Folk Fest hit record attendance

Grifols plasma collection centre reopens after temporary shutdown

A Grifols plasma donation centre in south Winnipeg reopened Tuesday as part of the company’s phased return of operations, while a second location remains closed after its licence was suspended.

The Spain-based company has faced scrutiny after two people died following donations at Grifols’ sites on Taylor Avenue and Innovation Drive. The latter location is open again.

Health Canada suspended the Taylor location’s licence Sept. 23, saying the company failed to effectively implement corrective and preventive actions, and did not demonstrate that the centre has an effective quality management system.

Grifols voluntarily closed all of its clinics, including those in Winnipeg, in August. The Innovation Drive location’s licence was not suspended.

Katz ‘violated public trust,’ Sheegl lacked ‘moral compass,’ police HQ inquiry commissioner concludes

The final report from the public inquiry into the scandal-plagued Winnipeg Police Service headquarters construction project concludes that former mayor Sam Katz and former city CAO Phil Sheegl broke public trust and engaged in unethical conduct.

And the report, released Monday by inquiry commissioner Garth Smorang, says the cost of the project — transforming a downtown Canada Post office tower and warehouse into the police HQ — soared, in part, because main contractor Caspian Projects overcharged the city by more than $40 million in expenses.

The project’s initial $135-million initial price tag rose to about $209 million in the end. The city purchased the complex in 2009; construction was completed in 2016.

Smorang’s report concludes Katz “violated the public trust” and council code of conduct, and Sheegl suffered from a “complete lack of a moral compass.”

Salvation Army calls on Winnipeggers to donate merchandise as sales soar

The Salvation Army is taking donated merchandise from other regions to stock its Winnipeg thrift stores as increasing sales outpace local donations.

Retail activity at the charity’s eight Winnipeg locations grew more than 10 per cent year over year during several months, from January through April, and again in June.

Although local donations remain strong, they haven’t kept pace with demand, prompting the organization to supplement inventory with merchandise from elsewhere.

Ted Troughton, managing director of the Salvation Army’s thrift store operations, said rising living costs are bringing in new customers.

Spinning yarns into comedy, chaos and hope

“I watch ALL the new TV,” I recently bragged at a family Thanksgiving, a fiction that I was rightly called out on.

But I do watch a lot and, more than that, I read about as close to all the upcoming TV as I can. It’s not (usually) for bragging rights but because stories are either distractions or inspiration and both are now more valuable than ever. Here are a handful of worthy-looking new series and docs.

● Phony Series premières today (Oct. 20) on Disney+/Hulu

High schooler Sonny (Sam Nivola, The White Lotus) has every reason to be faltering in his perception of reality.

Feds hold back on stable health funding

The federal government wants provinces to improve health care, expand treatment services and find better ways to deliver care. But it’s refusing to provide provincial governments with the one thing they need most to plan for the future: stable, predictable funding.

Folk Fest hit record attendance

Before the last campers had even dragged their gear from the grounds, the Winnipeg Folk Festival announced Monday the 2019 edition of the festival saw record-breaking attendance numbers.

The festival — which takes place annually in July in Birds Hill Provincial Park — saw an overall attendance of 76,000 people over the course of its four days, surpassing last year’s total of 73,000.

In addition, there was a record number of campers, with the festival campground selling out for the third year in a row, and the quiet camping section selling out for the first time in the festival’s 46-year history.

The 47th Winnipeg Folk Festival is scheduled to take place July 9-12, 2020.