Don’t keep marital stress bottled up any longer

Champion curler Meleschuk never lost his passion for the game

At the height of his curling career, Orest Meleschuk balanced ferocity and finesse like almost no one else.

The Winnipeg product was a fierce competitor skilful enough to thread a rock through a window and find the button.

Known as “The Big O,” he curled competitively for over six decades, finding success at the local, provincial, national and global level, and his longevity on the pebble was notable before lengthy careers became the norm.

Meleschuk is still tied with his good friend John Usackis for the most appearances in the Manitoba men’s provincial playdowns, at 30.

Take a hike... or a bike ride on these Winnipeg trail options

We’re halfway through the 10-week summer holiday and if your family is anything like mine, it’s very likely you’ll be in full-blown survival mode at this point.

You’ve already visited all the popular ice-cream spots in the city (and if you haven’t then you’ll find a list of our faves here) , you’ve ticked every box in our Road Trip Bingo Card and answered every single question in the our How Well Do You Know Your Province Quiz (Part 1 and Part 2) … and there are still 29 days to go before school starts on Sept. 8.

If you’re running low on ideas, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered, with not one, not two, but three cycling/walking routes to help you squeeze a bit more fun from what’s left of the holidays. Grab your helmets, lace up your sneakers, pack water bottles and get outside to explore different neighbourhoods in the city.

NOTE: Check the Winnipeg Trails website before you leaving to make sure paths are open and in working order, especially if we’ve had a bout of nasty weather.

Conservatives tell Carney to show ‘backbone’ as trade team heads back to Washington

OTTAWA - Canada's top trade negotiators are heading back to Washington this week for more meetings with the Trump administration as the Opposition Conservatives urge Prime Minister Mark Carney to stop making concessions in pursuit of a tariff-free deal.

Negotiations between Canada and the United States have ramped up in recent weeks ahead of an Aug. 19 deadline that would see a range of Canadian exports hit with 50 per cent tariffs.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette, Canada's chief negotiator, will be back in Washington this week for another round of talks, LeBlanc's spokesman Gabriel Brunet told The Canadian Press on Sunday.

Canada's trade team has met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer twice in the past two weeks. Brunet said talks have broadly covered the newly threatened duties, existing sectoral tariffs and renegotiations of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement, or CUSMA.

Cinderella story continues, Sea Bears bounce Bandits in Conference Final

Just days ago, the Winnipeg Sea Bears were at rock bottom.

The losses had piled up, and the star talent had dwindled. The noise around the club grew, and the confidence from outside the building faded by the day.

Players and coaches alike conveyed the belief that persisted internally, but you wouldn’t fault some fans if those words fell on deaf ears.

Less than a week later, the undermanned and underestimated Sea Bears find themselves two wins away from the tippy top of the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s mountain after a second-straight convincing playoff victory, this time a 107-96 decision over the Vancouver Bandits in the Western Conference Final at the Langley Events Centre in British Columbia on Saturday.

As the world watches, Haiti’s hopes continue to fade

I wish that I had something uplifting and positive to say about the circumstances in Haiti today.

Ex-Winnipegger taking second shot at Grand Beach-to-Gimli fundraising swim

Jonathon Fenton has some unfinished business in Lake Winnipeg.

Last summer, the 62-year-old attempted to swim from Grand Beach to Gimli, making it 16 kilometres before shoulder problems forced him to stop.

Now, the two-time cancer survivor, who lives in Alberta but grew up in Winnipeg, is returning for a second try — hoping to complete the crossing while raising money for cancer care and research through the second year of his Jonny’s Big Swim fundraiser.

Fenton will get at it Saturday morning, weather and water conditions permitting. The full route from Grand Beach to Gimli is about 26 kilometres, though Fenton said he may stop at Willow Point, just south of Gimli, which would shorten the swim to roughly 22 kilometres.