Japan’s emperor and his family greet New Year well-wishers

Not much of a race when most of the field can’t find their running shoes

In Winnipeg's mayoral race, there are few truly bad ideas, but hardly any really good ones.

Mayoral candidates’ promises worthless without price tags, payment plans

Winnipeg’s mayoral candidates have plenty to say about what they want to do for the city. But there’s one question they haven’t answered very clearly: how much are they prepared to raise property taxes to pay for it?

It’s an important question, because almost everything candidates are promising — more police officers, better transit, safer buses, improved roads, expanded library hours and better-maintained infrastructure — costs money. And in a city with limited revenue sources and growing expenses, that money has to come from somewhere.

City hall can’t even pay for what it does now with existing revenues — it has been drawing down reserve accounts in recent years just to balance the books.

So far voters haven’t heard much — if anything — from candidates about what they would do with property taxes. Would they raise them every year? By how much? Would they freeze them? Cut them?

A decision with potential for ‘distraction’ and ‘disrespect’ in Transcona

Transcona voters acknowledge they have a tough decision to make at the ballot box on election day.

The east Winnipeg working-class ward is replete with lawn signs and posters, but most of the people the Free Press spoke with said they were still undecided.

While Winnipeg is, historically, more likely to elect an incumbent, longtime councillor Russ Wyatt is seeking a sixth term while facing five criminal charges, including sexual assault and administering a noxious substance, after incidents alleged to have occurred in 2023 and 2025.

Residents are not without options. In addition to Wyatt, former councillor Shawn Nason — who occupied the city council seat from 2018-22 — is running for council (Wyatt chose not to run in the 2018 election after taking several months off to undergo addictions treatment), and there are three new faces on the ballot: Lora Meseman, Chris Giesbrecht and Nathine Dagdick.

Manitoba declares 20-month measles outbreak over

After once leading the country in reported cases, the province has declared the measles outbreak in Manitoba to be over.

Public health officials announced Friday the last laboratory-confirmed case was identified in August.

Since the outbreak was first reported in February 2025, a total of 1,038 measles cases have been reported in Manitoba, including 931 confirmed cases and 107 probable cases. Of all reported cases, 87 per cent were either not immunized or had an unknown immunization status, the province said in a news release.

In May, Manitoba was leading the country in cases for 2026. At the time, the province had more than 600 confirmed and probable cases, making up nearly two-thirds of all reported Canadian cases, Doctors Manitoba had said.

Half Pints Brewing out of bankruptcy, back on shelves

A pioneer of Winnipeg’s craft brewing scene has reopened under new ownership.