Winnipeg-based organization injects federal funds into innovative, women-powered business in Bolivia

With practised grace, Antonia Olpo slides down the bank of the long, shallow pond and plunges fully clothed into the muddy water. On the grass above, other women and their male helpers unfurl the net, stretching it across the pond from edge to edge, and let it sink below the surface.

On second anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks and start of Gaza war, officers say rushing to cover painful vandalism reduces odds of arrests

A swastika on a monument to French Canadian author Gabrielle Roy across the Red River from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The words “F—k Jews” on the wall of a toilet stall at a north Winnipeg middle school.

A spray-painted swastika on a garage door along with the initials M.K.Y., an international neo-Nazi violent extremist group. The initials come from the Russian words for “Maniac Murder Cult.”

But as fast as they appeared, they were being covered up just as quickly — until recently.

Enjoying a slice of Life from 1936

My husband came home from an antique store the other day with a great find: the very first issue of Life magazine to roll off the press.

First Nation in B.C. says 41 more graves found by penetrating radar at school site

SECHELT - An 18-month investigation at a former residential school site in British Columbia's Sunshine Coast has found more evidence of children who disappeared there, the area’s First Nation says.

The shishalh First Nation in Sechelt, B.C., said in a release Friday that 41 "additional unmarked graves" had been found as a result of a search with ground-penetrating radar in the area around the St. Augustine’s Residential School site.

It said the discovery brought the number of suspected graves at the site to 81, after initial findings that were announced in 2023.

"Today is a day of loss for our community and for our families," said Chief Lenora Joe in a video statement.

As memories fade, Canadians mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War

OTTAWA - Relatives of war veterans gathered at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender and the official end of the Second World War.

Sweat poured down the faces of those assembled in the August midday heat as the Canadian Armed Forces bugler performed the Last Post.

Michael Babin, president of the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association, said there are no living veterans remaining out of the nearly 2,000 Canadians who took part in the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941.

He said the last known veteran from that fight died a little more than a year and a half ago, at the age of 106.

Try out being a tourist at home — in Winnipeg

Many Canadians and Manitobans are rethinking their travel plans to the United States this summer. We might take this opportunity to become tourists in our own city, rediscovering Winnipeg — a city that is often underappreciated, but one that is truly unique in Canada.

‘We cannot waste any time’: Anand promises ‘action’ and reform in foreign affairs

OTTAWA - Faced with escalating conflict in the Middle East, a collapsing global trade system and a department struggling to reform itself, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she relishes the job of helping Canada navigate a turbulent world.

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with The Canadian Press, Anand said her experiences in both politics and academia can help her streamline Canada's approach to global issues, allowing it to pursue its interests without losing sight of its values.

"How do you ensure, when you have these large departments, that you're actually able to execute? That is the heart of government. It's the hardest thing to do," Anand said.

"I enjoy difficult responsibilities."

Christian Monnin, ou la chance d’un esprit de famille

Christian Monnin a été nommé juge à la Cour du Banc du Roi pour le Manitoba au début du mois de mars, un évènement fortement symbolique au regard de son histoire familiale.

Symbolique, et sûrement unique au Manitoba. Comme son grand-père, Alfred, mais aussi son père, Michel, et également son oncle, Marc, Christian Monnin, ancien président de la Société de la francophonie manitobaine (SFM), est devenu lui aussi juge à la Cour du Banc du Roi.

Si c’est une fonction sur laquelle il serait pour lui difficile de se prononcer en début de carrière, une question s’avère pourtant légitime: le monde dans lequel a grandi Christian Monnin a-t-il pu influer sur ses envies et ses aspirations?

“Il y a d’évidence une question de socialisation, qui s’applique à toutes les familles,” note tout d’abord Christian Monnin. “La première fois que j’ai assisté à une cérémonie d’assermentation, c’était celle de mon grand-père il y a 42 ans, quand il est devenu juge en chef du Manitoba. Je devais avoir 8 ou 9 ans. Ça a été impressionnant, en tant que jeune, de voir cette cérémonie, tout ce monde qui était présent. Je n’ai bien sûr rien décidé à ce moment-là, mais la carrière de juriste a toujours été quelque chose qui mijotait en moi.”

