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BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Gamemasters Escape Solutions managing partner Laura Hawkins (middle) is pictured with co-owners Shea Silva (left) and Allan Hawkins (right) stand inside an escape room called Poseidon’s Promise at Enigma Escapes at 4-980 Lorimer Blvd., in Winnipeg, Man., Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.

Winnipeg-based company designs, supplies businesses around globe with turnkey escape rooms

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CST

Even on an international vacation, Laura Hawkins wanted to escape.

The Winnipeg entrepreneur was travelling through Europe in 2014 with her husband, Allan Hawkins, and their daughter, Shea Silva, and everywhere they went — Dublin, Athens and Paris — the family visited an escape room.

The concept, where players are confined to a themed room and have to discover clues and solve puzzles to find their way out within a set time limit, had yet to take off in Canada. Silva discovered them while researching what she and her parents could do to entertain themselves on their European holiday.

The family has always enjoyed spending time together playing board games, Hawkins says, so the idea of tackling immersive puzzles was right up their alley. By the time they finished their third escape room, they were hooked and talking about starting an escape room facility of their own.

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Better confidence, greater returns?

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

Better confidence, greater returns?

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

It may be 2026, but a new survey suggests a gender gap when it comes to investing.

“Women are a little more than half the population and they’ve made a lot of economic progress over past decades, but there still is a persistent wealth gap,” says Dorothy Sanford, chair of the investor advisor panel for the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization.

The national regulator for investment advisers and brokerages released the findings of an inaugural report on gender differences, finding women are less likely to invest than men and, most revealing, in Sanford’s view, are less confident about investing.

“One of the key messages coming out of all this is women’s lack of confidence,” she says about the survey of 3,000 Canadians, including 2,000 women.

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Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

Freepik

Happy woman holding coins and banknotes in hands. Cartoon female person on pink background flat vector illustration. Money, wealth, finance for banner, website design or landing web page.
Freepik Happy woman holding coins and banknotes in hands. Cartoon female person on pink background flat vector illustration. Money, wealth, finance for banner, website design or landing web page.

‘Exciting step’: retail clothing giant Uniqlo announces store at CF Polo Park

Malak Abas and Kevin Rollason 4 minute read Preview

‘Exciting step’: retail clothing giant Uniqlo announces store at CF Polo Park

Malak Abas and Kevin Rollason 4 minute read Yesterday at 7:00 AM CST

Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is set to open a store at CF Polo Park this spring — with a second location at St. Vital Centre to follow.

The retail giant, known for its casual wear clothing, has 37 stores in Canada. The Polo Park location will be Winnipeg’s first.

“We have been patiently waiting to share this news, and we are so pleased to make it official,” Whitney Martyniuk, marketing director for Uniqlo Canada, said in a statement.

“The opening of our first Winnipeg location represents an exciting step for Uniqlo in Canada.”

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Yesterday at 7:00 AM CST

Uniqlo has 37 stores in Canada. The Polo Park location will be Winnipeg’s first. (Anne D’Innocenzio / The Associated Press files)
Uniqlo has 37 stores in Canada. The Polo Park location will be Winnipeg’s first. (Anne D’Innocenzio / The Associated Press files)

Halifax council to discuss providing more oversight for ride-hailing companies

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Halifax council to discuss providing more oversight for ride-hailing companies

The Canadian Press 1 minute read 3:00 AM CST

HALIFAX - Halifax regional council is today expected to discuss proposed bylaw changes aimed at providing more oversight of Uber and other ride-hailing companies.

Uber is opposed to the changes, saying they would lead to higher fares, too much red tape and additional fees for drivers.

Last month, council was presented with a staff report recommending that licensing requirements for ride-hailing services be brought in line with rules covering taxi and limousine companies.

Under the existing system, taxi and limousine drivers must send the municipality results from training and background checks, which include scans for criminal records and child abuse allegations.

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3:00 AM CST

The Uber app is seen on an iPhone near a driver's vehicle in Vancouver, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The Uber app is seen on an iPhone near a driver's vehicle in Vancouver, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

McDonald’s Canada freezes price of small coffee, McValue meals for one year

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

McDonald’s Canada freezes price of small coffee, McValue meals for one year

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 3 minute read 4:00 AM CST

TORONTO - When Annemarie Swijtink took the helm of McDonald's Canada in September, fast-food companies were facing a lot of heat.

Reduced cattle herds had pushed up the price of ground beef, while climate change and crop disease challenged another restaurant staple: coffee. Caught in the middle were consumers fretting about tariff tensions and watching their fast-food favourites inch higher than their desired price range.

Swijtink is now trying to deliver some relief.

She announced Tuesday that McDonald's Canada will freeze the price of a small cup of coffee at $1 for at least a year and drop the price of its McValue meals to $5 for the same duration.

