On the night table: Margaret Sweatman

On the night table
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Margaret Sweatman

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Margaret Sweatman

Author, Night Birds

I just read Madeleine Thien’s novel The Book of Records. Holy mackerel, that is a masterpiece. It’s so good. When she does delve into this kind of realism with characters interacting, or the war, it’s engaging. And then she goes into this other realm… it’s incredible.

Mikaela MacKenzie photo Margaret Sweatman

Mikaela MacKenzie photo

Margaret Sweatman

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

Another recommended book is Jeremy Thomas Gilmer’s This Rare Earth: Building the Dams, Mines and Megaprojects that Run our World, a beautiful book of non-fiction. It’s about a man working in mines; his job is to make sure the dams aren’t going to collapse. It’s a fantastic book by Vehicule Press. I had to order it from them; you might not find in the bookstore, but I would recommend it.

Margaret Sweatman launches Night Birds at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location on Thursday at 7 p.m., where she’ll be joined in conversation by Charlene Diehl.

The Book of Records

The Book of Records

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Today’s horoscope

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Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: There are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions today. The moon is in Leo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

You are the artisan of the zodiac, and this is a creative and productive day! Socialize, enjoy sporting events and the company of kids. It’s the perfect day to hone a technique and improve your creative skills. You rock!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

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BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Flamingo Express Car Wash, which leans into the flamingo and tropical aesthetics, at 868 Regent Ave. West in Transcona opened on Aug. 19, 2026. Pictured: The car wash conveyor tunnel on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026.

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‘Soapy disco’ for your ride

Aaron Epp 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 4, 2026

For Kyle Thompson, foam is where the heart is.

As a high school student at Winnipeg’s Transcona Collegiate, one of his classes required him to create a business plan. He was cleaning vehicles part-time at the Chamois Car Wash and Detail Centre, so he used the assignment to envision a car wash of his own — one with a Regent Avenue address.

Fast forward some 25 years later and that dream is a reality. Thompson is the co-owner and general manager at Flamingo Express Car Wash.

Located at 868 Regent Ave. West — east of the row of car dealerships that call the thoroughfare home and across the street from an Amazon distribution hub — Flamingo opened last month.

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Friday, Sep. 4, 2026
City Councillor Renaldo Agostino looks at the Detroit skyline across the Detroit River Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Windsor, Ontario (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

US tourism groups want to win Canadian visitors back. A testy trade war isn’t helping

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US tourism groups want to win Canadian visitors back. A testy trade war isn’t helping

Rio Yamat, The Associated Press 7 minute read Sunday, Sep. 6, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Appeals from American tourism organizations seemed to be everywhere Josh Loewen looked over the last year. Billboards and banners proclaimed a state or city's love for Canada. Online and social media ads offered special deals for travelers from north of the border.

As a Vancouver resident and marketing executive himself, Loewen said he understands the conciliatory overtures. The number of Canadians traveling to the United States plunged after President Donald Trump returned to office with remarks about making Canada the 51st state. An acrimonious trade war between the two countries now is threatening to reinforce the informal boycott just as it appeared to be easing slightly.

"It’s such a big ask right now,” Loewen, 45, said of the U.S. tourism industry's attempts to woo Canadians like him back before a new president occupies the White House. “It’s just a wasted effort.”

Relations between the U.S. and Canadian governments have deteriorated sharply since their trade negotiations collapsed last month. Trump imposed import taxes of up to 50% on a range of Canadian products. Canada’s government responded in kind. Trump ordered the U.S. government to change the name of border-spanning Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed insults from members of Trump's Cabinet as childish and undignified.

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Letters, Sept. 8

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Keep momentum goingThere has been some genuinely good news for women’s health in Manitoba.

And it is worth saying that plainly.

Prescription birth control is now covered. Hormone replacement therapy is covered. Pharmacists can now prescribe several forms of contraception. Breast screening access is expanding. Prenatal supports have improved. Some pregnant patients can access funded non-invasive prenatal testing. Fertility supports have also become more generous.

None of this is trivial.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Members of Manitoba’s Sikh community gather to to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

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‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

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Downtown Winnipeg came alive with vibrant sights, sounds, and scents on Sunday, as Manitoba’s Sikh community flocked to Memorial Park to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

This year marked the 422nd anniversary of the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture central to the Sikh faith. Shortly after 1 p.m., a palanquin bearing a copy of the scripture was led in parade through downtown Winnipeg, with musical accompaniment.

“This is a chance to tell the public and the whole community where we come from and who we are,” said volunteer Prabh Grewal shortly before the procession got underway. “In a community there are people from every race and every country, and our main objective is to have everybody live in peace and harmony together.”

Before, during, and after the procession, the park hummed with life. As many as 55,000 people converged on the site, with the majority dressed in festive traditional attire. Near the height of the day’s 30 C heat, families relaxed in patches of shade, enjoying plates of Punjabi cuisine dished out for free at dozens of tents sponsored by local businesses.

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Four teens dead in crash near Winnipeg Beach

1 minute read Yesterday at 4:52 PM CDT

Four teenagers have died in a highway crash near Winnipeg Beach.

Manitoba RCMP are investigating the two-vehicle collision, which happened at about 9:15 p.m. Sept. 6. A vehicle travelling west on Highway 229 was struck while crossing Highway 8, RCMP stated in a news release Monday.

Everyone inside the westbound vehicle died at the scene, including the driver, an 18-year-old female from Winnipeg, and three passengers: an 18-year-old male from Gimli, an 18-year-old female from Sandy Hook and a 17-year-old male from Ear Falls, Ont.

The intersection is controlled by stop signs for westbound and eastbound traffic. Both vehicles went into the southwest ditch, with one vehicle rolling and landing on its roof, RCMP stated.