Select list of nominees for 2026 Tony Awards

‘Unique’ crackdown leads to dozens of arrests, hundreds of referrals to outreach groups

More than 200 people were referred to support organizations and police made 55 arrests during a two-month crackdown on drug use and disorder on city streets.

The Winnipeg Police Service and community group leaders released the latest details Tuesday of a sweep focused on open drug use and trafficking that began in August. An earlier blitz, in June, drew rebuke from some community groups that led police to take an outreach-first approach when it was relaunched.

“I feel it’s something that’s very unique, we’ve looked across the country and from what I’m hearing, what we’re hearing, I think we’re definitely going in the right direction, if not leading the way in some of our initiatives,” said police Chief Gene Bowers of the service’s partnered approach to cracking down on open air drug use.

Between Aug. 7 and Oct. 6, community organizations participated in 14 joint outreach and enforcement efforts, police said on Tuesday. Ten people were helped into Main Street Project detox programs, 48 people were given access to support services and 553 naloxone opioid antidote kits were handed out. Outreach organizations engaged with a total of 3,758 people.

Late philanthropist, family fill Harvest’s Empty Bowls with record-setting $5-M donation

It was a record-breaking night for Harvest Manitoba made possible by a genuine Winnipeg hero and his family.

The organization’s annual Empty Bowls Celebrity Auction Dinner on Thursday raised $6.5 million to support Manitobans facing hunger and food insecurity.

And it was a $5-million legacy donation from late city philanthropist Doug Harvey and his family that will see the event go down in the history books as the largest gala fundraising total ever recorded in Manitoba.

“There was literally nothing that lit my dad up more than contributing himself, but even more so, inspiring others to give,” his daughter Lauren Harvey said Friday.

Collaros turns back the clock in crucial win over Stamps

It was around this time seven years ago that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers officially became Zach Collaros’s team.

Making his first start in blue and gold after being acquired via trade, Collaros ran backwards to escape a collapsing pocket before rolling to his right and firing a perfect pass to Darvin Adams in the back corner of the south end zone during a home game against the Calgary Stampeders.

The play marked the beginning of the Collaros era in Winnipeg.

And a similar play Saturday night, once again against the Stampeders, served as a reminder that the 38-year-old pivot isn’t done just yet.

Manitoba e-scooter legislation changes set to impose speed limit, age restrictions, sidewalk ban

People riding e-scooters and other personal electric vehicles in Manitoba will have to strap on a helmet, stay off sidewalks and follow new age limits once new provincial rules for the devices take effect next year.

The vehicles, which also include electric skateboards, hoverboards and unicycles, will fall under The Highway Traffic Act starting in 2027, according to the province’s website. E-bikes are excluded from the new rules, according to the province’s frequently-asked-questions page.

All riders must be at least 16 years old and wear properly fitting helmets — that goes for passengers, too, the province said.

The proposed new legislation sets a speed limit of 25 km/h and would prohibit personal electric vehicles from sidewalks unless signs specifically allow sidewalk use. Riders would be using shared paths or roads with speed limits of 50 km/hr or less. They won’t be allowed to operate the vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs and they must use hand signals and obey traffic signs.

Riding the Unity Bus to rally support for Canada in Alberta

WAINWRIGHT, Alta. — The Unity Bus arrives right on time, pulling into a parking lot on the edge of this town of about 6,600 people close to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. As the vehicle slows to a halt, resplendent in its patriotic red-and-white paint, a small group of supporters stand waiting, decked in their own maple leaf garb.

The Unity Bus’s doors open and former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk bounds to the ground. The supporters, volunteers with Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian campaign, welcome him with applause; he greets them with open arms. He knows many by name, having been to Wainwright four times; some of them fondly call him “the boss.”

“Do you need some stickers?” he asks. “Do you need some swag to give away?”

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 Lukaszuk and these 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.

Comparing the Iran and Vietnam Wars

The other day I asked my students in U.S. foreign policy to think about the relevance of the Vietnam War in relation to the ongoing war in Iran. More specifically, I wanted them to identify the similarities and differences between the two wars.