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Manitoba Book Awards

releases short list

The Manitoba Book Awards has unveiled the short lists for the literary prizes to be presented this year.

For the 2026 awards, jurors evaluated 42 submissions in both English and French, and will present six prizes in total for best first book as well as best fiction, non-fiction and poetry, plus the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award and a prize for French literature.

Executive exodus continues at Shared Health with three recent departures

Manitoba’s provincial health authority is looking for its fourth chief financial officer since 2023 and additional replacements after the recent departures of three executives.

Inflation-battered U.S. voters could prove to be key Canadian ally in fight against Trump’s trade tyranny

Is there anything or anyone that can help Canada and the United States avoid an unprecedented trade war?

Both nations stand poised on the precipice of a tariff battle that could — in the worst-case scenario — trigger an economic downturn. Both countries have a lot to lose, but neither country is showing any sign of backing down.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has, by all accounts, given negotiation a full chance to defuse the trade war. It didn’t work and it appears now that nothing — neither thoughtful negotiation or retaliatory measures — will dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from his war of trade attrition.

Increasingly, it appears that if Trump is going to back away from punitive tariffs against Canada, it will be because of mounting pressure from within the United States and not because of tough talk and countermeasures from this side of the border.

Community rallies around family devastated by fire

Dennis Lafreniere and his wife didn’t expect to celebrate 27 years of marriage Thursday in a Selkirk hotel room while reeling from a recent house fire.

The couple and their two daughters lost their home last Sunday in a raging fire that left nothing behind, but overwhelming support from multiple communities has kept them afloat.

“It’s devastating when you don’t have any clothes, any medication, all of that stuff, and it’s just so overwhelming the next morning. It’s just nasty,” Lafreniere said.

Investigators suspect the fire was caused by a fridge, freezer and battery charger that were all plugged into the same electrical line that got overheated. The house, located on Highway 59 between Selkirk and Libau, is a farmhouse built in 1943, and investigators think worn-out electrical lines also contributed to the fire, said Lafreniere.

Woman dies in River Heights house fire

A woman is dead after a fire destroyed part of a house in Winnipeg’s River Heights community.

Neighbour Russ Kolisnyk said he watched as fire crews battled the blaze at about 10:30 a.m. at 1076 Fleet Ave. Monday.

“They went into the back of the house with hoses, all of the other equipment, they were in their full gear,” the 61-year-old said. “Then we heard a person coming out and they came out the front door with her.”

A couple, believed to be in their 60s, lived in the home, another neighbour said.