Good morning!
Welcome to Manitoba: The year 2016 is closing very much like it opened in Manitoba, with more Syrian refugees arriving here. So far, more than 1,000 have been welcomed by the province. The latest was the Al Ali family of five who arrived on Thursday. “God bless Canada — thank you,” Khaled Al Ali said through an interpreter at the airport after trumpeter John Oldham welcomed him and his family by playing some regal fanfare and “O Canada.” READ MORE
Your forecast: More snow is on the way, beginning this morning. Environment Canada expects five to 10 cm in Winnipeg. The wind, from the southeast, will gust to 40 km/h this morning before shifting to the northeast at 20 km/h. High -9 C. The snow will end this evening. Low -19. On Saturday, expect periods of light snow in the morning and a high of -7.
In case you missed it
Jason Franson / The Canadian Press filesThe ferocious wildfire forced about 90,000 to flee Fort McMurray, Alta., in May and reduced thousands of homes to cinders. It has been picked as the top news story of 2016 by Winnipeg Free Press readers.
National story of 2016: Winnipeg Free Press readers have selected the ferocious fire that forced 90,000 to flee Fort McMurray, Alta., as the national story of the year. Nicknamed “the Beast” by Fort McMurray regional fire chief Darby Allen for its ferocity, the fire, which began in May, took months to control. READ MORE
Salaries on the table: Manitoba’s finance minister isn’t ruling out a freeze or roll back in public sector wages as he and other government representatives are set to meet with senior union officials next week. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has been openly musing about rolling back public sector wages in his province. Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan are facing $1-billion deficits. READ MORE
Up next
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESPeople enjoy the New Year’s Eve fireworks display at The Forks.
Ringing in 2017: You can celebrate the end of 2016 — and the opening moments of 2017 — at The Forks. Along with entertainment all evening long New Year’s Eve, there will be fireworks both at 8 p.m. and at midnight at the downtown gathering spot.
Around the water cooler
TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSLinda Blair says that home-care workers have been cancelling appointments, and she has to often leave work to fill in to help her mother, Dru Landers.
Snow hurts home care: The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is blaming this week’s storm for the cancellation of hundreds of home-care visits. One Winnipeg woman said her mother had eight visits cancelled this week and missed meals because of it. Making things worse, she said, was that on some occasions no one called to notify her of the cancellations. READ MORE
She won’t give up: A Red River student who was severely injured in an attack at a Selkirk addictions centre in May while completing her practicum for a child and youth care program is looking forward to graduation — although she still suffers from vision loss as a result of the incident. Jackie Healey also plans to face her attackers when they appear in court. READ MORE
Trending now
New Year’s Eve: Are you ready for the year’s end, and to welcome 2017? Many on social media are already sharing plans for celebration and hopes for the New Year.
On this date
On Dec. 30, 1999: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that Winnipegger Shirley Macklin was still trapped aboard a hijacked Indian Airlines airliner, as Indian authorities agreed to release some Kashmiri militants in a bid to end the hostage situation. Celebrations to welcome the new year as well as the new millennium were gearing up to begin around the globe. The Manitoba Tories, having lost the 1998 provincial election after a decade in power, were struggling to rebuild even as their support among voters continued to crumble. READ MORE
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