Interest in respiratory therapy training surges as province seeks to fill demand

Nearly half of the first-year respiratory therapy training seats at the University of Manitoba went unfilled this year even though there’s huge demand amid a staffing shortage.

However, application numbers have jumped since Manitoba’s largest post-secondary institution launched an awareness campaign about openings in the profession.

“I hope this year we are going to fill that gap,” said Dr. Jithin Sreedharan, who heads the university’s respiratory therapy department.

Respiratory therapists, who assist people suffering from breathing difficulties, often work in acute and critical-care hospital units.

Crown appeals stay of proceedings against man accused of killing his mother

The Manitoba Prosecution Service is appealing a judge’s decision staying a second-degree murder charge against a man who went to trial two times accused of killing his mother when he was a teenager.

NDP announces menopause clinic to open next year

The NDP government announced Monday it will make good on a 2023 election promise to resurrect a provincial menopause clinic by fall 2027 — around the time the next provincial election is due.

Poll shows slim majority of Canadians in support of Churchill port expansion

More than half of Canadians support expanding the Port of Churchill, although the proposed mega-project faces environmental concerns and a lack of public awareness outside Manitoba, a new poll suggests.

Explosion forces residents to evacuate Kennedy Street Manitoba Housing complex

Residents of an inner-city high-rise say they were forced to evacuate Monday afternoon after explosions blew out a window on the eighth floor.

Convicted former teacher fights for appeal as uncle grilled in legislature

As Chasity Findlay’s lawyers fought to overturn her sexual assault conviction in court Monday, Tory MLA Greg Nesbitt, her uncle who posted her bail, sat in question period and endured verbal barbs from Premier Wab Kinew.

At the Manitoba Court of Appeal, lawyers for the former high school teacher convicted in 2024 of sexual assault against a then-15-year-old student, argued text messages provided to police by the victim shouldn’t have been admitted into evidence at trial. Her lawyers argued the trial judge erred by accepting evidence of Findlay’s sexual history and erred in her analysis of Findlay’s credibility.

Findlay, who was 30 at the time of the offences, remains on bail as the province’s highest court mulls its decision. She was originally sentenced to five years in prison in September 2024.

Nesbitt, MLA for Riding Mountain, did not comment on his niece’s case during question period, though it was repeatedly brought up by Manitoba’s premier.

Mexico’s President Sheinbaum promises investigation of shooting that killed Canadian

MEXICO CITY - Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday for her "personal attention" to a tragic shooting that killed one Canadian tourist and wounded another.

Speaking to reporters before the Liberal cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Carney offered condolences to the family and friends of the victim.

"It's a sad day," Carney said.

Sheinbaum has promised an investigation. She posted on social media that Monday's shooting at the site of the Teotihuacán pyramids "deeply pains" her government and she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.

Canada Post reports record $1.57-billion loss in 2025

OTTAWA - Canada Post has released its annual report, detailing a $1.57-billion loss before tax for 2025.

The Crown corporation said in a news release the record loss highlights the need to transform and move away from cash injections.

The report said the company’s annual loss widened by $728 million, or 86.7 per cent, compared to a loss of $841 million the year before. 

Revenue for the year declined by $315 million, or 4.7 per cent, compared to 2024, as parcel volumes fell "sharply" in large part due to labour uncertainty throughout 2025.

US and Iran signal new ceasefire talks in Islamabad as truce nears end

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran have signaled they will hold a new round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan, two regional officials said Tuesday, as leaders on both sides warned they were prepared for more fighting if a fragile two-week truce expires without a deal.

Neither the U.S. nor Iran has publicly confirmed the timing of the talks in Islamabad, with Iranian state television denying any official was already in Pakistan’s capital.

Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation that the top negotiators, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, will arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday to lead their teams in the talks, the regional officials told The Associated Press.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Provinces on track to allow cross-border alcohol sales by next month, Ottawa says

OTTAWA - The federal government says 10 provinces and the Yukon are on track to allow consumers to buy Canadian alcohol directly from producers by next month.

Pierre-Alain Bujold, a spokesperson for the Privy Council Office, says provinces and territories are continuing to work toward the May 2026 deadline.

He says each participating province and territory will decide how to implement the policy within their jurisdictions.

All 10 provinces and the Yukon signed an agreement last year to allow consumers to order Canadian wine, spirits, beer and other alcoholic beverages for personal consumption directly from producers.

High fuel prices driving up shipping costs for northern grocers

Whether it's Florida oranges, Colombian coffee or even homegrown items from another province, food has often travelled a long way before it reaches grocery stores in Canada.

The supply chain gets even longer for communities in the Far North.

Typically, groceries are loaded onto a truck and taken to a launch point in cities like Ottawa or Winnipeg. They're then flown, or shipped by sea, to finally reach the shelves of remote northern grocery stores.

It's an expensive journey. By the time groceries reach northern communities, the added transport costs mean items are priced significantly higher than what most Canadians pay at the grocery store — and even more for fresh and perishable produce.