What’s happening today
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSA pre-pandemic embrace on the hug rug in May 2019. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)
Hug rug’s return: The Winnipeg airport’s “hug rug” will be placed at the bottom of the arrivals elevator after 736 days in storage amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The return of the rug coincides with the start of spring break and a busy travel week.
Another jail announcement: Provincial Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen is holding a news conference on “increasing capacity for northern youth offenders” at noon. Goertzen announced Thursday that the Agassiz Youth Centre in Portage la Prairie will close in July. Danielle Da Silva and Chris Kitching report. READ MORE
Virus dashboard done: The province says it will stop updating its online COVID-19 dashboard as of today, releasing information in a weekly bulletin on Thursdays instead. Vaccine-related dashboard information will be updated until the end of the month. READ MORE
Weather
Your daytime forecast: Periods of light snow ending later this morning, then mainly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries until tonight, a high of -4 C, wind chill as low as -19 in the late afternoon and wind from the northwest at 50 km/h gusting to 70.
This weekend
More than 52 million litres of sewage has now spilled into the Assiniboine River due to a pipe repair, which the city appears to be having trouble fixing. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)
Sewage spill continues: The City of Winnipeg expects a sewage spill that has dumped at least 52 million litres of diluted wastewater into local waterways will end Saturday. Joyanne Pursaga reports. READ MORE
Ready for Rome: Métis, First Nation and Inuit delegates are flying to Rome this weekend for meetings with the Pope next week about residential school deaths. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Sports
Carlos Gonzalez / The Associated PressFans of Canada and Costa Rica before the World Cup qualifying match. (Carlos Gonzalez / The Associated Press)
Soccer streak ends: The Canadian men’s soccer team failed to qualify for its first World Cup berth in 36 years with a loss in Costa Rica on Thursday night. Canada, which had won six consecutive qualifying games, needed a win or draw — or a loss by the U.S. — to clinch. Canada remains atop the North and Central America and the Caribbean qualifying standings and can clinch only its second World Cup berth when it hosts Jamaica in Toronto on Sunday. Canada’s final qualifying game is Wednesday in Panama. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Women’s world tourney: Canada, which has yet to clinch a playoff spot in the women’s world curling championship, plays Germany and the Czech Republic today. The Gimli-based Canadian team, skipped by Kerri Einarson, beat the U.S. before losing to South Korea on Thursday night. The playoff final is Sunday. READ MORE
Jets vs. Jackets: The Winnipeg Jets host the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight after a decidedly lacklustre effort in a loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. The Jets host the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday. Mike McIntyre reports. READ MORE
Set to spike: The national university men’s volleyball championship begins at the U of M this afternoon. The tournament was scheduled to be held at the University of Manitoba in 2020 before it was cancelled because of the pandemic. READ MORE
In case you missed it
(Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)
Cost of carbon tax: The federal carbon tax imposed on this province and three others whose climate plans didn’t meet Ottawa’s targets will cost the average Manitoba household $1,145 a year by 2030, an independent analysis found. Dylan Robertson reports. READ MORE
Swank set to come here: Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank will be coming to Winnipeg to shoot a movie later this month. Randall King reports. READ MORE
‘Kind of cap’: A document obtained by the NDP states the Manitoba government was limiting spending amid health-care system struggles with staffing shortages and a growing surgical backlog. Carol Sanders reports. READ MORE
Report flags risks: A report by the province’s auditor general says the province is failing to manage risks regarding aging information systems, including the websites Manitobans use to pay fees and register for programs. READ MORE
On this date
On March 25, 1963: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that prime minister John Diefenbaker lashed out at the U.S. in a veiled reference on the campaign trail. He said Canada did not need lessons from other nations on how to conduct its military affairs, citing the country’s service in both world wars. Hope of finding two people missing after a plane crash in British Columbia seven weeks earlier was rekindled when “SOS” was seen stamped in the snow near the wreck. READ MORE
Today’s front page
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