Free Press Head Start for April 6

Good morning.

The winter storm watch has ended, but some rural schools are closed today, and some bus services are cancelled, owing to weather. See this map to check specific school divisions.

When Tron Gamblin took to Facebook and outed two women whose testimony in court helped convict his son of murder, he condemned them to a lifetime of fear and “looking over their shoulder,” a court was told this week. Gamblin was cited for contempt of court after he purposely violated a publication ban. Dean Pritchard reports.

And Centre Village, a 25-unit Central Park property opened in 2010, was an ambitious project meant to be a family-focused, rent-to-own co-op for newcomers before it became a subsidized housing complex. But after slowly losing all its tenants and being boarded up in January 2022, no changes appear to have been made since. Malak Abas has the story.

Note to readers: there will be no Head Start on Friday due to the holiday, but the newsletter will return on Monday.

— David Fuller

Your forecast

Periods of light snow ending this morning, with a high of -2 C and a low of -16 C.

What’s happening today

Celebrate the start of the Easter long weekend with some string-laden blues and soul music courtesy of The Perpetrators and The Noble Thiefs. The Park Theatre, 698 Osborne St., doors open at 7 p.m.

Winnipeg blues band The Perpetrators play The Park Theatre tonight with The Noble Thiefs. (Facebook)

Today’s must-read

The head of Manitoba Public Insurance isn’t shying away from an external review of its operations, insisting the Crown corporation is “doing the right things” despite the government’s escalating concerns about how it is being managed. Danielle Da Silva has the story.

President and CEO of Manitoba Public Insurance Eric Herbelin (Ethan Cairns / Free Press files)

On this date

On April 6, 1973: The Winnipeg Free Press reported in South Dakota, American Indian Movement leader Russell Means was headed to Washington, D.C., under arrest to meet with federal officials as part of a peace agreement to end the 37-day standoff in Wounded Knee. With rising food and housing prices, Statistics Canada reported in February the consumer price index rose from 145.3 to 145.7. In Cape Kennedy, Fla., the Pioneer 11 spacecraft was launched, heading for a mission to explore Jupiter and perhaps Saturn as well. Search our archives for more here.

Today’s front page

Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Free Press.

Top news

Chris Kitching:

Discovery of Indigenous woman’s body at city landfill reverberates across Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pledged to do more to end violence against Indigenous women and girls, after the body of a First Nations mother was found Monday at a Winnipeg landfill. Read More

Carol Sanders:

Provincial public safety training committee seeks to set standard ‘right across the country’

Standardized training for all police in Manitoba will make everyone safer, say proponents of a public safety training strategy that’s starting to take shape. Read More

In pictures: Springtime Colorado low blows through the city

A Colorado low moved into Winnipeg Tuesday night and is expected to peter out Thursday. With Environment and Climate Change Canada saying about 15 centimetres of white stuff was on the ground by We... Read More

New in Sports

Mike McIntyre:

Jets in hot water after 3-1 loss to Calgary Flames

The setback to their former Smythe Division rivals leaves the clubs in a dead-heat for the final Western Conference wildcard spot Read More

Joshua Frey-Sam:

Ice down the Tigers 3-2 to complete best-of-seven series sweep

The Winnipeg Ice brought out the brooms Wednesday night to finish off the Medicine Hat Tigers. Read More

Mike Sawatzky:

Stampeders look to stage upset

Swan Valley faces powerhouse Steinbach Pistons in MJHL semifinal Read More

New in Arts and Entertainment

Alan Small:

Doom, gloom and hope

David Suzuki ends his 'Nature of Things' career on both low and high notes Read More

New music

Reviews of this week’s CD releases Read More

Ben Sigurdson, Alan Small, Eva Wasney and Jen Zoratti:

What’s up

The Perpetrators play The Park Read More

New in Business

Gabrielle Piché:

‘I’m going to miss them’

The Bake Oven, Winnipeg’s most prominent Dutch bakery and deli, is closing April 15 Read More

Gabrielle Piché:

Thermëa spa advises customers of data hack

Manitobans who’ve recently bought gift cards for Nordic-style spa Thermëa have been warned their personal information may have been leaked in a data breach. Read More

Martin Cash:

Job fair helps employers find right people to fill staffing needs

Organizers of Thursday’s Hospitality Tourism Retail job fair at the RBC Convention Centre are hoping the weather won’t keep people away because demand for workers remains high. Read More

Fresh opinions

Editorial:

PM oblivious to optics of ethics appointment

With a single sentence uttered during question period in the House of Commons last week, Conservative MP Michael Bennett likely summed up the reaction of millions of Canadians: Read More

Dan Lett:

Adjuster would side with minister in very public MPI collision

CEO’s ‘nothing-to-see-here’ take on outside review at Crown corporation belies evidence one is required Read More

Shannon Sampert:

Canadian history gets spritz of hairspray

Many of us have a somewhat vague recollection of the big milestones in Canadian history, including the firsts: first prime minister (Sir John A. Macdonald), first female prime minister (Kim Campbell), first Manitoba premier (Alfred Boyd, although Louis Riel has the honorary title as the first leader), first Canadian in outer space (Marc Garneau). Read More

Head Start