Google workers demand abortion protections, data privacy

Manitoba supports MAID delay: Asagwara

The number of Manitobans receiving medical assistance in dying in 2026 is on track with previous years while the plan to extend it to those suffering from mental illness is delayed indefinitely by the federal government — a move Manitoba’s health minister supports.

“There’s so much more work that needs to be done,” Uzoma Asagwara said.

The parliamentary committee that issued its recommendation in June was the third special committee of Parliament struck to assess the eligibility of people with mental illness since 2021, when MAID eligibility was expanded to include people who were not at the end of their lives.

A key condition for MAID eligibility is that a patient must be suffering from a grievous and irremediable medical condition.

Icy relationship with U.S. beginning to thaw at border, data shows; American visits to Manitoba hit five-year high

As Canadians begin to lower their elbows and start to cross the U.S. border again, Americans are coming to Manitoba in numbers not seen in years.

Libau man warns Manitobans after contracting West Nile Virus

A Manitoba man is warning others about the presence of West Nile virus in the region, as he’s concerned his case has not been announced by the province.

Todd Holmes was informed he had contracted West Nile virus on Friday, several days after he attempted to donate blood in Selkirk. Canadian Blood Services called to tell him his sample tested positive for the virus.

Holmes said he was contacted by the province about his diagnosis on Tuesday afternoon, yet a website that logs cases of West Nile in the province continues to read zero.

He decided to take matters into his own hands by posting about his plight on social media.

PCs say Hutterite colonies singled out by Bill 21

SOURIS — Members of Hutterite colonies in the province took aim at the NDP government’s proposed changes to drinking water legislation during a public meeting Thursday in Souris.

The meeting was hosted by Progressive Conservative MLA Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods) to hear from rural residents about their concerns over Bill 21, which the government says will improve oversight on wells and other water systems in the province.

“There’s not enough clarity, but I feel that the overreach that this bill will bring is not clearly defined, and it could have a lot of negative consequences,” attendee Gilbert Hofer, a member of Green Acres colony near Wawanesa, said after the meeting, which drew about 20 people.

The legislation would allow public health officers to designate the type of water source based on its intended use, water quality and use duration rather than solely the number of connections it has.

Google workers demand abortion protections, data privacy

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of Google employees are petitioning the company to extend its abortion healthcare benefits to contract workers and to strengthen privacy protections for Google users searching for abortion information online.

Google parent company Alphabet had pledged to pay travel and other health care costs for employees seeking an out-of-state abortion and to help some workers relocate after the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the constitutional right to an abortion. The June decision overturning 1973′s Roe v. Wade ruling has paved the way for severe abortion restrictions or bans in nearly half of the U.S. states.

The benefits for abortion services offered by Google and other tech companies don’t cover contract workforces, which are common in the tech industry and often get paid less and have fewer perks than full-time employees.

A letter signed by more than 650 employees and sent this week to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other Alphabet executives calls for the inclusion of contractors in those benefits.

Inmate captured after escape from Manitoba jail

Manitoba RCMP have arrested an inmate who escaped from Milner Ridge Correctional Centre Wednesday.

Mounties apprehended Justin Paul at about 11 a.m. Thursday near Highway 11 and Minnewawa Street W in Lac du Bonnet.

Court records show Paul was in custody charged with multiple offences, including assault, uttering threats, robbery, theft and numerous weapon offences.

Last April, Paul pleaded guilty to failing to appear in court and was sentenced to six months probation.