U of M medical fellowship program will help more Manitobans end nightmare of sleep disorders

End of retail ‘gravy train’ should get more police boots on the ground

If Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers has his way, the “Superstore gravy train” is going to be derailed.

Thirteen accused in gun, drug trafficking network in rural Manitoba

RCMP and Winkler police have arrested more than a dozen people allegedly connected to a drug-and-gun trafficking network that operated in rural Manitoba.

The joint investigation began in December 2024, when officers from the Winkler Police Service asked the Mounties for help after learning kilograms of cocaine were being imported to a Winkler-area truck repair business, said RCMP Supt. Jeff Asmundson, who oversees the force’s Manitoba integrated law enforcement team.

Mounties and Winkler police gathered evidence for 19 months and expanded the probe, dubbed Project Dolor, as investigators learned other types of illicit substances and firearms were being trafficked by the network in a number of southern Manitoba communities, said Asmundson, whose team investigates serious and organized crime.

“It started as a cocaine trafficking investigation, and obviously, as we move along in a project or a file, evidence is gathered and an opportunity arose and we wanted to ensure public safety,” he told reporters Tuesday. “We were able to secure some firearms.”

New Skyline: revolving restaurant to reopen atop Fort Garry Place

Come fall, people will once again have the chance to dine more than two dozen storeys above Winnipeg’s downtown.

Alfonso Maury, former owner of Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria, is preparing to reopen the revolving restaurant on the 30th floor of Fort Garry Place. The venue, which has sat empty for the past six years, offers a panoramic view of the city.

Maury is aiming to open Dos Pampas Skyline Restaurant at the beginning of October. He plans to hire around 20 employees, who will prepare and serve an Argentinian-inspired menu he is currently putting together with head chef Norm Pastorin.

Dos Pampas will include seating for 120 customers, Maury said. Additionally, the restaurant will feature a lounge with couches and short tables where guests who have finished their meal but who aren’t ready to leave can enjoy dessert or another drink.

Ottawa funds sentencing program for northern Manitoba offenders

The federal government has put up $5 million for a Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak project to provide culturally connected sentencing options for First Nations offenders in northern Manitoba.

Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand announced the funding, alongside MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee and Manto Sipi Cree Nation Chief Michael Yellowback, in Yellowback’s northern community on God’s River on Thursday.

“For too long, decisions about justice and community and safety have been made far… from the places people call home,” said Chartrand. “But today, we are beginning to change that.”

The funding, to be spent over five years, will support MKO’s Gladue pathways to healing initiative, in which as many as 500 people will participate annually in up to 26 MKO member First Nations in northern Manitoba.

Owners, agents reviewing bids to purchase Fort Garry Hotel

Downtown Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Hotel is a step closer to a potential sale.

The four-star, 113-year-old hotel’s owners and their agents have been reviewing bids from potential buyers, including the Manitoba Métis Federation, which has confirmed it submitted an offer.

“We are in the process of selecting a buyer for the hotel, as this premier hospitality opportunity has been well received by the investment community,” Curtis Gallagher, principal and Canadian hospitality lead with Avison Young said in a statement to the Free Press.

Multiple bids were received from prospective domestic and international buyers.

Bombers offensive co-ordinator Condell takes accountability for loss to Elks

Tommy Condell isn’t about to throw his hands up in frustration. That’s simply not the way the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive co-ordinator is wired.

And while the state of the offence remains a source of consternation for many in the Bombers fan base, Condell continues to plug away at ensuring steps will be taken to raise the efficiency levels down the stretch.

The club appeared to have taken a significant step forward in that category last Friday, jumping out to a 16-0 lead in the second quarter that became a 10-point cushion at the half after the Edmonton Elks scored a late major.

Then came a head-scratching third quarter that featured a pair of two-and-outs for the visitors at Commonwealth Stadium in what eventually became a 22-19 defeat.