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Ruth Bonneville / Free Press BIZ - West End Radiators Photo of welder, Ron Caron, repairing a radiator in one of their 2 shops. Story is about Wayne Feelus and his nephew Justin Feelus, owners of West End Radiators and how they grew the business to be the biggest of its kind in Canada. Justin’s dad - Pete Feelus, is Wayne’s brother, one of the original owners of West End Radiators. This is for the Feb. 17 ‘Made in Manitoba’ article. Story by Aaron Feb 10th, 2026

Winnipeg-based West End Radiators drives toward 7th decade in business with 5 locations in 2 provinces

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Updated: 8:37 AM CST

If the staff at West End Radiators have a strong suit, it’s moving forward.

“Just keep going. We don’t really look back,” says Justin Feeleus, who owns the Winnipeg-based business with his uncle, Wayne Feeleus. “It’s just kind of (about asking ourselves): how can we get better?”

While looking in the rear-view mirror doesn’t generally interest the owners of Manitoba’s only remaining heavy-duty radiator shop, a recent milestone gave them and their approximately 60 staff an opportunity to stop and reflect on everything the company has accomplished.

West End Radiators reached its 65th anniversary in 2025, and the company marked the occasion last month with a celebration at the Sandman Hotel.

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Manitobans continue to draw line in sand, choose not to cross once-neighbourly line on land

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Manitobans continue to draw line in sand, choose not to cross once-neighbourly line on land

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Updated: 9:01 AM CST

Julie Regner loves to see Canadians tackle the slopes or après-ski at North Dakota’s Frost Fire Park, which has drawn skiers and snowboarders across the border for decades.

While there hasn’t been an official tally of visitors this season, the park’s general manager doesn’t think she’s seeing as many Manitobans amid the steep decline in Canadians venturing south.

“I would say it’s maybe decreased some from last year. They’re definitely still coming down to ski,” Regner said from the park, which is close to Walhalla, just 10 kilometres south of the border.

“We just love having them come down. They’re super nice people.”

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Updated: 9:01 AM CST

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Julie Regner loves to see Canadians tackle the slopes or après-ski at North Dakota’s Frost Fire Park.
SUPPLIED Julie Regner loves to see Canadians tackle the slopes or après-ski at North Dakota’s Frost Fire Park.

Blizzard warnings and travel shutdowns trap millions at home in northeastern US

Anthony Izaguirre, Claire Rush, Julie Walker And Adam Geller, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Blizzard warnings and travel shutdowns trap millions at home in northeastern US

Anthony Izaguirre, Claire Rush, Julie Walker And Adam Geller, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 10:16 AM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — A massive snow storm pummeled the northeast United States on Monday, trapping millions of people in their homes amid strong wind and blizzard warnings, transportation shutdowns, and school and business closures.

The storm hit the metropolitan northeast as accumulations from an earlier snowfall had just melted away — except for gray mountainous piles in parking lots and along the side of roads. Officials declared emergencies from Delaware to Massachusetts, and hundreds of thousands of people grappled with power failure from downed electrical lines.

Even as digging out began, the National Weather Service warned Monday that perilous conditions could persist.

“The combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds will continue to produce blizzard conditions along the Northeastern Seaboard,” the weather service said Monday. “Sharply reduced visibility will make travel extremely treacherous across these areas.”

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Updated: 10:16 AM CST

A passenger exits a subway station as snow falls in the Alphabet City neighborhood of New York, Sunday evening, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)
A passenger exits a subway station as snow falls in the Alphabet City neighborhood of New York, Sunday evening, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

N.S. opposition challenges government to sit in legislature for more than eight days

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

N.S. opposition challenges government to sit in legislature for more than eight days

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 5 minute read 3:00 AM CST

HALIFAX - Becky Druhan, Nova Scotia's former justice minister who quit the governing Progressive Conservatives in the fall over differences with party leadership, hopes the session of the legislature that begins Monday is longer than the last one, which was only eight days.

Nova Scotia's legislature doesn't have a calendar, and its members sit at the whim of the party in power. Druhan, an Independent, said last year's short session that wrapped in early October contributed to a "crisis of confidence" in the Tory government, which has a commanding majority.

“Eight days is not enough to do what we need to do, to voice our opinions, to voice our community's experiences, to debate the legislation and the issues that are important to Nova Scotians,” she said.

As elected representatives return to the legislature from their constituencies, the government has major issues to address, including health care and affordability. And the official Opposition NDP says that can only happen if members are given enough time to ask questions and debate with the governing party.

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3:00 AM CST

Premier Tim Houston addresses the speaker at the start of the spring session of the Nova Scotia legislature at Province House in Halifax on March 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Premier Tim Houston addresses the speaker at the start of the spring session of the Nova Scotia legislature at Province House in Halifax on March 24, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

U.S. supreme court tariff ruling brings more uncertainty for Manitoba businesses

Aaron Epp 4 minute read Preview

U.S. supreme court tariff ruling brings more uncertainty for Manitoba businesses

Aaron Epp 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026

There’s uncertainty ahead for Manitoba businesses following the latest developments of United States President Donald Trump’s tariff regime.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a set of Trump’s tariffs in a landmark ruling Friday, but that decision didn’t affect all duties on Canadian goods entering the U.S.

Trump on Friday signed an executive order imposing a 10 per cent global tariff, effective Tuesday. On Saturday, he threatened on social media that he would increase it to 15 per cent.

Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said he was pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision but troubled by Trump’s reaction.

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Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES

President and CEO of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Chuck Davidson
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES President and CEO of the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce Chuck Davidson

Police are finding suspects based on their online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Police are finding suspects based on their online searches as courts weigh privacy concerns

Mark Scolforo, The Associated Press 7 minute read 7:04 AM CST

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Criminal investigators hoping to develop suspects in difficult cases have been asking Google to reveal who searched for specific information online, seeking “reverse keyword” warrants that critics warn threaten the privacy of innocent people.

