Math

Early childhood educators give high marks to job satisfaction: poll

Maggie Macintosh 3 minute read Preview

Early childhood educators give high marks to job satisfaction: poll

Maggie Macintosh 3 minute read Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

Despite eight in 10 early childhood educators reporting high levels of job satisfaction, many employers in the sector continue to struggle with staffing shortages.

The Manitoba Child Care Association has released the results of an online survey of its members that took place between Feb. 4 and 18.

Probe Research Inc. led the project — a decade after the Winnipeg-based polling firm conducted an initial workforce survey for the association.

This time around, 830 people, including front-line early childhood educators, centre directors and family child-care providers, submitted responses.

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Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES

49.8 Feature photos on Early Childhood Educators working with kids at Splash Child Enrichment Centre on McGregor Street. More info to follow. Early childhood educator Sharon Desamero sweeps up the locker area at centre. See Mary Agnes Welch story. April 28, 2015

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
                                49.8 Feature photos on Early Childhood Educators working with kids at Splash Child Enrichment Centre on McGregor Street. More info to follow. Early childhood educator Sharon Desamero sweeps up the locker area at centre. See Mary Agnes Welch story. April 28, 2015

Rogers wins gold, sets Canadian record in hammer throw at world championships

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Rogers wins gold, sets Canadian record in hammer throw at world championships

The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

TOKYO - Camryn Rogers set the tone early in the women's hammer throw at the world athletics championships Monday with an impressive opening toss of 78.09 metres.

Good enough for a world title. Not good enough for Rogers.

The 26-year-old from Richmond, B.C., put the competition out of reach with her second throw of 80.51 metres to claim her second straight world championship gold medal in dominant fashion.

Rogers's winning throw broke her own Canadian record and is the second longest ever behind the world record of 82.98 set by Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk in 2016. Rogers's previous personal best was 78.88 metres.

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Monday, Oct. 6, 2025

Canada's Camryn Rogers reacts after an attempt in the women's hammer throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Canada's Camryn Rogers reacts after an attempt in the women's hammer throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

New St. B ER great, but where are all the doctors to staff it?

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

New St. B ER great, but where are all the doctors to staff it?

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

When governments announce a major hospital expansion, it’s usually billed as a silver bullet solution to long wait times and overcrowding.

The latest example is St. Boniface Hospital’s newly expanded and renovated emergency department, expected to open officially on Oct. 2. (It was supposed to open next week, but there’s been a delay).

On paper, it looks impressive: more treatment spaces, updated facilities, a modern design intended to improve patient experience.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the facelift won’t do much — if anything — to cut ER wait times. If history is any guide, the experience for patients at St. Boniface will look remarkably similar to what it’s been for years — hours-long waits, gurneys lined up in hallways and admitted patients languishing in the emergency department because there’s no staffed hospital bed to move them into.

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Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

The new emergency entrance to the St. Boniface Hospital includes a ramp that goes down to a garage for ambulances, but it looks like a very tight and possibly impossible turning radius for ambulances to go through the door. Reporter: Maggie Macintosh 241206 - Friday, December 06, 2024.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
                                The new emergency entrance to the St. Boniface Hospital includes a ramp that goes down to a garage for ambulances, but it looks like a very tight and possibly impossible turning radius for ambulances to go through the door. Reporter: Maggie Macintosh 241206 - Friday, December 06, 2024.

‘As we grow, our roots only grow deeper’: Red River Mutual insurance company celebrates 150 years

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Preview

‘As we grow, our roots only grow deeper’: Red River Mutual insurance company celebrates 150 years

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

If Red River Mutual was an ice cream flavour, it would be rhubarb.

Scratch that. Red River Mutual has an ice cream flavour — and it is rhubarb.

Earlier this year, the mutual insurance company — which is headquartered in Altona and has a regional office in Winnipeg — partnered with Chaeban Ice Cream to create a special, limited edition flavour. Red River Mutual Rhubarb includes fresh pieces of the titular vegetable along with crisp clusters made using rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, butter and almonds.

The collaboration is part of Red River Mutual’s ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations, and the rhubarb is a nod to the company’s roots in southern Manitoba’s Pembina Valley.