Cessation of war in Europe 80 years ago brought Winnipeggers together in record numbers

When the news reached Canada in May 1945 that the German army had surrendered, and the threat and horrors of the Nazi regime had finally been defeated, Canadians from coast to coast took to the streets to celebrate.

And as they often do in times of joy and jubilation, Winnipeggers gathered that day at the intersection of Portage and Main.

An image by famous Winnipeg photographer L.B. Foote captured the moment — troops, citizens and dignitaries congregated around a small grandstand erected at the famous intersection.

“It was a universal reaction, and a very spontaneous and organic reaction around the world on VE-Day,” said Bill Zuk, secretary of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society’s Manitoba Chapter.

Sauver la Maison Hourie, le vote est ouvert

Organisée par la Fiducie nationale du Canada, la compétition Next Great Save offre un financement et de la visibilité aux lieux historiques menacés partout dans le pays. Cette année, la maison Hourie de Portage-la-Prairie fait partie des douze finalistes. Les gagnants sont choisis par vote du public, qui est ouvert jusqu’au 17 avril.

Sauver l’un des bâtiments emblématiques de l’histoire du Manitoba. Voilà l’objectif du musée de Fort la Reine à Portage-la-Prairie, qui a inscrit au concours l’une de ses bâtisses: la Maison Hourie. C’est sur le site nextgreatsave.ca que le public, seul juge de la finale de cette compétition nationale, est invité à voter pour sauver son patrimoine favori. Parmi les finalistes, la Maison Hourie est le seul édifice situé au Manitoba.

Restaurer la maison Hourie

Les règles sont simples: pour sauver son patrimoine, chaque finaliste mène sa campagne de sensibilisation pour récolter le maximum de soutien. Parrainé par Ecclesiastical Insurance, ce concours s’inscrit dans les missions de la Fiducie nationale du Canada, créée en 1973. Principal organisme de bienfaisance national, la Fiducie a contribué depuis sa création à la protection de plus de 835 lieux partout au Canada.

Lawyer, philanthropist had a fierce sense of social justice

A luminary in human rights advocacy, Canadian lawyer Yude Henteleff was a natural explorer both in his travels and in his daily life. Henteleff lived 97 years with passion and dynamism.

He died Dec. 8, 2024.

Henteleff’s accomplishments and list of awards and accolades began at age 16 when he was elected president of the Jewish Youth Council and then to the youth division of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His activities in the Jewish community were extensive and lifelong.

The father, grandfather and partner lived life to the fullest, propelled by a fierce sense of social justice and belief in “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “to repair the world.”

National symbols can be problematic, and the Canadian flag has been through a lot in its 60 years

So, folks, where are we at on the Canadian flag? Is it cool to unfurl the ol’ girl again or what?

Thirty years on, is Quebec headed for another independence referendum?

MONTREAL - Ten years ago, Jean-François Lisée predicted that Quebec’s independence movement would be reborn.

“It could rise again given the right circumstances,” he said in 2015. “What could trigger it, I cannot say."

Three years later, as leader of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois, Lisée lost his riding and saw his party reduced to 10 seats when the upstart Coalition Avenir Québec, led by François Legault, swept to power for the first time.

The 2018 election was widely seen as proof that separatism was no longer a defining issue in Quebec politics, and pollsters speculated that the PQ’s days were numbered. The province’s new leader was a former sovereigntist at the helm of a conservative-leaning, nationalist party promising not to hold a referendum, and Quebecers rewarded him with a decisive majority.

Life of pioneer for women’s rights in Manitoba chronicled in new account

Manitobans with an interest in history are proud that our province was the first in Canada to grant women the vote, but if asked who led the women’s suffrage campaign here, most would say Nellie McClung. A minority might say it was a team effort. Few would name Lillian Beynon Thomas.

Law professor Robert Hawkins became interested in Thomas because of her determined efforts to have a dower act passed in Manitoba. After devoting several years to the dower campaign, Thomas realized it would never happen without women’s suffrage. So in 1913, she organized the Political Equality League to lead the fight.

