Free Press Head Start for Oct. 29

Good morning.

Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York today to further discuss his involvement in the mishandling of a sex-assault complaint by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. Cheveldayoff was Chicago’s assistant GM at the time.

Former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who was among those implicated for not swiftly responding to the allegations, resigned as head coach of the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

The Jets beat the Los Angeles Kings last night in the second game of their California road trip. They face the Sharks in San Jose on Saturday.

Jets top centre Mark Scheifele is set to return to the lineup soon after contracting COVID-19.

— Assignment editor Adam Treusch

Top news

Springs Church received a fine for holding this drive-in service on Nov. 29. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Church offers ‘exemptions’: Springs Church in Winnipeg said in an email to its members that it will offer “religious exemptions” to those who want to avoid getting a COVID-19 vaccine and think such a note “may help them with their employment.” Faith writer John Longhurst reports. READ MORE

Nygard in court: Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is scheduled to appear in court in Toronto this morning after he was taken there to face sexual assault charges on Thursday. Dean Pritchard reports. READ MORE

Goertzen gone soon: Kelvin Goertzen’s brief time as premier will soon be over. John Longhurst spoke to Manitoba’s first Mennonite premier about his faith. READ MORE

What’s happening today

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSProgressive Conservative leadership candidate Shelly Glover is calling for a 30-day postponement of the vote. (Mikaela MacKenzie / WInnipeg Free Press files)

Deadline for Tory ballots: The deadline for ballots to pick the Progressive Conservative party’s next leader, and Manitoba’s next premier, is 5 p.m. Candidate Shelly Glover is calling for Saturday’s count to be delayed. She said Thursday that “thousands” of eligible ballots were still outstanding. Carol Sanders reports. READ MORE

Amendments act: Changes to provincial legislation that strip municipalities of some of their autonomy regarding planning decisions are now in effect. Carol Sanders reports. READ MORE

Court case set to wrap: A civil trial in which Indigenous child-welfare agencies are arguing the provincial government misappropriated funds intended for children in care is set to end today. READ MORE

Set to release stats: Statistics Canada will announce how the economy fared in August and give an estimate for September’s gross domestic product. READ MORE

Weather

Your forecast: Sunny this morning with a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon, a high of 11 C, wind chill of -7 this morning, and wind from the south at 10 km/h increasing to 30 km/h and gusting to 50 this afternoon.

What’s happening this weekend

Madison Dragner, dressed in an Elsa costume, at a COVID-19-safe Halloween event on Oct. 31, 2020. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Happy Halloween: It’s likely more kids will go trick-or-treating on Sunday than on the first Halloween of the pandemic. READ MORE

Deadline set for Sunday: The University of Manitoba Faculty Association’s bargaining deadline is Sunday, with a strike deadline of Tuesday. READ MORE

World Series: The Fall Classic moves to Atlanta, with Game 3 tonight. The series is tied 1-1 and could end as early as Sunday night. READ MORE

In case you missed it

CPPrime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses Dutch parliamentarians in The Hague today. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

Trudeau’s trip: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said disinformation campaigns and extremism are a serious threat in a speech to Dutch parliamentarians today. He also spoke about the friendship between Canada and the Netherlands that resulted from the Second World War. Trudeau will be in Italy this weekend for the G20 summit and then in Scotland for the first two days of United Nations climate negotiations. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE

Missing the Swiss: Winnipeg’s last Swiss Chalet restaurant has closed. The rotisserie chicken chain’s Brandon location is now its lone remaining Manitoba location. Gabrielle Piché reports. READ MORE

Prof names new species: A University of Winnipeg professor is responsible for naming Homo bodoensis, a direct ancestor of humans who lived in Africa around half a million years ago. READ MORE

Second-dose deadline: City officials, their staff members and front-line workers had to get their second COVID-19 vaccination dose no later than Thursday in order to be fully inoculated by Nov. 15. READ MORE

On this date

On Oct. 29, 1963: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the fate of the minority Liberal government hung on whether the NDP would support them in a non-confidence vote brought forth by the Raillement des Creditistes, in which the Conservatives were likely to vote against the government. Canada’s naval commitment to NATO of 54 combat ships was likely to be reduced. In the U.S., a judiciary committee approved a softened civil-rights bill that would be sent for a full vote in the House of Representatives.

Today’s front page

Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE

Head Start