Oseredok's centrepiece mosaic is a testament to Ukrainian heritage

With impressionism, things can look messy when you’re eyeing the brush strokes up close. Stand back, voila, the piece comes into focus.

But with photomosaics, an image made up of hundreds of smaller photos, it’s the opposite. The closer you stand, the more images you see.

In the era of AI art, it’s all too easy to fire off a kitschy digital photomosaic. The internet is littered with mindless renderings showing, say, an image of the Statue of Liberty made up of a thousand Big Macs.

It’s another and rare thing to build a photomosaic by hand, with a genuine artist’s grasp of the form’s strange double life. This is what, for the past eight years or so, a collaborative team — in particular Edmonton-based creator and curator Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn, sculptor Royden Mills, Theodora Harasymiw and a group of volunteers — did for Ukrainian Voice: A Legacy Mosaic, one of four new exhibitions at the Oseredok: Ukrainian Cultural and Education Centre.

Célébrer ‘la base de notre communauté’

Excursion exceptionnelle, conférences et défi financier, voici ce qui attend la Société historique de Saint-Boniface (SHSB) pour ses 125 ans. Fondée le 4 septembre 1902 par l’archevêque Adélard Langevin, cette institution garde entre ses murs les archives du patrimoine franco-manitobain et métis de l’Ouest canadien.

Un trésor précieux mis à disposition de la communauté. Ce rôle de passeur de mémoire, la nouvelle présidente, en poste depuis juin 2026, Michelle Smith le revendique : “Pour moi, la Société historique ça dit qui nous sommes, c’est comme la base de notre communauté. Ça vient confirmer qu’on existe, que nous avons une place ici.”

”Ces institutions fondées par Monseigneur Langevin, comme La Liberté, font partie des bases qui ont supporté la société francophone dans un contexte minoritaire pendant des décennies, rappelle Émilie Pigeon, directrice générale. C’est merveilleux qu’on ait réussi non seulement à préserver ces institutions pour plus de 125 ans, mais à les faire croître au point tel que la SHSB est désormais un incontournable pour tout ce qui a trait aux questions du passé collectif du Manitoba francophone.” Une mission réussie qui vaut bien une célébration d’anniversaire pour la saison 2027, qui se veut “plus mouvementée” que la saison 2026.

Une programmation exceptionnelle

If every child matters, why no public inquiry?

Our children are our future. They need our attention now.

New chapter for Yellowquill University College

Sometimes, a milestone is about much more than a degree. It is about opportunity, recognition and the doors that open for the people who come next.

Yellowquill University College reached a historic milestone on Oct. 1, when new Manitoba legislation came into effect formally recognizing the institution within the province’s post-secondary education system and granting it authority to award degrees.

Established in 1984, Yellowquill is now Manitoba’s first fully recognized First Nations-owned and operated post-secondary institution with degree-granting authority.

It is an achievement worth celebrating, not only for Yellowquill and the communities it serves, but also for what it represents about education, career development and the future of Manitoba’s workforce.

Prominent extremist organizations in Canada come and go, but the danger of violence remains

For Blood and Soil: Far-Right Extremism in Canada is a brief and broad survey of far-right movements in Canada.

Written by Amarnath Amarasingam, associate professor in the School of Religion and the department of political studies at Queen’s University, and Stephanie Carvin, associate professor of international relations at Carleton University, the book is an academic text and so the writing is clear and straightforward, but somewhat dry, offering information without commentary or colour.

The authors state they have made conscious choices as to what to include. However, these choices come with limitations. Their decision to begin the survey of violent hate groups in the 1920s means the book lacks a grounding in the ways in which white supremacy was instrumental to the founding of Canada and has permeated so many of our institutions.

The pair does remind us that violent right-wing extreme groups have killed more people in Canada than have extreme Islamic movements. This fact cannot be repeated enough, as it often fails to make it into the discourse on extremist violence in this country.

Ottawa adding new express entry points for immigrants in ‘high-wage’ jobs

OTTAWA - Ottawa is adding new express entry points for some permanent residency applicants in "high-wage" jobs, Immigration Minister Lena Diab said Friday.

The government also plans to remove the requirement for an employer to prove they can't find a qualified Canadian for those jobs.

The policies, which will take effect on Nov. 3, will apply to applicants who already have Canadian work experience, or who have a job offer in a high-wage field such as engineering.

The government considers a high-wage job one that pays at least 1.3 times the national median wage. The new policy offers more points for an occupation's wage level, with higher paying jobs being worth more express entry points.

