The Wrap: An eyesore in East Kildonan, Winnipeg’s winter warmth, restaurant recollection and the Bombers dominate

East Kildonan residents are frustrated by the unsightly mess left behind at a Kimberly Avenue property two years after fire destroyed an apartment block that was being built at the location. Neighbours are concerned that the state of the property presents a safety hazard and complaints to the city are beginning to pile up.

Winnipeg is sitting under a ridge bringing mild weather after the taste of snow and cold that hit the city earlier in the month. No records have fallen yet, but the winter, overall, might be one of the warmest the city has ever experienced.

The temperature at The Forks Tuesday soared to 4 C, and the lone section of the Nestaweya River Trail that opened only last Thursday — a late-season record — has been shut down owing to safety concerns.

And it’s not great for business.

Some small business owners that rely on Winnipeg’s infamous winter weather to drive their operations fear the season is already over.

Opening their newest restaurant has been a homecoming for Giac and Susan Appice — quite literally, as the couple used to live in the third-floor loft above their McDermot Avenue location while running Tre Visi there in the early 2000s.

After Tre Visi moved to its current home on Grosvenor Avenue in 2012, they retained ownership of the Exchange District building. When the building lost its tenant last year, the Appices sold their shares in Tre Visi to their partner and set out to create an entirely new concept in the space they once occupied. Borgo Antico — which translates to “ancient borough” is a warm and colourful space with updated surroundings but the same number of tables in the same configuration as the original Tre Visi.

The Flin Flon Bombers have been so good in 2023-24 that their record looks like a misprint: they are 34-2-2-0, which is good for 70 points and they hold an eight-point lead on the second-best team in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

What’s more, the Bombers have outscored their opponents 179-75 in 38 games and, although it’s not yet February, they have already qualified for the post-season.

No surprise really then that they have spent 12 consecutive weeks as the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s No. 1 team and are the best-represented club at the MJHL-SJHL Showcase, an all-star event underway this week at the Seven Oaks Arena bringing together 60 of the best players from each league.