First Nation’s power-outage misery ‘frozen like a rock’

An army of plumbers, engineers and members of the Canadian Armed Forces are continuing to assess damages after a lengthy power outage at Pimicikamak Cree Nation froze water and sewage pipes.

Chief David Monias said it is going to take months to repair damage to homes and years to install new water and sewage treatment plants and systems.

“They have frozen pipes — the sewage plant is completely frozen,” Monias said Wednesday. “The raw sewage has frozen like rock, it is as hard as rock. There is enough (methane) gas in there that we can’t even enter the building. So they are trying to figure out a way how to air out that building so that they can assess the sewage problem.”

Monias said the experts are going to try to get the water and sewage systems up and running while the community works with government on a longer term solution. He said the plants will eventually need to be decommissioned.

Damage estimates spiral as Pimicikamak tries to recover from power outage, deep freeze

The power is back on, but the damage has been done. Water leaks. Burst pipes. Burned houses. And still, more than 4,000 residents of Pimicikamak Cree Nation are forced out of their homes, with no clear timeline of when they’ll be able to return.

On Saturday, six days after a downed power line left the remote Northern First Nation without electricity for over four days, Pimicikamak Chief David Monias spoke to reporters by Zoom to give an update on the crisis — and emphasize the expertise and supports the community still needs to recover.

Although power has been restored to the community, which is located roughly 100 km south of Thompson, over four days without electricity caused major damage, Monias said. The water treatment plant is “pretty much ready to explode” due to leaks and is unable to draw water into its reservoir, leaving the community without potable water.

Houses too suffered in the deep freeze, including damage to pipes and cracked floors. So far, of the 1,335 houses on the community, which is also known as Cross Lake, at least 200 are severely compromised and not yet safe for residents to return. That number may grow as officials continue their inspections.

Farm sector weirdness becomes new normal

Farming has never been a wise career choice for people who thrive on predictable outcomes, but last year set a new bar for craziness in what was already a risky business.

Looking ahead, the uncertainty laced with foreboding that heralded the start of 2025 has been replaced in 2026 with the certainty that comes from knowing the chaos will continue.

Just when you think it can’t get any weirder, the government administration south of the border at the centre of it all grabs the headlines once again with something even more unimaginably outlandish.

For example, the announcement late last year that the U.S. is considering placing steep tariffs on two key fertilizers — potash and phosphorus — ostensibly to increase domestic production. Except the U.S. doesn’t have the necessary reserves to develop.

Northwest Territories facing a hard-as-diamonds reality as pivotal industry wanes

It’s said that pressure makes diamonds, but a diamond mining downturn is what's putting pressure on the Northwest Territories economy these days.

Diamond mines have long been a vital source of well paying local jobs, with spinoffs in hospitality, construction and other areas. It’s been estimated that the region's three operating mines directly and indirectly employ more than 1,500 residents — a significant chunk of the territory's population of almost 46,000 — and account for about one-fifth of the N.W.T.'s gross domestic product.

“Diamond mining in the Northwest Territories has been incredibly pivotal to our economy over the last 25 years,” said Caitlin Cleveland, the N.W.T.'s minister of industry, tourism and investment.

“It's put over $30 billion into the Canadian economy, $20 billion of which has stayed here in the Northwest Territories.”

New year, deeper pockets needed

Changes to daily living expenses in the new year are bringing new challenges to Winnipeggers and Manitobans already burdened by the cost of living.

Getting around in the city by public transit got more expensive Thursday, and the cost of vehicle insurance will rise on April 1.

Winnipeg Transit’s standard adult cash fare increased by a dime to $3.45. Youth and seniors will now be charged $2.95, also up 10 cents compared to 2025 rates. Discounts remain in place for peggo card users, though electronic fares also rose to $3.10 for adults, $2.30 for youths and $1.55 for seniors.

Monthly passes also got more expensive: $119.35 for adults, $88.55 for youth and $59.70 for seniors. Short-term passes are also more expensive: a 24-hour adult peggo e-pass climbed to $11.45, and youth and senior versions rose to $8.50 and $5.75, respectively. A seven-day adult e-pass now sells for $31.

Derailment shows rail study on track: Axworthy

A train derailment involving tank cars near homes and businesses shows why a review of Winnipeg’s urban rail system is needed, former federal transport minister Lloyd Axworthy told the Free Press Monday.