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Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Red River Mutual president/CEO Brenda Gibson in their Winnipeg offices on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. For Aaron story. Free Press 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Red River Mutual president/CEO Brenda Gibson in their Winnipeg offices on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. For Aaron story. Free Press 2025

Liberals, Conservatives talk co-operation but trade jabs as Parliament returns

David Baxter, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Liberals, Conservatives talk co-operation but trade jabs as Parliament returns

David Baxter, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

OTTAWA - After talking up the prospect of cross-party collaboration in the House of Commons, Liberal and Conservative MPs wasted little time after Parliament resumed Monday before reverting to partisan attacks over housing and the cost of living.

The tone was set early Monday afternoon, when the first-ever question period exchange between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began cordially before turning belligerent.

"When I left, there was a Liberal prime minister who was making excuses about breaking promises, running massive deficits. Costs, crime, chaos were all out of control," Poilievre said. "Whereas today... we have a Liberal prime minister breaking promises, making excuses, running massive deficits with costs, crime and chaos out of control."

"I understand the leader of the opposition was busy," Carney said in reply — a reference to the Conservative leader losing his seat in the general election before securing another in an Alberta byelection.

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Monday, Sep. 15, 2025

People cross Wellington Street on their way to Parliament Hill, a day before the return of the House of Commons, on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

People cross Wellington Street on their way to Parliament Hill, a day before the return of the House of Commons, on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Manitobans raise more than $81,000 for cancer research at Terry Fox Run

Malak Abas 4 minute read Preview

Manitobans raise more than $81,000 for cancer research at Terry Fox Run

Malak Abas 4 minute read Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025

Hundreds of runners, walkers and cyclists flooded Assiniboine Park Sunday to remember Terry Fox’s legacy and honour their own loved ones affected by cancer.

The 45th annual Terry Fox Run kicked off by the park pavilion at 10 a.m. Sunday. Manitoba donors raised more than $81,000 for cancer research this year.

Families old and young took to the 2.5-kilometre route all morning, some with shirts bearing Fox’s iconic visage, others carrying signs and mementos of the people they were running for.

Some came in recognition of someone currently battling cancer, like Jason Wells, who ran for his father.

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Sunday, Sep. 14, 2025

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

People take part in the 45th annual Terry Fox Run at Assiniboine Park Sunday.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
                                People take part in the 45th annual Terry Fox Run at Assiniboine Park Sunday.

Blame game after acts of political violence can lead to further attacks, experts warn

Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Blame game after acts of political violence can lead to further attacks, experts warn

Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 6:10 PM CDT

DENVER (AP) — From the moment conservative activist and icon Charlie Kirk was felled by an assassin’s bullet, partisans began fighting over which side was to blame. President Donald Trump became the most prominent to do so, tying the attack to “the radical left” before a suspect was even identified.

It was part of a new, grim tradition in a polarized country — trying to pin immediate responsibility for an act of public violence on one of two political sides. As the nation reels from a wave of physical attacks against both Republicans and Democrats, experts warn that the rush to blame sometimes ambiguous and irrational acts on political movements could lead to more conflict.

“What you’re seeing now is exactly how the spiral of violence occurs,” said Robert Pape, a political scientist and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago.

On Friday, authorities announced they had arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson of Washington, Utah, in the shooting. While a registered voter, he was not affiliated with any party and had not voted in the last two general elections. Even so, officials said Robinson had recently grown more political and expressed negative views about Kirk.

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Updated: 6:10 PM CDT

The casket containing the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed on Wednesday is removed from Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The casket containing the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed on Wednesday is removed from Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Very hungry caterpillars very good for biodiversity

AV Kitching 5 minute read Preview

Very hungry caterpillars very good for biodiversity

AV Kitching 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

Widely considered a pest and a scourge, a leaf-chomping defoliator dedicated to decimating crops, boring into buds and biting down blossoms as it works to satiate its inexhaustible appetite, a new nature documentary reveals there’s more to the much-maligned caterpillar than meets the eye.

The larval creature takes centre stage in Winnipeg filmmaker Jeff McKay’s documentary feature The Extraordinary Caterpillar.

His hour-long film takes viewers on a journey to understanding why the famously “very hungry caterpillar” is a key player in maintaining biodiversity.

“Caterpillars are right at the centre of the food chain, they are key to the food chain working as it should,” McKay says.

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Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

Supplied

Caterpillars control certain invasive species and in turn are eaten by other animals.

Supplied
                                Caterpillars control certain invasive species and in turn are eaten by other animals.

