Constantly ill co-worker not sick, she’s at the bar

RMTC finds charm behind Cyrano’s prominent proboscis

There are more flattering places to have your body described than in a book called Les Grotesques, but it was in that 1844 work that French readers such as playwright Edmond Rostand were reintroduced to a 17th-century firebrand named Cyrano de Bergerac, the subject of Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s season-opening production.

Yes, he was real.

And yes, his nose was apparently spectacular.

“Less doughy, less fleshy in its contours, it shows more bone and cartilage, more flat planes and highlights — it is most heroic,” wrote French poet Théophile Gautier, sparing no detail in his facial analysis.

Klein promises fixes to Winnipeg Transit network overhaul failures

A mayoral candidate is promising to restore at least 150 previously removed bus stops, extend Winnipeg Transit service to later hours and guarantee front-door bus dropoffs at acute-care hospitals.

In his Wednesday “Bring the Bus Back” announcement, Kevin Klein said Winnipeg Transit’s bus network overhaul, which has been in place for the past 16 months, has left some passengers stranded, with fewer stops and shorter hours at night.

“We need an effective, efficient… transit system that is safe, in order to grow, in order to expand,” said Klein.

The new primary transit network was part of the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan city council approved in 2021. Klein was the city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood at the time and voted against the plan.

PCs call for crackdown on property crime

A Progressive Conservative government would open a Crown prosecutor’s office dedicated to dealing with property crime.

Interim party leader Konrad Narth made the announcement Wednesday flanked by colleagues in front of a boarded up 7-Eleven on Main Street. Narth promised to hire 25 prosecutors who would focus on property theft, which he said is the type of crime attorneys have been inundated with in recent years.

Narth said crime has increased under the NDP government and pledged to crack down on thieves in Winnipeg and rural areas, if the PCs win power in the next provincial election, due on or before Oct. 5, 2027.

“Under this premier, Manitoba’s crime rate is 81 per cent above the national average. Property crime represents 58 per cent of crimes committed, an increase of nearly 25 per cent since Wab Kinew and the NDP took office,” Narth said, citing numbers from Statistics Canada. “In Winnipeg, the rise of property crime has significantly increased the cost of doing business and forced many businesses to now close their doors.”

Sex offender who changed name sent back to prison

The father of a boy repeatedly abused by convicted sex predator Ryan Knight said he believes his son would have been kept safe had there been a law in place preventing sex offenders from legally changing their name.

Amazon in the weeds over damage to tall grass reserve

Patricia Dutchak was devastated when she first saw the wide swaths of crushed grass and upturned soil at Winnipeg’s Rotary Prairie Nature Park, a municipal heritage site.

“This is a very rare ecosystem, a remnant of tall grass prairie, there’s barely any left in the world, and to come here and see all this damage was heartbreaking,” Dutchak, chair of the Transcona Rotary Club’s parks committee, says.

The club is responsible for maintaining the protected green space, which was significantly damaged this summer when a fence between the park and the neighbouring Amazon distribution centre was relocated.

The 20-acre nature preserve is situated on a narrow tract of land on Regent Avenue West in the commercial heart of Transcona. The park received its municipal heritage designation in 1992 and is, today, surrounded by high-traffic streets, industrial warehouses and car dealerships.

Winnipeggers come together to remember Oct. 7 victims

Hundreds gathered in Winnipeg Wednesday — with many waving flags — to honour those who died in the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel three years ago.

The event, at the Asper Jewish Community College, featured prayers for the approximately 1,200 people killed in the Oct. 7 2023 attack.

Carrie Shenkarow, chair of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, said it’s important for people to gather and grieve together.

“We’re mourning. We’re still mourning,” Shenkarow said, an Israeli flag draped over her shoulders. “The antisemitism and the Jew hatred that has come from Oct. 7 is something we live with every day. It’s not going away and it’s getting worse.”