Federal data on Winnipeg's number of homeless people inaccurate, advocates say

The head of End Homelessness Winnipeg says she has no confidence in data about the city’s homeless population due to problems with the federal system that tracks those numbers.

Winnipeg Jewish Theatre play The Cut ponders realities of interfaith marriages

Jordi Mand isn’t scared to talk about circumcision — she doesn’t bristle at the mention of a bris.

Temporary foreign worker at crossroads without job, alleges immigration consultant misconduct

A temporary foreign worker says he was ensnared in an illegal system fraught with under-the-table payments, fake credentials and a firing.

“I was participating in a illegal process,” Liang Fang said. “But actually, I (didn’t) know it’s illegal before.”

Fang, 43, travelled to Winnipeg from Beijing in March. He came with a job offer to work at a Winnipeg restaurant as a marketing specialist.

However, by his account, he became a waiter. It was the latest change in a lengthy immigration process.

Main Street Project's clothes closet offers choice, dignity

Choosing what to wear is a simple part of everyday life, but for people with no home and no money, making that decision can be out of reach.

A new clothing store run by Winnipeg’s Main Street Project, a nonprofit that serves the homeless populations, aims to restore that choice while honouring the memory of a volunteer who helped others feel confident and valued.

Ash’s Closet, which opened on Thursday, allows people to browse through racks of free clothing that reflect their personal tastes.

“It gives people choice and dignity, and that’s a key part of what we do,” said executive director Jamil Mahmood. “When you’re homeless, that choice gets taken away from you. You don’t know where you’re going to eat, where you’re going to sleep, where you’re going to shower, and where you’re getting your clothes from.”

Non-profit Indigenous youth, family agency’s ‘strong heart’ beats in the Exchange

Zoongizi Ode, a non-profit organization that assists and advocates for Indigenous youth and families, showed off its new home Thursday.

Calling it a home is fitting for executive director Mary Burton, because she prefers to call her clients family members.

“When people walk in our doors, they’re greeted warmly. We sit with them. We listen to their story. We don’t ask questions. We just listen. And then once they’re done telling their story, we then start asking the questions that we need to know, and once that’s done, we start,” Burton said walking through the new space, which is nestled on the fifth floor of 112 Market Ave. in the Exchange District.

Founded in 2014, the non-profit helps youth aging out of care and families reunify, as well as others navigate Child and Family Services, the Residential Tenancies Branch and welfare programs. Between its half-dozen advocates, Zoongizi Ode has nearly 100 open files.

Low-cost grocery store initiative in Elmwood neighbourhood seeks to fill accessibility, security gap

A new grocery store in Winnipeg’s Elmwood neighbourhood aims to improve the lives of community members by offering food at low prices.

The Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corp. recently opened the CHARM Hub. Located at 301 Ottawa Ave., the store offers canned goods, dry goods, dairy, frozen foods and a limited amount of fresh produce.

Food security has long been a priority at the renewal corporation, said executive director Leilani Esteban-Villarba. She described Elmwood as “a food desert” and noted one of the grocery stores nearest to the community her organization serves is more than a kilometre away.

“(The distance makes it) harder to access, and especially hard to access for people who have mobility challenges or who are older,” she said. “It’s hard to take a bus or take a cab or find transportation … and if you have children in strollers, it’s even harder.”

Indigenous offenders need a new path to justice

Indigenous peoples – and Indigenous men in particular – are incarcerated at a rate higher than any other group in Canada.

As Canada’s own Department of Justice reports from data last collected in 2024: “Indigenous adults make up roughly 4 per cent to 5 per cent of Canada’s general population, yet account for about 32 per cent to 33 per cent of federal custodial populations and a higher share in provincial and territorial facilities.”

According to Statistics Canada during the 2023-2024 year 2.6 per cent of all Indigenous adults in Canada were incarcerated (25,640 people) with that rate doubling for the total amount of Indigenous men (7.3 per cent).

And things are getting worse.

Top court sets sentencing framework for cases involving Indigenous offenders, victims

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada says in cases where an Indigenous offender commits an offence against an intimate partner who is an Indigenous woman, a judge must apply sentencing principles related to both Indigenous offenders and victims of crime in a harmonious way.

In a 5-4 judgment Friday, the top court provided guidance and set out a new framework for determining an appropriate sentence in such cases.

The court said Indigenous people are disproportionately and excessively imprisoned, while Indigenous women and girls suffer from unacceptably high levels of violence and abuse.

"Both of these pressing issues have been shaped by the experiences of colonization, and addressing them together is central to the ongoing process of reconciliation," Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin wrote on behalf of the majority.