Canadian farmers facing harvest cash-flow crunch, talking support

Laura Rance 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 13, 2025

Canadian farmers are understandably disappointed the federal government’s response to China’s punishing import tariffs on canola, pork, peas and seafood hasn’t so far included direct compensation.

After all, the duties are widely seen as retaliation for Canadian tariffs effectively locking Chinese electric cars out of the local market — a policy decision that had nothing to do with agriculture. This is the second time in recent memory China has targeted Canadian farmers to score points on unrelated issues. It’s unlikely to be the last.

While the full impact remains unclear, when Canada’s second-largest canola customer imposes tariffs of 75.8 per cent on seed and 100 per cent on oil and meal, it’s a safe bet demand will be curbed and prices will be lower than they would have been otherwise. Industry estimates place the eventual costs in the range of $2 billion.

However, commodity prices this year are depressed across the board — for a host of reasons. Much of the new-crop canola has yet to be harvested and very little has been sold.

Running down Terry Fox’s dream

2 minute read Preview

Running down Terry Fox’s dream

2 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

In an era when today’s endurance feats seemingly defy human limits, his accomplishments still marvel.

In 1980, a curly-haired young man dipped a prosthetic right leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John’s, Nlfd., before embarking on a cross-country journey to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

With his signature hop-step running gait, Terry Fox, often only wearing grey shorts, a white cotton T-shirt with the words Marathon of Hope stencilled on the front, and blue adidas shoes, ran an average of 42 kilometres, or the equivalent of a full marathon, for 143 days. In total, he tallied 5,373 kilometres spanning six provinces.

His physical journey ended Sept. 1 of that year just shy of Thunder Bay when the cancer that had claimed his leg at age 18 had returned in his lungs. He died 10 months later, shortly before his 23rd birthday. However, his dream of raising millions of dollars for cancer research never faded.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press LOCAL - Terry Fox Walk Two grade 4 students hold sign as they walk with their classmates, grades K - 5 from Riverbend Community School as they take part in the Terry Fox Foundation Walk Friday. (No Names provided) Sept 12th, 2025

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press LOCAL - Terry Fox Walk Two grade 4 students hold sign as they walk with their classmates, grades K - 5 from Riverbend Community School as they take part in the Terry Fox Foundation Walk Friday. (No Names provided) Sept 12th, 2025

Day of free services, entertainment offers heartwarming helping hand to city’s homeless

Malak Abas 4 minute read Preview

Day of free services, entertainment offers heartwarming helping hand to city’s homeless

Malak Abas 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

After three years of homelessness and endless hours walking Winnipeg’s streets, Vineet got a rare chance to put his feet up Friday.

The 49-year-old immigrant from India was one of hundreds of people without homes who received free, hands-on care from volunteers at the Gizhe Waa Ti‑Sii‑Win Service Delivery Expo.

A nurse was checking, cleaning and treating blisters, calluses and toenail issues — small irritants that can quickly become big problems if they get infected, a worry for people exposed to the elements who don’t have regular access to medical care.

“This is something good for me… we walk all day,” said Vineet, who offered only his first name.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS

A nurse checks, cleans and treats blisters, calluses and toenail issues at Salvation Army Weetamah Centre Friday — small irritants that can quickly become big problems if they get infected.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
                                A nurse checks, cleans and treats blisters, calluses and toenail issues at Salvation Army Weetamah Centre Friday — small irritants that can quickly become big problems if they get infected.

Neighbours complain of crime, drugs, trash near supportive housing units

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Preview

Neighbours complain of crime, drugs, trash near supportive housing units

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Residents and business owners say they’re concerned supportive housing complexes for the homeless are bringing further crime and drug use to their neighbourhoods.

Main Street Project, which operates a pair of supportive housing buildings in the West End, has initiated an “action plan” after receiving repeated complaints about drug use, reckless behaviour and litter near the buildings.

Two housing units at 777 Sargent Ave. and 583 Furby St., which are run by Main Street Project under the province’s Your Way Home strategy, are guided by plans that aim to “promote safety for residents, staff and neighbours.”

