Dare to close Quebec cookie plant next year, affecting about 275 employees

Vance weighs in on Jivani trade advocacy and how Carney tried to ‘out-tough’ Trump

WASHINGTON - U.S. Vice-President JD Vance weighed in on the latest trade deal with Canada at a fundraising event Wednesday, saying Prime Minister Mark Carney tried to "out-tough" President Donald Trump while crediting his longtime friend Conservative MP Jamil Jivani as a helpful advocate for Canada.

In audio from the fundraiser in Southampton, N.Y., which was provided to The Canadian Press by a source who attended the private function, Vance said Carney is a "very sweet guy" and he gets along with him quite well.

But, Vance said, Carney "comes in and puffs his chest out and says, 'I'm going to, like, out-tough Donald Trump.'"

"It's hilarious because Carney presents this as some victory for Canada when fundamentally, like, they climb down on a lot of issues," Vance told the room.

Downtown outage caused by construction mishap: Bell MTS

Some customers in downtown Winnipeg are experiencing a Bell MTS service interruption after telecommunications infrastructure was damaged Tuesday.

Bell MTS said on social media that a third-party construction crew accidentally cut a copper cable, causing the outage.

Contractors drilled through multiple underground ducts, causing significant damage to several cables and requiring extensive repairs.

A small number of buildings, mainly concentrated on Fort Street, Garry Street and York Avenue, may be experiencing landline or internet issues because of the damage, said Bell spokesperson Elise von Scheel.

Climate change, capable ships could extend Churchill shipping season by months, studies show

Climate change and ice-strengthened ships — but not the most expensive icebreakers — could enable a much longer shipping season through the Port of Churchill, new studies released Friday show.

However, the studies flagged tricky navigation to the port.

The Manitoba government shared results of studies from the University of Manitoba, the Arctic Research Foundation and Fednav, Canada’s largest international dry bulk shipping company.

Fednav ships through the Arctic; it recommends Polar Class 4 vessels, which could cost up to $130 million new and up to $85 million used.

Don’t buy U.S. booze if, when it’s back on Liquor Mart shelves: Kinew

Manitoba hasn’t agreed to put American liquor back on shelves despite Prime Minister Mark Carney’s request while his government finalizes a trade deal with the U.S. to avoid new tariffs.

Province fogging in West St. Paul due to high counts of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes

Manitoba Health will conduct a third round of fogging in the RM of West St. Paul due to high counts of a West Nile virus-carrying mosquito and a high infection rate in the area.

The province said spraying of the DeltaGard 20EW insecticide is scheduled to happen this weekend, as long as weather conditions are suitable, to reduce the risk of human exposure, which remains high.

The RM of West St. Paul will notify residents when the date is confirmed. The date will be published on the Manitoba Health’s website.

Manitoba has reported one confirmed and three probable human cases of West Nile virus in 2026. The confirmed case was in Prairie Mountain Health region in western Manitoba. Two probable cases were in Interlake-Eastern and one was in Southern Health.

Judge decries ‘senseless acts’ during sentencing for killers in Berens River manslaughter

Two men have admitted their guilt in the beating death of a 45-year-old father in Berens River First Nation last winter.

Michael Oliver Franklin, 32, and Thomas Bryton Goosehead, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday in the Feb. 13, 2025 killing of Leslie Neil Mason.

“These types of senseless acts happen far too often in Berens River and every other small community in Manitoba, including here in Winnipeg,” Court of King’s Bench Justice Kenneth Champagne said.

The men had been charged with second-degree murder, but admitted to the lesser offence as part of a plea bargain struck between their defence lawyers and Crown prosecutor Thomas Boult, largely due to concerns with the strength of the case Boult developed after meeting with witnesses in Berens River.