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.

A petition you should consider signing

Let’s just keep track of e-6679 and ask ourselves whether it’s not about time for plenty of us to sign it.

What is e-6679? Well, it’s an electronic petition to the House of Commons, suggesting that federal politicians and candidates who knowingly mislead the public should face penalties, including, potentially, being disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons.

Here’s the prayer — the details — of the petition.

“Whereas: Members of Parliament (MPs) have been accused of making important public statements that are false and without evidence; Misinformation is a growing threat to the proper functioning of, as well as faith in, our democratic process; A mechanism is needed to verify MPs’ public statements to maintain trust in our governing body; Artificial Intelligence is amplifying misinformation; Current events in the United States demonstrate the dangers of not addressing this problem; and The Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research (ICDR) of Wales, UK, proposed a white paper entitled ‘A Model for Political Honesty,’ created because ‘the Welsh Government will bring forward legislation before 2026 for the disqualification of Members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception through an independent judicial process and will invite the committee to make proposals to that effect.’

U of M political scientist predicts scrappy fall legislative session

The gloves will be off when members of the legislative assembly return to the chamber today for the fall sitting.

Manitoba faces economic threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and climate impacts from deadly wildfires, but don’t expect any display of unity in the face of adversity, one political expert advised.

“I think we’ll see the two leaders really going at it and I don’t think it’ll be very pleasant,” University of Manitoba political studies professor Christopher Adams said.

Premier Wab Kinew and Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan have verbally attacked each other repeatedly during question period. Outside the chamber in 2023, there was an alleged physical altercation when the pair shook hands at a Turban Day event in the rotunda.

New truths emerge among sea of orange

No matter where you are, the path towards reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians has been very turbulent over the past decade.

In the 10 years since the end of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the 94 calls to action, much attention has been placed on the progress — and lack thereof — towards changing the policies, practices and beliefs that embody principles of Indigenous inferiority and Canadian superiority.

The fact is: the Indian Act, the most racist law in Canadian history, is still here.

Virtually all of the Indigenous land stolen during the last 150 years remains stolen.

‘It’s our mission’: Inner-city church driven to help refugees

From its start in 2008, City Church set out to be intercultural. So, it was only natural the Maryland Street congregation would become involved in sponsoring refugees to come to Canada.

“It’s our mission,” said Tim Nielson, minister at the church that serves about 350 people from around the world and conducts services in the Chin, Karen, Punjab and Dari languages.

“Right from the beginning, we have been interested in helping refugees.”

The church started Naomi House in 2017 to help refugees immigrate. Along with providing various services when they arrive, the ministry provides housing while newcomers get settled.

Deepening and complex homelessness crisis pushing city neighbourhoods to tipping point

On a calm summer day, the Red River serves as a mirror, its glass-like surface masking the muddy bottom below.

Look closer and you’ll see a reflection of the city along its banks. Towering cottonwoods and elms, riverside homes, iconic postcard backdrops.

Look closer still, and the city’s scars — from the physical and psychological of individuals to the enabling and failings of institutions — are laid bare.

What begins as a trickle near Kildonan Park grows into a flood the further south you travel along the river.

Gun buyback comments an embarassing mistake

Cabinet unanimity is an interesting animal. Behind closed doors, cabinet ministers at the provincial and federal levels hash out the basic priorities and directions of government — sometimes, everyone at the table agrees. Often, it’s not unanimous.

Charges upgraded to attempted murder in summer sword attack

A 16-year-old male has been charged with two additional counts of attempted murder after more victims were confirmed in relation to a sword attack at a high school in June.

Message to the U.S. ambassador: we’re disappointed, too

The U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, is disappointed with us.

Minister says law on sign language services in works

Manitoba’s accessibility minister hinted her office is drafting legislation to increase access to and recognition of American and Indigenous sign language services.

Three months after she was caught complaining about an ASL interpreter on a “hot mic,” Nahanni Fontaine gave members of the deaf community an update about her office’s work on the file.

Fontaine, whose portfolio includes families, gender equity and accessibility, said efforts are underway to make real-time captioning and other interpretation services more available, consistent and reliable across local governments.

“We are exploring ways to support recognition of ASL and Indigenous sign languages as important parts of Manitoba’s cultural and linguistic landscape,” Fontaine said Tuesday at Memorial Park following a first-of-its-kind flag raising. “These are steps forward.”

Police investigating fires, vandalism at NDP cabinet ministers’ North End constituency offices

Broken windows, four blazes started in two months

Winnipegger’s artwork chosen for Walmart’s national Orange Shirt offering

As she walked into the Unicity Walmart department store, Indigenous artist Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas felt her excitement levels rising.

She headed towards the racks of instantly recognizable orange T-shirts, smiling as she glimpsed the familiar image on the front.

It was a pinch-me moment: her work was emblazoned on Walmart Canada’s National Day for Truth & Reconciliation orange shirts stocked in stores across the country.

The granddaughter of two residential school survivors, Rudolph-Nicholas made her T-shirt art in honour of her late grandparents.

Domestic enrolment helped U of W’s fiscal health: president

The University of Winnipeg’s financial situation has stabilized following 10 months of cutbacks on the downtown campus.

“We’re confident we’ll have a balanced budget this year, and we’re very happy about that,” said Todd Mondor, the U of W’s president and vice-chancellor.

Mondor attributed the “stable” position to a rise in domestic enrolment and “better than expected” 2025-26 registration among international students.

An influx of cash has also provided some relief, he said. The province recently topped up the school’s annual funding by $2.5 million and it was gifted $5 million from the Mastercard Foundation.

