What’s happening today
Canada flag-bearers Charles Hamelin (left) and Marie-Philip Poulin wave as they lead the nation’s athletes in the opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. (Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press)
Opening ceremony ongoing: The opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics is happening right now at the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest. READ MORE
Set to release stats: Statistics Canada will release a report on how the job market fared in January. READ MORE
Russia, China push back: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met hours before the Winter Olympics officially opened. They released a joint statement opposing any expansion of NATO and affirming that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
What’s happening this weekend
Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESSWild Card 1 skip Tracy Fleury delivers a rock as they play Northern Ontario at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont., Thursday. This is Fleury’s first appearance at the championships after being sidelined in COVID-19 protocol.
Curling tourney concludes: The final game of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts national women’s curling championship will be played in Thunder Bay on Sunday. The winner will represent Canada at the world championship in March. Manitoba will play the Northwest Territories in a tiebreaker game this morning, with the winner advancing to an afternoon playoff game against New Brunswick. Mike Sawatzky reports. READ MORE
Queen goes platinum: Queen Elizabeth II will mark 70 years on the throne on Sunday. The Commonwealth’s longest-serving monarch, now 95, was expected to live the life of a minor royal until her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated so he could marry an American divorcée. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
Hey now, he’s an all-star: Winnipeg Jets winger Kyle Connor will play in his first NHL all-star game on Saturday. Pop singer Faouzia of Carman will sing O Canada at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. READ MORE
Olympics continue: Rachel Homan and John Morris have won three consecutive games in mixed doubles curling after an opening loss and will face Sweden and the U.S. on Saturday. Morris won gold for Canada in 2019, the first time the event was included in the Olympics. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Super Bowl bye: This is the first weekend without NFL football since September, unless you count Sunday’s Pro Bowl. But we won’t, because no one cares about the NFL’s all-star game. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: Mainly sunny with a high of -22 C, wind chill as low as -38 and peak winds from the north at 20 km/h this morning. An extreme cold warning remains in effect. READ MORE
In case you missed it
Collège Jeanne-Sauvé students Chloe Crockford (left) and Isabel O’Brien. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)
‘Period poverty’: A pair of students at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé are calling on the Louis Riel School Division to stock washrooms with free pads and tampons. Maggie Macintosh reports. READ MORE
Roslyn Road building: The owner of a heritage building in Osborne Village is asking the city to remove the former home from the city’s list of historical resources so it can be demolished. Joyanne Pursaga reports. READ MORE
On this date
On Feb. 4, 1976: The Winnipeg Free Press reported the City of Winnipeg faced a budget deficit of $18 million; if the deficit were to be covered by property taxes alone without changing other taxes or services, the city tax rate would jump 18 per cent. The 12th Winter Olympic Games opened in Innsbruck, Austria. Phone rates in Winnipeg would jump 12 to 23 per cent when the number of telephones in the city reached 420,000, expected by mid-1978, if MTS’s proposed rate increase were approved.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE
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