British rapper Stormzy banned from driving for using phone behind wheel of his Rolls-Royce

Clay Stevenson credits therapeutic side of hockey in learning to live with mother’s suicide

Hockey has always been more than just a game to Clay Stevenson. That was especially true after he suffered the biggest loss of his life: his mother, Holly, died by suicide seven years ago.

Assini Group seeks to bring more mining opportunities to 10 participating First Nations

A group of Treaty 5 First Nations have partnered to boost their role in mineral development.

“People want jobs. People want to work. People want to make a living,” said Chemawawin Cree Nation Chief Clarence Easter. He’s also president of the Assini Group.

The company, which incorporated in 2015, encompasses 10 First Nations spanning northern Manitoba. The Assini Group hasn’t inked many deals with other firms.

However, as the provincial government aims to triple mining in five years, Assini Group leads are ramping up operations.

Wesmen setter Tristan Arnold ready to meet the challenge

In a group that features some intriguing unknowns, Tristan Arnold is a certainty for the Winnipeg Wesmen.

The fifth-year setter and team captain enters his final men’s volleyball season as the unquestioned starter for the first time after spending most of his university career buried behind some talented players, then promoted briefly before bouncing between the bench and the floor.

It’s easy to see why the Glenlawn product is stoked for the upcoming campaign. This opportunity didn’t come without challenging his patience and some questions about his belonging in the sport he’s played from a young age.

“I’ve worked really hard to continue to play volleyball,” Arnold told the Free Press Tuesday. “There’s been a couple of times throughout my career where I’ve thought about packing it in, but I was just too committed to the boys, too committed to whoever I was playing for at the time.”

Maple leaf love: Albertans vote strongly to stay in Canada

EDMONTON - O Canada, Alberta is staying put.

In a historic referendum Monday, voters marked their ballots in overwhelming numbers to remain in the country that made Alberta a province 121 years ago.

In early returns, about 76 per cent of Albertans said yes to Confederation, while 24 per cent said they wanted the province to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.

Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney lauded the result.

Dobson up against two tech types in St. James council race

Two tech-savvy newcomers to civic politics are taking on Shawn Dobson, the incumbent city councillor in St. James.

Tyler Crichton, a senior project manager for a corporate IT company, and Kelly Ryback, a retired manager with Bell MTS, are hoping to oust Dobson, who is seeking a second term in the ward.

Dobson has a long resumé as a candidate; he ran unsuccessfully in the former St. Charles ward in 2002, 2006 and 2010 before winning that council seat in 2014. He lost his bid for a second term in 2018 in St. James to then-councillor and current Mayor Scott Gillingham in 2018.

When Gillingham jumped into the 2022 mayoral race, Dobson secured the St. James seat.

Policy change gives Manitoba renters a break from proposed hikes

Aidan Wilson said he was reduced to tears after getting a call from Premier Wab Kinew’s office.

He’d just learned tenants of a West Broadway apartment, including himself, would no longer pay a hundreds-of-dollars monthly rent increase as of Nov. 1.

“It’s been a lot to deal with, it’s a lot to push for, and it’s a lot to speak up. All of these emotions just kind of came flooding out,” Wilson said Tuesday at a news conference alongside Kinew.

The premier announced that renters will not have to pay the increases until the provincial Residential Tenancies Branch hears landlords’ arguments and issues its decisions.