Good morning!
Your forecast: With wind gusts of up to 40 km/h today, let’s hope the last of the leaves blow to the ground because Thursday’s shaping up to be a raker’s delight. The sky will clear later this morning, setting the stage for a mild, breezy day and a high of 12 C. On Thursday, expect plenty of sunshine and a high of 13 C – perfect for last-minute yard work. The wet stuff returns Friday, with a 70 per cent chance of showers and a high of just 9 C. But Environment Canada is offering up a fine forecast for Saturday, with lots of sunshine and a high of 10 C as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Ottawa Redblacks at Investors Group Field in an afternoon CFL battle.
In case you missed it
Conservative MP Steven Fletcher is shown in a Thursday March 27, 2014 photo. (Fred Chartrand / The Canadian Press files)
Feeling blue: Outgoing Tory MP Steven Fletcher wasn’t shy Tuesday about explaining why he lost his seat in the Winnipeg riding of Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia, blaming the media’s obsession with Trudeau, and saying his own party’s “national campaign was a fiasco.” Fletcher lost to physician Doug Eyolfson of the Liberals. Fletcher admitted that about a week ago, he sent an email to headquarters saying the Conservatives were at risk to lose all their seats in Winnipeg. READ MORE
The cabinet identity: Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau hinted he’ll choose his cabinet ministers by Nov. 4. He was non-committal on when the House of Commons might resume with a Throne Speech, saying his transition team is working on the timeline. He will attend the United Nations convention on climate change in Paris in the first week of December, so a throne speech is unlikely before mid-December. While Winnipeg South Centre MP-elect Jim Carr is considered a likely choice for regional minister, Trudeau promised half his cabinet would be women. He has 50 female MPs to choose from but only MaryAnn Mihychuk (Kildonan-St. Paul) is from Winnipeg. READ MORE
Cold case murder: The jury trial for the man accused of killing of 28-year-old Divas Boulanger began Tuesday. Ted Herntier, 45, was arrested in 2010 and charged with second-degree murder for the September 2004 slaying of Boulanger (a.k.a. David Joseph Boulanger). The victim’s body was discovered several weeks later outside a Trans-Canada Highway rest stop east of Portage la Prairie. Autopy results showed Boulanger died of blunt-force trauma. Crown attorney Brian Bell told the jury “the evidence is fairly straightforward.” Bell later said he will call a number of former “acquaintances” of Herntier to the witness box who have some interesting stories about conversations they had with the Herntier around the time of the killing. READ MORE
Up next
Toby Talbot / The Associated Press files
Flu alert: Headache, runny nose, a body that aches all over: those are sure signs of the flu season to come. For those who have better things to do than stay in bed and feel sorry for themselves, community clinics in Winnipeg offer free flu shots beginning today and running until Saturday at 12 locations. For more information, visit www.wrha.mb.ca/flu or call 204-956-SHOT. READ MORE
Beyond disabilities: People with disabilities sometimes face a further handicap when they encounter the ignorance of other people. An event today celebrates many success stories of inclusive employment efforts. The fifth annual employABILITY Expo begins at 10 a.m. at the Victoria Inn and Convention Centre and will provide lots of encouraging information on why employers should consider hiring people with disabilities.
Battling for batteries: For people unsure how to responsibly dispose of used batteries, Winnipeg Public Libraries will take them this week. The various branches will compete to see which can collect the most household batteries for recycling during national Waste Reduction Week. The library that collects the most weight in batteries will be awarded a prize by Call2Recycle and declared “Winnipeg Waste Ace.”
Around the water cooler
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSCurtis Starkell with the registration renewal notices he received for his two chocolate Labradors, Lola (left) and Capone.
Who let the dogs out: People who let their dog and cat licences expire are getting an unwelcome knock at the door. The city’s Animal Services Department is hand-delivering $250 fine notices to pet owners who allowed the licences to expire. As expected, the news has been met by growling and hissing from pet lovers. READ MORE
In a flap: The Toronto Blue Jays are facing elimination from the major-league baseball playoffs. The Blue Jays were routed 14-2 Tuesday by the Kansas City Royals, who lead the best-of-seven American League Championship Series 3-1. Game 5 goes today at the Rogers Centre, with Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada facing Royals’ starter Edinson Volquez in a rematch of Game 1. READ MORE
Trending now
Universal Studios / TNSInventor Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), left, and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), with the Doc’s time machine in “Back to the Future.”
#BackToTheFuture: Great Scott! According to the movie trilogy’s lore, Marty McFly arrives today from the year 1985 in a flying DeLorean. Despite a dearth of flying cars and hover-skateboards in the year 2015, Austria has moved to clarify its laws on hoverboards, saying they could be treated as “small off-road vehicles.” That’s heavy, Doc.
#perfectmusicvideo: Local One Direction fans must be keen on the band’s latest song, as the video for “Perfect,” from the upcoming album “Made in the A.M.,” is trending in Winnipeg. The band made a surprise release of the video, shot in black and white, on Tuesday night.
On this date
On Oct. 21, 1983: the Winnipeg Free Press reported that a 16-member revolutionary military council led by Gen. Hudson Austin had taken power in Grenada and that prime Minister Maurice Bishop had been executed. Canadian External Affairs Minister Allan MacEachen disagreed with U.S. President Ronald Regan that Syria was a “roadblock” in the Lebanese peace process. Brandon mayoral candidates variously jockeying to outdo each other with regard to how much they would slash the mayor’s salary if elected. Churchill shipping totalled 629,000 tonnes of grain in the 1983 shipping season. The number of Manitoba’s business bankruptcies dropped sharply.
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