Moldova to impose 60-day energy and water emergency due to drought and rising costs

Since moving to Winnipeg earlier this year, I have come to know the city through its small businesses. As a new Exchange District resident, grabbing coffee at Little Sister, walking through The Forks Market and stopping at Pho Hoang for lunch have become part of my routine. These are the places that give Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods their character and have helped make a new city feel like home.

That is why an empty storefront never feels like just vacant real estate. It represents someone’s investment and hope. When a small business disappears, the community loses a piece of itself.

On Oct. 28, Manitobans in most municipalities will choose their next mayors, reeves and councillors. While city councils may not set interest rates or negotiate global trade agreements, they do have some control over many of the barriers entrepreneurs encounter day to day, from property tax bills and permit applications to public safety and construction disruptions.

Ahead of the upcoming elections, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) surveyed Manitoba small business owners to get a sense of their municipal priorities and concerns.

Are clinical psychologists next?

Re: Province hires 17 psychiatrists to work in Winnipeg, Selkirk (Sept. 25)

Manitoba’s government has shown that it knows how to solve a specialist staffing crisis in health care. Clinical psychologists are still left to wonder when it will be their turn.

The Manitoba Psychological Society (MPS) welcomes the recent announcement of 17 new psychiatrists in the public system. Any investment in mental health deserves to be celebrated, especially in light of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health’s report card that was released in August 2026. Manitoba received overall grades of F and D for mental health and substance use health, respectively. Although disappointing, this is not surprising given that Manitoba spends five to six per cent of its health budget on mental health and addictions, about half the recommended rate of 12 per cent.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I ran into my sister’s husband at the bar recently. He was drinking with a bunch of people from his work. I noticed he was sitting close to a young woman, with his arm around her.

I just nodded without a smile as I slowly passed them. I kept on going, but he knew I saw them together. A few minutes later he came over — obviously drunk — and said, “You’re a good girl! You won’t say anything to your sister, will you?” Ha! I looked at him and said, “Of course I’m going to say something!”

My loyalty will always be to my sister. I phoned my sis in my car and blabbed. She tried to laugh it off, but she’s gone silent since — not answering my calls or messages. So apparently now I’m the troublemaker? That’d be just her style! What should I do?

— Worried About Us, North Kildonan