Your forecast
Cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries this morning. Periods of snow beginning near noon, 2 to 4 cm. Wind from the south at 20 km/h becoming light this afternoon. High -11 C, wind chill -23 this morning and -18 this afternoon.
What’s happening today
Artificial intelligence is likely to take up much of the agenda as industry, digital and technology ministers from the world’s most powerful Western countries meet in Montreal this week. The two-day gathering takes place today and Tuesday. The Canadian Press reports.
Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon (left) and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, Melanie Joly (centre) (Christopher Katsarov / The Canadian Press files)
Today’s must-read
Four months after the intersection of Portage and Main opened to pedestrian crossings, traffic data shows there has been almost no impact to commuting motorists.
It’s news that comes as little surprise to proponents of taking down the barricades that once held foot traffic at bay — and one that some hope will end a contentious debate that has raged in the Manitoba capital for decades.
“Before the intersection was open to pedestrians, everybody heard the doomsday predictions about gridlock and accidents that would happen, and the data proves that those predictions were wrong,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said Friday.
The City of Winnipeg undertook a study to analyze travel-times for motorists crossing Portage Avenue and Main Street. It involved data collected from GPS-enabled vehicles travelling on four key routes leading into and from the intersection during peak traffic hours in November. Tyler Searle has the story.
The Portage and Main intersection has been crossed by tens of thousands of pedestrians, with foot traffic averaging 3,570 people per day. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
On the bright side
A group of students from the University of Manitoba wants to help underprivileged Winnipeggers this month — and assist holiday shoppers along the way.
The 5 Days committee is raising money for Resource Assistance for Youth, an organization on Sherbrook Street that supports homeless young people up to the age of 29 through a variety of programs.
The committee is holding a gift wrapping fundraiser at CF Polo Park every Saturday until Christmas. Shoppers can bring their gifts to the second floor of the mall, close to where Hudson’s Bay used to be located, where volunteers will wrap them in exchange for a donation. Aaron Epp has more here.
University of Manitoba students volunteer with the 5 Days committee: Cynthia Tran (left), Henrick Papelleras, Lexie D’Antonio, Shelly Yosef and Cassidy Turcan. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
On this date
On Dec. 8, 1920: The Manitoba Free Press reported in Winnipeg, the Joint Council of Industry held a conference with representatives of the city, the building trades and private interests to grapple with the housing shortage; around 5,000 houses were estimated to be needed. In Guelph, Ont., federal and provincial officials spoke to cattle producers and addressed the efforts to get Great Britain to lift its embargo on Canadian cattle. Search our archives for more here.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Free Press.
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