The Wrap: MPI workers return, crime spree plea, a new White Top, bedpan history, Connor Hellebuyck and six films a-playing

Manitoba Public Insurance is the latest public employer bringing workers back to their downtown Winnipeg offices at least part-time.

MPI’s move to a hybrid arrangement — blending remote and on-site working — has upset some of the affected workers, their union says. But the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone is welcoming the return of hundreds of employees.

 

 

A Winnipeg man has admitted he stole more than $20,000 in merchandise from local stores during a 10-week, city-wide crime spree.

Tyler Bickley pleaded guilty Thursday to 19 counts of theft from Home Depot, Lowe’s and other businesses, stealing everything from clothing to chainsaws, leaf blowers and generators.

The White Top Drive-In, a decades-old eatery in Winnipeg’s North End, is opening a second location in Winnipeg’s south end.

“We’re not going anywhere — the North End has been good to us,” says owner Demos Louizos.

The south end has “always been a part of our family,” and the time to add a second location has arrived, he said.

 

It has the potential of being our No. 1 favourite story of the year.

Somewhere in the bowels of the Health Sciences Centre is a salute to a vital, but unsung, piece of medical equipment: the lowly bedpan. Writer David Sanderson visits the facility to learn more about the unique collection.

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck took some time on Friday afternoon to talk to Free Press sports writer Ken Wiebe about his craft — in particular, his ability to make difficult saves look easy.

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” says  Hellebuyck. “You make it look easy and then when something beats you, everyone is like ‘why didn’t you have it?’ Because everything is so easy, but it’s not.”

Wiebe looks at how Hellebuyck has returned to Vezina-calibre form and what it means for the team.

More than 100 new festive films are out right now, available through the Hallmark and Lifetime channels and across various streaming services, according to Entertainment Weekly’s Christmas movie tracker.

There isn’t enough hot cocoa in the world to get through them all, so we’ve narrowed the list down to six festive flicks you should take in this holiday season.