Hilary Swank shooting inspirational drama in Winnipeg

Brandon meat packer thriving on its own

BRANDON — Canada Packers has strengthened its business and laid the foundation for future growth during its first year as an independent company, its president says.

The Brandon-based pork producer, separated from Maple Leaf Foods in October 2025, established its own leadership, strategy, systems, culture and identity while continuing operations across its hog production farms and regional hog barns in southern and eastern Manitoba.

The company’s first year was focused on building a successful standalone business while continuing to serve customers, communities and shareholders, president Dennis Organ said.

“Market conditions over the past year have been more challenging than we anticipated when we became a separate entity,” he said in an email. “Despite that, we continued to execute against our priorities, including increasing processing volumes, maintaining disciplined operations and strengthening the business.”

Former host/VJ Rick Campanelli revisits his gambling addiction in new memoir

To many Canadians, veteran media personality Rick Campanelli is better known as Rick the Temp, the energetic, baby-faced intern-turned-VJ on MuchMusic in the 1990s and early 2000s.

But behind that winning smile was a much darker reality.

In his new memoir, Tempted: My Story, released last month via HarperCollins Canada and co-written with John Meyer, Campanelli, 56, opens up for the first time about his struggles with a serious — and secret — gambling addiction, which reached its nadir in 2008 when the then-host of Entertainment Tonight Canada was detained by U.S. Homeland Security for unpaid casino debts on a flight back from Las Vegas.

The Free Press caught up with Campanelli in advance of his Winnipeg launch Monday evening at McNally Robinson Grant Park. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Wasteful operations should be held accountable

Rising water bills are a top-of-mind issue for residents of Winnipeg going into the fall election. Management of the water and waste system is under question, with citizen’s groups, as well as the Free Press, calling for proper oversight of rates.

Bombers on outside looking in after beatdown from Als

The visitors’ locker room at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium was eerily quiet late Saturday night.

Many of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers sat in their stalls with dejected looks on their faces, trying to wrap their heads around what had just transpired: a 37-10 beatdown at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes.

“(That game) felt like s—-, honestly,” receiver Tim White told the Free Press postgame.

And the Bombers have plenty of reason to feel that way, especially when looking at the West Division standings.

Bombers get ‘whopped’ in Montreal

MONTREAL — It’s hard to fathom that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers smacked these Montreal Alouettes five weeks ago.

The team that pulled off that 44-28 upset at Princess Auto Stadium was nowhere to be found in La Belle Province on Saturday night.

You can, however, now find them in the basement of the West Division at 7-8 after getting completely outmatched and outclassed by the Als in a 37-10 beatdown.

“This was bad,” left tackle Stanley Bryant told the Free Press postgame. “They basically had their way all around. They whopped our ass.”