Invasive species on the march, threaten city’s ash, elm trees

Winnipeg’s tree canopy is under siege.

The emerald ash borer has made a resurgence — after nearly a decade of minimal spread — and another invasive insect is bearing down on elm trees, which are already at risk of Dutch elm disease.

First Nations chiefs demand apology after PM said he could ‘outlast’ protester

OTTAWA - Two First Nations chiefs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apologize for saying he could "outlast" a First Nations woman who was protesting over mercury poisoning in her community.

Chrissy Isaacs, a Grassy Narrows woman suffering from mercury poisoning, was in Toronto on Monday to demand compensation from the provincial government for mercury contamination.

The Dryden Paper Mill released thousands of kilograms of mercury into Grassy Narrows' river system from the 1960s to the 1970s. It's widely considered to be one of the country's worst environmental disasters and community members are still dealing with the fallout today.

Isaacs and a group of community members and their supporters attended a news conference Carney held on Monday with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to announce new funding for housing. She and the other protesters could be heard chanting and shouting in the background about the mercury contamination.

Hershey says it will shift back to classic recipe for all Reese’s products after criticism

Hershey said Wednesday it will use classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting next year, a change that comes after the grandson of Reese’s founder criticized the company for shifting to cheaper ingredients.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have always been made with real milk chocolate or dark chocolate and peanut butter. But a small portion of Hershey’s and Reese’s products, like mini Easter eggs, are now made with a coating that contains less chocolate.

Hershey said that in 2027, it will shift those products to “their classic milk chocolate and dark chocolate recipes.”

The Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company said it will also be making other changes to its sweets portfolio next year, including transitioning to natural colors and enhancing Kit-Kat’s recipe to make it creamier. The company said it plans to increase its research and development funding by 25% next year.

The Latest: Artemis II astronauts reach orbit on historic mission to the moon and back

Four astronauts embarked on a high-stakes flight around the moon Wednesday, humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century and the thrilling leadoff in NASA’s push toward a landing in two years.

NASA's launch team loaded more than 700,000 gallons of fuel into the 32-story Space Launch System rocket early Wednesday, setting the stage for blast off in the evening at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Artemis astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are on board. They’ll hurtle several thousand miles beyond the moon, hang a U-turn and then come straight back. No circling around the moon, no stopping for a moonwalk — just a quick out-and-back lasting less than 10 days. NASA promises more boot prints in the gray lunar dust, but not before a couple practice missions.

Unlike the Apollo missions that sent astronauts to the moon from 1968 through 1972, Artemis’ debut crew includes a woman, a person of color and a Canadian citizen.

Home care assessment wait times stagnate

Wait times to be assessed for home care in Winnipeg haven’t improved in five years, including since the pandemic, when services were stretched to the limit.

In addition, as the population ages, hiring key home-care staff hasn’t kept pace, unions say.

Roughly half of people seeking home care through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority waited 16 days or longer in 2025.

In 2021, that number — the midway point between the longest and shortest wait times — was 14 days, data obtained via a freedom of information request show.

‘Long overdue’: Prairie farmers welcome renewal of poison to target pesky gophers

Prairie farmers say a move by Ottawa to temporarily lift a ban on a rodent poison is a good start to address rampant gopher populations that have decimated crops and injured livestock.

"I suspect maybe if the Bible had been written in Saskatchewan, it wouldn't have been locusts. It would have been gophers," Jeremy Welter, a farmer near Kerrobert, Sask., said Tuesday.

"I think (lifting the ban) is one of those things that is long overdue."

On Monday, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel and Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald announced producers can again start using two per cent liquid strychnine until November 2027 to control gophers, also known as Richardson's ground squirrels.

Construction work officially begins on $3-billion wind farm northeast of Quebec City

BEAUPRÉ - Construction on a major wind farm northeast of Quebec City has been officially launched, with an investment of $3 billion.

The first two phases of the Des Neiges wind farm — the southern sector and the Charlevoix sector — will comprise a total of 114 turbines and generate 800 Megawatts of wind energy, enough to power 140,000 homes.

The project by Quebec's hydro utility, Boralex, and Énergir — the largest natural gas distributor in the province — is to be located on the grounds of the Séminaire de Québec in the Charlevoix region.

