The Wrap: Mega-drug bust details, police HQ inquiry, food bank usage, and embracing big ideas

Good evening. The Winnipeg Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canada Life Centre tonight — the game’s already underway.

The Jets ended last season with eight straight regular season wins, so a victory tonight would count as their 17th straight – tying an all-time NHL record held by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

If you’re madly clicking your remote in an attempt to find the game on TV, it’s one of four Jets games this season that are broadcast only on Amazon Prime.

Sportswriters Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre are at the game, so if you’re not a Prime subscriber you can check winnipegfreepress.com later tonight and our print edition tomorrow to see what happened.

Here’s a look at what else our newsroom has been working on today:

'Cocaine with a street value in the millions'

Tyler Searle:

Inside Winnipeg’s biggest drug bust

Police intercepted communications, snuck into suspects’ homes to gather evidence against organized crime network Read More

Advertisement

Get ready to savour Manitoba's freshest summer flavours

'It’s about trust, it’s about good governance, and it’s about fiscal responsibility'

Carol Sanders:

Province moving forward with Winnipeg police HQ construction inquiry

Premier Wab Kinew is pushing ahead with an inquiry into the construction of the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters that cost taxpayers nearly $100 million more than estimated and raised questions about bribery and fraudulent billing. Read More

'Everything is just costing so much'

Nicole Buffie:

’Your money doesn’t go that far’: food bank visits rise in Manitoba

Organizations forced to get creative among sky-high grocery prices Read More

Dan Lett:

Pledges to make life more affordable usually leave out those who can’t afford to live

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre could not have known his promise to eliminate the GST on new homes would coincide with a report revealing over two million Canadians now rely on food banks. But having the two stories side by side on the same news cycle reveals a lot about how little political leaders understand the so-called “affordability crisis.” Read More

'Our city needs a big idea'

Brent Bellamy:

Our city shouldn’t shy away from embracing big ideas

If you sat down to design a modern city of a million people, you wouldn’t start by putting a giant rail yard in the centre. We don’t have the luxury of designing Winnipeg from scratch, and the presence of the trains has long been a reality in our city — but just because something is, doesn’t mean it must forever be. Read More

World

Lorne Cook And Tara Copp, The Associated Press: North Korea has sent about 10,000 troops to Russia to likely fight against Ukraine, Pentagon says

Ami Bentov, Tia Goldenberg, Samy Magdy And Joseph Krauss, The Associated Press: Key mediator Egypt proposes a 2-day Gaza cease-fire and the release of 4 hostages

Adam Schreck, The Associated Press: Analysis: Iran faces tough choices in deciding how to respond to Israeli strikes

Gene Johnson And Claire Rush, The Associated Press: Fires set in drop boxes destroy hundreds of ballots in Washington and damage 3 in Oregon

Steve Peoples, The Associated Press: Here’s what to watch in the final full week of the presidential campaign

Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press: What does a shocking parliamentary loss for Japan’s long-ruling party mean?

Sarah Parvini, The Associated Press: McDonald’s Quarter Pounder back on the menu after testing rules out beef patties as E. coli source

Jim Gomez, The Associated Press: Duterte says he had a ‘death squad’ as mayor but didn’t order killings as Philippine president

Emma Burrows, The Associated Press: Tens of thousands rally in Georgia to denounce the parliamentary election they say was rigged

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press: Shohei Ohtani set to play for Dodgers in Game 3 of World Series following shoulder injury

Canada

Laura Osman and David Baxter, The Canadian Press: ‘Nobody wants to blow up the party’: Trudeau staying, despite resignation calls

Nojoud Al Mallees and Laura Osman, The Canadian Press: Poilievre promises to abolish federal sales tax on new homes under $1 million

Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press: B.C. NDP wins razor-thin majority after marathon vote count; two recounts pending

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press: Canada on track to be world’s third-largest wheat exporter in ’24-25 crop year

Jeremy Simes and Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press: Saskatchewan Party wins fifth straight majority government, Scott Moe back as premier

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press: Quebec says it’s ready to start accepting advanced MAID requests as of Oct. 30

The Canadian Press: Quebec’s head of youth protection resigns after sex scandal at detention facility

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press: Former senator recalls being told Canada asked Sudan to hold Abdelrazik in detention

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press: Medical association calls for elimination of sick note requirements by employers

The Canadian Press: RCMP seize 73 kilograms of cocaine during traffic stop east of Sicamous, B.C.

