Students at Brandon University’s campus in Winnipeg not affected by cyberattack

Federal data on Winnipeg's number of homeless people inaccurate, advocates say

The head of End Homelessness Winnipeg says she has no confidence in data about the city’s homeless population due to problems with the federal system that tracks those numbers.

Jennifer Rattray, the organization’s chief executive officer, told the Free Press Thursday it continues to work with the federal government to resolve problems with the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System, which keeps tabs on people who access homelessness services.

CBC has reported it obtained an internal memo from EHW that shows that as of the end of March, the number of chronically homeless Winnipeggers had fallen to 436 from about 4,400, as a result of efforts to correct the database.

Earlier this year, the organization had reported more than 8,000 people were accessing services.

Jets salvage point in Chicago

CHICAGO — Ever have one of those days where you should have just stayed in bed? That pretty much sums up how Thursday went for the Winnipeg Jets here in the Windy City.

It began with the bad news that top defenceman Josh Morrissey’s wrist issue is more serious than feared, and he likely won’t be back in the lineup any time soon. Then, veteran forward Vlad Namestnikov, coming off his best game of the young season, crashed into the boards at the end of morning skate, suffering an upper-body injury that sent him to the sidelines.

Off to the game itself, which began with Dylan DeMelo hitting the post on the first shift, a parade of Winnipeg penalties helping the home team build a healthy early lead and, last and certainly least, an eventual 4-3 overtime loss at United Center.

It actually could have been worse.

Wesmen women’s hoops team feeling primed for a successful season

Raia Guinto is described as a silent leader.

The Winnipeg Wesmen’s fifth-year guard prefers to let her play galvanize her teammates, and she’s done just that since becoming a full-time starter four seasons ago.

Last year, however, Guinto went silent altogether.

For the first time in her hoops career, Guinto couldn’t give all of herself to the team and the sport that’s given her so much.

City’s drug, homelessness crises overlooked on campaign trail, front-line groups say

Just steps from city hall, two significant challenges facing Winnipeg play out every day.

But despite the proximity to the ongoing homelessness and toxic drug crises that have become woven into the fabric of Main Street, front-line service organizations worry civic leaders have lost sight of what needs to be done.

Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, says the situation has deteriorated under current Mayor Scott Gillingham and council, with inadequate support for outreach services and an unwillingness by the city to take greater responsibility for addressing homelessness.

“If you look at the last four years, I haven’t seen things get better in our sector. I’ve seen things become amplified in the most negative of ways,” Willis says.

MPI still lacking brain injury expert

Manitoba Public Insurance has failed to hire an independent brain injury expert to probe how personal injury claims are handled, nearly two years after it was recommended.

Nurses call for national strategy on seniors’ health care

Canada’s nurses are calling for a national strategy that ensures seniors have access to care while reducing the impact on the public health system.

“Nurses and health-care workers are stretched too thinly, and Canada’s population is aging,” Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) president Linda Silas said in a news release Friday after meeting with provincial and territorial health ministers in Winnipeg.

“It’s time to act.”

The federation called for a national human resources plan to help address staffing challenges, pointing to a Canadian Institute for Health Information report showing more than three million overtime hours clocked by long-term care workers over a one-year period — the equivalent of 1,500 full-time providers.