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Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

Defenceman Morrissey focused on season ahead

Josh Morrissey insists that a trade request from the franchise goalie doesn’t change his desire to be a lifelong Winnipeg Jet.

The top-pairing defenceman and alternate captain reinforced that view on Monday morning when speaking to a group of reporters prior to the Winnipeg Jets Golf Classic at St. Charles Country Club.

“At the end of the day, I love being here and I love being a Jet. That’s how I’ve always felt,” said Morrissey, who spoke for just over nine minutes on a variety of topics. “That doesn’t change because of somebody else’s decision. Nothing is finalized, so who knows, he could be back. My position doesn’t change.”

Morrissey has two years left on a contract that pays him US$6.25 million and he’s only eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but the future of the franchise pillar will be a topic of discussion as the Jets work to sort through the situation with franchise goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, which remains unresolved.

Feds chip in $27M for Winnipeg sewage project

The federal government is offering Winnipeg $27 million to help reduce combined sewer overflows, its first financial contribution to the major environmental project.

The City of Winnipeg is provincially mandated to complete a $1.15-billion master plan by 2045 that reduces such sewage spills. The municipal government has so far paid for that work alone, however, as provincial and federal funding focused on the city’s separate $3.1-billion upgrade of the north end sewage treatment plant.

“It’s wonderful to see the federal government (do this) … It’s going to make a difference on the (combined sewer overflow) projects. We’ve got a lot of them to do in the city … With the rain events we saw this year, the importance of accelerating combined sewer projects across the city is more (pressing) than ever,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), chairman of finance.

Older combined sewers still serve about one third of Winnipeg, collecting both precipitation and wastewater in a single pipe. Heavy rain or snow can cause the pipes to overflow, which releases billions of litres of diluted sewage into Winnipeg rivers each year.

Port of Churchill expansion could chase belugas away, U of M researcher says

As plans to expand the Port of Churchill into a four-season trade corridor gathers momentum, a University of Manitoba researcher has published a report on what ship traffic could mean for the beluga whales that gather in the Churchill River estuary each summer.

Veronica Coppolaro said more vessels in the waterways bring a risk that belugas will stop using the estuary for migration, which would impact the ecological landscape, tourism and communities that rely on the animals for food and cultural purposes.

“There are studies showing that (noises) change the way they swim, they change the way (the whales) are vocalizing, they change their main activity, and so this (expansion) can have consequences at different levels,” she said.

The Churchill river estuary is a marine habitat where the Churchill River empties into Hudson Bay. During the summer months belugas gather in the area to feed and give birth.

Finding fulfilment as canines’ companion

Tim Campbell loves dogs. He loves them so much that as soon he retired from his job at Panasonic Canada in early 2024 he began volunteering in earnest at the Winnipeg Humane Society (WHS).

He’d started his voluntary career five years prior with another local dog rescue organization. The work was rewarding, he says but the call-outs were unpredictable.

He was looking for a voluntary role which had a bit more structure to it, something he could build a routine around, while spending time with the animals he truly adores.

“In the summer, I’m there two mornings a week, and when the weather turns a little colder, I’m there anywhere from three to four mornings, depending on what’s going on,” Campbell, 59, explains.

Drug recovery centre opens office in ‘heart of the city’

Richard Halverson found his freedom from addiction through Adult & Teen Challenge and, six years later, he hopes a new Winnipeg location will bring hope to the city.