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Labour in short supply as manufacturing thrives

Martin Cash 4 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

The manufacturing sector in Manitoba is thriving.

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Research project digging in to reasons young adults don’t want to stay in Manitoba

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Preview

Research project digging in to reasons young adults don’t want to stay in Manitoba

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read 6:56 PM CDT

Symone Bartley might drive an hour to Toronto or Canada’s Wonderland in nearby Vaughan for the weekend.

She can trek Algonquin Provincial Park on Sunday and make the two-hour drive home to Barrie by evening to wind down for the start of another work week as a paralegal.

“I packed up and I left,” said Bartley, 24. “Ontario has… more schooling, more cities… more job opportunities.”

She swapped Manitoba for its eastern next-door neighbour in 2018, for post-secondary education.

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6:56 PM CDT

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files

Around $429,000 of provincial cash is being spent in the hope of understanding why Manitoba regularly sees a net loss of young adults, and how to reverse the situation to attract and retain them.

True North embodies Spirit of Winnipeg

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

True North embodies Spirit of Winnipeg

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read 5:13 PM CDT

One of the city’s highest-profile companies is being recognized for having what the business community believes is the Spirit of Winnipeg.

“We’re humbled to be acknowledged,” True North Sports + Entertainment president John Olfert said Thursday.

The honour doesn’t come in the form of a celestial being. Instead, the company that owns the Winnipeg Jets, the Manitoba Moose and Canada Life Centre will receive the title award during the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Winnipeg awards gala June 16.

Eight Manitoba organizations will join True North as winners, having been identified for excelling in categories such as diversity initiatives and workplace culture.

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5:13 PM CDT

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

From left: Clara Sydor, Senna Laflamme, Breanna Dennis, and Nikki Slywchuk cheer for the Winnipeg Jets at a Whiteout party. Thousands of Winnipeg Jets fans gathered downtown beside Canada Life Centre on April 22.

Food inflation keeps hard pinch on Manitobans

Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Preview

Food inflation keeps hard pinch on Manitobans

Tessa Adamski 4 minute read Yesterday at 6:48 PM CDT

Janna Ingeberg says high inflation has taken a bite out of her budget for healthy food. Sometimes, she can only afford to buy a bag of carrots from the produce aisle.

“It’s absolutely mortifying,” she said. “It affects low-income people the most — the people who are already struggling.”

Ingeberg said she spends about $100 a week on groceries, and shops at multiple stores to get the best deals. During the weekend, she stopped at a Food Fare location and spent her weekly budget of $75 on cat food, juice, two cans of soup, and something to tuck away in the freezer.

“I’ve started making my own bread at home because the cost of bread is ridiculous,” she said. “Even those foods like Kraft Dinner, things that people who are low-income rely on as pantry staples, are hard to afford now.”

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Yesterday at 6:48 PM CDT

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press

Janna Ingeberg says high inflation has taken a bite out of her budget for healthy food.

Suncor to lay off 1,500 as Kruger takes action

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Suncor to lay off 1,500 as Kruger takes action

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 6:02 PM CDT

CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. will cut 1,500 jobs by the end of the year, as new CEO Rich Kruger forges ahead with his mandate to reduce costs and improve the company's lagging financial performance.

Employees were given the news Thursday afternoon, in a companywide email from Kruger, Suncor spokeswoman Sneh Seetal said.

She confirmed the job reductions are new, and not part of the company's previously announced plan to reduce the size of its contractor workforce by 20 per cent in an effort to improve safety and performance at its oilsands sites.

“As a company we needed to make changes that will strengthen our company for the future, and that includes our overall cost structure," Seetal said by phone, adding the 1,500 job losses will be spread across the organization and will affect both employees and contractors.

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Updated: 6:02 PM CDT

A Suncor logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Thursday, May 2, 2019. Suncor on Thursday said is would lay off 1,500 workers by the end of 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A Suncor logo is shown at the company's annual meeting in Calgary, Thursday, May 2, 2019. Suncor on Thursday said is would lay off 1,500 workers by the end of 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

China criticizes US plan for trade deal with Taiwan

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

China criticizes US plan for trade deal with Taiwan

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 5:18 AM CDT

BEIJING (AP) — China’s government criticized the United States' plans to sign a trade treaty with Taiwan and called on Washington on Thursday to stop official contact with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The agreement due to be signed Thursday comes amid increased Chinese efforts to intimidate Taiwan by flying fighter jets and bombers near the island, a global center for high-tech industry. American and European politicians have visited Taiwan in a show of support for its elected government.

The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of violating agreements on the status of Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949 after a civil war. The United States has no official relations with Taiwan but has extensive informal ties and multibillion-dollar annual trade.

“The United States should stop any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, refrain from negotiating agreements with Taiwan that have sovereign connotations or official nature and refrain from sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces,” said a ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning.

