Newest link in Stella’s chain to take over former EQ3 Bistro space at CF Polo Park

People shopping for furniture at Winnipeg’s largest mall will soon be able to quaff a coffee and partake in a pastry while they consider acquiring a couch.

Local restaurant chain Stella’s is opening a café inside local furniture manufacturer EQ3’s flagship store in CF Polo Park. The renovated café will be located in the former EQ3 Bistro space and is scheduled to open early next month.

“We’re at (EQ3’s) flagship store and we would consider this our flagship Stella’s Café,” said Rob Del Grosso, vice-president of operations at Stella’s.

Best known for its seven restaurants, Stella’s opened its first café location, a 30-seat spot at 1699 Corydon Ave., in December 2022. Its focus is on a grab-and-go area featuring paninis, sandwiches, salads and freshly baked goods. The EQ3 location will offer similar items and the menu will feature wine, beer and mocktails.

‘Heated Rivalry’ star François Arnaud on navigating fame, fans and online firestorms

By the time François Arnaud realized how obsessed people were with "Heated Rivalry," it was already too late.

“I remember telling my agent, ‘I think this is going to be a worldwide sensation.’ But I did not think that it would happen overnight like it did,” the Montreal-born actor said in an interview Friday.

“It's a thing to deal with, to be witnessed at all times. I can't go out on the street at all without being recognized in 20 seconds.”

"Heated Rivalry” — Crave's breakaway gay hockey drama starring Arnaud as veteran forward Scott Hunter — has exploded into a global phenomenon. Carried by HBO Max stateside, the show has dominated the American media cycle, its cast appearing on late-night talk shows and red-carpet events.

Sergio’s Pasta lets customers use their noodle to mix and match own meal

Sergio’s Pasta, a weeks-old enterprise, invites diners to build their own meal for takeout or delivery by going online and selecting from among four varieties of fresh pasta, six in-house sauces, four proteins, eight vegetables and nine add-ons, such as chili oil and oregano.

Alberta teacher’s rant sparks school division review, criticism from Premier Smith

EDMONTON - An Alberta school division has launched an investigation after the premier shared on social media an audio recording, purportedly of a teacher disparaging the province's conservative political culture.

The rant touches on everything from profane anti-Trudeau stickers to NDP lawn signs.

United Conservative Premier Danielle Smith shared the recording Thursday, saying she's "deeply disappointed by what is heard."

She says teachers have a duty to remain professional and politically neutral in the classroom and that students shouldn't be subjected to profanity, partisan attacks or insults toward energy workers.

5 skiers killed in a pair of avalanches in Austria

VIENNA (AP) — Five skiers have been killed in a pair of avalanches in the Salzburg Pongau region of western Austria on Saturday, authorities said.

Four skiers were killed by a snow slide in the Gastein Valley, south of of the city of Salzburg, that swept away seven people. Two were injured — one seriously — and a third escaped unharmed, the APA news agency reported.

“This tragedy painfully demonstrates how serious the current avalanche situation is,” said Gerhard Kremser, district head of the Pongau mountain rescue service, noting the “clear and repeated warnings" about the avalanche risk.

Four rescue helicopters, mountain rescue and Red Cross dog teams, and a crisis intervention team were rushed to the scene.

Few hundred people remain in Kashechewan as water crisis force evacuations

Only a few hundred people remain in a northern Ontario First Nation community after failures of local water supply and sewage systems forced many to evacuate their homes. 

Kashechewan First Nation’s executive director Tyson Wesley says about 400 people will be left in the 2,200-member community by Sunday.

Officials at the fly-in community that's located on the western shore of James Bay declared a state of emergency on Jan. 4 after infrastructure damage had created an urgent public health and safety issue, with sewage creeping into people's homes and contaminating fresh water systems.

Wesley says many people got sick over the past few weeks and eight people tested positive for bacterial infection, with more test results expected soon, which public health officials hope will help determine the cause of the infection. 

Jeremy Hansen ‘pumped’ about historic trip around the moon

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen says getting humans to fly around the far side of the moon is good for humanity.

Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as NASA rolled the Artemis II rocket to its lunch pad, Hansen said he has been staring at the moon a lot more recently as the impending mission enters its final preparation stages with a potential launch window opening as soon as early February.

The 49-year-old astronaut from London, Ont., will serve as mission specialist during Artemis II, becoming the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit, marking a historic achievement for Canada. 

The five-million-kilogram SLS rocket — the vehicle designed to launch the Orion spacecraft — is being transferred from NASA's vehicle-assembly building to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, about 6.5 kilometres away. The rollout was expected to take about 12 hours.