This morning
FACEBOOK PHOTOIrvine Jubal Fraser
Bus driver faced child-sex charges: Winnipeg Transit driver Irvine Jubal Fraser was on bail facing serious criminal charges of child sex abuse when he was killed by a passenger on Tuesday. The relevance of these criminal charges is that, had his employer known about the serious allegations, it’s possible Fraser he would have been off the job and not behind the wheel when he was stabbed to death. Mike McIntyre reports. READ MORE
Your forecast: If pedestrians seem to have more wiggle in their walk today, it could be because the temperature will break the symbolically significant barrier of zero. The high will be +2 C today, a tantalizing foreshadowing of warmer weather to come. It will be mainly cloudy, with wind from the south at 20 km/h.
In case you missed it
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Jay Forbes, president and CEO for Manitoba Telecom in his office in the MTS Building at 333 Main Street. Martin Cash story.May 2 2016
Dialling up a big deal: Bell has received all the regulatory approvals required to finalize its $3.9-billion acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. What are the implications for Manitobans? Martin Cash explains. READ MORE
Non-profit groups lose at bingo: Volunteering to work at a bingo used to be a reliable way to raise funds for more than 400 non-profit groups across Manitoba, but Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is ending the fundraising program. The reason is automation. Technology now does the job volunteers used to do. Bill Redekop reports. READ MORE
Up next
Dylan Hewlett photoLorne Kennedy organic life into master detective Hercule Poirot, a character whose every move is normally precise and calculated.
Want to see a good play?: There are many Agatha Christie performances currently underway in Winnipeg, as her work is the subject of the annual Master Playwright Festival, which runs until Feb. 26. One production that comes highly recommended by Free Press drama critic Randall King is Black Coffee, “which artfully blend[s] comedy with suspense in one big handsome package.” READ MORE
Hats off to Patrik Laine: Jets fans who threw their hats on the ice Tuesday to celebrate Laine’s latest hat trick need not worry about losing yet another hat at tonight’s Jets game. They’re playing in Pittsburgh, which is too far from Winnipeg to throw a hat. It won’t be an easy victory against the Penguins, which is stacked with A-list players such as Sid Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. The puck drops at 6 p.m. CT. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
TIM SMITH/ BRANDON SUN FILESAccording to Manitoba Pork documents, Europe is the only region in the world where pork is a significant commodity in which Canada doesn’t have decent market access.
Manitoba’s links to Europe: A trade deal between Canada and Europe that passed two hurdles this week could open the door for Manitoba businesses including pork producers. As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today becomes first sitting Canadian prime minister to speak to the European Parliament, Mia Rabson reports what the pact means for Manitoba. READ MORE
32,000 workers near ending contracts: The five largest public-sector unions in Manitoba, representing about 32,000 employees, have their current contracts expire March 31. Reporter Nick Martin talked to union leaders to determine whether job action would reduce services for Manitobans. READ MORE
Trending now
THE CANADIAN PRESS / HANDOUT / CBCStuart McLean
Stuart McLean: The beloved Canadian writer and storyteller and longtime host of CBC Radio’s “The Vinyl Café” has died at the age of 68. McLean announced in December he was suspending his long-running program to focus on treatment for melanoma, which he was diagnosed with in late 2015. READ MORE
On this date
On Feb. 16, 1986: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a plan touted by the provincial NDP government to fund a program to aid crime victims from a 12-per-cent surcharge added to court-imposed fines was panned by opposition Progressive Conservatives, but the Tory federal justice minister was positive about the initiative. Forty-two people were injured in a collision between a passenger train and a stationary freight train in Quebec City. In Winnipeg, a police official said the department had been getting numerous phone calls from wives thanking them for keeping their husbands out of the arms of prostitutes. READ MORE
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