What’s happening today
Martin Krull, general manager of the Centennial Concert Hall, stands in the loge area. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)
Concert hall contract: The $12.5-million tender for restoring the interior of the Centennial Concert Hall has been awarded to Bockstael Construction, the provincial government announced this morning. It’s expected work on the hall — which is home to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Opera and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet — will be completed next year. READ MORE
‘Didn’t want to be alive’: Oprah Winfrey’s stunning interview with Prince Harry and Meghan — in which the couple said they encountered racist attitudes and a lack of support that drove the duchess to thoughts of suicide — is set to air in the United Kingdom at 9 p.m. GMT. The two-hour interview first aired in the U.S. on Sunday. READ MORE
Jury selection starts: Jury selection begins in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, who is white, is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd, a Black man. Floyd’s death in May 2020 sparked protests around the U.S. and the world. READ MORE
Hitting the gym: Limited access to nine City of Winnipeg gyms begins. About 75 temporary, part-time employees who were laid off amid pandemic closures were recalled to reopen the facilities. READ MORE
Survey says: A national poll released for International Women’s Day found 63 per cent of respondents think gender equality has not been achieved. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: Mainly sunny with a high of 13 C, wind chill as low as -6 this morning and wind at 15 km/h from the south increasing to 30 km/h from the southwest. Meanwhile, Katie May reports on how drier conditions outside the city aren’t ideal for agriculture. READ MORE
In case you missed it
MIKE SUDOMA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSJayden Havard, 8, is one of hundreds of children whose surgeries have been postponed due to COVID-19. He has been in pain for months while awaiting dental surgery.
Postponed amid pandemic: Jayden Havard, an eight-year-old boy who has autism and is non-verbal, is one of hundreds of Manitoba children whose surgeries have been postponed because of COVID-19. Carol Sanders reports. READ MORE
‘The need was there’: A local lab that usually does drug and alcohol testing for various industries was granted approval to offer rapid COVID-19 antigen and antibody tests starting today. Katie May reports. READ MORE
‘Cancel’ controversy: In her latest column, Shelley Cook weighs in on several Dr. Seuss books being permanently pulled from publication because of racist imagery. READ MORE
Census delay weighed: Statistics Canada considered postponing this year’s census until 2022 because of the pandemic, newly released documents note. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
On this date
On March 8, 1912: The Manitoba Free Press reported that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had reached the South Pole between Dec. 14 and 17; the message from the explorer was sent to Christiana and relayed from Hobart, Tasmania on March 7; his party was the first one on record to have reached the pole, and no word had been received from the competing British party led by Robert Scott. The question of redrawing Manitoba’s boundaries and the resulting financial terms including for those of smaller provinces such as the Maritimes, were hotly debated in Ottawa and the subject of a speech given by Manitoba Liberal leader T. Crawford Norris at a banquet at the Royal Alexandra hotel.
Today’s front page
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