CBC radio services restored across the country after ‘major’ equipment failure

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions after 3:15 p.m. today. After that, the moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

This is a poor day to challenge anyone because you won’t be pleased with the results. (You might come off worse than when you began.) Nevertheless, it’s in your best interest to work hard. You can also make improvements at home. Romance and finances are blessed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Province rips Bell over second 911 outage

A 911 outage that lasted about 90 minutes in Manitoba and other provinces early Thursday morning was caused by a problem with Bell’s next-generation network amid concerns about recurring disruptions.

‘One of a kind’: CEO, philanthropist Doug Harvey dies at 72

Doug Harvey, a Winnipeg business titan and philanthropist, has died after battling cancer for more than a decade.

Harvey gave millions of dollars to Winnipeg organizations while he was CEO of DLH Group, a nationwide network of businesses that support heavy duty truck and trailer users.

Loren Remillard, CEO and president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said the business community is mourning the loss of the influential businessman who helped shape Winnipeg.

“We are a transportation and logistics hub in Winnipeg and it was partly the result of geography, and a big part because of leaders and visionaries like Doug Harvey,” he said.

Safety review calls for improved security at Siloam Mission

A safety review of Winnipeg’s largest homeless shelter is recommending improvements to security for staff, volunteers and community members after what its leadership acknowledged has been a challenging year.

The Siloam Mission report, which has not been made public, was discussed during a town hall Thursday night at the Millennium Centre on Main Street, where shelter leaders laid out what they described as a road forward for the organization.

Interim CEO Lisa Cefali, who was brought in at the end of May following the departure of Sonia Prevost-Derbecker after three tumultuous months in the job, said she could see the toll turmoil had taken when she arrived May 29.

Employees alleged Prevost-Derbecker made derogatory remarks about Indigenous people, people struggling with substance use and the downtown neighbourhood surrounding the mission’s Princess Street headquarters.

Siloam Mission, WFPS discussing on-site paramedic to reduce staggering number of emergency calls

Winnipeg’s fire-paramedic service and its largest homeless-serving organization are discussing what it would look like to station at least one paramedic at Siloam Mission, as emergency calls to the downtown facility surge.

The ongoing discussions come as Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were dispatched 1,771 times during the first eight months of the year to the two adjacent Siloam properties at 303 Stanley St. and 300 Princess St.

WFPS said most of the calls were related to overdoses or other consequences of substance use, with the total nearly double the 854 calls recorded over the same period last year. By comparison, there were 831 calls during the same span in 2024, and 591 in 2023.

“The number of emergency calls isn’t sustainable for us as a service, but it’s certainly not sustainable for them as an agency trying to provide services,” WFPS chief Ryan Sneath told the Free Press. “And they recognize that they’re impacting emergency services, not them specifically, but the site in a significant way.”

Klein launches mayoral campaign with pledge to make Winnipeg safest city in Canada

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein says he would make Winnipeg the safest city in Canada by the end of his four-year term, if elected.

“Crime is happening all over the city and we have to take steps to address it,” Klein said at his first campaign announcement Friday morning.

He promised to hire 100 to 110 more police officers, which he believes would cost between $9 million and $11 million.

“Our (officer) numbers are way down. We need to fix that now,” he said, not offering a timeline to fulfil that goal.