The Wrap: Tipping annoyance, triathlon trailblazer, biz leaving North End, sidewalk testing and bird banding
Plus: Crankshaft's coming to a Blue Bombers game

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

'The whole tipping universe is changing'

Paying with debit or credit card at the beer vendor, candy store or fast-food restaurant?

Customers are increasingly being prompted on screen to leave a tip, often in situations where the service provided — if at all — is barely noticeable.

And most Manitobans don’t like it one bit, according to a recent poll.

Business writer Gabrielle Piché reports.

Gabrielle Piché:

Tip, tap… d,oh!

Majority of Manitobans at high-anxiety tipping point, confronted by more hands out expecting more money at more places, Probe Research poll reveals Read More

'I’ve been a fan for a long, long time'

Regular readers of the Free Press comics pages have already noticed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a fan in the section: the team’s logo often appears in the daily Crankshaft strip.

Crankshaft creator Tom Batiuk is a huge fan of the Blue and Gold — and now he’s taking it to the next level: he and his wife made the trip from their home near Cleveland to take in a game for the first time tonight.

Nicole Buffie lets you know when you can expect our fair city to appear in the funny pages.

Nicole Buffie:

It’s first and longtime goal for U.S. comic strip creator smitten with Bombers

Ohio’s Tom Batiuk in city to attend first game after multiple Crankshaft references to Blue and Gold Read More

'All you can do is hope that the future is brighter'

The North End Business Improvement Zone will subtract one from its ever-decreasing roster in December: Access Credit Union plans to close its branch at the corner of Main Street and Flora Avenue.

The BIZ counted 109 businesses a decade ago; now, there’s 57.

Gabrielle Piché talks to the BIZ and area businesses about area problems affecting customer attraction and, by extension, business attraction and retention.

Gabrielle Piché:

‘Another blow to the North End’

Access Credit Union to close Main-Flora branch in December Read More

‘Wow, how did I come this far?’

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Johathan Courchene’s promising career as an athlete was interrupted by episodes of drug and alcohol abuse, violence and arrest.

Years later, fresh out of his third stint in drug and alcohol rehab, Courchene first dabbled in triathlon in 2012. He completed his first Ironman in 2022 and the journey had a lasting impact on how he lives his life.

Working in social services for the past 21 years, Courchene now speaks regularly about his life and particularly about his Ironman experiences with students in Winnipeg and First Nations communities around the province.

Sportswriter Mike Sawatzky tells his story.

Mike Sawatzky:

From Ironman to trailblazer

Recovering addict Jonathan Courchene, one of the first Indigenous athletes to complete the formidable endurance race, shares with students how triathlon changed his life’s path Read More

'Strategically investing where we spend our money'

New high-tech quads are rolling through Winnipeg’s 3,200 kilometres of sidewalks and pathways to snap images of route conditions and help pinpoint the most needed repairs.

The four bright red, four-wheeled sidewalk surface testers are equipped with GPS technology and a pair of cameras pointed in front and behind the vehicle to photograph walkway conditions.

City hall reporter Joyanne Pursaga took a look at the new sidewalk wheels.

Joyanne Pursaga:

Quads muscle way onto city sidewalks

Picture-taking vehicles document where repairs needed Read More

'I don’t remember a time when I couldn’t identify birds'

Birds are excellent indicators of what’s happening in the environment, and Oak Hammock Marsh is one of North America’s birding hotspots.

Paula Grieef, the resident naturalist at the Harry J. Enns Wetlands Discovery Centre, leads teams that weigh, measure, record and band birds as they’re migrating through the marsh.

Freelance reporter Martin Zeilig and photographer Mike Deal joined Grieef and a team of bird-banding volunteers.

Martin Zeilig:

Good migrations

The careful banding and measuring carried out at Oak Hammock Marsh are for the birds Read More