Executive director Jamil Mahmood said he received complaints from Coun. Cindy Gilroy and several residents and businesses that prompted the acceleration of the strategy.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

Main Street Project executive director Jamil Mahmood

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
                                Main Street Project executive director Jamil Mahmood

Widespread availability of graphic Charlie Kirk shooting video shows content moderation challenges

Barbara Ortutay And Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Widespread availability of graphic Charlie Kirk shooting video shows content moderation challenges

Barbara Ortutay And Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press 6 minute read Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

Immediately after Charlie Kirk was shot during a college event in Utah, graphic video of what happened was available almost instantly online, from several angles, in slow-motion and real-time speed. Millions of people watched — sometimes whether they wanted to or not — as the videos autoplayed on social media platforms.

Video was easy to find on X, on Facebook, on TikTok, on Instagram, on YouTube — even on President Donald Trump's Truth Social. The platforms, generally, said they were removing at least some of the videos if they violated their policies, for instance if the person was glorifying the killing in any way. In other cases, warning screens were applied to caution people they were about to see graphic content.

Two days after Kirk's death, videos were still easily found on social media, despite calls to remove them.

“It was not immediately obvious whether Instagram for example was just failing to remove some of the graphic videos of Charlie Kirk being shot or whether they had made a conscious choice to leave them up. And the reason that it that was so hard to tell is that, obviously, those videos were circulating really widely,” said Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University.

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Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025

FILE - Charlie Kirk speaks at Texas A&M University as part of Turning Point USA's American Comeback Tour on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle via AP, File)

FILE - Charlie Kirk speaks at Texas A&M University as part of Turning Point USA's American Comeback Tour on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle via AP, File)

Ottawa earmarks $29M for energy retrofits for Manitoba households

Julia-Simone Rutgers 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Manitoba homeowners and renters will be the first to benefit from a new federal program to reduce — and for some, eliminate — the cost of energy retrofits.

Federal environment and natural resources ministers Julie Dabrusin and Tim Hodgson joined provincial officials in Winnipeg’s Chalmers neighbourhood Friday to announce $29 million for Efficiency Manitoba under the greener homes affordability program.

“The way we heat, cool and power our homes impacts our environment, our wallets and the comfort of our daily lives,” Hodgson said, adding that 7,000 modest-income households in Manitoba would have access to no-cost energy retrofits.

“That will make their energy bills hundreds of dollars cheaper, their homes more comfortable and their carbon footprint smaller,” he said.

Grey Cup week could feature game-changing economic score for Churchill, political triumph for Kinew

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Grey Cup week could feature game-changing economic score for Churchill, political triumph for Kinew

Dan Lett 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

It is an incredible economic and political gift that could keep giving to Manitoba’s NDP government for years, if not decades, to come.

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney released a list of five major projects that his government would fast-track to give Canada more economic independence from the United States. No Manitoba projects made that first short list, but something called “Churchill Plus” was identified as being under consideration for approval in the second round.

Churchill Plus includes improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, to allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

There is no way to exaggerate the economic and political dividends that could flow from Churchill Plus.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

SUPPLIED

Improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, will allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

SUPPLIED
                                Improvements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba’s North, including the provision of an icebreaker ship and possibly an all-weather road, will allow greater access to the port and provide improved transportation links for northern and Indigenous communities.

Kemp and Elizarov intend to keep the party going

Laurie Nealin 5 minute read Preview

Kemp and Elizarov intend to keep the party going

Laurie Nealin 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

On a 10-point scale, just how excited are ascending pairs skaters Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov as they contemplate what lies ahead this Olympic season?

“Ten,” Elizarov said without hesitation. “I’m very excited. I think it’s going to be a good season.”

Kemp concurred.

“Yeah, I would say 10. Last season showed us when we sat and watched others compete, we were eager to compete and wanted to, but couldn’t,” she said, referring to her back injury that sidelined the pair for several months last fall before they rebounded to claim their second Canadian junior title.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Danielle Earl / Skate Canada

It’s the third time in four seasons that Winnipeg duo Ava Kemp (right) and Yohnatan Elizarov have qualified for the final as one of the six top-ranked junior pairs in the world.

Danielle Earl / Skate Canada
                                It’s the third time in four seasons that Winnipeg duo Ava Kemp (right) and Yohnatan Elizarov have qualified for the final as one of the six top-ranked junior pairs in the world.

Steinbach, nearby communities flooded in massive overnight deluge

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Preview

Steinbach, nearby communities flooded in massive overnight deluge

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

Some residents of Steinbach were mopping up and assessing damage Friday after the southeastern Manitoba city was swamped by two months’ worth of rain in about four hours.

