Back to the books

Letters, Oct. 14

I’m quite pleased the government has devised a set of laws to govern the use of personal electric vehicles. So, how is this all enforced? Am I allowed to make a citizen’s arrest?

Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for kids returns with a trove of new titles

Calling all young readers — the Free Press Summer Reading Challenge for Kids is back in session!

A partner program to the Free Press Book Club since 2020, the summer reading challenge offers four titles for each of three reading levels based on age — 7 to 9 years old, 10 to 12 years old and 13 to 15 years old. McNally Robinson Booksellers staffers curated the reading lists, prioritizing a diversity of perspectives, formats and topics to make sure there’s something for everyone — and there’s even a few local authors on the list.

The Summer Reading Challenge also offers budding reviewers the opportunity to submit their thoughts on any of the books on the reading lists, with a rating out of five stars, and have their reviews published in the books section of the Free Press print and online editions. All kids registered for the reading challenge will also receive activities and reading resources for each book to encourage deeper learning and hopefully help spur some thoughts and reflections for those reviews.

More information about each book on the reading lists, as well as additional information about what to include in reviews, can be found here. All of the books are available for purchase at McNally Robinson, and almost all are also available at the Winnipeg Public Library.

‘People count on this place’: Pembina Hwy. Giant Tiger latest location slated to close

Another Giant Tiger store in Winnipeg will shutter next year, leaving some area residents concerned about a lack of affordable groceries in the neighbourhood.

Red papers taped to the front doors of the Canadian retail chain’s location at Pembina Highway and Southpark Drive indicate it will close Feb. 27.

Doreen Yanchuk, a self-described bargain hunter, shook her head when she saw the signs Monday. The 67-year-old said she’s a regular customer at the location because it’s a five-minute drive from her home.

“They have very good sales here, which draws people to the shop because everything is expensive,” Yanchuk said.

Tenants battling landlords find help in short supply from province

For nearly three years, Quincy Houdayer and Avery Helm repeatedly pressed their landlord to address plumbing failures, water damage and other maintenance problems at their West Broadway apartment, with records showing some issues persisted until the couple turned to the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Emails and text messages between the tenants, Clearwater Management and the RTB reviewed by the Free Press document recurring leaks and flooding, periods without heat or hot water, concerns about mould and basement conditions and repeated followups from the couple seeking repairs.

“Most of the experiences we’ve had with them can be boiled down to, like, they either are very dismissive about it, they act like it’s not their problem… or they will just fully, blatantly ignore you,” Helm said, adding that the only way to get Clearwater to respond was to threaten going to the RTB, a provincial government agency.

RTB data obtained by the Free Press also shows 13 orders involving the three-building complex at 193-197 Furby St. in 2026 alone. All but one favoured the tenant, while the remaining order ruled in favour of both the tenant and landlord on different items.

Riding the Unity Bus to rally support for Canada in Alberta

It’s a chilly Thanksgiving Monday morning on the eastern edge of Alberta. A sharp wind nips at exposed skin and drab grey clouds hang low in the sky. Such weather does not encourage high spirits, but Unity Bus volunteers can’t afford to let theirs falter: in just one week, on Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on a historic question on whether to remain in Canada.