Born in 1874, Thomas came from a relatively poor family homesteading near Hartney. After finishing high school, she taught in rural schools off and on for 13 years, saving enough money to further her education; in 1905, when only 11 per cent of university grads were women, Thomas graduated from Brandon University. The following year, having had enough of teaching, she landed a job with the Manitoba Free Press.

For the next 11 years, Thomas edited the women’s page of a widely distributed weekly, The Prairie Farmer, and for five years wrote a daily column in the Free Press as well.

Peacemaking and Canada’s international reputation

For many years, Canada had a much-lauded and highly respected reputation for peacekeeping — it helped define our national identity.

It started back in 1956. That’s when Lester Pearson, then minister of external affairs, proposed the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping force to resolve a crisis in Egypt when Great Britain, France and Israel attacked that country after it nationalized the Suez Canal.

The introduction of peacekeeping troops, including from Canada, stabilized the situation and allowed the belligerents to work out an agreement to end the fighting. For his efforts, Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize.

For decades after that crisis, Canada remained at the forefront of international peacekeeping operations. Altogether, the country sent about 125,000 trained peacekeepers on over 50 peacekeeping missions around the globe.

Rupert’s Land inhabitants blindsided by Canada’s purchase of their homeland in 1869

When the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) reached an agreement to sell Rupert’s Land to Canada in the spring of 1869, it came as a complete surprise to the people living in what is today Western Canada. They were neither consulted on the proposed annexation nor given any details about how it would affect their lives.

Coup d’oeil sur un jeune Métis engagé

Que disent nos jeunes de ces élections fédérales? Portrait de Beaudry Labossière, étudiant Franco-Métis qui suit la campagne de près.

Étudiant en relations internationales et en histoire, Beaudry Labossière mange et respire la politique. Il consomme des nouvelles sur les élections partout où il peut en trouver: dans des podcasts, à la radio, dans les journaux, à la télévision, sur les réseaux sociaux…

Mais malgré sa soif de contenu électoral, Beaudry a l’impression que les différents partis ne font pas grand-chose pour l’atteindre en tant que jeune électeur, même si les jeunes sont historiquement connus pour leur faible taux de participation.

Néanmoins, les questions qu’il examine de près font écho à la perspective d’une génération soucieuse de son avenir. “Pour moi, ce que je regarde majoritairement,” dit Beaudry Labossière, “c’est le prix de l’immobilier, le prix de la nourriture, la performance de l’économie, mais aussi des choses comme la réconciliation, la transition énergétique, l’environnement, les programmes de sécurité sociale, les soins dentaires et de la vue, etc.”

Riel’s vision grows stronger

As the first visionary of Manitoba, Riel fought the rest of his life to stop British domination and destruction of Indigenous lives, while stubbornly maintain the independent and unique multicultural spirit that birthed this place.

Rise of FLQ in 1960s documented in Montreal cartoonist’s graphic novel

Ever since he was a teenager, Montreal cartoonist Chris Oliveros has been fascinated by the story of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ).

In high school, his history class was shown Robin Spry’s 1973 National Film Board documentary Action: The October Crisis of 1970, which detailed the acts of terrorism, including the kidnapping and murder of Quebec labour minister Pierre Laporte, carried out by the militant separatist group in Montreal — under the auspices of liberating Quebec from anglophone rule — and the military response that followed. (The film is available to watch free online at wfp.to/6pe.)

“I was really struck by the fact that events like these, these incredibly tumultuous events, kidnappings and the army in the streets of Montreal, all of this could happen here, in the city where I lived,” says Oliveros from his Montreal home. “I was really blown away.”

Earlier this month, Montreal publisher Drawn & Quarterly (which Oliveros founded in 1990) published his graphic novel Are You Willing To Die For The Cause?: Revolution in 1960s Quebec, the first of two books about the FLQ by the 57-year-old cartoonist.

Liberal insider reflects on struggle to entrench Indigenous rights during the constitutional process of the early 1980s

The following is an abridged excerpt from Unlikely Insider: A West Coast Advocate in Ottawa, by Jack Austin, a former federal Liberal policy adviser, chief of staff to prime minister Pierre Trudeau and senator, with Edie Austin (McGill University Press, 2023). In the book the Liberal insider reflects on the struggle to entrench Indigenous rights during the constitutional process of the early 1980s.