The Wrap: Affordable housing, drug overdose prevention, Mrs. Mike’s and Art in Bloom
Plus: A B.C. woman serenades an orca trapped in a lagoon

Some low-income Winnipeggers could pay as little as $285 a month to enjoy a brand-new studio apartment in the Exchange District, thanks to a new investment aimed at supplying deeply affordable housing.

New funding for the $55-million Market Lands project will ensure roughly half its housing units are offered at rents geared to their tenants’ income levels. The 48 units were previously slated for rents pegged at 59 per cent of the median market rate.

The building, at the site of the former Public Safety Building, is expected to open in January 2026 and include a three-storey creative hub along with the residential tower.

A new report evaluating the first year of Manitoba’s only overdose prevention site declares the site a success and suggests establishing multiple supervised consumption sites in the province.

Sunshine House’s Mobile Overdose Prevention Site — an RV where people can consume drugs under supervision — had more than 26,000 visits in its first year. There were 20 overdoses and no deaths.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Agency of Canada’s latest quarterly report on opioid deaths shows Manitoba was the only province to not submit data.

Last year, a co-owner of the longtime Tache Avenue burger joint Mrs. Mikes announced the 54-year-old business would close; he planned to retire.

However, co-owner Cathy Mikos wanted to continue. And so, she and family members raised the shack’s white shutters at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, looking out to a crowd of hungry patrons.

Spring is about to burst forth at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

From Friday to Sunday, WAG-Qaumajuq’s Art in Bloom welcomes guests with a cascade of more than 15,000 flowers.

The event showcases 94 floral interpretations of art pieces crafted by 109 interpreters.