Unlike traditional search warrants that target a known suspect or location, keyword warrants work backward by identifying internet addresses where searches were made in a certain window of time for particular terms, such as a street address where a crime occurred or a phrase like “pipe bomb.”

Police have used the method to investigate a series of bombings in Texas, the assassination of a Brazilian politician and a fatal arson in Colorado.

It’s not a wild guess by investigators to conclude that people are using Google searches in all manner of crimes, as the company's search engine has become the main gateway to the internet and users' daily lives increasingly leave online traces. The potential value to investigators of the data Google collects is obvious in cases with no suspect, such as the search for Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapper.

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7:04 AM CST

FILE - The Google logo is displayed at their offices, Nov. 1, 2018, in London. . (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - The Google logo is displayed at their offices, Nov. 1, 2018, in London. . (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Price of typical Winnipeg home expected to blast past $400K

Malak Abas 4 minute read Preview

Price of typical Winnipeg home expected to blast past $400K

Malak Abas 4 minute read Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

The price of a typical house in Winnipeg is expected to surpass $400,000 this spring and the city will likely remain a seller’s market in 2026, real estate professionals heard at a market insight event Thursday.

The Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board predicts strong housing demand and rising prices, but a low number of active listings compared to much of Canada.

In 2025, $6 billion worth of housing sold in Winnipeg — second only to 2021, but the current five-year average number of listings is the lowest it has been in 13 years.

“We can see very clearly that our market region is in need of more supply,” said Jeremy Davis, the board’s director of external relations and market intelligence.

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Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026

Richard Buchan / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Real estate market insiders believe Winnipeg will likely remain a seller’s market in 2026 with the price of a typical house in the city expected to surpass $400,000 this spring.
Richard Buchan / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Real estate market insiders believe Winnipeg will likely remain a seller’s market in 2026 with the price of a typical house in the city expected to surpass $400,000 this spring.

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Herbicide drama a nightmare for farmers, investors and government

Laura Rance 4 minute read Preview

Herbicide drama a nightmare for farmers, investors and government

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026

Glyphosate, arguably farmers’ favourite herbicide and the central character in a high-stakes drama now spanning decades, was back in the news this week.

Just as Bayer rolled out a new plan to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming the active ingredient in Roundup causes cancer, U.S. President Donald Trump was declaring the product critical to the nation’s food security.

These are just the latest twists in a plotline that has embroiled regulatory agencies in controversy, and which has now jumped out of courtrooms and investor calls to the highest political level.

Bayer shares jumped and then slumped midweek as the market debated whether the company’s proposed US$7.25-billion settlement plan would end the legal nightmare it inherited with its purchase of Monsanto in 2018. It has reportedly already paid out more than $10 billion to settle claims glyphosate exposure is connected to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

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Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026

Just as Bayer rolled out a new plan to settle once and for all thousands of lawsuits claiming the active ingredient in Roundup causes cancer, U.S. President Donald Trump was declaring the product critical to the nation’s food security. (Haven Daley / The Associated Press files)
Just as Bayer rolled out a new plan to settle once and for all thousands of lawsuits claiming the active ingredient in Roundup causes cancer, U.S. President Donald Trump was declaring the product critical to the nation’s food security. (Haven Daley / The Associated Press files)

Tax-filing season begins today. Here’s all you need to know

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Tax-filing season begins today. Here’s all you need to know

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 4 minute read 3:00 AM CST

Gather your tax slips and receipts because it's that time of the year. 

The 2025 tax-filing season officially kicks off on Monday. It will last a little over nine weeks, ending with the April 30 deadline for most taxpayers. 

Most employers send T4 slips by the end of February via mail, email or employee portals. Financial institutions will also send investment slips, while more sophisticated investment firms send their clients an annual summary of all investments and gains around the same time, said Ryan Minor, director of tax at CPA Canada.

If you're anticipating owing money to the government, Minor said you may want to do some scenario planning. Additional contributions to your registered retirement savings plan could help lower that amount, as long as you have contribution room remaining.

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3:00 AM CST

The deadline to file your taxes may feel like it’s far away, but experts say that not getting started early is one of the biggest mistakes Canadians make at tax season. Tax forms are shown in Toronto on Thursday, April 5, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives
The deadline to file your taxes may feel like it’s far away, but experts say that not getting started early is one of the biggest mistakes Canadians make at tax season. Tax forms are shown in Toronto on Thursday, April 5, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives

Panama orders occupation of 2 key canal ports after Supreme Court ruling

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Panama orders occupation of 2 key canal ports after Supreme Court ruling

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 10:13 AM CST

PANAMA CITY (AP) — The Panamanian government on Monday issued a decree ordering the occupation of two ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal, a move triggered by a final Supreme Court ruling that declared the operating concession held by Hong Kong-based company CK Hutchison unconstitutional.

The decree authorizes the Panama Maritime Authority to occupy the ports for “reasons of urgent social interest.” The occupation includes all movable property within or outside the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals, specifically covering cranes, vehicles, computer systems and software.

The saga surrounding the two Panamanian ports is part of a broader rivalry between the United States and China, in which the Central American country became caught in the middle after U.S. President Donald Trump accused China last year of “running the Panama Canal.”

CK Hutchison was slated to sell the two ports to a consortium that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock, but this prompted swift intervention from the Chinese government, which halted the deal.

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Updated: 10:13 AM CST

Cranes load and unload containers from cargo ships at the Cristobal port, operated by the Panama Ports Company, in Colon, Panama, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Cranes load and unload containers from cargo ships at the Cristobal port, operated by the Panama Ports Company, in Colon, Panama, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

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