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4:00 AM CST

A maple leaf is seen on a McDonald's logo on food packaging at a McDonald's Restaurant in Brampton, Ont., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
A maple leaf is seen on a McDonald's logo on food packaging at a McDonald's Restaurant in Brampton, Ont., Wednesday, March 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Military lands in northern Manitoba First Nation dealing with water woes

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Military lands in northern Manitoba First Nation dealing with water woes

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:56 PM CST

WINNIPEG - Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are on the ground providing help to a First Nation in northern Manitoba that is in the throes of severe water issues, while some displaced residents may be forced to relocate once again. 

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias said seven military members arrived in his community Monday morning after he pushed the federal government to send in reinforcements.

Monias said the crew will first be tasked with assessing one of the community's water treatment plants, which has been out of commission for two weeks. 

"They're doing a site tour of the water plant right now, take notes, identify what needs to be fixed, and assess how it needs to be fixed, and what resources are required to fix it," he told reporters in Winnipeg before he was supposed to return to Pimicikamak. 

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:56 PM CST

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., to help with the community's on-going water issues. Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias, left, and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) Grand Chief Grand Chief Garrison Settee speak to the media during a tour with politicians and media at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., to help with the community's on-going water issues. Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias, left, and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) Grand Chief Grand Chief Garrison Settee speak to the media during a tour with politicians and media at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Man., on Wednesday, January 7, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Court says Trump admin illegally blocked billions in clean energy grants to Democratic states

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Court says Trump admin illegally blocked billions in clean energy grants to Democratic states

Matthew Daly, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:14 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration acted illegally when it canceled $7.6 billion in clean energy grants for projects in states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

The grants supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states, including battery plants, hydrogen technology projects, upgrades to the electric grid and efforts to capture carbon dioxide emissions.

The Energy Department said the projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable. Russell Vought, the White House budget director, said on social media that “the Left’s climate agenda is being canceled.”

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta said the administration's action violated the Constitution’s equal protection requirements.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:14 PM CST

FILE - Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought speaks to reporters at the White House, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
FILE - Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought speaks to reporters at the White House, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

More Business

Trump’s credit card plan revives question of when do interest rates become too high

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Trump’s credit card plan revives question of when do interest rates become too high

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:22 PM CST

TORONTO - U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10 per cent for a year echoes what some advocates in Canada have long been pushing for, and banks pushing against.

Consumer advocate Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, last month pushed the government to act on the issue to stop what he characterized as "bank gouging."

The financial industry, meanwhile, has generally pushed against measures to limit interest rates, saying such actions would cut some consumers off from the credit option and force others to pay more through fees or alternative services.

The Canadian Bankers Association said in a statement Monday that Canada's credit card market is highly competitive and well regulated.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:22 PM CST

A credit cards illustration is shown in a Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
A credit cards illustration is shown in a Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 file photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Top central bankers express ‘full solidarity’ with Fed Chair Powell in clash with Trump

David Mchugh, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Top central bankers express ‘full solidarity’ with Fed Chair Powell in clash with Trump

David Mchugh, The Associated Press 2 minute read 5:13 AM CST

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eleven central bankers from around the world said Tuesday they “stand in full solidarity” with U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, after President Donald Trump dramatically escalated his confrontation with the Fed with the Justice Department investigating and threatening criminal charges.

Powell “has served with integrity, focused on his mandate and an unwavering commitment to the public interest," read the statement from central bank heads including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.

They added that “the independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve. It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability."

The dispute is ostensibly about Powell’s testimony to Congress in June over the cost of a massive renovation of Fed buildings. But in a statement Sunday, Powell, abandoning his previous attempt to ignore Trump’s relentless criticism, called the administration’s threat of criminal charges “pretexts’’ in the president’s campaign to seize control of U.S. interest rate policy from the Fed’s technocrats.

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5:13 AM CST

A video of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell plays on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
A video of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell plays on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Deciem president charts new chapter for brand after founder’s death, tariffs

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Deciem president charts new chapter for brand after founder’s death, tariffs

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press 6 minute read 5:00 AM CST

TORONTO - In a remodelled former textile factory in downtown Toronto, scientists in white coats fuss over beakers of opaque liquids. 

The concoctions are rigorously studied, documented and measured before being loaded into sleek, futuristic machines that shake, heat and ultimately test how the creations will hold up in cupboards and on faces. 

The goal of the operation is to develop the latest beauty product for Deciem, the Canadian cosmetic darling behind the Ordinary, an affordable skin care brand known for putting science before sales tactics.

While the company has been around since 2013 and its crown jewel brand since 2016, both are now in uncharted territory. Their founders are no longer at the helm, the firms are now owned by global beauty behemoth Estée Lauder Cos. and tariff threats loom large.

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5:00 AM CST

Deciem's global brand president Jesper Rasmussen is photographed at the company's Toronto headquarters, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Deciem's global brand president Jesper Rasmussen is photographed at the company's Toronto headquarters, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

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