Canadian tech firm Dye & Durham announces $3.2-billion bid for Australia’s Link Group

Preserving past, pondering future of 142-year-old downtown church

A 142-year-old church in downtown Winnipeg needs about $7.7 million for upgrades and related costs, while an ongoing heritage renewal project aims to create a blueprint for its future.

Potential options include selling Holy Trinity Anglican Church and leasing it back for a decades-long term, or building an apartment or office tower on an existing surface parking lot to generate revenue, officials said Wednesday.

“I think that is part of the negotiation and ensuring we have the right partners, but it is hard to put down on paper precisely every aspect of the future of a place of worship,” project manager Stephen Borys said of the potential duration of a sale and leaseback agreement to ensure the church still exists generations from now.

Similar agreements with 50- or 100-year leases exist elsewhere in Canada, he said, noting the option has been on the table for Holy Trinity for a year.

Girl pleads guilty to assaulting fellow student

A high school student who admitted to attacking another girl in the hallway says she is taking responsibility for her wrongdoing.

Manitobans will feel pinch of feds' early retirement plan: union leader

About 10,000 federal public servants have applied for the government’s early retirement program, launched as part of a plan to cut the number of bureaucrats.

The cuts will impact services to Manitobans, with increasing workloads for those who remain, says the union representing federal employees here.

“It’s going to be increased workloads, maybe delays in services — issues getting your passport or seeking in-person support for (employment insurance),” said Krysty Thomas, Public Service Alliance of Canada regional vice-president for the Prairies.

“Those will all be affected with these early incentive retirement packages.”

Use it twice: a data centre we could support

In June, Premier Wab Kinew rejected a massive AI data centre planned near Île-des-Chênes. The project would have used 500 megawatts of power, which is about the same as the Grand Rapids generating station, and would have run on six natural gas turbines. Kinew said the environmental cost was too high and the long-term benefit for Manitobans was too low.