An animal rescue charity was hit by catastrophe again when basements and streets flooded almost a year to the day a deluge inundated buildings.

“Last year, they told us it was a one-in-1oo-year event, and here we are 11 months later with the same event,” said Graham Pollock, vice-president of Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue.

He said the organization moved almost two dozen cats and kittens to foster homes after nearly 2.1 metres (seven feet) of floodwater filled the shelter’s basement overnight Thursday.

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Friday, Sep. 12, 2025

SUPPLIED

A Steinbach animal rescue charity was hit by a second catastrophe in a year as basements and streets flooded while some communities were inundated by two months’ worth of rain overnight Thursday.
Photos taken Friday morning, September 12, 2025

SUPPLIED

A Steinbach animal rescue charity was hit by a second catastrophe in a year as basements and streets flooded while some communities were inundated by two months’ worth of rain overnight Thursday.
Photos taken Friday morning, September 12, 2025

Why Winnipeg needs low-fare transit

Adam Johnston 5 minute read Preview

Why Winnipeg needs low-fare transit

Adam Johnston 5 minute read Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

Picture a single mother choosing between groceries and bus fare, or a youth not being able to access recreational activities because transit is too expensive. In a city where costs continue to rise, access to public transit shouldn’t be a luxury, but a daily necessity for survival.

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Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Setting low or zero fares on Winnipeg Transit is a matter of fairness and equity.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
                                Setting low or zero fares on Winnipeg Transit is a matter of fairness and equity.

AI could help manufacturers offset tariff costs, depending on implementation: experts

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

AI could help manufacturers offset tariff costs, depending on implementation: experts

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

Manufacturing experts say there are specific ways integrating AI into the sector can help reduce costs and improve margins in the face of trade tensions, but note it won’t be a silver bullet.

“When the U.S. charges a 25 per cent tariff, if you can drop the supply price by, let’s say 20 per cent … then we can neutralize the additional cost due to the tariff,” said Chi-Guhn Lee, a University of Toronto professor and director of the AI in Manufacturing centre.

Currently, he said AI adoption in Canadian manufacturing is “widespread” and interest is high across the board but implementation is at very different stages for different companies. Some firms made investments years ago and are now “quite advanced,” he said.

There are also stark differences between the U.S. and Canadian industries, said Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada. He said that on average, Canadian firms have a “huge advantage” over their U.S. counterparts because "we don’t rely on volume of product out the door.”

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Monday, Sep. 22, 2025

A welder works at steel manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ont., on July 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

A welder works at steel manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ont., on July 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Federal government says emails, phone numbers accessed in cyberattack

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Federal government says emails, phone numbers accessed in cyberattack

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

OTTAWA - The federal government says individuals' email addresses and phone numbers associated with Canada Revenue Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada and Canada Border Services Agency accounts were accessed in a cyberattack.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat says the government was alerted to the cyber incident on Aug. 17 by 2Keys Corporation, the provider of a multi-factor authentication application used for the accounts.

The government says 2Keys Corporation discovered the incident, promptly informed the government and launched an investigation, which is being conducted with external cybersecurity experts.

Treasury Board says a routine software update caused a "vulnerability" that allowed a malicious actor to access phone numbers associated with CRA and ESDC accounts, and email addresses associated with CBSA accounts, linked to people who used the authentication service between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15.

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Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

A man uses a computer keyboard in Toronto in this Sunday, Oct. 9, 2023 photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Bell launches Bell Cyber, building on AI and tech services umbrella

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Bell launches Bell Cyber, building on AI and tech services umbrella

Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2025

TORONTO - Bell Canada is launching Bell Cyber, a new brand under its growing tech services umbrella which will offer AI-powered cybersecurity solutions.

The company made the announcement Tuesday at its inaugural Bell Cybersecurity Summit in Toronto, which heard from Bell Cyber's leadership, government and law enforcement officials, as well as other industry stakeholders.

It said Bell Cyber unifies all of the company's cybersecurity capabilities under a single brand. It also complements Bell's other recent tech announcements, such as the launch of Bell AI Fabric and tech services brand Ateko.

Bell Cyber is the branding successor to Stratejm, a Mississauga, Ont.-based security services provider acquired by Bell in July 2024. The company has specialized in providing end-to-end security solutions with the use of artificial intelligence, including real-time threat detection and response.

