Free Press Head Start for Feb. 3

Good morning.

U.S. special forces killed the leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a raid in northwestern Syria, President Joe Biden said this morning.

The Conservative caucus has chosen Manitoba MP Candice Bergen as its interim leader after ousting Erin O’Toole. Bergen, who has represented Portage-Lisgar since 2008, was O’Toole’s deputy. Manitoba Tory MPs say “she’s the right person to unite caucus.” Bergen was criticized earlier this week for comparing convoy protesters calling for an end to vaccine mandates to Indigenous protesters who toppled two statues in Winnipeg this summer.

Ottawa’s mayor says it was an ”absolute disgrace” for several Conservatives MPs and a senator to cheerily pose in front of a truck that is part of the convoy protest that has brought the capital’s downtown to a standstill for nearly a week. The city’s police chief says calling in the military is one option to end the protest. Truckers protesting vaccine requirements by blocking an Alberta highway leading to the U.S. cleared a lane Wednesday, but a new blockade set up further north prevented traffic from flowing.

The Olympics officially kick off with the opening ceremonies early Friday (central time), but some events, including women’s hockey and mixed doubles curling, have already begun.

— Adam Treusch, assignment editor

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What’s happening today

The fire appeared to have started in a church in the two-storey structure. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

Fire scene still closed: Portage Avenue remains closed in both directions between St. Mary Avenue and Sherbrook Street after fire gutted a historic building block Wednesday morning. Smoke is still coming from the gutted block, and fire crews are working at the scene. Erik Pindera reports. READ MORE

Joint news conference: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will appear virtually at a news conference on early learning child care alongside Premier Heather Stefanson and several federal and provincial cabinet ministers this morning. This afternoon, Trudeau will participate in a roundtable discussion with Winnipeg teachers about their experience during the pandemic.

Weather

Your forecast: Sunny with a high of -21 C tonight, wind chill as low as -43 this morning and peak winds from the south at 30 km/h gusting to 50 this afternoon. An extreme cold warning remains in effect. READ MORE

In case you missed it

Moises Castillo / The Associated PressJonathan David scores Canada’s second goal in San Salvador. (Moises Castillo / The Associated Press)

Soccer win in El Salvador: Canada’s men’s soccer team beat El Salvador in a CONCACAF World Cup qualifying game, edging closer to its first berth in the tournament since 1986. READ MORE

‘Reasonable doubt’: A judge acquitted two Manitoba men of night hunting, ruling she could not outright reject their claim they were only looking around. Dean Pritchard reports. READ MORE

Province won’t foot bill: The province has told a retiree who paid to get his left knee replaced in Lithuania instead of waiting to get the surgery here that it will not reimburse him. Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE

Seeking more diverse slate: A mentorship program is being launched to recruit a more diverse array of school board candidates. Maggie Macintosh reports. READ MORE

On this date

On Feb. 3, 1966: The Winnipeg Free Press reported a Senate committee that had collected information for three years recommended establishing a guaranteed income for all elderly Canadians. Premier Duff Roblin’s government outlined its plans for a far-reaching education-reform program, tax cuts and a $1-billion power project on the Nelson River in a speech from the throne. A man fired as a psychologist at a Manitoba clinic and lecturer at St. Francis Xavier University three years earlier was identified as an imposter sought by police in Port Arthur, Ont.

Today’s front page

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