Good morning!
Back to the lake: Escaping urban life and heading to cottage country is a weekend routine for many Manitobans. But Tuesday’s return to Whiteshell Provincial Park was a very special homecoming for permanent residents and cottagers after they were forced out by a wildfire that came perilously close. Thankfully, not a single home or cottage at Caddy Lake, West Hawk Lake, Macara Lake, Longpine Lake, Rice Lake or Ingolf, Ont., was destroyed. READ MORE
Your forecast: It’s truly a spring forecast that keeps on giving. Following a terrific Tuesday, we’re in for a wonderfully sunny, warm Wednesday, with a bit of afternoon cloud cover and a daytime high of 24 C. On Thursday, expect sunshine and a high of 27 C, while Friday’s forecast calls for sunshine and high of 26 C. About two-thirds of the May long weekend weather should be nice, with sunshine and highs of 26 C Saturday and 27 C Sunday. But Environment Canada is calling for rain on Victoria Day — the holiday Monday.
In case you missed it
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSPremier Brian Pallister stands up to respond during the first question period of the 41st sitting of the Manitoba Legislature Tuesday.
Questioning the Tories: There were no softballs tossed Premier Brian Pallister’s way Tuesday during the first question period of the legislative session under the new Tory government. Interim NDP Leader Flor Marcelino stood and fired the first query at the premier, and it wasn’t exactly a casual request for the former college basketball player’s thoughts on the Raptors-Cavaliers NBA playoff series. She told the legislature: “We saw an exclusionary throne speech that left out so many Manitobans,” then asked Pallister why he chose that path. He was steadfast in his response, noting Manitobans have shown “astonishing support” for worthy causes, adding “that’s the kind of government I plan on leading.” READ MORE
European fashion in town: Denmark-based Bestseller plans to open four stores — two women’s clothing shops and two men’s clothing shops — in the former Zellers space on the second floor of Polo Park Shopping Centre. All four stores — Vero Moda, Only, Jack & Jones and Premium by Jack & Jones — will open this summer. READ MORE
Paying tribute: A silver collector coin series was released in Winnipeg by the Royal Canadian Mint on Tuesday. The coins honour Canadian heroes — firefighters, paramedics, police and the military — who, a Mint press release notes “face danger in the line of duty yet remain steadfast in their commitment and dedication to helping others.” The commemorative $15 coin is not actual currency, and are meant to be purchased as special gifts, keepsakes and collectibles. READ MORE
Up next
RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSFinance Minister Cameron Friesen in his new office Thursday. It will take years for the Progressive Conservatives to fully deliver on their ambitious fiscal agenda.
Manitoba’s financial shape: Finance Minister Cameron Friesen provides an economic update on Wednesday beginning at 11:30 a.m. Friesen told reporters when he was sworn in that he believes Manitoba’s summary deficit is closer to $1 billion compared to the $773-million forecast by the NDP government. On Tuesday, May 31, the Pallister government will table its first budget.
Lighting the way: Indigenous music, art and dance takes over Winnipeg this weekend as the 11th annual Manito Ahbee Festival fills some of the city’s venues. Events actually begin Thursday, but the public is encouraged to join Manito Ahbee for the kickoff and lighting of the sacred fire today at 11:30 a.m. at the Oodena Circle at The Forks.
Around the water cooler
SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESSCharlie Lowthian-Rickert, who is transgender, speaks along side Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, as she makes an announcement in the foyer of the house of commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, regarding legislation on gender identity and gender expression.
Human rights progress: New legislation tabled by the federal Liberals would add gender identity and expression to human rights and hate-crime laws. If passed, the bill would make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to deny someone a job or to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of the gender they identify with or outwardly express. It would also amend the Criminal Code to extend hate speech laws to include gender identity and expression. READ MORE
Punishment for punch: Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor was hit with an eight-game suspension by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for his role in a bench-clearing brawl with the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. Rougned landed a heavy punch to the face of Jose Bautista after the Jays’ slugger slid dangerously into him at second base on Sunday afternoon. A total of 14 players and staff members from the two teams were disciplined. READ MORE
Trending now
#OneLetterOffFoods: Who knew a typo could taste so different? Be careful when you order wanton soup, parrot cake, foot beer or chicken pox pie.
#GameOfThronesASongOrBand: What would be in the Top 40 in George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world? How about “Stop Dragon my Heart Around,” “Come On, Mereen,” and “Every Rose Has Its Throne.”
On this date
On May 18, 1951: The Winnipeg Free press reported that a 180-acre area near Stevenson airfield was to be taken over from St. James by the federal government as a site for an air force housing development. In Korea, Communist troops pushed heavily against Allied lines. In Great Britain, archaeologists discovered that vikings who came to the British Isles 1000 years earlier were not all plunderers and pillagers, and that the Norse may have introduced porridge to Scotland.
|
