Isuzu delivers the goods

The trolls inside the Conservative tent

The Conservative Party of Canada has a troll problem. And it’s coming from inside the tent.

Once, trolls existed only in imagination. They were figures of mythical proportion, big and small. They lived solitary lives under bridges, in caves, or forests. They were considered dim-witted and mean. Best avoided.

Today, they are real, unavoidable, and ubiquitous on social media. They are anything but solitary. There are tribes of them out there and tribal is how they think and post. As for dim-witted and mean, others can opine but they are uniformly mean and dismissive.

Mean to anyone who disagrees with their views. Dismissive of any view but their own. They distribute questionable, at best, facts and opinions grounded in hostility towards anything or anyone deemed disagreeable or heretical to their world view.

Silver linings at Canadian Lawn Bowling Championships

There were multiple Manitoban bowls players in the 2026 Canadian Lawn Bowling Championships last week.

Sam Forrest placed silver in the U18 boys’ Canadian Youth and Junior Championships in Hanover, Ont., that was held from Aug. 10-14.

And in the North Vancouver, B.C., leg of the championships that was held Aug. 16-23, the 13-year-old competed with his grandfather, John Bjornson, as well as Rod Rose and Wayne Trindall in the men’s fours. Forrest was honoured with the Spirit Award.

Women’s pairs Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong and her mother Clarice Fitzpatrick won silver falling short to the B.C. duo they faced.

Plenty of alternatives to U.S. wines on the shelves

In February 2025, Manitoba (and most other provinces) pulled American liquor from store shelves as part of the ongoing trade dispute with the United States.

Then in December, the province followed a similar course to others and put American booze that was already on hand back on shelves, selling off inventory that had been wasting away in warehouses for months, and directing proceeds from those sales to charities.

Lineups sprung up at numerous stores as consumers snapped up bestselling American products — think Maker’s Mark, Jack Daniel’s, Apothic Red and the like. After that initial rush, what was left has been languishing on shelves ever since, with many products eventually being drastically discounted for a quick sale, lest they become too long in the tooth.

I decided early on not to write about/review U.S. products in this space until things were well and truly sorted. But a few months back, I found myself in the mood for a big, oaky red wine and — in a moment of weakness, or nostalgia, or maybe just curiosity — I picked up a $30-ish California Cabernet Sauvignon.

NDP touts health-care gains, but critics question impact on ER wait times

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara doesn’t mince words when describing how bad things are in the province’s emergency departments and urgent-care centres.

“The wait times that we are seeing in Manitoba are unacceptable,” said Asagwara in an interview with the Free Press.

“I hear from families, I hear from providers, I hear from Manitobans who are concerned about the wait times that they’re seeing, that they’re experiencing, and those concerns are valid — I share those concerns.”

So what is the NDP, who promised voters nearly three years ago it had the answers to bring down wait times, doing about it?

Isuzu delivers the goods

The all-new Isuzu NPR model, which made its debut at Vickar Trucks (Manitoba’s exclusive Isuzu dealer) in early September, is perfect for city driving, according to Reg Harder, commercial and fleet consultant for the truck store at 2315 Dugald Rd.

“The NPR has a lot more load capacity per length of vehicle, the sharpest turning radius in its class — and the fuel consumption is phenomenal,” Harder says. “One customer reported that his fuel consumption is down 40 per cent from what he was getting in his previous vehicle.”

The model, Harder notes, is available as a lightweight delivery truck or a cube van. The base is powered by a three-litre 4JJI-TC turbocharged intercooled diesel engine that produces 150 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. The HD and XD trims have 5.2-litre 4HKI-TC turbocharged intercooled diesel engines that produce 215 hp and 452 lb-ft. of torque.

The base diesel model has a payload of up to 7,500 lbs. (Harder notes that Isuzu is a world leader in diesel engine production.)

City inundated with thousands of complaints after launch of new transit system

Despite complaints from thousands of dissatisfied users, Winnipeg hasn't hit the brakes on the rollout of its new primary transit network. And it appears that ignoring the public response cost Winnipeg Transit millions of dollars in lost revenue and ridership.