What’s happening today
CPPrime Minister Justin Trudeau during question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press)
Mournful milestone: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver a statement on the anniversary of the coronavirus officially being declared a pandemic in the House of Commons this morning. He has designated today as a national day of observance to commemorate those who have died. In a statement this morning, Premier Brian Pallister said he “must remind Manitobans that we still have (a) long way to go before all Manitobans are fully protected from this deadly virus.” The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Candles for those killed: Candles representing more than 600 Winnipeg residents who have died from COVID-19 will be lit in front of a dimmed Winnipeg sign at The Forks on today’s pandemic anniversary. Meanwhile, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights will light its tower blue in support of health-care workers. READ MORE
Clinics to begin booking: Starting today, Manitobans can book appointments at pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics that launch in rural and northern Manitoba next week. Danielle Da Silva reports. READ MORE
Report to be released: A report by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth examining the deaths of 19 children under the age of five who were mistreated by adults will be publicly released this morning.
Talking transit: The Winnipeg Transit Master Plan is up for discussion at a meeting of the city’s public works committee. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: Mainly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries until the mid-afternoon, a high of -3 C, wind chill as low as -20 and peak winds from the northwest at 40 km/h gusting to 60 this afternoon.
In sports
Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian PressTeam Wild Card 1 skip Mike McEwen watches his rock as lead Colin Hodgson (right) and second Derek Samagalski prepare to sweep against Team Alberta.
Round robin wraps up: Preliminary play at the Brier ends tonight. Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson can guarantee his team will advance with a win in one of two matchups today, while Mike McEwen’s Wild Card 1 team — based out of West St. Paul — was effectively eliminated with a loss Wednesday. Jason Bell reports. READ MORE
Second game in mini-series: The Winnipeg Jets face the Maple Leafs in the second of three consecutive games between the teams in Toronto. The Jets won the first game Tuesday night. Mike McIntyre reports on the state of the team’s defence, which is down Nathan Beaulieu after he was injured Tuesday. READ MORE
In case you missed it
Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said the $500 patio fee is “mind-blowing.” (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)
Patio permit fee: Restaurant owners are riled the city is charging $500 for temporary patio permits. Erik Pindera reports. READ MORE
‘Slap in the face’: Two health-care unions say the provincial government is treating their members like queue-jumping cheaters. A public health order that took effect last week allows Shared Health to double-check the eligibility of workers who have been vaccinated. Kevin Rollason reports. READ MORE
‘Hellish’ time behind bars: A judge sentencing a man in a specialized fetal alcohol spectrum disorder court said his time at the Brandon Correctional Centre was “hellish.” The man, who spent about six months in solitary confinement, said he tried to report a sexual assault while behind bars but officers laughed at him. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
On this date
On March 11, 1953: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the shooting down of a U.S. jet fighter by Eastern bloc MiG-15s over the U.S.-controlled area of Germany alarmed Western Europe. Seven provinces requested that the federal government suspend the seven per cent freight rate increase authorized by the transport board. A car left the highway on Nairn Avenue and flipped completely over; no one was reported injured. In Winnipeg, breakfast was getting more expensive: the price of coffee was going up between two and four cents a pound and bacon prices would likely go up from two cents to seven or eight cents a pound.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press
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