Churchill’s future has looked bright in the past, then politics dimmed the lights

The future of the often-troubled and chronically overlooked Port of Churchill and Hudson Bay railway looks exceedingly bright.

Not everyone sees the new Cancon rules as a win. Five takeaways from CRTC’s decision

An overhaul by the federal regulator of how Canadian content is defined has been met with mixed reaction from some of the country's biggest film and TV players this week.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued its long-awaited expansion of the range of creative roles that qualify a film or TV show as Canadian, setting new rules for foreign streaming companies that operate in the country.

However, not everyone sees the changes as a win.

MORE ROLES, MORE POINTS — AND MORE WORRIES FROM DIRECTORS

New trade deal to chop red tape, knock down trade barriers across Canada

VICTORIA - Trade of tens of thousands of goods across Canada's 14 jurisdictions will soon be free after an agreement has been signed between all provinces, territories and the federal government to allow businesses to sell their products across Canada.

Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia's minister of jobs and economic growth, announced the deal in Victoria, although it was signed by the country's trade ministers at a meeting in Yellowknife on Wednesday.

The B.C. government proposed and chaired the national initiative for the Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement, and Kahlon said it's an important step for cross-Canada trade.

"And this is the largest red tape reduction in Canada's history, and it's just the beginning," he told reporters.

Province releases inaugural innovation report

Promises to keep data in Manitoba and bolster the economy through innovation highlight the province’s first innovation and prosperity report.

“AI, tech, it’s gonna be in your industry,” Premier Wab Kinew said Friday after the report’s release. “We have to get in the game.”

Proponents of the 39-page document expressed hope for Manitoba’s future; critics deemed the strategy lacking.

A majority of Manitoba’s data storage and cloud computing infrastructure is run by United States firms such as Microsoft. The report calls on the province to build its own infrastructure with federal and provincial funds.

Roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices

Your daily cup of java is getting a little more expensive as roasters and cafés grapple with rising coffee bean prices.

Climate change has been the biggest contributor to the ongoing surge in bean prices, as coffee crops are very sensitive to temperature changes, said Michael von Massow, food economist at the University of Guelph.

"We've seen some increases in disease and some decreases in yield that have lowered supply, and basic economics 101 — when supply goes down, prices go up," he said in an interview on Monday.

Coffee prices have remained high amid concerns of dry weather in Brazil, a major coffee-producing country.

Legault urges stronger U.S.-Canada ties amid trade tensions at summit

QUÉBEC - Quebec Premier François Legault urged the need for strong collaboration between the states and provinces that despite current trade uncertainties between Canada and the United States.

"The big elephant in the room is the uncertainty about the relationship between Canada and the United States, so, we really need to know where we'll be in one year, in two years, in four years, in 10 years," Legault told the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Leadership Summit being held in Quebec City on Sunday.

The biennial meeting, being held this year in Quebec City, brings together leaders and representatives from eight states and Ontario. It's the group's first meeting since the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House.

Legault could not sidestep the issue of tariffs — something he said hasn't been good for either country.

Custom metal fabrication firm NJ Industries Inc. builds reputation on customer loyalty

Dirk Hollar and his colleagues don’t give out awards to the businesses they work with, but if they did, the “No. 1 Vendor” award would go to NJ Industries Inc.

Hollar is the operations manager at Freedom Concepts Inc., a Winnipeg company that creates bicycles for individuals with limited mobility. When Hollar needed a small order of sprockets made a few years ago, someone suggested he check out NJ Industries, a custom metal fabrication facility headquartered in the CentrePort Canada development on the northwest edge of Winnipeg.

Hollar drove to the company and introduced himself to owner Nagarajah Jayaranjan — better known to his customers and friends as Jay. Jayaranjan took Hollar’s order and showed him around the facility. By the time the tour was over, the sprockets were ready. Jayaranjan handed them to Hollar, free of charge.

That gesture led to ongoing business between the two companies.

Prairie harvest a mixed bag as tariff strife casts shadow over healthy crop

CALGARY - Gunter Jochum can easily tell which parts of his farm got rain and which parts the clouds passed over this year.

He and his brother-in-law grow wheat, canola, oats and soybeans on 2,500 hectares west of Winnipeg, much of that on long tracts hugging the Assiniboine River.

"Some showers that came through this summer during the growing season when things were really, really dry didn't even cover the whole field," said Jochum, president of the Wheat Growers Association.

