Local girl could be The Next Star

Klein has burned bridges with PM, Gillingham says

One mayoral candidate accused another of writing a column so critical it could compromise his ability to work with the federal government.

Finding new markets — across an ocean

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s barnstorming trade mission to the European Union has created a ton of discussion and debate about cultivating new trade opportunities for Canadian exporters. What is hasn’t created, however, is very much certainty.

At first blush, opening up new trade relationships with the EU seems like a no-brainer as Canada is confronted with an increasing number of tariffs and restrictions from an increasingly unhinged Trump White House. And the possibilities are tantalizing; the EU and United Kingdom represent a market of more than 519 million people, which is larger than North America.

Canada is one of few nations to push back against Trump’s irrational trade demands. The result is an almost daily escalation of punitive measures and threatening rhetoric. Our trade relationship with the U.S. has been deeply wounded; in short order, it may become fatally so.

However, it is our courage in the face of American trade threats that has made us a coveted trading partner for many European nations. So much so that the EU created an entirely new category of “associate member” to give Canada an incentive to strengthen trading relationships.

Local girl could be The Next Star

April Llave is officially one of the top young vocalists in the country.

The 13-year-old Winnipegger has made it to the top 6 of YTV's series The Next Star, a youth-oriented talent contest searching for the country's best singer aged 15 or under.

Making the next-to-final cut was thrilling for the Grade 8 Ecole Lansdowne student, but it wasn't without its bittersweet moment as she had to say goodbye to some friends who didn't make it, including fellow Winnipegger Dane Bjornson, 11, who was in the top 16 with her.

"When they got cut I was pretty upset. I was really great friends with some of them. To see them just go, it was disappointing. They were really fortunate they were in the top 16, that was far, but to see them walk out and leave it makes me sad because I'll miss them so much," Llave said, over the phone from Toronto prior to Tuesday's airing of the show.

National Black Canadians Summit celebrates culture, combats racism

Despite the event’s name — the National Black Canadians Summit — Bruce Miller felt he should attend.

He booked a ticket. And so, this weekend, the Indigenous Manitoban joined roughly 1,500 people flocking to the RBC Convention Centre.

It’s a full schedule — addresses from a former Canadian governor general, sessions on Black mental health and anti-Black racism.

The annual event draws politicians, artists and other professionals from across the country.

AC/DC fans power up with pre-show pop-up

Those getting ready to rock on Sunday night at Princess Auto Stadium, can prime their engines at AC/DC’s PWR/UP Pop-Up this weekend.

Fans lined up all the way down Fort Street south of the Pyramid Cabaret for a special preview event on Friday night.

“We’re so excited,” said Marcella Ceron shortly after getting into the Pyramid. Ceron and her husband were hoping to win tickets to Sunday’s concert, one of a number of promotions running throughout the pop-up’s tenure at the downtown bar. “We were in line since 5 o’clock.”

According to organizers, the venues across Canada have been handpicked – including the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver and Foufounes Électriques in Montreal, among others — owing to their reputations as “places where fans already gather and music culture lives.”