Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in

Federal funding extension falls short: Ministers

Provincial and territorial health ministers say a one-year extension of a 10-year $1.2 billion annual funding agreement announced by the federal health minister late Wednesday isn’t good enough.

“We are still facing an enormous fiscal cliff,” Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, who is hosting the ministers in Winnipeg, said at a press conference Thursday at The Leaf in Assiniboine Park.

The one-year extension of funding for mental health, substance use and home and community care that was set to expire March 31, 2027 was announced by federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel, who meets with her provincial and territorial counterparts Friday.

“We welcome that first step, however, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, a lot of engagement that needs to happen (Friday),”Asagwara said.

Gillingham vows drug crackdowns would continue on his watch

Scott Gillingham would “immediately” provide funding to extend an initiative that cracks down on open drug use and connects vulnerable people to addictions and homelessness supports, if he’s re-elected mayor.

That partnership between Winnipeg Police Service and outreach organizations began Aug. 7 and is currently set to wrap up Oct. 31.

Gillingham said he would provide $100,000 to Ka Ni Kanichihk, which led weekly outreach walks and worked with police to support the effort, since it needs more funding to extend the program.

That should cover another six months of costs and provide time for the organization to seek longer term funding, the incumbent mayoral candidate said.

Additional $5.4 million in federal sports funding to ease financial burdens, invest in athletes

Skylar Park hearkens back to the same story anytime she reflects on the support she’s received throughout her career.

It’s one she can’t help but grow emotional about.

It was 2017 when Winnipeg’s prized taekwondo athlete made the World Taekwondo Grand Prix for the first time in her career. The international event, held in Moscow, Russia, featured the top 32 athletes in the world, and Park was the only Canadian.

In many ways, she felt the weight of the country on her shoulders.

Chief says minister offered money to remove highway checkstop

The chief of the Bloodvein River First Nation says a Manitoba cabinet minister offered up to $250,000 for economic development as he was trying to persuade her to remove a highway checkstop that has outraged hunters.

A decision with potential for ‘distraction’ and ‘disrespect’ in Transcona

Transcona voters acknowledge they have a tough decision to make at the ballot box on election day.

The east Winnipeg working-class ward is replete with lawn signs and posters, but most of the people the Free Press spoke with said they were still undecided.

While Winnipeg is, historically, more likely to elect an incumbent, longtime councillor Russ Wyatt is seeking a sixth term while facing five criminal charges, including sexual assault and administering a noxious substance, after incidents alleged to have occurred in 2023 and 2025.

Residents are not without options. In addition to Wyatt, former councillor Shawn Nason — who occupied the city council seat from 2018-22 — is running for council (Wyatt chose not to run in the 2018 election after taking several months off to undergo addictions treatment), and there are three new faces on the ballot: Lora Meseman, Chris Giesbrecht and Nathine Dagdick.

Single-use plastic bags banned as next round of B.C. plastic regulations kicks in

VICTORIA - Plastic shopping bags and other single-use products are no longer available at British Columbia stores as the government implements the latest step in its plan to phaseout certain plastic items and keep harmful chemicals out of landfills.

Businesses may no longer provide single-use plastic shopping bags, and they must charge a minimum of $2 for new reusable bags or 25 cents for new paper bags.

A statement from the province says food-service businesses are also restricted from distributing single-use containers with certain plastics that are hard to recycle, including "biodegradable" and "compostable" plastics as well as polystyrene foam.

Food-service businesses have been barred from offering disposable plastic utensils since December 2023, with some exceptions, such as plastic lids for drinks.