The third phase, if completed, will bring the farm's output to 1,200 Megawatts and contribute Hydro-Québec's goal of adding 10,000 MW of wind power to its current portfolio of 4,000 MW by 2035.

Alberta separatists say they’ve collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum

EDMONTON - Two Alberta separatists say their group has collected enough signatures from citizens to trigger a referendum on the province quitting Canada.

Mitch Sylvestre says the group – named Stay Free Alberta -- has collected well over the approximate 178,000-signature threshold. And he says volunteers who have been keeping tally as the signatures come in are expecting that number to grow.

"We (have) more than the buffer that's required if they (Elections Alberta) refuse signatures as well," Sylvestre said in a phone interview Tuesday.

They still have another month to go before they must deliver the names to Elections Alberta for verification, but Jeffrey Rath, the general counsel for the group, says they want to announce their success now.

Pioneering female NFL official sues league over her treatment and firing

NEW YORK (AP) — In a new lawsuit, one of the first three women to officiate an NFL game describes her three years at the pinnacle of her profession as a descent into the grip of a sexist institution unable to treat a woman as an equal.

Robin DeLorenzo cited gender-based scrutiny, humiliation and open hostility among the indignities she suffered from 2022 to 2025 as a league official.

The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, filed Friday, sought reinstatement along with unspecified damages.

Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesperson, said in an email that DeLorenzo was terminated after three seasons of documented underperformance.

Federal government taking over vaccine injury compensation, aims to address backlog

OTTAWA - The federal public health agency is taking over administration of a program that compensates people who have been injured by vaccines, and pledging to review claims that were refused by a third-party administrator for being filed too late.

The vaccine injury support program began accepting claims in June 2021, after the widespread rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Canada.

People who experienced a "serious and permanent injury" as a result of receiving a vaccine authorized by Health Canada after Dec. 8, 2020, are eligible to make a claim.

It's also been the subject of complaints from claimants who say the process is slow and communication is poor.

Four local Toronto-area Metroland newspapers make a print comeback

TORONTO - Torstar and Metroland Media Group say print editions for four local newspapers in the Greater Toronto Area are making a comeback.

A monthly print edition of the Burlington Post debuted last week, while the Oakville Beaver will be available for pick up at public locations and local businesses starting Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Whitby This Week and Oshawa This Week are set to have print relaunches on April 8 and 15, respectively.

Metroland says it is also relaunching its journalism internship program with 20 new editorial intern positions for the summer and year-long positions across Ontario.

Manitoba Hydro reduces remote work; decision raises fears among employees at other Crown corporations

Manitoba Hydro’s decision to cut remote workdays from two to one per week for eligible employees is causing concern for other public-sector workers who worry hybrid arrangements will be eroded.

‘Good day to be a polar bear’: Carney unveils nature strategy, new conservation areas

LA PÊCHE - The Liberal government's new $3.8 billion nature protection strategy will put Canada's 2030 nature conservation goals within reach, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday.

Announcing the new plan at an event in Wakefield, Que., Carney said the federal government will create new national parks, urban parks and marine conservation areas.

Carney said his government is taking an "ambitious" approach to conservation spaces and urban parks. He said the plan will require "significant" federal funding and includes aspirations to spur private-sector investments.

The new conservation areas will include the Wiinipaawk Indigenous protected area and national marine conservation area in Eastern James Bay, and the Seal River watershed national park in Manitoba.

Protecting mature trees should be a priority

I have to tell you — there are days when I am utterly gobsmacked by the stuff people do.

Swan River-based cosmetics brand seeks ‘bigger breakthrough’

A makeup and skincare brand led by a newcomer out of the town of Swan River is looking to expand its reach.

Popularity of sweater with Manitoba roots goes galactic after visit to stars

It’s the ultimate interstellar fashion moment; a vintage-inspired Mary Maxim fox knit, worn by Ryan Gosling’s character in his latest blockbuster Project Hail Mary, has sent the crafting world spinning.

Clowns take to the streets of Bolivia to protest decree that could crush their livelihoods

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Dozens of clowns marched through the streets of Bolivia’s capital on Monday to protest a government decree that limits extracurricular activities, threatening their livelihoods.

Wearing full face paint and their signature red noses, the clowns gathered in front of the Ministry of Education in La Paz to oppose a decree published in February. The new mandate says schools must comply with 200 days of lessons each year — effectively banning schools from hosting the special events where these entertainers are frequently employed.

