Songs from a heavenly sea

Decrease in crime an inconvenient truth for Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have apparently decided that facts are an obstacle to their crime narrative.

Animal rescue groups shaken by advocate’s death

A week after an animal rescue volunteer died doing what she loved at Sandy Bay First Nation, the charity she dedicated herself to has paused rescues as groups rally to prevent another mauling.

Winnipeg’s Amanda Nobiss, 37, was found dead July 17 after police were contacted by a friend trying to locate her. She often visited the community 180 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg to save animals.

Several “aggressive dogs” were found near where Nobiss’s body was located, Manitoba First Nation Police Service has said. It did not respond Friday when asked for an update on its investigation into her death.

“What happened is the most tragic, heartbreaking thing that could have possibly happened,” said Chelsea Kork, president of K9 Advocacy Manitoba, the charity Nobiss volunteered with.

Soccer facility gets $750K from province for upgrades

With Winnipeg’s first professional women’s team waiting in the wings, the province is spending $750,000 to upgrade the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex.

The funding will help replace the outdoor field pitch and lighting system to ensure it can host high-level sporting events, the province said at a press confererence Friday at the south Winnipeg facility.

Earlier this month, it was announced Winnipeg will be the seventh franchise in the Northern Super League with the as yet unnamed team co-founded by former national team player Desiree Scott and longtime coach Rob Gale.

While there has been no official announcement, it’s presumed the team will play at the complex, which currently seats about 2,000.

Carillon bats dominate in MJBL Final opener

The Manitoba Junior Baseball League has a familiar match-up in the finals. The best-of-five series this year features the Carillon Sultans taking on the Elmwood Giants for the third consecutive year.

The Sultans, based out of Steinbach, have won the past two championships and cruised to first place in the regular season in their attempt to round out a three-peat.

The best-of-five series kicked off in Steinbach at A.D. Penner Park on Friday night, with Carillon’s offence the difference, as they racked up 13 hits and in a 15-5 mercy rule victory as darkness fell on the diamond.

The Sultans took a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning but let Elmwood back into the game when they got within two in the top of the fifth. Carillon responded by hitting around in the bottom half, scoring six runs and sealing the victory.

Cross Lake pro blueliner walks away from sport he loves to live and work in northern community he loves even more

CROSS LAKE — It’s a hot, hazy Tuesday evening in northern Manitoba, and Jericho Blacksmith and his buddies are gathered inside a baseball dugout.

There isn’t a glove or bat in sight.

Instead, the young men are engaged in a loud, good-natured race to see who can get blackout drunk the fastest, passing around bottles and cans purchased from the local vendor, which had just been restocked when the weekly truck rolled into town earlier that day.

“Honestly, everything can be pretty brutal around here,” says the 26-year-old lifelong resident, pointing to isolation, a lack of opportunity and relentless boredom.

Safety assessment planned following drownings

The Manitoba government will conduct an assessment of high-risk trails and areas in its parks system following the drownings of two siblings at Nutimik Lake in the Whiteshell.

Environment Minister Mike Moyes has ordered his department to identify high-risk areas after Maximo Au Ramirez, 10, slipped on rocks near Sturgeon Falls and fell in the lake Saturday. His brother, Aaron Au Ramirez, 13, went in to try to save him.

The body of Aaron was recovered Thursday evening, 24 hours after his brother’s body was found Wednesday.

“We have a lot of beautiful parks and spaces, but to flag any areas that could need greater improvements for safety, and so we’re going to take a really comprehensive approach to ensuring that Manitobans can enjoy nature, but do it in a way that’s safe,” Moyes said Thursday.