Taste of home: Winnipeg transplant shares Singaporean flavours at pop-ups

Anyone who lives far away from the place they consider home will tell you that while you can adapt to life in a new country, a new work culture and a completely unfamiliar climate, there’s one thing that will remain stubbornly non-negotiable: the appetite.

For Malvin Soh, 49, like so many whose lives straddle two worlds, food is a gateway to childhood memories, culture and heritage.

Originally from Singapore, Soh and his family moved to Canada in 2014 and settled in Winnipeg.

The urban designer began cooking familiar favourites to combat his own cravings when studying and working in Australia, where he lived for nearly 10 years.

Older Canadians less confident in their retirement finances: BlackRock survey

A new survey from BlackRock finds that Canadians who are closer to retirement age appear to be less confident about their plans compared with younger people.

“Canadians have made meaningful progress building retirement savings, but saving is only part of the equation,” said Nick Nefouse, global head of retirement solutions at BlackRock, in a news release Tuesday.

"As people move through different stages of life, they face different retirement challenges, from balancing competing priorities early in their careers to making decisions about income, spending and risk later on."

The survey finds that 70 per cent of generation Z respondents indicated they are on track for their retirement, compared with only 51 per cent of gen X respondents, "showing signs that confidence is shifting as retirement gets closer."

Winnipeggers witness unveiling of Japanese Canadian monument in B.C.

As Miki Stewart gathered with her family at the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba on Saturday afternoon, she was thinking of her parents, Yoshimaru and Yoshi Abe.

Both Stewart, 80, and her sister Yumi Falk, 81, alongside an older brother, were born in the Tashme internment camp in British Columbia. They were among more than 2,600 Japanese Canadians who were forcefully removed and interned at the camp following the bombing of Pearl Harbour and Canada’s declaration of war on Japan in 1941.

“They didn’t talk much about how they suffered,” Stewart said of her parents. “But they did.”

She was amongst a group of more than 150 people who gathered at the association’s McPhillips headquarters on Saturday afternoon to watch the unveiling of the Japanese Canadian Monument in Victoria B.C.

The idea of Alberta separation viewed through a faith lens shows further fracture lines

CALGARY — One morning in May, John Pentland, a minister at Hillhurst United Church in Calgary, opened his newspaper and read about a group of Albertans who were trying to divide his country.

Something inside of him felt like it cracked open. He started to weep.

“I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. He called a friend and told him: “I think I’m losing my mind.”

Pentland has always believed in Canada — flawed as it might be — as a nation gifted with diversity and welcoming of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. But recently that belief has been shaken as he’s witnessed right-wing ideologies charged with anti-immigrant sentiment take root in his province. It makes him angry and embarrassed for the country he loves.

Province putting $8M into safe space for Thompson Indigenous women and families

An $8-million provincial investment in the Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag Northern Lodge in Thompson fulfils the NDP’s 2023 election promise to establish three new 24-7 safe spaces for Indigenous women and their families in that city, Winnipeg and Brandon.

The lodge is expected to be up and running in 2028, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, who is also responsible for women and gender equity, said at a news conference in Winnipeg. It builds on a 2025 investment of $3.5 million to establish a first-of-its-kind 24-7 safe space for Indigenous women and their children in Winnipeg, and a 2024 investment of $500,000 to support the creation of Franny’s Place, a new 24-7 safe space in Brandon.

The Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag (Anishinaabemowin for “all women doing well”) Northern Lodge will operate as a community of care, offering culturally grounded supports that help individuals and families heal, stabilize and rebuild lives at risk of violence.

It will include 10 short-term private studio suites, a communal kitchen and living area, counselling and program space, laundry facilities and a dedicated child-minding area with Indigenous cultural teaching and play-based learning. Residents will have access to trauma-informed supports, cultural programming, parenting supports, peer support and supported connections to housing, health, education, employment and legal services.

Furby Street residents fed up with inaction on drug houses

Anxious Furby Street residents contacted the city and their elected officials Friday to — once again — report people coming and going from a boarded-up house they call a dangerous “drug centre” and “den of thieves” that’s just steps away from a house under construction.

Linda Zak, who was holding a yard sale with a group of neighbours Friday morning, described the trouble the home attracts, while a woman slumped on the front steps and a man standing in the yard yelled to someone inside it.

“It is a drug centre,” said Zak, 77. “We know that. A couple of days ago, a person lit the front on fire. Now, as you look at it, you can see where the facade was burning and they were trying to harm people inside.”

“We’re very concerned about it being next to the home this man is building,” she said, pointing to the two-storey that’s nearly completed. The boarded-up house is in the 500 block of Furby.