The Wrap: Apartments closed, baby unwelcome, thousands flee wildfires, aerial exercise, Jets leadership and a look back at Manitoba’s first Indigenous premier

Good evening. Here’s a look at what our newsroom has been working on today:

'There will be an exodus from the Adanac to the river banks and bridges'

City officials are closing the Adanac Apartments on Sargent Avenue in the city’s West End. The building provides housing for people with low-income, addictions and housing barriers, but has been plagued by fire, crime and safety concerns.

Tyler Searle:

Not safe to stay, nowhere to go

Dilapidated, crime-ridden building under eviction order; tenants, owner, social agencies fear action will add to homeless crisis Read More

Get ready to savour Manitoba's freshest summer flavours

'It’s just frustrating because the sport has been historically so sexist'

A Lorette woman is upset after she was kicked off Southside Golf Course by the course starter after they noticed her seventh-month-old baby in the golf cart.

Joshua Frey-Sam:

Baby not on board: mom says golf course out of bounds for penalizing her, infant son

A Lorette woman is teed off after she was kicked off a city-area golf course Thursday for having a young spectator along for the ride in her cart. The observer was her seven-month-old son Madden, w... Read More

'You’ve gotta lock up and head out of town'

Multiple properties have been destroyed and thousands of residents ordered to evacuate in West Kelowna, B.C., where a wildfire has been “exponentially worse” than expected, according to local fire officials. Okanagan residents face another scary night tonight, with conditions even worse than those that whipped up the blaze on Thursday.

Meanwhile, thousands of residents of Yellowknife continued to flee the city by air and road today. The goal is to get everyone out in case a wildfire, about 15 kilometres from the city’s outskirts, moves in. Winds from the north and northwest were predicted for both Friday and Saturday, threatening to wreak havoc.

With ash falling on his laptop, columnist Niigaan Sinclair writes from New Denver, B.C., about the impact of the devastating wildfires on Canada’s future.

Niigaan Sinclair:

Look outside; Canada’s future is on fire

NEW DENVER, B.C. — I’ve stopped at a gas station in this small town where I’m staying, in the BC interior mountains, when the cashier gives some advice. “Be prepared for evacuation tonight if dry l... Read More

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press:

B.C. declares emergency amid Okanagan fire fight

WEST KELOWNA - Homes were ablaze on Friday in West Kelowna, B.C., with firefighters locked in a pitched battle against a rampaging wildfire that helped trigger a provincewide state of e... Read More

The Canadian Press:

Yellowknife nearly empty as fire battle continues

YELLOWKNIFE - More than 19,000 people left Yellowknife in less than 48 hours as one of the largest firefighting mobilizations in the history of the Northwest Territories continued to pr... Read More

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press:

Canada wildfire evacuees can’t get news media on Facebook and Instagram. Some find workarounds

Before fleeing about 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) south of Yellowknife by car, Agnes Grandejambe looked to social media to find out almost everything she needed to know about escaping the encroaching ... Read More

'It leaves you in a different space'

Jen Tries is a semi-regular series in which Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti tries something new and reports back. In this instalment, Jen Tries… an AntiGravity Fitness workout.

Jen Zoratti:

Trust the hammock

AntiGravity workout an exercise in feeling light and unencumbered Read More

'Significant skates to be filled'

Naming the next captain should be a top priority for the Winnipeg Jets, ushing in a new era for the team.

Sports columnist Mike McIntyre looks at the case for and against the three obvious players up for consideration: Scheifele, Morrissey and Lowry.

Mike McIntyre:

Who’s flying this plane? Jets need a captain

It should be one of the first orders of business when the Winnipeg Jets reconvene next month to kick off training camp and the start of a shiny new season. The question isn’t so much whether the cl... Read More

'A man of unbounded popularity and of remarkable attainments'

His name adorns schools, a community centre, a mountain. Yet, not many people can say who John Norquay is, and fewer still can identify him as Manitoba’s first Indigenous premier. Tom Brodbeck takes a look at the life and clout of the politician known as Honest John.

Tom Brodbeck:

From humble Red River roots to pre-eminent Manitoba premier

In Manitoba's early days, larger-than-life Métis politician John Norquay fought for a better deal for the province in federation Read More