Good morning!
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSUnion members attend a committee meeting into Bill 7, which would reinstate secret ballots on unionization votes.
Heated hearings: The lights on Broadway burned late last night as a provincial government committee heard from some of 50 people registered to speak about a bill that many union supporters say is an attack on organized labour. Bill 7 would reinstate a secret ballot among workers before a union is certified. When the rhetoric got heated, Kristin Annable was there. READ MORE
Your forecast: Without even a chance for puddles to dry after the past two days of off-and-on showers, today will be more of the same. It’s expected to be cloudy, with a 30 per cent chance of light rain late in the afternoon. Wind will be from the south at 20 km/h, and the high temperature will be 12C, with rain expected tonight.
In case you missed it
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSMayor Brian Bowman
Mayor makes moves: When Mayor Brian Bowman removed Coun. Janice Lukes and Coun. Jeff Browaty from the city’s powerful executive policy committee just a day after they voted against his controversial development fee, columnist Dan Lett wasn’t surprised: “It is one of the rules of the political jungle that the amount of influence you have in any one level of government is directly proportional to the quality of the relationships you have within that government.” READ MORE
Welcome new senators: Three new Manitoba senators were named on Thursday, part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to put non-partisan appointees to the upper house. The Free Press interviewed Patricia Bovey, Marilou McPhedran and Harvey Max Chochinov for personal reactions to their new roles. For instance, McPhedran was heading home to the Exchange District on the #18 Main bus around 5 p.m. Tuesday when her cellphone rang. “Hello, Marilou — this is the prime minister speaking.” READ MORE
Up next
William Shatner will be in town this weekend to the delight of Star Trek fans.
Join the circus?: The National Circus School comes to Winnipeg on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., seeking talented young people between the ages of nine and 17. A press release says the circus will test youth for “spatial orientation, coordination, flexibility, strength, stage presence (acting ability), movement and musicality (dance)”. READ MORE
Comic-palooza: Central Canada Comic Con opens today at the RBC Convention Centre with guests including: the ageless William Shatner; former Winnipegger Aleks Paunovic, who acted in Battlestar Galatica, Smallville and the upcoming War for the Battle of the Apes; actor Mark Pellegrino, who had roles in Lost, Supernatural and Dexter; Demolition, costumed WWE tag-team wrestlers from the early ‘90s. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSKarim Lowen holds images of a racing pigeon (left) and a street pigeon (right). He wanted to build a coop for 44 racing pigeons in his yard on Mathers Avenue. But his plan was grounded.
Pigeon hold: Dozens of neighbours successfully overturned a city decision to let Karim Lowen construct a loft to house 44 racing pigeons at the rear of his River Heights home. They argued the birds would be noisy and dirty, but Lowen says his prized birds are misunderstood: “It’s not like they’re street pigeons that hang out. They’re racing pigeons, they race, and then they want to come back home to their loft. They’re not hanging out on a roof.” Alexandra Paul was at the appeal hearing. READ MORE
Rookie phenom: He’s only played seven games in the National Hockey League, but Patrik Laine, 18, scored twice Thursday evening to help the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. He’s proving to be a sniper with a rifle-like wrist shot and, not surprisingly, he’s also proving to be a favourite of Jets fans. READ MORE
Trending now
#ScaryStoriesIn5Words: People are sharing their worst nightmares which can range from ‘We’re starting 2016 over again’ to ‘there is no wifi here’ to ‘you’ll never go to Hogwarts’ to ‘Being “twitter famous” isn’t real’. READ MORE
#vinehalloffame: Twitter announced it is closing down its 6-second video app Vine in the months ahead and the internet wept while looking back at some of the best moments in news, sports and of course, absurdity. READ MORE
On this date
On Oct. 28, 1974: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a British Columbia boy, age 11, took a photo of what he reported was a “super-fast UFO.” In the Netherlands, a Palestinian guerrilla and three other convicts at Schevinigen pentientiary held 17 people hostage. In Toronto, a police officer left the force after watching and taking part himself in beatings inflicted by policemen; he said he could not stand the increasing violence. In Winnipeg, two gunmen wearing Halloween masks robbed a Bank of Montreal branch. READ MORE
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