Good morning!
As the river rises: With the Red River expected to crest on Tuesday or Wednesday, Winnipeg seems to be fairly safe from extensive flooding. But not so with rural areas. There are eight local states of emergency and 194 people so far are out of their homes — 190 from Peguis, Long Plain, Fisher River and Sioux Valley Dakota First Nations, and four from Petersfield. Ashley Prest and Nick Martin report. READ MORE
Your forecast: A significant weather-related question currently confronts Manitobans, and the wise weather oracle who pens Head Start is here to help. The question is: should I remove the snow tires now, or wait? The answer is: go ahead, take ’em off. We base this advice on a peek at Environment Canada’s long-range forecast that shows temperatures will be warm all week, hitting a high of 15 C on Saturday, and no snow is forecast. Today’s high will be 8, with wind from the north at 20 km/h.
In case you missed it
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSPremier Brian Pallister said his government would be announcing its plan for health-care reform later this week.
Pallister makes nice: Premier Brian Pallister seems to have extended an olive branch to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Pallister said he’s ready to negotiate a federal health-care funding deal, even without his previous demand that Ottawa supply a written assurance that funding for a promised $60-million aerospace and automobile research hub — dubbed Factory of the Future — is not at risk. “On reflection, I think I should take the word of the prime minister on things like this,” Pallister told reporters Monday. Larry Kusch reports. READ MORE
Uber permission delayed: The process to allow Uber ride sharing to operate in Winnipeg was pushed back on Monday. As taxi drivers packed the public gallery of the legislature on Monday, the bill that was to take effect by June 1 was delayed until November. Nick Martin reports. READ MORE
Up next
Final trip: The Winnipeg Jets won’t participate in the NHL’s always-thrilling Stanley Cup playoffs, but the club still has some business to care of this week. The Jets, riding a four-game winning streak, are on the road for the last time this season, with stops in St. Louis today (7 p.m.) and Columbus on Thursday (6 p.m.). READ MORE
Important meeting: The Indian and Metis Friendship Centre holds a membership meeting at 6 p.m. today to elect directors of the centre. Its annual funding of $369,740 was suspended on Jan. 31 and the centre is at risk of closing after 59 years. Allegations include unstable staffing, multiple complaints from community members and negligence in applying for funding on time.
Around the water cooler
Jaw-breaking punch justified: A Winnipeg police officer did not use excessive force when he punched a man and broke his jaw, the province’s Independent Investigation Unit has concluded. The police officer was off duty and driving his own vehicle at St. Mary’s Road and Marion Street on Nov. 18, 2016, at about 5:10 p.m., when he saw two men fighting. The officer jumped out of his vehicle, said he was a police officer, and told the pair to quit fighting. One man approached aggressively, and the officer threw a single punch, breaking the man’s jaw and rendering him unconscious. READ MORE
Newsroom Dogs, Week 2: At the end of the third week where newsroom employees are being allowed to bring their canine companions to the office, not everyone is a fan. Sports editor Steve Lyons said: “I love dogs! I just don’t think we need any more distractions in the newsroom. What’s really distracting is the people making a fuss over the dogs.” Doug Speirs reports on the pooch project. READ MORE
Trending now
Olympics: The international sporting event is trending today with the news that the NHL will not take part in the 2018 games.
On this date
On April 4, 1959: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a Canadian formula to resolve the question of how Berlin was to be treated in the postwar era met with support from smaller nations in the 15-member North Atlantic Alliance, but was frowned upon by the United States and France. In the Manitoba election, the Liberal party demanded that premier Duff Roblin make public full evidence to substantiate his claim the Liberals had lost the province $10 million in federal grants when they had held power. READ MORE
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