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Updated: 5:18 AM CDT

FILE - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, Monday, April 24, 2023. China’s government criticized the United States' plans to sign a trade treaty with Taiwan and called on Washington on Thursday, June 1, 2023, to stop official contact with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
FILE - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning speaks during a daily briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Beijing, Monday, April 24, 2023. China’s government criticized the United States' plans to sign a trade treaty with Taiwan and called on Washington on Thursday, June 1, 2023, to stop official contact with the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

‘Do I have regrets? … Hell yeah,’ says Davenport mayor after partial collapse of Iowa building

Scott Mcfetridge, Hannah Fingerhut And Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

‘Do I have regrets? … Hell yeah,’ says Davenport mayor after partial collapse of Iowa building

Scott Mcfetridge, Hannah Fingerhut And Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 5:50 PM CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A structural engineer’s report issued last week indicated a wall of a century-old apartment building in Iowa was at imminent risk of crumbling, yet neither the owner nor city officials warned residents of the danger days before the building partially collapsed, leaving three people missing and feared dead.

The revelation is the latest flashpoint after Sunday’s partial collapse of the building in Davenport, where residents have lashed out at city leaders over what they see as an inept response.

“Do I have regrets about this tragedy and about people potentially losing their lives? Hell yeah. Do I think about this every moment? Hell yeah.” Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday. “I have regrets about a lot of things. Believe me, we’re going to look at that.”

City officials said Thursday that they did not order an evacuation because they relied on the engineer’s assurances that the building remained safe.

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Updated: 5:50 PM CDT

Children draw on the ground with chalk at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Children draw on the ground with chalk at the scene where an apartment building partially collapsed on Sunday afternoon, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. Five residents of the six-story apartment building remained unaccounted for and authorities feared at least two of them might be stuck inside rubble that was too dangerous to search. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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Boeing’s astronaut capsule faces more launch delays after latest problems

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Boeing’s astronaut capsule faces more launch delays after latest problems

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 2 minute read 5:58 PM CDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing’s astronaut capsule faces more launch delays after the discovery of problems that should have been caught earlier, officials said.

Boeing and NASA announced the latest setback Thursday.

Until recently, the Starliner capsule was on track for a July test flight with two astronauts to the International Space Station, a planned trip that was already well behind schedule.

But final reviews uncovered issues with the parachute lines and other problems that were present on last year's test flight with no one on board and, officials said, should have been caught years ago.

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5:58 PM CDT

FILE - Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft mounted on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On Thursday, June 1, 2023, Boeing and NASA announced that the astronaut capsule faces more launch delays, this time because of flammable tape and weak parachute lines. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP, File)
FILE - Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft mounted on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On Thursday, June 1, 2023, Boeing and NASA announced that the astronaut capsule faces more launch delays, this time because of flammable tape and weak parachute lines. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP, File)

California bill requiring Big Tech to pay for news gains momentum

Trân Nguyễn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

California bill requiring Big Tech to pay for news gains momentum

Trân Nguyễn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 5:54 PM CDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California bill that would force Big Tech companies to pay media outlets for posting and using their news content cleared another critical hurdle Thursday.

The measure is among hundreds of bills that passed in the state Senate and Assembly this week before Friday — the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber and get a chance to become law later this year.

The bill, which passed the Assembly floor with bipartisan support, would require companies such as Google and Meta to share with California media companies their advertising revenue stemming from the news and other reported content. The amount would be determined through an arbitration process. The bill would also require at least 70% of the shared revenue go toward journalists' salaries.

Such payments would help local media organizations survive after many have seen their advertising revenues nosedive in the digital era, said the bill's author, Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. California has lost more than 100 news organizations in the past decade, she said.

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Updated: 5:54 PM CDT

Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, left, discusses her measure that would force Big Tech companies to pay media outlets for using their news content, with Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2023. If approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, the bill would require companies such as Google and Meta to share with California media companies their advertising revenue stemming from the news and other reported content Muratsuchi wanted to make. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, left, discusses her measure that would force Big Tech companies to pay media outlets for using their news content, with Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2023. If approved by the Senate and signed by the governor, the bill would require companies such as Google and Meta to share with California media companies their advertising revenue stemming from the news and other reported content Muratsuchi wanted to make. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Journalists to strike June 5 at the largest US newspaper chain

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Journalists to strike June 5 at the largest US newspaper chain

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read 7:40 PM CDT

Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at roughly two dozen newsrooms run by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S., their union said Thursday.

The mostly one-day strike, which will start June 5, aims to protest Gannett’s leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media.

According to the NewsGuild, the union representing workers at more than 50 Gannett newsrooms, those measures include job cuts and the shuttering of dozens of newsrooms; squeezed pay and benefits; and a failure to negotiate pay and working conditions in good faith.

In a statement, Gannett Chief Communications Officer Lark-Marie Anton said the company “strives to provide competitive wages, benefits, and meaningful opportunities for all our valued employees.” She added that “there will be no disruption to our content or ability to deliver trusted news” as a result of the expected work stoppage.

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7:40 PM CDT

FILE - Sections of a USA Today newspaper are displayed Aug. 5, 2019, in Norwood, Mass. Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at publications owned by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. The mostly one-day strike, which will start Monday, June 5, 2023, aims to protest the company’s leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - Sections of a USA Today newspaper are displayed Aug. 5, 2019, in Norwood, Mass. Journalists across the U.S. will walk off their jobs next week at publications owned by Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the U.S. The mostly one-day strike, which will start Monday, June 5, 2023, aims to protest the company’s leadership and cost-cutting measures imposed since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

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