While the rest of us sleep in …

There is something a little unfair about waking up early on a statutory holiday.

The alarm goes off. You briefly forget what day it is. Then it hits you. Everyone else is sleeping in, planning a barbecue, packing the kids into the car for a trip to the beach or deciding whether they should mow the lawn today or put it off until tomorrow.

You, on the other hand, are putting on a uniform and trying to convince yourself coffee really can solve anything.

If you’ve ever worked retail, health care, emergency services, hospitality, public transit, utilities, manufacturing, airports, long-term care, broadcasting, customer service or any of the countless jobs that keep our communities running, you know exactly what I mean.

Environnement et communauté

“Il y en a plusieurs des entreprises qui font du greenwashing, ils se peinturent dans le développement durable, l’affichent sur le site web: Écologique! Nous, on l’est pour vrai,” c’est ce qu’affirme Éric Gosselin, directeur général de Sun Certified. La Liberté l’a rencontré dans l’atelier de sa compagnie, un vaste espace de travail garni de matériaux en bois, de maquettes et de murs de maisons.

Cette société de construction de logements a des méthodes bien particulières, notamment pour l’isolation des maisons. Les travailleurs utilisent des matériaux organiques pour créer une épaisse couche d’isolation à base de papier et de carton. “La première chose qu’on fait, c’est utiliser des matières organiques, alors du bois et de la fibre cellulosique. Et il y en a beaucoup dans l’enveloppe du bâtiment, pour renforcer l’isolation,” explique Éric Gosselin.

La compagnie privilégie les matériaux renouvelables, ce qui la démarque des autres sociétés dans le domaine. “Pour l’isolation, quand on utilise du bois, c’est renouvelable. On pourra toujours planter d’autres arbres et ça va repousser. Chez les constructeurs standards, c’est de la mousse ou du rockwool, fait à base de pétrole ou de minéraux.”

Cette volonté d’accorder plus d’importance à l’environnement dans le domaine de l’habitation, c’est ce qui a mené à la création de Sun Certified.

Manitoba-shot Netflix series sets beloved Ingalls clan in the actual Prairies

Perhaps it should not have been a significant surprise that Manitoba was chosen as the location for a new iteration of the much-beloved TV series Little House on the Prairie.

Much of the southern part of the province is, after all, authentic Prairie, visually unspoiled by power lines and paved roads.

And there is enough of it to portray a frontier wilderness that matches the source material: a series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, set in and around Independence, Kan., in the 1860s. (Manitoba also famously doubled for Kansas in the movie Capote, the Oscar-winning story of Truman Capote’s investigation of a 1959 quadruple homicide on a Kansas farm, culminating in the publication of his book In Cold Blood.)

Perhaps it was more of a surprise that the material would inspire a new interpretation landing on the streaming service Netflix.

Eight Winnipeg teens leave high school with hopes, dreams and an uncertain, AI-flavoured future

Same as the gen-Zers who came before them, this year’s Grade 12 graduates were raised online and offline.

What sets the Class of 2026 apart is how it has been forced to reckon with the post-pandemic panic about student screen time.

In middle school, these students were told they could socialize only on digital playgrounds. After COVID-19 restrictions eased, a school cellphone ban was brought in. On their way out, they were assured future Manitoba children wouldn’t be able to access the same social media and artificial intelligence-powered chatbots they grew up with.

This group, born into an era of tech optimism, is the first to have had access to AI chatbots in all four years of high school.

New Kevin Walters Plaza graced by art with heart

Tears fill the eyes of an Ojibwa sculptor from Peguis First Nation as he talks about the spiritual journey and deep friendships that came out of creating his first public art piece.

WFPS responded to record number of medical calls in 2025, annual report shows

Firefighters and paramedics in Winnipeg responded to a record number of medical calls in 2025 as the city’s struggle with addictions-related calls persisted, according to a first-of-its-kind annual report published Thursday.

There were 136,198 total incidents and 114,700 medical-related incidents attended to by the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service in 2025, the highest number on record, said the WFPS report.

Out of those medical incidents, 61,356 resulted in response from both fire and emergency medical services, another 26,732 were handled by ambulance-based paramedics and 22,586 by firefighter-paramedics without assistance from an ambulance.

