Space, pragmatism could stoke ‘creative’ fires

Meetings accomplish something that an email never could while respecting people’s time, building relationships

There are few workplace experiences that unite employees quite like complaining about meetings. Ask almost anyone what frustrates them at work, and somewhere on the list will be the meeting that could have been an email. We’ve all been there. Thirty minutes scheduled for a simple update somehow turns into an hour. Half the attendees don’t need to be there. Someone shares their screen for ten minutes trying to find the right document. The meeting ends with everyone wondering what was actually decided.

It’s no surprise that organizations are looking for ways to reduce meeting fatigue. Every hour spent in a meeting is an hour that isn’t spent serving customers, solving problems, writing reports, or completing projects. As calendars become increasingly crowded, employees often find themselves working longer days simply to catch up on the work they couldn’t accomplish because they were in meetings.

The obvious solution seems simple: hold fewer meetings. In many cases, that’s exactly the right answer. Routine updates, policy reminders, project status reports, and information that doesn’t require discussion can often be shared through email and chat platforms. Not every piece of information deserves everyone’s calendar.

But eliminating meetings altogether would create a different problem, especially as more organizations embrace hybrid and remote work.

Could renewed interest in strategically critical rare earth elements finally make sub-sector profitable?

Rare earth elements are among the most critical of mined resources for modern economies.

They’re essential in manufacturing specialized magnets used in a host of technologies from wind turbines and electric vehicles to hard drives, smartphones, television screens, and fibre optics. Most notably, however, rare earth minerals are increasingly vital to the defence industry.

These 17 elements — closely related chemically and usually found all together in mineral deposits — have indeed been growing in geopolitical importance as the United States, Canada and other Western nations recognize their dependence on production from China.

It is the world’s largest producer and processor of rare earths, including the most in-demand elements neodymium and praseodymium used to manufacture very light and powerful magnets for an array of technologies, including the most advanced weapons of modern warfare.

Indomitable spirit

Catherine Mary Burke was strong and motivated in ways many of us could never imagine.

She was known for fighting the good fight, and she fought as hard as she could for as long as she could. But something set her apart. Even when it was too late for her, she insisted cancer survival rates had to be better for other women. And they are today because of her fierce determination.

Burke died on Nov. 29, 2025, at age 67 after courageously facing breast cancer for more than a decade.

“Cathy was born happy,” said her husband, Patrick Burke. “She was a glass-half-full person. What a gift this attitude was to me and the boys. She never once said ‘Why me?’ or complained. She was just so happy to be alive.

WRHA directs three care homes to accommodate surge of hospital patients

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has directed three long-term care centres to make space for hospital patients, citing “exceptionally high demand for care across the health-care system.”

Classic Scoop founder left lucrative job to start business offering treats on-site for parties, festivals

Days off used to be infrequent for Paul Abdul-Raymond, but now every day’s a sundae.

The Winnipeg entrepreneur is the owner of the Classic Scoop, an ice cream trailer that customers can book events such as birthday parties, corporate functions and community festivals. Abdul-Raymond and his staff show up to serve classic cones with customizable toppings, ice cream sandwiches and seasonal specials.

It’s a lot of work but it’s also a lot of fun for the 39-year-old, who left a lucrative but stressful job at a health-care company to get the Classic Scoop going in spring 2025.

Customers affirmed his career pivot from the start.

On the night table: Laura Meuckon

Laura MeuckonExecutive director, Plume Winnipeg

I’m reading Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary with my 12-year-old son. You know what? It’s really good, it’s fun. It’s a quick, easy read, and we’re just ripping through it. We read together — it’s a fun thing to do every night before bed.

I’m also reading some Winnipeg Book Festival titles right now — currently it’s Bill Gaston’s Spying on America. It’s his non-fiction book about him and his adult sons driving through the U.S. in the COVID era, and it’s quite interesting. I’m excited to see him at the Winnipeg Book Festival — he has made me challenge some of my beliefs about the red and blue divisions in the U.S., and how there’s some unique crossovers. I think it’s important to show those crossovers to people so conversations can start about heavier topics.