and above-zero warmth generally threaten outdoor ice rinks, so many people will wonder how today’s weather will affect the pop-up rink at Investors Group Field for the weekend’s NHL Heritage Classic. Environment Canada says showers will begin in the morning and end in the afternoon, with a high of 9 C, and winds of 40 km/h, gusting to 60.
In case you missed it
Fentanyl pills are shown in an undated police handout photo.
Fighting fentanyl: Families plagued by the horror of fentanyl visited the legislature Thursday to urge political measures to save other addicts from misusing the opioid that killed 29 people in Manitoba last year. The Opposition NDP introduced a resolution calling for a half-dozen measures to prevent fatal overdoses and clean up addicts. Alexandra Paul and Bill Redekop report. READ MORE
“Take a pass on it”: Conservative MLA Rochelle Squires accused NDP MLA Rob Altemeyer of shouting, “Take your pants off,” in the House earlier this month. Altemeyer insisted he said, “Take a pass on it.” On Thursday, Speaker Myrna Driedger, after reviewing a recording, ruled. Altemeyer was right, he made no reference to Squires’ pants. Larry Kusch reports. READ MORE
Up next
Picketing profs: The University of Manitoba Faculty Association will stage an information picket in front of the administration building on the Fort Garry campus at noon today. Bargaining continues, but the union has set a strike date of Nov. 1. Still no word on whether the faculty will erect picket lines on the campus this weekend, possibly slowing traffic when tens of thousands of people want to reach the campus stadium for the Heritage Classic hockey games.
Janice Filmon getting pinned: At 11 a.m. today, Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon will be presented with the first poppy of this year’s annual Royal Canadian Legion annual fundraiser, setting the stage for the public poppy campaign to start Oct. 28. The poppy blossoms on the lapels of more than 19 million Canadians yearly, a symbol of Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
Around the water cooler
RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSThe Jets’ Patrik Laine was the hero with the hat trick in Wednesday night’s victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Patrik Laine’s celebration: After the Jets’ whiz kid scored a hat trick Wednesday night in only his fourth NHL game, the 18-year-old rookie celebrated by splitting a bowl of ice cream with his girlfriend. Talking to Free Press sportswriter Mike Sawatzky, the teenager was disarmingly truthful: “I think I showed… people I can make those plays when there’s not too much time left. I think I’m pretty good at those moments.” READ MORE
Queen homeless: The iconic painting of Queen Elizabeth that used to grace the Winnipeg Arena was displayed on the street near Graham Avenue and Garry Street on Thursday, but painting owner Jamie Boychuk said he’s still looking for a permanent home for the 122-kilogram painting that was in storage for almost two decades. Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE
Trending now
FRANCOIS MORI / THE CANADIAN PRESSA Bombardier CS 300 performs a demonstration flight in 2015.
2,000 in Canada: Montreal’s Bombardier, Inc. has announced it is cutting 7,500 jobs over the next two years, including 2,000 jobs in Canada READ MORE
On this date
On Oct. 21, 1961: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a United Nations special political committee unanimously approved a Canadian proposal for a worldwide study on atomic radiation. In Vancouver, prominent legal authorities criticized the RCMP’s use of blanket search warrants to hunt for copies of Henry Miller’s banned “French sex novel” Tropic of Cancer. A Free Press survey showed 80 per cent of respondents favoured amalgamation for the capital area municipalities. READ MORE
|