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Wednesday, Sep. 17, 2025

Bell Canada is launching Bell Cyber, a new brand under its growing tech services umbrella which it says will offer AI-powered cybersecurity solutions. Bell Canada signage is pictured on a building in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Bell Canada is launching Bell Cyber, a new brand under its growing tech services umbrella which it says will offer AI-powered cybersecurity solutions. Bell Canada signage is pictured on a building in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Most US adults think individual choices keep people in poverty, a new AP-NORC/Harris poll finds

Claire Rush And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Most US adults think individual choices keep people in poverty, a new AP-NORC/Harris poll finds

Claire Rush And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Sep. 29, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most U.S. adults think personal choices are a major driver of poverty and homelessness, according to a new poll, while fewer blame a lack of government support.

However, just over half also think the government spends too little on those in need, the new poll from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows.

The poll comes as homelessness is on the rise and as officials across the country, including Republican President Donald Trump in the nation's capital, push to clear encampments where unhoused people live. At the same time, the GOP tax and spending cut bill signed into law by Trump in July is expected to reduce benefits for low-income people.

“It seems like people are a little conflicted,” said Bruce Meyer, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School who helped craft and analyze the poll. “I think people probably realize, in part at least, the complexity of what leads people to get in trouble in terms of their economic circumstances. And I think a lot of people are generous at heart and will help people out and think the government should as well, even when individuals aren’t blameless.”

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Monday, Sep. 29, 2025

FILE - In this photo illuminated by an off-camera flash, a woman walks past a homeless person's tent with a chair in downtown Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - In this photo illuminated by an off-camera flash, a woman walks past a homeless person's tent with a chair in downtown Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Number of private agency nurses rises

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Preview

Number of private agency nurses rises

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

As the province tries to move away from its reliance on private agency nurses, data show the practice continues to increase in Manitoba.

A report Thursday from the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba shows there were 1,611 nurses working for private agencies in 2024, up from 1,418 in 2023.

“Our fundamental mandate as the professional regulator is to ensure public protection and provide the conditions that work towards supporting and ensuring patient safety,” said college spokesman Martin Lussier.

“When there is a significant shift in the practice of (nurses) that we regulate, part of our work is to assess: does that create new challenges or risks.”

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Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

Nurses clocked about 36,547 overtime hours per month in 2022, an increase of about 50 per cent compared to 2020. (Winnipeg Free Press files)

Nurses clocked about 36,547 overtime hours per month in 2022, an increase of about 50 per cent compared to 2020. (Winnipeg Free Press files)

400+ brands in 5+ years: Winnipeg-based digital marketing firm Mad Social Agency continues to evolve

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Preview

400+ brands in 5+ years: Winnipeg-based digital marketing firm Mad Social Agency continues to evolve

Aaron Epp 6 minute read Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

Maddie Thompson was on a beach when she decided to drop out of school.

It was February 2022 and she was studying architecture at the University of Manitoba. While maintaining her spot on the dean’s honour list, Thompson was also running Mad Social Agency Ltd., the digital marketing firm she’d started two years earlier. She had enough business by that point she was hiring friends to help manage accounts.

Sitting on Locarno Beach in Vancouver, she realized it made sense to drop out and pursue the business full-time.

“My thought process was: I’m going to take a one-year leave of absence and see if I can make this work,” says Thompson, 23. “And I just never went back.”

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Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS

Maddie Thompson (centre), founder of MAD Social, a full-service digital marketing agency and some of her employees (from left); Bailey Hurtig, head of operations, Blaise Lepine, head of social media and sales, social managers Elissa Hall, Anastasiia Pavlenko, Karley Jones, and Chantelle Mackie. Staff members work remotely but do occasional “work days” at Thompson’s house. Reporter: Aaron Epp 250903 - Wednesday, September 03, 2025.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
                                Maddie Thompson (centre), founder of MAD Social, a full-service digital marketing agency and some of her employees (from left); Bailey Hurtig, head of operations, Blaise Lepine, head of social media and sales, social managers Elissa Hall, Anastasiia Pavlenko, Karley Jones, and Chantelle Mackie. Staff members work remotely but do occasional “work days” at Thompson’s house. Reporter: Aaron Epp 250903 - Wednesday, September 03, 2025.