Cold ice, warm hearts at WASAC youth camp

Even the frigid weather couldn’t chill the warm smiles on Saturday morning, as Indigenous youth from across Manitoba got to take a spin over the ice with some former NHL stars.

That was just one of the weekend highlights at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre’s (WASAC) camp, which brought dozens of First Nations and Metis youth from Duck Bay, Pauingassi, Lac Brochet, Shamattawa, Bunibonibee Cree Nation and Pine Creek to Camp Manitou for a day of fun and education around sport and healthy living.

The eighth-annual camp kicked off Friday night, when campers attended the Murray Sinclair Memorial Round Dance at the convention centre.

Saturday’s busy activity slate included yoga classes, a cooking workshop with chefs from Indigenous-owned local restaurant Feast, and a casual skate with local Jets alumni and friends, including Winkler’s Ray Neufeld, Winnipeg’s Derek Meech, and longtime NHL goalie Trevor Kidd.

Man is shot and killed during Minneapolis immigration crackdown, National Guard activated

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal immigration officer shot and killed a man Saturday in Minneapolis, drawing hundreds of protesters onto the frigid streets and ratcheting up tensions in a city already shaken by another fatal shooting weeks earlier.

Family members identified the man who was killed as Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse who had protested President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city. After the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and protesters clashed with federal immigration officers, who wielded batons and deployed flash bangs.

The Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police at the direction of Gov. Tim Walz, officials said. Guard troops were sent to both the shooting site and to a federal building where officials have squared off with protesters daily.

Information about what led up to the shooting was limited, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

Trump threatens Canada with a 100% tariff over its China trade deal and escalates feud with Carney

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if America's northern neighbor went ahead with its China trade deal, intensifying a feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney, a rising voice in the West's pushback to Trump's new world order.

Trump said in a social media post that if Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.”

It was unclear when Trump might impose the threatened tariff. He said in the post it would happen “immediately" if Canada made a deal with China, which Carney did a week earlier, drawing initial praise from the president.

The White House did not offer any additional details.

Corrupt former WPS officer sentenced to seven years for ‘staggering’ breach of trust

Elston Bostock, 49, was an officer on the city’s police force for more than two decades before he was investigated, charged in 2024 and again in 2025 and, ultimately, fired.

Ex-cop convicted on corruption charges gets to keep his pension

Even though disgraced former Winnipeg Police Service officer Elston Bostock pleaded guilty to a list of corruption-related crimes he’ll receive a pension funded partially by taxpayers.

Playing the influence game: A deep dive into how lobbyists work Manitoba’s corridors of power

Amid his usual slate of year-end sit-downs and lookahead interviews in late December, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew delivered a surprise announcement: the political ethics scandal involving Sio Silica’s controversial sand mine isn’t over yet.

Military mission complete in Manitoba First Nation dealing with frozen water damage

PIMICIKAMAK CREE NATION, MAN. - The federal government says a military mission to help a northern Manitoba First Nation in the aftermath of a water crisis brought on by a power outage is complete.

A joint statement from the defence minister, the minister of Indigenous Services Canada and the minister of emergency management says all Armed Forces members deployed to Pimicikamak Cree Nation are to leave by the end of Friday.

More than 1,300 homes in Pimicikamak, about 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg, were damaged after a days-long power outage last month led to the failure of critical infrastructure.

Pipes burst, crawl spaces were filled with icy water and sewage was backed up, forcing at least 4,000 people out of the community.

Thirteen U.S. docs now practising in province

Manitoba has doubled the number of U.S. doctors it has recruited since the fall, with 13 physicians now practising in the province.

“To paraphrase what it says at the Statue of Liberty, give us your poor, give us your weary, give us your Americans yearning to be free,” Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference Friday morning at the legislature.

“At this time in the world, everyone sees what’s going on in the United States. We’re very proud here in Manitoba to accept people as they are, to celebrate inclusion and diversity and to keep our doors open to the world.”

The premier was joined by Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and three doctors, including one from the U.S., who said working in a publicly funded health-care system has been a major shift.

Acting CEO leaves Southern Chiefs Organization a year after taking on role

The First Nations group behind a massive redevelopment of the former Hudson’s Bay building in downtown Winnipeg has parted ways with its acting chief executive officer, one year after he stepped up to replace his predecessor.

An internal memo, obtained by the Free Press, shows the Southern Chiefs Organization announced Ryan Bear’s departure on Jan. 16, noting he served “during a period of significant growth and challenge for the organization.”

“We sincerely thank Ryan for hid leadership, professionalism and dedication during this time. His steady guidance has contributed meaningfully to SCO’s work and momentum,” reads the memo, signed by Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.

Bear was selected to replace former CEO Joy Cramer last January, after she was placed on leave. Her departure coincided with the return of Daniels, who took a brief leave of absence to seek treatment for alcohol use.