‘You gave him purpose… gave him his freedom’: grateful mother from Colombia celebrates Sunshine Fund

Freedom for the Recio family, in their native Colombia, was tied to an unexpected emblem.

“Our children watched The Parent Trap at least 50 times, dreaming of canoes and lakes and cabins in the woods,” Angela Recio told a crowded room at the Caboto Centre on Thursday.

“But in Colombia, where we lived in South America, that kind of freedom was unimaginable. Sending our child off into the wilderness was not just unthinkable, it was unsafe.”

Recio was addressing donors, nature lovers, Manitoba Camping Association staff and friends at the organization’s appreciation luncheon for supporters of its Sunshine Fund.

Province to reimburse Brandon school division for evacuee costs

BRANDON — The Brandon School Division will receive financial support from the province to cover the cost of hosting wildfire evacuees in its schools, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Thursday.

“We encourage divisions to track… expenses and to be in touch with our department — many of them already have — and we will work with them to make sure that those expenses are covered,” Schmidt said.

In Brandon, 64 students from evacuated communities were enrolled in local schools on Thursday.

As a result, the division is paying for 8.5 additional substitute teachers, a bus driver and gas for a new route, and is buying extra equipment to take on the students, totalling a “rough estimate” of $100,000, the division said.

Read and research, before engaging your rage

It looked like Liberal arrogance of the first degree, deliberately blowing off a meeting of a major Parliamentary committee.

Conservative MP Larry Brock on X: “UNBELIEVABLE. Parliament is back, but Liberal members of the Justice Committee are MISSING IN ACTION. Crime is out of control, Canadians are terrified, but Conservatives are ready to restore safety to our streets.”

Ditto, Conservative MP Roman Babar: “It’s 3:30 pm on a Tuesday. The Standing Committee on Justice is supposed to be meeting right now. Crime is out of control and justice reform is desperately needed. The Committee’s Conservative members are ready to work, but Liberal members refuse to show up. Unbelievable!”

You get the point. Problem is, there was no meeting. No staff. No translators. Just four Conservative MPs.

New session of Parliament, but similar to the past

It might not exactly be business as usual, but this week’s long-awaited restart of Parliament doesn’t give one the impression that a whole lot has changed.

Better protection needed for urban trees

While you might have stopped and thought about the poetry of the trees that are a constant in the city of Winnipeg — big and small, sometimes healthy and other times failing, you probably haven’t thought about the value of a tree.

Taking Reel Pride in transformation

Reel Pride isn’t entering a mid-life crisis.

At 40, the annual Winnipeg LGBTTQ+ film festival appears as forward-looking as ever — though at the moment, its president, Ray Desautels, is feeling reflective about its arc.

“The festival started at a time when … you didn’t see LGBTQ characters on television, and if you did, they were shown in a very poor light or very stereotypical way,” he says.

“It’s become more, I think, a gathering place for queer people and queer arts … It’s more of an arts festival, not necessarily just strictly the film festival that it used to be. So we’re a gathering place for the queer community and its allies and supporters.”

Winnipeg vigil for Kirk draws 2,000 mourners

About 2,000 people held a vigil Tuesday evening to remember American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death last week as he spoke to university students in Utah.

They gathered at the steps of the Manitoba legislature, holding lit candles and posters bearing Kirk’s name and photo. Several attendees wore T-shirts with the slogan “We are all Charlie Kirk now.”

Several speakers discussed Kirk and his imprint on U.S. politics; some recited Bible verses, including Collin Watson, who opened the night with a prayer and referred to Kirk as a martyr.

“We should all use Charlie as an example as how to discuss things with people we disagree with,” he told the crowd.

Councillors call for better communication, wands, metal detectors to protect staff

Another Winnipeg workplace — this time the seat of civic government — is under a cloud of security concerns as the city’s largest union considers the next step of a grievance over staff safety at city hall.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 filed the grievance about city hall in February 2024, noting staff had reported experiencing verbal abuse, racist remarks, threats and harassment at the property.

“The grievance is still open (now) because they haven’t shown us that there’s been any kind of adequate solution… We’re thinking if (the city hasn’t) done anything to redress (this), maybe we’ve got to move to the next step of the grievance process,” said Gord Delbridge, president of CUPE Local 500.

Delbridge said the union is discussing what its next step would be.

City non-profit inks deal with subsidiary of leader in phosphate-based fertilizers

A Winnipeg non-profit committed to advancing digital agriculture has inked a deal with the North American subsidiary of a global leader in phosphate-based fertilizers.

Leaders from Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative and OCP North America signed a collaboration agreement last week. They said the collaboration will focus on advancing agricultural innovation through field-based research that will take place through EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert.

Innovation Farms spans more than 14,000 acres across two Manitoba farms to provide demonstrations, testing and validation of agriculture technology and production practices in commercial farm settings.

The partnership will allow EMILI to give Manitoba farmers a first-hand look at new innovations, said Jacqueline Keena, managing director.

Key witness in Hells Angel trial became paid police informant after losing $400K in drug money, court told

A career criminal who helped police dismantle a massive drug-trafficking operation and bust a full-patch Hells Angels gangster became a paid police informant after he lost nearly $400,000 in a money-laundering scheme, a trial heard Monday.

The man, who is in witness protection and can be identified only as “Agent 66,” is the Crown’s star witness in the case against B.C. Hells Angel Damion Ryan, the alleged leader of one of five Canadian and international drug networks taken down by Manitoba RCMP in February 2022.

Agent 66 — who court heard is in his 40s and has been involved in the drug trade since he was 12 — said he enlisted his drug supplier to “clean” $368,000 in drug proceeds and “never got it back.”

“I was angry,” he told court. “The whole point of cleaning it was I wanted out of (drug dealing).”