This morning
While children died: A northern Manitoba child-welfare agency used tax benefit payments intended for kids in care to donate prizes for community events and issued bonus money to employees against an explicit order not to do so. This money was misspent as 14 children died between 2009 and 2013 in the four communities served by the poorly managed Island Lake First Nations Family Services. Mia Rabson has the exclusive story. READ MORE
Your forecast: Your kids might want to consider rain gear today when they bound outside with a skip in their step, happy to be freed by spring break from the confines of school. There is a 60 per cent chance of showers later today, with a high of 7 C. Wednesday will reach a high of 12, with no rain in sight.
In case you missed it
JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Marijuana 101: With Ottawa announcing on Monday it will introduce legislation in April that would see cannabis legalized in Canada by July 1, 2018, there are many questions about how it will affect Manitoba. Will it be sold at corner stores or at vendors? Will Manitobans be allowed to grow it at home? How much revenue will Manitoba get from cannabis taxation? Larry Kusch goes after the answers. READ MORE
Unsafe rooming houses: A fire on Saturday at a home thought to house an unsafe number of university students is being touted by neighbours as an example of illegal rooming houses near the University of Manitoba campus. The Fort Richmond-University Heights Neighbourhood Association has met to address the problem. “We’re going to have an all-out war on landlords,” vowed Janice Lukes, city councilor for the area. Jane Gerster reports. READ MORE
Up next
Creative family time: With children at home from school this week, one opportunity for high-quality family fun is the Winnipeg Art Gallery. A hands-on arts and crafts event called Family Fusion runs today from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., where parents and children can visit the past in time-machine spaceships and draw dinosaurs in their ancient habitats.
Jets’ unexpected road trip: If the Winnipeg Jets are grumpy, who can blame them? They’re in New Jersey to play the Devils tonight, but they’re not supposed to be there. They’re supposed to be home in Winnipeg for a three-game homestand, cheered by their own fans, sleeping in their own beds. But a previous game against the Devils was postponed by heavy snowfall so the Jets were forced to squeeze the makeup game into the middle of their homestand, travelling to New Jersey for only one game. Puck drops today at 6 p.m. CST. READ MORE
Around the water cooler
PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
Manitoba’s surgery wait time: If you need cataract surgery in Manitoba, you will wait longer than anywhere else in Canada. But if you need radiation to treat a cancer diagnosis, treatment in Manitoba is faster than any other province. These are among findings in a report card on surgery wait times by the Canadian Institutes of Health Information, to be released today. Alexandra Paul reports. READ MORE
Appropriate airline wear: Columnist Jen Zoratti weighs in on a controversy about women who say they were told they couldn’t board a United Airlines flight because they were wearing leggings instead of clothing deemed more appropriate: “I’ve seen more women in threadbare pyjama pants and flip-flops on airplanes than I can count.” READ MORE
Trending now
#WrestleMania: Winnipeggers seem to be interested in the pro wrestling event, as it’s trending now despite the fact Wrestlemania 33 won’t take place until April 2. True fans already know who they’re rooting for.
On this date
On March 28, 1956: The Winnipeg Free press reported that a huge snow storm, which dumped 24 inches of snow on southwestern Manitoba, brought the province to 96.6 inches for the winter of 1955-56, edging closer to breaking a record of 98 inches set in the winter of 1881-82. In Ottawa, a six-month extension was granted to Trans Canada Pipe Lines to prove it had the financial means to build an all-Canada gas pipeline. In Iceland, that country’s Parliament called for the removal of all NATO troops from the country; U.S. servicemen were stationed at an airbase near Keflavik. READ MORE
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