Tariffs force Alaska seafood industry to look beyond China

Progress, yes — but there’s still much to do

There is no shortage of reasons to be cynical about Winnipeg’s homelessness crisis.

The numbers are daunting. End Homelessness Winnipeg estimated that 8,248 people were homeless in March, including 4,463 who were chronically homeless.

Encampments remain visible across the city. The drug toxicity crisis continues to claim lives. Governments argue over who is responsible. Residents demand action.

And people living on the streets remain caught in a cycle of poverty, addiction, trauma and inadequate housing.

Visitors from across Canada make Somerset restaurant’s social media challenge a success

There may not be another restaurant in Manitoba that can say it has welcomed visitors from as many communities across the province and beyond as the Somerset Food Bar & Lounge has this summer.

In just over a two week span, visitors from more than 100 towns have come out to the family-owned restaurant tucked away in Somerset, a community of roughly 450 people in the Pembina Valley 130 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

It started as a challenge, “60 Towns in 60 Days,” where the restaurant wanted to document how many different places they could reach, as it often sees people travelling across Canada stop at the restaurant. The goal was also to encourage people to make a drive they normally wouldn’t.

“The more we started sharing, the more people really started getting behind it, and it turned into this really big thing fairly quickly,” said Jay Friesen, restaurant manager.

City has plenty of frozen dessert oases to discover

No matter the weather, ice cream is always a welcome addition to the day.

It’s a rite of passage as, at the slightest hint of a thaw, Winnipeggers descend in droves, heeding the siren call of institutions such as Sargent Sundae (2053 Portage Ave.) and Bridge Drive-In (766 Jubilee Ave. and 1680 Main St.) that slide open their shutters any time from late March to early April, ready to welcome dedicated connoisseurs seeking their first taste of the season.

We’re blessed with an abundance of ice-cream joints in this city, ranging from brick-and-mortar storefronts to mobile carts and pop-up stalls, all serving generous scoops of childhood faves alongside rather more innovative flavours.

With so many dairy bars and frozen dessert parlours dotted around, there’s no need to choose just one spot to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Singing the praises of fringe shows that dare to take risks

In the sweltering heat, after a couple of beers, conversation in the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival queues this year could turn saucy.

There’s a wholesomeness to so much of the fringe, one of the great local festivals, but we all know people talk smack. Sometimes, it’s about the shows. Other times — it’s easy to overhear — it’s about the reviews.

The second sort of smack-talk is my favourite. I relish it just as I do the bad reviews emailed to me of my bad (as in negative) reviews.

Reviewees, and their outspoken fans, understandably sometimes feel that reviewers get things wrong. That was echoed in last year’s Reviewing the Free Press 2 by comedian Benji Rothman, which razzed the paper for its perceived biases and inconsistencies.

Troubling photo worth a significant number of words for coach who refuses to speak

There’s nothing funny about violent hazing rituals in youth sport. Why then, you might ask, is Doug Kovacs laughing?

Manitoba Hydro’s energy plan set to be scrutinized

Manitoba Hydro is set to face questions and concerns over its plan for the province’s future energy needs, which includes proposed natural gas-powered turbines in Brandon and Indigenous-owned wind farms.

The Public Utilities Board, an arm’s-length regulator, will begin six weeks of hearings Monday into the 10-year blueprint and potential ways to satisfy electricity demand, while Hydro grapples with a projected energy shortfall, debt of $25 billion and aging infrastructure.

“The development plan reflects the best available information and analysis of how Manitoba Hydro can meet growing energy demand, while balancing factors we know are important to our customers, including cost, reliability and the environment,” Peter Chura, a spokesman for the Crown corporation, told the Free Press.

“We are confident in our analysis and that we’ve appropriately balanced reliability, affordability, safety and risk.”