Advertisement

Get ready to savour Manitoba's freshest summer flavours

Local

Carol Sanders: Manitoba PCs choose Narth as interim leader; ‘deeply hurt’ Khan blasts former caucus colleagues

Connor McDowell and Morgan Modjeski: Acquisition of former residential school grounds will help educate future generations: premier

Scott Billeck: Hydro reports $446-M loss in 2025-26, points to fourth drought year in past five

Matthew Frank: Eliminating short-term sick notes ‘big step forward’: Doctors Manitoba

Chris Kitching: Now-independent ex-Tory leader skips legislature’s first question period in four months

Erik Pindera: Obsessed stalker who shot, killed young woman at bus stop in 1993 dies behind bars at age 74

Morgan Modjeski: Province to acquire campground near former residential school

Joyanne Pursaga: Klein vows to freeze water, sewer rate for next two years

Nicole Buffie: Billions of dollars spent on health, but scattershot financial reporting leaves decision-makers, Manitobans in the dark, auditor general says

Erik Pindera: Completely separating inmates unrealistic, inquest judge says in report on three Stony Mountain slayings

Opinion

Niigaan Sinclair: Hero fought to remember children lost at residential school

Tom Brodbeck: What does the PC stand for in party’s name? Seems to be Pretty Confused

Dan Lett: How confusing; seems there’s more than one candidate in Hanover named Shayne Barkman

Deborah Schnitzer: Picking berries, sharing wonders in a muted woodland

Emily McMillan and Akaash Maharaj: Canadians do not want to sacrifice nature for development

Ben Wickstrom: Dealing now with increasing judicial dangers

Editorial: Legislation needed on vacant buildings

Free Press: Letters, Sept. 29

Gwynne Dyer: The Brazilian election

Jordan Laidlaw: AI, animals and us

Arts & Life

Sheldon Birnie: In a smart-device world, some families keep phone jacked into the wall

The Associated Press: Dennis Haskins, who played the hapless principal on ‘Saved by the Bell,’ dies at 75

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press: ‘Truth is made visible’: Digital book explores art and the residential school legacy

Associated Press, The Associated Press: Turner’s masterpiece of Rome returns to city ahead of UK sale that could set a record

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press: Stallone at 80 reflects on ‘Rocky’ 50 years later: ‘I am a lucky dog’

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press: SOCAN sues Suno, alleges AI company copies Canadian music without paying creators

Sheldon Birnie: Museum warehouse holds the history of electrical power in Manitoba

Maureen Scurfield: Chalk surprise gift up to lust, not love

AV Kitching: Winnipegger’s attic boutique bucks fast-fashion habits

Georgia Nicols: Today’s horoscope

Sports

Taylor Allen: Bombers coach happy to be back at work after backbreaking loss to Argos

Will Graves, The Associated Press: Sidney Crosby knows he won’t play hockey forever. On the eve of his 22nd season, it’s hard to tell

Patrick Nolan: Shoal Lake Lodge a manifestation of reconciliation in action

Mike McIntyre: Jets pick up netminder as relatively new 23-man roster announced

Taylor Allen: Bombers look to lock in to post-season chase after dropping game to Argos

Ken Wiebe: Jets defenceman spent whole summer working on getting to the next level

Ken Wiebe: Is another goalie on Jets’ wish list?

Joshua Frey-Sam: East St. Paul product’s next wheelchair basketball chapter in Spain’s best men’s division

Joshua Frey-Sam: Crusaders football celebrates 95th anniversary

Ken Wiebe: Special teams woes hurt Bombers in loss to Argos

Business

Gabrielle Piché: Expert urges food, drink makers to look to foreign markets

Aaron Epp: Port of Churchill signs agreement with Dutch port

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press: Diesel prices surge to historic highs, hitting consumers harder than ever

The Canadian Press: S&P/TSX composite finishes slightly lower, U.S. stock markets also negative

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press: Bed Bath & Beyond Canada relaunches online, hopes to open first store next year

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press: Loblaw’s PC Health launches chatbot as more people turn to AI for health info. Here’s what to know

Gabrielle Piché: State of the Nations event to highlight Indigenous mining plans

Aaron Epp: New tour firm seeks to display ‘hidden gem’

Gabrielle Piché: Manitoba association pitches CentrePort for national food terminal

Free Press staff: First Manitoba-U.K. Defence Summit begins

Share:

Download our News Break app