“We’ve got rising demand. It’s recognized, we’re working on plans for the future here, in terms of future budgets and what is needed to protect our city,” WFPS Chief Christian Schmidt said Thursday.

Author George Toles on daily writing and keeping his eyes open

Since 2008, George Toles has not missed a single day of prying original prose from his mental file cabinet.

Wonders of science never cease

Scientific study, however specialized, can bring a huge variety of benefits — sometimes, from something as simple (and occasionally irritating) as a ground squirrel.

Seven of city’s 10 best-paid employees work for police

The City of Winnipeg’s 2025 compensation disclosure document, released Friday, shows seven of the top 10 highest paid employees are police officers.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers earned $313,467 during his first year in the position, coming second only to an unnamed police superintendent who took home $491,926.

Collectively, WPS members earned $2.1 million of the total $2.9 million paid to the city’s highest earners, equivalent to about 72 per cent. That includes a constable ranked No. 8 in the top 10 after earning $260,234 — more than outgoing Winnipeg Fire Paramedic chief Christian Schmidt (No. 9) at $255,036.

Schmidt’s successor, Ryan Sneath, who was appointed chief this week, earned $247,432 last year.

Vacation shouldn’t feel like workplace risk

As summer officially arrives, many Canadians are preparing for lake weekends, road trips, family vacations and the long-awaited opportunity to step away from work for a few days. At least, that’s the theory.

Versatile violinist goes with the bow, from Bach to the Beatles and beyond

Can you hear the drums Fernando? How about the violin?

It’s Friday night at the Stadium Kitchen + Bar, 2935 Pembina Hwy. After delivering spot-on renditions of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline and the Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody, solo violinist Allan Palmer polls a small yet enthusiastic audience, asking what they would like to hear next. A couple celebrating a birthday calls out for “some ABBA,” causing Palmer to launch into a medley of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) and Fernando, two of the Swedish pop group’s biggest hits.

Moving freely around the room, the 26-year-old, stylishly attired in a black buttoned shirt, dark trousers and polished leather shoes, follows that up with a hip-swaying version of Madonna’s La Isla Bonita before segueing into La Vie en Rose, a plaintive melody popularized 90 years ago by French singer Edith Piaf.

Later, during a short break, Palmer reports that his vast repertoire covers everything from Bach to the Beatles, a major reason why he gets booked regularly for gatherings such as weddings and charity events, not to mention the odd lounge date.

Director brings Métis identity, language to silver screen

TORONTO — Métis culture has been around for centuries, but films set in the Métis world remain rare.

The new movie Blood Lines is intended to help fill that gap. Written and directed by Métis actor Gail Maurice (best known in these parts for playing the fiery title character of the locally lensed 2024 drama Aberdeen), it is set in an Ontario Métis community.

Maurice stars as Léonore, a mother who seeks to reconnect with her grown daughter Beatrice (Dana Solomon) after years of alcohol-fuelled neglect.

Beatrice is unforgiving, and is soon distracted by the presence of a new woman in the community. Chani (Derica Lafrance) has come to town searching for her biological family. Clearly enamoured, Beatrice offers to help.

Staff shortages threaten defence-related projects, construction industry warns

Construction industry leaders are flagging potential staff shortages as the sector prepares for a surge of defence-related projects.

Indigenous Chamber of Commerce working to engage with members, increase membership

Shelly Bulycz is good at many things, but retirement is not one of them.

Last August, Bulycz retired from her job as manager of community based programming at University College of the North and moved from The Pas to Winnipeg. She soon grew restless and by the end of October, she’d landed a job as the executive assistant at the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.

In April, the chamber appointed her to be its second-ever chief executive officer.

“I enjoyed retirement for a month and a half, two months, and then decided I needed a job,” Bulycz said. “The rest is kind of history.”

One Extraordinary Photo: England’s Harry Kane reacts to a missed scoring chance

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Petr David Josek is an award-winning AP staff photojournalist based in Prague, the Czech Republic. This is Josek’s fourth World Cup, and he has also shot five Summer Olympics and three Winter Olympics.

Why this photo?

It was late in a 0-0 game between England and Ghana and any scoring chance could have decided the match. The reaction of England's Harry Kane illustrates how intense the moment was and how much players valued any chance to score. Kane also is one of the main stars of the 2026 World Cup, so any goal he scores evokes conversations about other icons — Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.