The quality of the crop Jochum has harvested so far this year has been excellent, but yields for his oats and wheat have varied field to field.

Manitoba exports to U.S., China plummet

While Manitoba’s exports to the United States and China plunged earlier this year, the dollar value of its imports soared.

U.S. imports to Manitoba hit roughly $10.97 billion in January through May — an eight per cent increase from the same time in 2024. Meanwhile, imports from China jumped 6.9 per cent year-over-year, totalling $684 million.

“It’s surprising,” said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

He’s tracked a sentiment across businesses to bring their supply chains closer to home. Uncertainty has rocked the private sector since Donald Trump was elected U.S. president in November. Tariffs and tariff threats have made regular headlines, shaking operations and causing companies to pause future investments.

Diversifying trade key to building resilience against U.S. tariffs: Macklem

OTTAWA - Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem is encouraging businesses to explore export markets beyond the United States to make the economy less vulnerable to current and future trade disputes.

Speaking to a business crowd in coastal St. John’s, N.L., on Wednesday, Macklem meanwhile warned of fog in the inflation forecast, making it difficult to chart a path for monetary policy through the tariff uncertainty.

The central bank head said it was “very welcome news” that Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed at the G7 Summit earlier this week to nail down a new trade and security deal within 30 days.

He said in prepared remarks that progress toward a new trade deal is "encouraging," but later said in a moderated question-and-answer period that Canada's economy faces bigger problems in an increasingly "fragmented world."

Une technologie de pointe au Manitoba

À Saint-Eustache, la compagnie Tritec Concrete se lance dans la commercialisation d’une technologie d’élimination des déchets organiques aux nombreux avantages.

Sur le terrain de la compagnie Tritec Concrete, aux abords de Saint-Eustache à l’ouest de Winnipeg, une machine d’une dizaine de mètres de haut se dresse à l’extérieur, derrière les hangars.

Il s’agit d’un prototype de Rapid Organic Converter (ROC). Celui-ci fonctionne en continu depuis 2016 et a vu le jour sous l’impulsion de Jamie Dufresne, propriétaire de Tritec Concrete, qui a travaillé pendant une bonne partie de sa carrière dans la recherche et le développement.

“Je cherchais un moyen de récupérer les déchets agricoles, que nous brûlions à l’époque, et de trouver un moyen de le granuler ou l’ensacher. Le système actuel consomme tout ce qui est organique.”

Sweeping tariffs could be 3% hit to Canadian economy, even with carve-outs: report

TORONTO - A CIBC report says sweeping tariffs imposed by the U.S. could cost the Canadian economy as much as 3.25 per cent, even factoring in possible exemptions for the oil and gas sector.

An analysis published Tuesday examined four potential scenarios in which U.S. President Donald Trump slaps new taxes on goods imported from Canada, ranging from 10 to 20 per cent and with possible carve-outs for key industries.

Speaking with reporters on Monday evening, Trump said he's thinking about hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs on Feb. 1.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada would respond and that "everything is on the table."

Nova Scotia group wants a court to declare a First Nation’s lobster fishery illegal

HALIFAX - A commercial lobster fishing group in southwestern Nova Scotia is seeking a court to have a lobster fishery run by a First Nations community declared illegal.

The United Fisheries Conservation Alliance says it also wants the court to define the scope and limits that should apply to a fishery operated by the Sipekne’katik First Nation in St. Mary’s Bay.

The group’s lawyer, Michel Samson, says a notice of action was filed Thursday with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Samson says the alliance is suing because a separate court case — filed by Sipekne’katik First Nation against the federal and Nova Scotia governments — was paused in order to mediate a resolution.

Canada reports fastest population growth in history in third quarter of 2023

OTTAWA - Canada's pace of population growth continues to set records as the country brings in a historic number of temporary residents, largely through international student and temporary foreign worker programs.

The country'spopulation grew by more than 430,000 during the third quarter, marking the fastest pace of population growth in any quarter since 1957.

Statistics Canada released its Oct. 1 population estimates on Tuesday, putting the number at more than 40.5 million.

The agency says the population growth over the first nine months of 2023 has already surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022.

Manitoba hog industry continues to grow

Manitoba hog producers face global trade uncertainties, disease prevention issues, increasing environmental concerns and sky-high input costs — all of which are affecting producers’ margins — but the Manitoba hog industry continues to grow.