Not your typical romcom

The Wedding Plan rises above tropes thanks to likable lead, dialogue

Here’s the high-concept premise behind this lovely little Israeli film: when her fiancé backs out just a month before the wedding, the determined Michal (Noa Koler) refuses to cancel. The wedding hall and the dress are ready to go, and she’s confident a groom will show up — some way, somehow.

Now, if this were a standard Hollywood romcom, you can imagine all the madcap hijinkery that would ensue.

Instead, Israeli director Rama Burshtein (Fill the Void) has crafted an intelligent, feeling and frequently unexpected human comedy.

The broad outlines of The Wedding Plan (in Hebrew, with subtitles) will still be recognizable to anyone who’s ever seen a conventional movie love story. (Or read Jane Austen.) In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to guess who shows up for Michal’s big day.

Man armed with ‘edged weapon’ dies after dispute in Linden Woods home

The family of a 42-year-old Winnipeg man shot and killed by police in Linden Woods on Monday night says the incident raises troubling questions about how officers respond to people in mental-health crisis.

“Their reaction to mental health is my concern,” said the man’s sister-in-law, Erica Smith, who spoke outside her brother-in-law’s Avon Gate home on Tuesday. She said her brother-in-law struggled with his mental health.

“It didn’t have to end like this,” she said, fighting back tears. “It could have ended differently.”

Police said officers encountered the man armed with an “edged weapon” at the home when they arrived shortly before 10:30 p.m.

Gold mine accused of sparking wildfire that caused evacuations

A Lynn Lake-area gold mine is being sued over a massive wildfire that burned more than 210,000 acres last spring, causing evacuations as the flames closed in on the community.

Provincial conservation officials alleged in court documents filed last year the wildfire started May 7, 2025, after a controlled burn pile reignited at Alamos Gold Inc., located about 7.5 kilometres northeast of Lynn Lake. The blaze spread to within five kilometres of the small northern community.

A Manitoba government spokesman said Monday the fire remains under investigation.

The wildfire led to the late May 2025 evacuations of Lynn Lake, home to nearly 600 residents and located about 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, and Marcel Colomb First Nation.

ATV deaths, injuries are call for action

The numbers are alarming, and the calls to address them are neither unexpected nor unreasonable. But reducing the rate of injuries and deaths related to the use of all-terrain vehicles will not be easily accomplished.

The death last week of a 59-year-old woman in South Indian Lake, about 770 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was the fifth ATV-related fatality in Manitoba this year — a particularly disturbing statistic in light of the fact 2025 was the deadliest year in more than a decade for ATV riders in this province.

Eleven people lost their lives in ATV accidents last year, according to recently released data, and 227 required hospital care for injuries sustained while operating off-road vehicles. There have been 68 ATV-related deaths in this province since 2017.

All of which has prompted questions about whether it’s time for Manitoba to follow the lead of other provinces that have made ATV safety training mandatory for users of off-road vehicles.

Poilievre can only smile and nod after Carney’s chess move

Mark Carney may still be relatively new to elected politics, but he’s proving to be a remarkably quick study in the art of political chess.