It’s not personal, AI… and that’s the problem

Dynacare labs quickly reach capacity ahead of strike

Patients were being turned away from several Dynacare locations Saturday morning as people packed the labs in hopes of getting their blood collection done before workers strike.

By 10:30 a.m. the lobby at the Dynacare at 1581 Regent Ave. was standing-room only and walk-up patients were being turned away as the wait time for those lucky enough to get in creeped past two hours.

One woman got in right before workers cut off walk-ins at 10 a.m. after travelling to two other locations.

“I was driving by at 7:15 this morning and there was already a line-up to the road, so I was like ‘nope, not going there’ so I went to the one on Sterling Lyon (Parkway) and it was closed, and then I went to the one at St. Vital Mall and there had a line zig-zagging all the way through the corridors so I gave up and came back,” said Joanna, who declined to give her last name.

Mayoralty candidate Vogiatzakis decries war of words

A mayoral candidate took aim at personal insults among two of his competitors Friday, stressing the election campaign should focus on city issues instead.

“I’m really embarrassed by the mayoral candidates slinging mud at each other. We should be more professional … I don’t think we need to bring up people’s past or garbage that they’ve been involved in. I think this needs to be about the City of Winnipeg and what we’re going to do for the City of Winnipeg,” Mike Vogiatzakis said at a press conference Friday.

He confirmed he was referring specifically to skirmishes between Scott Gillingham, who is seeking re-election as mayor, and Kevin Klein, a former city councillor and provincial cabinet minister who registered for the race this week.

Within a few hours of Klein’s Tuesday announcement that he would enter the mayoral contest, Gillingham issued a statement labelling Klein “toxic,” a “Caribbean political fixer” for Peter Nygard and a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump.

For newcomer pizza purveyors, it’s all about crafting solid foundations

A recent poll conducted by an Internet-based market-research firm determined that close to 20 per cent of people eschew their leftover pizza crust.

Some argued that the residual crust lacks flavour. Others submitted that it’s too hard or crunchy to enjoy sans toppings. Given that information, what are we to make of Crusty Craft Pizza, a five-month-old takeout spot whose owners are so confident in their European-style pizza crust that they’ve chosen to highlight it in their business moniker?

Whenever somebody informs them they don’t like pizza crust, their response is, well, they haven’t tried theirs, says Oleksii Samokvhal, who together with his wife, Iryna Mehedyn, opened Crusty Craft Pizza in early April, at 1311 Day St. in Transcona.

“It’s thin in the middle, with raised edges we hand-form ourselves,” says Mehedyn, a native of Ukraine who, like her Kyiv-born husband, relocated to Winnipeg to escape the conflict in their home country.

Canada’s first drive-thru-only McDonald’s opens in Winnipeg

One Grimace and dozens of smiles were on display Wednesday as McDonald’s staff and supporters celebrated the grand opening of the fast-food chain’s first drive-thru-only restaurant in Canada.

A life's story: translator, poet, radio host, actor loved life to the fullest

Born with an innate sense of curiosity, Charles Leblanc always wanted to understand the world around him. To him, words and theatre weren’t just pastimes. They were means of understanding the human experience and helping others see different perspectives.

The poet, translator, actor and radio host dedicated his life to this practice, founding the Winnipeg International Writers’ Festival, establishing French community radio station Envol — where he hosted a show for 25 years — and acting as a core member of the Association of Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters of Manitoba.

Leblanc’s contributions and dedication to Manitoba’s arts and literary scenes made an impact that continues to be felt by the community.

He died June 26 at the age of 75.

‘Quite a journey’: dozens move into transitional housing downtown

Dozens of residents have moved into transitional housing units in a former university building in downtown Winnipeg.

Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said 42 residents have moved into suites on the third and fourth floors of a seven-storey building previously owned by Providence University College and Theological Seminary. There will be space for as many as 118 people who were in encampments or otherwise homeless.

The remaining units under renovation are expected to be ready and occupied in the coming weeks, Smith said.

“This has been two years in the making,” the minister said at a media event with residents, staff, neighbours and supporters. The building cost the province $24.4 million to purchase and renovate.