Grief in Newfoundland and Labrador for two fishermen found dead after boat sinking

Ladies and gentlemen of voting age, please turn your attention to the centre ring…

If there’s one thing that we in the news business wish for any election, it’s that the campaign is competitive and voters have multiple, viable options when it comes time to cast their ballots.

That is certainly what I wished for in this year’s Winnipeg mayoral election: a ballot with two or more competent candidates — including incumbent Scott Gillingham — that offered contrasting visions for the future of the city.

Unfortunately, this time we didn’t get competent or viable. Instead, we got a clown show stuffed with candidates for mayor who have demonstrated a stunning capacity for self-inflicted wounds.

It all started when mayoral candidates Kevin Klein and Mike Vogiatzakis both alleged they had been asked by each other’s campaign to step down to give the remaining candidate a better shot at defeating Gillingham.

Manitoba Federation of Labour calls for independent review of Workers Compensation Board

A major labour association is calling for an independent Workers Compensation Board review as Manitoba leads the country in workplace injury rates.

Last year, 2.5 employees in every 100 reported a workplace injury serious enough to take time off, WCB tracking shows. The number is higher than any other province — just as it has been for the past three years, according to the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

(In 2025, the next highest time loss injury rate was in British Columbia: 2.04 people for every 100.)

“Our prevention work in Manitoba is failing Manitobans,” said Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. “We need an independent review to help shine a light on, ‘What is happening on the prevention front of WCB?’”

Klein claims he was offered PC party position to exit 2022 mayoral race to help Gillingham win

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein said he was offered a position with the provincial Tories if he pulled out of the 2022 mayoral race that saw then-city councillor Scott Gillingham defeat former mayor Glen Murray.

Nurses disciplined for botched IV infusion

Two nurses working at the Grace Hospital have been reprimanded and fined $2,500 each for an IV infusion gone bad and an attempted coverup.

The incident happened on November 23, 2023 when a nurse asked a colleague to set up an IV infusion on him in an unused operating room.

During the attempted IV start, the nurse lost consciousness. The nurse who attempted the IV drip and another who was in the room called for help and several staff responded.

The nurse regained consciousness and vomited, but recovered and continued to work his shift, a March 18 decision by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba says.

Province restores library program at youth jail after ‘miscommunication’

Manitoba Corrections has reversed its decision to cancel a pop-up library program at the Manitoba Youth Centre.

The monthly program had been operating since 2024 in partnership with the province before Manitoba Corrections informed the Manitoba Library Association last month it would be shut down.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said Wednesday there was “some miscommunication” about the use of the space at the Manitoba Youth Centre.

“When it comes to kids, we want to make sure they have great opportunities, books to read, teachers to teach them, which make a real difference in the path forward,” he said at an unrelated news conference.

Grief in Newfoundland and Labrador for two fishermen found dead after boat sinking

ST. JOHN'S - The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says the province is grieving the deaths of two fishermen found Tuesday after a boat sank off Newfoundland's northern coast.

In a press release Wednesday, Tony Wakeham said tragedies at sea are felt across the province, where many communities are so closely tied to the fishing industry.

A spokesperson for the federal Department of National Defence says the Canadian Coast Guard got a call about a sunken vessel and three missing people on Tuesday afternoon.

In an email, Craig Macartney says the vessel went down near Brent's Cove, N.L., a community of about 130 people on the northeast tip of Newfoundland's Baie Verte peninsula.