Low humour not the best medicine

Fighting tariffs with the power of boycotts

Speaking this week about an important deadline for a renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew promised that Manitoba will continue to keep American booze off the shelves of government liquor stores if a fair deal cannot be reached.

“No CUSMA, no booze-ma,” Kinew said with poetic flair.

Manitoba is not alone in this threat.

Although he lacks Kinew’s poetry, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was only willing to allow U.S. wine, beer and spirits back onto the shelves of government liquor stores if the U.S. scaled back the 50 per cent tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on Aug. 19.

Good deal or no deal? Carney’s crucible

“No deal is better than a bad deal.”

This is the sentence that will define Prime Minister Mark Carney’s time in government.

Uttered last year to explain away the delays in negotiating a new trade arrangement with the United States amidst the high expectations of Carney’s election, it is now the benchmark against which he and his Liberal government are going to be measured. This time next week, we will know if he meant it. With all the consequences that ensue.

By then, we will have reached President Donald Trump’s Aug. 19 deadline threat to impose new 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian exports. This is not going down well with Canadians. Chief negotiator Janice Charette is reported as having called that a “cliff” in sessions with her U.S. counterparts. That means negotiations fall off and fail.

Three security guards charged with assault after Sea Bears star injured outside nightclub

Three security guards are facing assault charges, accused of injuring a Winnipeg Sea Bears player at a nightclub earlier this month.

Célébrer des employés qui mettent la main à la pâte

L’immigration francophone joue un rôle grandissant dans la vitalité de Saint-Pierre-Jolys. À la Boulangerie Saint-Pierre, des employés venus de plusieurs pays contribuent à la croissance de l’entreprise tout en s’intégrant à la vie du village. Une diversité que l’entreprise souhaite célébrer avec une nouvelle murale.

La Boulangerie Saint-Pierre, à Saint-Pierre-Jolys, connaît une importante expansion depuis quelques années. Pour Jocelyn Gagné, propriétaire de l’entreprise familiale, cette croissance repose largement sur le travail de ses employés, dont plusieurs sont des immigrants francophones. C’est pour souligner leur contribution que la boulangerie, en collaboration avec l’artiste franco-manitobain Gérald Laroche, a entrepris la création d’une murale qui ornera bientôt sa façade.

Jocelyn Gagné, qui travaille dans l’entreprise depuis l’âge de 13 ans, alors que ses parents étaient propriétaires, constate bien que la société a changé à travers les années. “On est rendu dans près de 150 magasins, on a grandi pas mal vite dans la dernière année. On a beaucoup plus d’employés que dans le temps de mes parents.” Avec une telle croissance, le besoin d’engager davantage de main-d’œuvre est venu naturellement.

Un Folklorama à l’année longue

PCs say Hutterite colonies singled out by Bill 21

SOURIS — Members of Hutterite colonies in the province took aim at the NDP government’s proposed changes to drinking water legislation during a public meeting Thursday in Souris.

The meeting was hosted by Progressive Conservative MLA Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods) to hear from rural residents about their concerns over Bill 21, which the government says will improve oversight on wells and other water systems in the province.

“There’s not enough clarity, but I feel that the overreach that this bill will bring is not clearly defined, and it could have a lot of negative consequences,” attendee Gilbert Hofer, a member of Green Acres colony near Wawanesa, said after the meeting, which drew about 20 people.

The legislation would allow public health officers to designate the type of water source based on its intended use, water quality and use duration rather than solely the number of connections it has.

Firefighter’s death fuels cancer fight

The United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg is mourning the loss of Winnipeg firefighter Darrel Maynard while continuing its work to raise awareness of occupational cancer and improve health protections for firefighters.

Maynard, a senior firefighter II and acting lieutenant with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, died Aug. 5 at age 41 after a three-year battle with occupational cancer.

He served Winnipeg for nearly two decades and leaves behind his wife Francine and sons Colin and Christian.

“Darrel was an incredible, incredible person, an incredible firefighter, and really, really special to all of us,” said Nick Kasper, president of UFFW.