How I made this photo

Winnipeg police offer eagle feather as option for sworn statements

The Winnipeg Police Service said Wednesday citizens and police officers have the option of swearing a legal oath by using an eagle feather.

Before the change, the options were to swear an oath on the Bible or make an affirmation.

Eagle feathers are regarded as sacred items by Indigenous Peoples, and when a person holds them, they’re expected to speak honestly, truthfully and with integrity. The feathers will be available at all division offices.

Sheila North, the external Indigenous relations adviser for the police service, said not everyone is comfortable with swearing on the Bible.

Grade 7 students learn about environment in Seine River cleanup

On a rainy Wednesday morning, Grade 7 students from École Lacerte traded their classroom desks for rubber boots as they headed out along the Seine River to help plant native shrubs, test water quality, and clean up the riverbank.

JJ Swidersky, one of about 40 students taking part in the work, says protecting the environment is important to him and his classmates.

“Planting the trees, planting the shrubs,” Swidersky said when asked about his favourite part of the effort. “Just trying to keep the river clean, trying to keep it as clean as we possibly can.”

The planting Swidersky is referring to is part of the Niakwa Trail Rain Garden, which is located next to the St. Anne’s Superstore.

Policing safer now than in previous decades despite recent officer deaths: expert

After three police officers in Canada were killed over the past two weeks, a criminology expert says the number of on-duty cop fatalities this year remains within historical levels, with data showing that policing is generally safer now than in previous decades.

Montreal police officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, 34, was shot dead on Monday after responding to a 911 call about a shooter at a hotel in the city's Côte-des-Neiges district. A civilian was also killed, as was the suspect. A second police officer was injured.

That came after two officers in Ontario were killed two days apart earlier in the month.

Ontario Provincial Police Const. Tarun Bali, 29, was killed in Hearst, Ont., on June 9 while attempting to stop a fleeing vehicle. Toronto police Const. Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was fatally shot on June 11 while officers were carrying out a search during a raid linked to investigations into multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March. In each case, a suspect has been charged with first-degree murder.

Archaeologists find huge Viking textile production site in Denmark

SØFTEN, Denmark (AP) — Archaeologists have discovered a huge Viking Age textile production site in Denmark that dates back more than 1,000 years and underlines the sophistication of Viking society.

Experts from the Moesgaard Museum said this week that the sprawling 100,000-square-meter (more than 1 million-square-foot) site features an area for processing flax as well as more than 80 pit houses — semi-buried huts that were used as workshops and dwellings in Viking times.

It's located in Søften, 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Denmark’s second-largest city, Aarhus, on the Jutland peninsula. The site dates back to the late Iron Age and early Viking Age, sometime between A.D. 600 and 950.

Archaeologist Liv Stidsing Reher-Langberg, who led the 10-month dig, said that “we have a clear focus on textile production, which makes this settlement different from other kinds of settlements of this period.”

A submarine economic boom is just around corner. So are the challenges.

OTTAWA - As Ottawa inches closer to deciding who will supply the navy's next fleet of submarines, both the benefits and challenges involved in replacing Canada's four rusting antiques are coming to the surface.

While the industrial benefits from the submarine project will start to flow once contract details are hammered out, experts say major questions still need to be answered about long-term maintenance and staffing of the complex war machines.

Both qualified bidders offered multiple partnerships with Canadian companies in their heated, high-stakes race for the multi-billion dollar contract to manufacture up to 12 submarines.

Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr said Monday Ottawa has been squarely focused on the economic benefits that would flow from either bid, since both of the boats on offer meet all the navy's requirements.

One Extraordinary Photo: What it takes for inclement weather to become the news of the match

PHILDELPHIA (AP) — Derik Hamilton is a freelance photographer for The Associated Press. He has worked with AP for 15 years covering sports events in the Philadelphia area.

Why this photo?

I shot this to photo to highlight the extent of extremely heavy downpours that dellayed Monday's France-Iraq match. Weather delays are rare in World Cup play and this photo shows the intensity of the rain and a different side to the world's “beautiful game.”

How I made this photo

As school year ends, thank an educator

As the long days of summer approach, many Manitobans are preparing to hit the out-of-office button. But before the school year fades into memory, I’d like you to take a moment to thank the more than 17,000 Manitoba public school educators who have gone above and beyond to support kindergarten to Grade 12 students across our province.