Fact File: Experts douse viral claim that wildfires caused by ‘weather manipulation’

A post on X featuring a video compilation of wildfires has received hundreds of thousands of views. The post claims “technocratic elites” are manipulating the weather and creating wildfires across the West. Experts consulted by The Canadian Press say the post is one of many examples of how conspiracy theorists use climate change and wildfires to advance their own interests and expand their audiences.

THE CLAIM

In a July 27 post, X user Noah B. Price accuses a group of global elites of intentionally starting the wildfires: "THEY ARE BURNING THE WEST ON PURPOSE." The group he claims is responsible is referred to in a post from the user dated Jan. 11, 2025, which he has attached to his post.

He claims that “weather manipulation” rather than climate change is causing recent wildfires, linking them to “directed energy, cloud seeding, and geoengineering.”

Opaskwayak restorative justice court to give offenders opportunity to ‘heal’

The Manitoba government, provincial court and Opaskwayak Cree Nation are signing a memorandum of understanding today to establish a community-led court focused on Indigenous restorative justice principles.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe is in the northern First Nation, which neighbours The Pas, to attend this week’s Opaskwayak Indigenous Days summer festival, ahead of the signing of the nation-to-nation agreement after a pipe ceremony today.

“This is really a pivotal marker on the path to reconciliation for our justice system and an incredible opportunity to begin the process of reconciling the two systems of justice, that being the traditional Indigenous justice system with our colonial system,” Wiebe told the Free Press on Wednesday.

“I’m just excited to be here to have the opportunity to formally mark the collaboration, but really to listen and to hear from community about the best ways, the best path forward.”

HSC nurses concerned info hacked in cyberattack

Health Sciences Centre workers are concerned their personal information has been compromised after a ransomware attack at Manitoba’s largest hospital.

Shared Health said Monday a cyberattack had affected certain facility maintenance systems, such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as door access at HSC.

While Shared Health said patient information hasn’t been compromised, it has not assured workers that their information is secure, the president of the Manitoba Nurses Union said Wednesday. She noted employee badges allow HSC staffers to access different parts of the hospital.

“Those (identity) badges hold a lot of information — personal information,” Darlene Jackson said. “This is all their personal information, their date of birth — their everything is on there.”

Bringing home a Fish: Group of local baseball fans open doors to Goldeyes

There’s no place like home.

But what exactly does that mean for members of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, who typically find themselves hundreds or even thousands of miles away from family and friends between May and September, trying to keep their baseball careers alive while living on shoestring budgets?

For some, home is a modest downtown hotel room or small apartment typically shared with a teammate or two. For others, there’s a more personal touch — one that truly connects them to the community they happen to be playing in.

Welcome to the world of billets, a longstanding tradition in this market that dates back to when the Fish first took flight back in 1994. They are a unique and valuable tool for the American Association organization and its players, with a dedicated group of local baseball fans who open their doors and roll out the welcome mat year after year.

City charter ties council’s hands in wake of criminal allegations against Transcona councillor

In the wake of additional criminal charges laid against Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt, several council members say the city should explore options to impose leaves of absence on elected officials who face serious allegations in the future.

Wyatt, 56, was charged Monday with sexual assault and administering a noxious thing with intent to aggrieve or annoy in relation to an October 2023 incident. The councillor was previously charged with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance in March, based on allegations tied to a 2025 gathering.

Under the City of Winnipeg charter, a provincial law, a member of city council automatically forfeits their seat if they are convicted of certain serious criminal offences. It does not apply if they are simply charged.

Mayor Scott Gillingham and others have urged Wyatt to step away from his city hall duties voluntarily, while Gillingham has also suggested the province review the legislation.

Libau man warns Manitobans after contracting West Nile Virus

A Manitoba man is warning others about the presence of West Nile virus in the region, as he’s concerned his case has not been announced by the province.

Todd Holmes was informed he had contracted West Nile virus on Friday, several days after he attempted to donate blood in Selkirk. Canadian Blood Services called to tell him his sample tested positive for the virus.

Holmes said he was contacted by the province about his diagnosis on Tuesday afternoon, yet a website that logs cases of West Nile in the province continues to read zero.

He decided to take matters into his own hands by posting about his plight on social media.

Lawyer challenges Quebec’s law ending manadatory oath of allegiance to the King

A University of Ottawa law professor is challenging a 2022 Quebec law that made it optional for legislature members to swear an oath of allegiance to the King.

Quiet opening fitting for controversial site

One of this city’s most loudly debated facilities — after all the angst, all the opposition and all the vocal support — began operations in the most low-key way possible.

A Winnipeg home with a mountain view? You won’t find a real one, but AI-generated visual suggests otherwise

Manitoba’s mountain range peeked out behind a Scotia Street home.

At least, it did in a photo attached to a real estate listing for 232 Scotia St. in Winnipeg’s (flat) Seven Oaks neighbourhood.

Another picture — now removed — showed a cartoon cityscape viewable from the bungalow’s front porch.

Both photos had tags in their bottom left corners: “AI-generated content.”

Alberta seeks proposals for gambling addiction services as part of iGaming launch

EDMONTON - Alberta's government is seeking proposals for new services and supports for gambling addiction as part of the recent launch of its regulated online gaming market.

