Puerto Rico is rebounding after Hurricane Maria

Drug site open house called off after media tipped off

Local business owners are miffed an open house for the upcoming supervised consumption site was cancelled after the media found out about it and interest swelled.

Preserving past, pondering future of 142-year-old downtown church

A 142-year-old church in downtown Winnipeg needs about $7.7 million for upgrades and related costs, while an ongoing heritage renewal project aims to create a blueprint for its future.

Potential options include selling Holy Trinity Anglican Church and leasing it back for a decades-long term, or building an apartment or office tower on an existing surface parking lot to generate revenue, officials said Wednesday.

“I think that is part of the negotiation and ensuring we have the right partners, but it is hard to put down on paper precisely every aspect of the future of a place of worship,” project manager Stephen Borys said of the potential duration of a sale and leaseback agreement to ensure the church still exists generations from now.

Similar agreements with 50- or 100-year leases exist elsewhere in Canada, he said, noting the option has been on the table for Holy Trinity for a year.

Report draws link between missing Indigenous women and trafficking across Canada

A new analysis of online sex advertisements featuring Indigenous women has identified cross-country corridors that are highly indicative of sex trafficking, while revealing insight into how women and girls are exploited in Winnipeg.

Puerto Rico is rebounding after Hurricane Maria

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Nearly two years after a deadly hurricane season, tourists are visiting Puerto Rico in record numbers as the U.S. territory continues to rebuild from Hurricane Maria.

A record 1.7 million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit this fiscal year, new hotels have opened, additional flights have been added and the smaller of the island's two international airports saw a record 54,000 passengers in February.

A handful of hotels remain closed since the Category 4 storm hit in September 2017 and caused more than an estimated $100 billion in damage, but resorts including the Ritz and the Caribe Hilton are slated to open in upcoming months.

Overall, life in the capital of San Juan and surrounding areas is back to normal for tourists, although those who venture outside the metropolitan area will likely encounter a smattering of blue roofs, the occasional wayward light post and debris that still hasn't been collected. Brief power outages still hit occasionally as the government prepares to privatize an aging and poorly maintained grid that was destroyed by the hurricane, and water shortages have hit parts of Puerto Rico's north coast since 30 per cent of the island is experiencing a moderate drought that is affecting 791,000 of its 3.2 million inhabitants.

IG Wealth Management to sell longtime Portage Avenue HQ

The downtown IG Wealth Management building will soon be up for sale.

The Winnipeg-based financial services company is moving its headquarters after nearly 40 years at 447 Portage Ave., across from the former Hudson’s Bay flagship store.

By current timelines, staff will move into a newer downtown tower — 360 Main St. — in 2028.

Roughly 1,100 employees will make the transition, according to Nancy McCuaig, executive vice-president of IGM Financial, IG Wealth Management’s parent company.