“This decree will economically affect all of us who work with children,” said Wilder Ramírez, a leader of the local clown union, who also goes by the name of Zapallito. The clown told journalists that “children need to laugh” while his colleagues wondered out loud if Bolivia’s Education Minister had ever had a childhood.

Clowns in Bolivia are often hired for school festivities to entertain children during breaks from their regular lessons. One such upcoming event is Children’s Day, which the country celebrates on April 12.

Canada not worried U.S.-Mexico trade talks will upend trilateral deal, LeBlanc says

OTTAWA - Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Monday he isn't worried Mexico will sign a trade agreement with the Americans that excludes Canada.

LeBlanc told reporters at a news conference that the Mexicans are also committed to a trilateral deal as the countries work to renew the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.

"We've also said all along that there will be a bilateral element to these discussions and there will also be a trilateral element," he said.

"The American administration and our government and the Mexicans have also been clear that there are bilateral issues that properly will be worked on together by two countries and it will necessarily form part of the discussion around the trilateral review of CUSMA as well."

Hate crimes numbers stayed steady in 2024 after years of increases: StatCan

OTTAWA - The number of police-reported hate crimes stayed steady in 2024, after sharp increases in prior years, Statistics Canada said Monday.

There were 4,882 hate crimes in Canada in 2024, a one per cent increase over the previous year, StatCan reported.

The numbers follow a 34 per cent rise between 2022 and 2023, and come after the number of police-reported hate crimes more than doubled since 2018.

"The relative stability in the total number of police-reported hate crimes in 2024 was shaped by variation in motivation," StatCan said.

Air Canada CEO to step down later this year after backlash over lack of French

MONTREAL - Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau will leave the company later this year after coming under fire last week for his failure to deliver a video condolence message in French following a plane crash that killed two Air Canada Express pilots.

Rousseau has told the board he will step down before October, the airline said Monday. He is expected to continue to lead Canada's largest carrier and serve on its board of directors until they part ways.

The announcement leaves Air Canada scrambling to find a replacement amid the challenge of soaring fuel prices and depressed cross-border travel, and follows a half-decade marked by both COVID-19 hurdles and profit wins under the watch of a CEO known more for his financial finesse than fine-tuned community relations.

Rousseau, 68, was widely criticized for his lack of French in the four-minute condolence video posted online that included only two words in the language — "bonjour" and "merci."

Brandon resident‘s volunteer journey grounded in giving kids sport opportunities

Brandon resident Scott Kirk’s volunteering journey with Sport Manitoba started in 2019 when he applied to serve as mission staff for the Western Canada Summer Games.

Since then Kirk has volunteered in multiple provincial and national competitions in summer and winter, taking on various essential roles.

“Mission staff are the conduit between host society and the teams,” he explains. “We make sure the games run as smoothly as they can. Our goal is to make sure coaches, managers and athletes can focus on the sport while we deal with everything else that may pop up along the way.”

“Everything else” ranges from logistics to problem-solving. Last summer Kirk found himself co-ordinating meals when scheduling conflicts left athletes without their lunches.

City hiring consultant to plan for cleanup after future weather disasters

When the next disaster hits, the City of Winnipeg hopes to have a detailed plan in place to clean it up.

The city is seeking a consultant to create a disaster debris management plan, noting the risk of such disruptions is increasing.

“Winnipeg is known for extreme weather conditions, including winter storms and spring floods. Climate change is anticipated to intensify these conditions and frequency of events,” a request for proposals states.

The document notes hazards such as tornadoes, floods, storms and fires can damage trees, buildings, infrastructure and homes, while producing a large amount of debris.

Liberals dismiss call for law to ensure political fibs and flubs don’t eclipse facts

OTTAWA - The Liberal government has dismissed a Toronto man's proposal to keep politicians honest in an age of misinformation, saying there are already several ways to fight falsehoods.

Federico Sanchez initiated an electronic petition to the House of Commons to propose legislation that would help correct the record when members of Parliament stray from the truth intentionally or simply because they are ill-informed.

Sanchez said he was "very upset" by the lack of federal interest in his pitch.

"It made me feel like they didn't take it seriously," he said in an interview. "If they don't think that there's a problem, then I think we're going to have a lot worse days ahead."