The province, in a request for expressions of interest published on Monday, says it's looking to fund services that will be in addition to what's available through Recovery Alberta, such as a 21-day bed-based treatment program, and existing hotlines.

The Mental Health and Addiction Ministry said in a statement the new programs will be paid for through revenue the government is set to bring in from Alberta's regulated iGaming system, which officially launched last month.

"Nobody should have to struggle with addiction alone, including gambling-related addiction," the ministry said.

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation saves otter pup found strangled by fishing net in B.C.

Gordon Mellish says he has saved at least 10 people using CPR after being trained in the life-saving technique, but giving mouth-to-mouth to an otter pup was a completely different animal.

Long-awaited supervised drug consumption site opens quietly after months of loud opposition

After three years of planning, delays and constant controversy, Manitoba’s first supervised drug consumption site quietly opened its doors Tuesday morning.

Ducks Unlimited makes province’s largest-ever conservation-land purchase

A Manitoba landscape that helped save the Giant Canada goose from extinction has now been permanently protected in the province’s largest conservation land purchase in history.

AI fears voiced during public consultation in Brandon

Security against cybercriminals, safeguards against being tracked or monitored and limiting the role of artificial intelligence in people’s lives were some of the concerns raised during a public consultation in Brandon Monday.

Child who prompted Porter Airline flight cancellation not at fault, passenger says

The child whose refusal to buckle up prompted the cancellation of a Porter Airlines flight last week was "obviously terrified" and should not be blamed, says a passenger who was on the plane bound for Toronto.

The aircraft could not take off from Victoria in what Porter called an unsafe situation, so the crew decided to return to the terminal and have the child and a parent get off the plane. By the time they deboarded, it was too late for the flight to proceed.

Passenger Aryeh Kozuch said he has taken the red-eye flight a dozen times without issue, but as he was closing his eyes in preparation for takeoff last Thursday, he noticed flight attendants walking toward the back of the plane. Then, he heard an overhead announcement reminding passengers that obeying flight attendants' instructions is required by law.

Five minutes later, there was another announcement: Passengers needed to comply with flight attendants' instructions within 60 seconds, or the plane was going back to the gate.

City emergency crews to administer drug that stops opioid withdrawal symptoms

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews will soon give out a medication that stops withdrawal symptoms after someone is treated for an opioid overdose.

Emergency workers will be administering a drug called buprenorphine, after Health Canada granted WFPS permission to use the controlled substance.

“Buprenorphine is a medication that offers people who are in active addiction — so those people who have received naloxone as a result of an overdose and those that are experiencing significant and, at times, dangerous withdrawal symptoms — just a bit of a reprieve … (It) reduces cravings and prevents those immediate withdrawal symptoms, which allows more time to connect those patients to further care,” said Michelle Long, WFPS assistant chief of paramedic operations.

The treatment option is in response to a persistently high number of WFPS opioid calls.

Take a hike... or a bike ride on these Winnipeg trail options

We’re halfway through the 10-week summer holiday and if your family is anything like mine, it’s very likely you’ll be in full-blown survival mode at this point.

You’ve already visited all the popular ice-cream spots in the city (and if you haven’t then you’ll find a list of our faves here) , you’ve ticked every box in our Road Trip Bingo Card and answered every single question in the our How Well Do You Know Your Province Quiz (Part 1 and Part 2) … and there are still 29 days to go before school starts on Sept. 8.

If you’re running low on ideas, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered, with not one, not two, but three cycling/walking routes to help you squeeze a bit more fun from what’s left of the holidays. Grab your helmets, lace up your sneakers, pack water bottles and get outside to explore different neighbourhoods in the city.

NOTE: Check the Winnipeg Trails website before you leaving to make sure paths are open and in working order, especially if we’ve had a bout of nasty weather.

First Nations chiefs in B.C. call on Carney, Smith, to halt pipeline advancement

A group that represents numerous First Nations across British Columbia is calling on Ottawa and Alberta's government to halt efforts to advance the West Coast pipeline, saying expanding the oil industry will accelerate climate change and disasters.

"The destructive and disastrous consequences of expanding fossil fuel production extend far beyond any single territory," the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith.

"From catastrophic wildfires to destructive floods and rising seas, the impacts of climate change are already being felt across this country. Every new fossil fuel project deepens that crisis."

The letter is signed by the group's heads, including Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, and it said B.C. Premier David Eby also has a copy of it.

Does Wealthsimple want to add sports, politics to its new prediction markets product?

TORONTO - Wealthsimple’s newest product has given armchair economists and Canadians convinced they can predict Mother Nature a chance to put their skills to the test, but some say the business is likely after an even bigger audience.

The Toronto-based financial services company started offering prediction markets last month. The product lets customers make wagers of $1 or less on the outcome of economic, financial or climate matters like what will happen at the Bank of Canada's next interest rate announcement or how many major Atlantic hurricanes there will be this year.

But the first few weeks have some thinking Wealthsimple might have even bigger ambitions.

When Charles Martineau, an associate professor of finance at the University of Toronto, and Marius Zoican, the Canada Research Chair in financial technology, each logged onto Wealthsimple's Predict app, they found it displaying stakes in who will become the next James Bond, what the score will be at future football games and who will win the 2028 U.S. presidential election.