Popular patio pop-ups expanding this summer

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.

An eroding Winnipeg neighbourhood looks to new foundations

The lot Jesse Bettcher lives on in Winnipeg's North End used to be a pile of burnt rubble. Same with the one next door. And the one across the street. But he's now the proud owner of a two-storey house with blue-grey siding and white trim.

Students continue to criticize handling of MITT’s closure

Students at a Manitoba trade college say their education has been hampered as a result of its impending closure and they blame government for a poor transition.

The provincial government announced in January it would close the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology because it was no longer financially viable following the federal government’s decision to cut the number of international students allowed to study in Canada.

Officials have said students would remain the top priority as 19 programs from MITT are set to be absorbed by Red River College Polytech.

Kieran Smith, an electrical applications student at MITT, said it feels like those in charge “don’t really care.”

A small step among troubling signs

There’s no getting around the fact — to many people, downtown Winnipeg is unsafe. Period.

Landlord asks city to work with him over homeless camp after appeal option turfed

A West Broadway landlord says the City of Winnipeg has rejected his attempt to appeal an order that requires him to clear a homeless encampment from his riverfront property.

Marvin Sharp, CEO of Astroid Management Ltd., which operates the Pen-Eve Apartments at 35 Balmoral St., said Monday the decision is absurd since his firm was given almost no time to respond to the order.

The city denied his request for an appeal hearing because he failed to respond before the July 18 compliance deadline.

Sharp contends that was impossible because the compliance order, dated July 10, did not arrive at his office until July 17, leaving him just one day to file an appeal. The city clerk’s office is closed on weekends.

Fences to be installed at Whiteshell park site where brothers drowned

The Manitoba government will install fences and signs to restrict access to a popular natural attraction in Whiteshell Provincial Park, where two brothers drowned this month and others have died in recent years.

“My heart goes out to the family. We recognize the hardship and the tragedies that are taking place, and so we’re responding as quickly as we can to secure the site,” Environment Minister Mike Moyes said Tuesday, referring to Sturgeon Falls.

“People will still be able to view the falls. They’re still going to be able to enjoy the beauty of that area of Manitoba, but they’re going to be able to do it in a way that ensures that they’re going to remain safe.”

The falls are located between Nutimik and Numao lakes on the Winnipeg River system. Visitors can reach them by hiking a 1.9-kilometre trail that begins at the Nutimik Lake campground.