Stephen Colbert is back on TV on community access in Michigan along with rocker Jack White

Seniors, consumers seek promises from council candidates to transfer water, sewer rate decisions to PUB

Groups representing seniors, consumers and people living in poverty say a provincial oversight agency should gain the power to set Winnipeg water and sewer rates, partly to ensure future fees are affordable.

On Wednesday, the Manitoba Seniors Equity Action Coalition and Harvest Manitoba, as well as provincial branches of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons and Consumers Association of Canada, called on all 2026 city council candidates to push for that change.

Specifically, the groups want all candidates to publicly promise they would support a motion that asks the province to shift that responsibility from the city to the Public Utilities Board, if they’re elected.

One supporter said some Winnipeggers are struggling to pay their utility bills.

Jets goaltender collects victory in first start for new team

He received the loudest ovation on the team before the puck had even been dropped, with chants of “Stuuuuu” ringing out inside Canada Life Centre during pre-game introductions.

And he heard the love time and time again — with each and every save, in fact — as the evening progressed.

Yes, the Stuart Skinner era is off to a strong start, as the new No. 1 man in net for the Winnipeg Jets made a great first impression on Monday in front of an announced crowd of 13,363.

Skinner stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced in a 3-1 pre-season victory for the Jets over a very young, inexperienced Colorado Avalanche squad.

Safety officers responded to three assaults in first 4 1/2 months at downtown Hydro HQ

Manitoba Hydro Place beefed up its security after an employee was assaulted in the main-floor gallery while leaving work in January leading the Crown corporation to close the building to the public for several weeks while it hired and trained institutional safety officers.

Gillingham promises to make north Main revitalization a second-term priority

Scott Gillingham says he will work to “reset and renew” north Main Street, if he wins a second term as mayor.

The incumbent candidate promised Tuesday to devise a long-term plan to rejuvenate that section of the thoroughfare, noting it has recently suffered from decay.

“It has a rich history, a deep and proud history. But the last couple of years, to say it’s been underperforming would be an understatement…. So many stretches of Main Street here, I see derelict buildings, boarded-up businesses, piles of rubble after fires that sit waiting to be cleaned up,” Gillingham said.

“We can disrupt what is going on and turn the tide on north Main Street.”

Labour leaders, councillors urge Wyatt to reconsider re-election bid

City councillors and labour leaders called on incumbent Transcona councillor Russ Wyatt to reconsider his decision to seek re-election while facing sexual assault charges.

A day after the longtime councillor announced he would be running again, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 and the Winnipeg Labour Council, joined by Couns. Cindy Gilroy and Evan Duncan, told reporters Wyatt would not be able to serve Transcona while fighting multiple sexual assault charges in court and should step aside.

The community of Transcona, traditionally known for its working-class roots, has “been through enough drama,” the president of the city’s largest union said.

“I am not declaring him guilty of anything, the courts will decide that, and his lawyer says that he is innocent. I’m stating a plain fact about capacity. Every hour spent on legal defence is an hour not spent on Transcona,” CUPE 500 president Patrick Troughton said at city hall Tuesday afternoon.

Manitoba students able to opt out of classes with sensitive lessons on sex, drug use

Manitoba’s premier pledges to continue allowing parents to pull their kids from health class if content — be it related to human sexuality, substance use or otherwise — clashes with personal beliefs.

Wab Kinew said Tuesday the government’s overhaul of phys-ed and health curriculum in Manitoba schools won’t impact the ability for parents to opt-out of a lesson and deliver material as they see fit.

“As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher and that will always be the case,” Kinew said, surrounded by hundreds of teenagers on the football field outside Kelvin High School during an announcement Tuesday.

More than 100 schools are taking part in a voluntary pilot project this fall. It’s the first systematic review of this curriculum in decades. The changes to kindergarten-to-Grade 12 courses will be mandated to all schools in September 2028.