Rave romantic review flattering but fraught

‘Where are they going to go?’: encampment policy blamed for homeless people sleeping outside thrift store

The owner of a Portage Avenue thrift shop says the city’s encampment ban has pushed dozens of homeless people from tent communities to spaces near her store.

Susan Lockhart, who runs Just Like New to You at 635 Portage Ave., says anywhere from 25 to 50 people can be found at any given time behind the store and along the back lane stretching between Sherbrook and Furby streets.

“Where are they going to go?” she said Wednesday from her shop. “I was just here on the weekend and I couldn’t get to our back door. There were people everywhere. Mattresses.”

Earlier this week, the city reported 275 people were known to be living in 72 encampments across Winnipeg — down from 100 encampments housing about 700 people last September. The report also noted that 141 sites have been remediated since the city’s encampment policy came into effect in November.

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: After 7 a.m. today there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The moon is in Gemini.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

You’re impulsive, and you are also highly creative. You might have an original idea that surprises everyone. Don’t hesitate to share what you think even if it sounds a bit touchy-feely or too “out there.” Meanwhile, keep hard at work busting your buns.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Province accused of meddling in Dynacare contract dispute as strike deadline looms

The union for hundreds of Dynacare lab employees in Manitoba has accused the provincial government of interfering in contract talks ahead of next week’s strike deadline.

What's Up: Smiley Face, Shari Lapena book launch, Winnipeg Comedy Showcase, Ximbombo Dance Party, Mending with Tradition

Smiley FaceDave Barber Cinematheque, 100 Arthur St.Tonight, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m.Admission $11.50When all is said and done, and her career on screen is assessed in full, Anna Faris might just be remembered as one of the definitive comic actors of the 2000s.

Aside from starring in the Scary Movie franchise, which has been spoofing prestige and shlock for a quarter of a century, Faris, who turns 50 in November, showed off her comic chops as ex-centrefold Shelley Darlingson in the underrated 2009 film The House Bunny, creating a character who has developed a cult following. On Mom, Faris and co-star Allison Janney balanced producer Chuck Lorre’s penchant for horny humour with genuinely touching performances dealing with thorny issues such as addiction.

All those versions of Faris meet in the centre in filmmaker Gregg Araki’s 2007 stoner comedy Smiley Face, which finds Jane (Faris) sidetracked from the most straightforward mission by cannabis consumption. The extended supporting cast — featuring John Krasinski, Jane Lynch, Marion Ross, Jim Rash and Emmy winner Roscoe Lee Browne in his final role — is loads of fun, with Faris using each scene partner as a funhouse mirror to reflect her ascent into chaotic highness.

Faris, who stars in the current buddy comedy Spa Weekend, will return to more prestigious territory this fall in Primetime, director Lance Oppenheim’s dramatization of the rise of To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen; Faris plays Mary Joan Hansen, the wife of Hansen, played by Robert Pattinson.

Winnipeg teacher disciplined for ‘liking’ student’s post

A Winnipeg teacher has been reprimanded for accidentally clicking ‘like’ on a student’s year-old social media post during a late-night scroll.

A recent investigation by Manitoba’s independent teacher commissioner found Jordan Nelson, a hockey coach in the Pembina Trails School Division, engaged in professional misconduct by viewing online profiles of students who were following a team account he was managing on behalf of his school.

“Using information associated with the school’s hockey team account to access and review a student’s social media account, without any legitimate educational or workplace purpose, was inappropriate and inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected of a teacher,” commissioner Noni Classen wrote.

A five-page report, better known as a consent resolution agreement, details agreed-upon facts about an October 2025 incident and subsequent disciplinary action.

Manitoba association pitches CentrePort for national food terminal

A Manitoba association is vying for federal dollars to build a major food terminal as Ottawa unrolls its national food security strategy.

Michael Mikulak, head of industry advocate group Food & Beverage Manitoba, said he’s in talks with several federal departments.

He’s envisioning a 120,000-square-foot site at CentrePort Canada, the trimodal inland port spanning parts of Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of Rosser.

About 15,000 sq. ft. would become a production-focused commercial kitchen for Manitoba companies to rent as they grow. A warehouse to store and distribute food — from Manitoba and elsewhere — would consume most of the building, Mikulak said.