Designated encampment debate returns to city hall

A city councillor is renewing efforts to identify potential locations for designated encampment sites following an Ontario court decision that could impact how homeless people are relocated in Winnipeg.

The motion, introduced by Coun. Cindy Gilroy is scheduled to go before the executive policy committee next week. It calls on the public service to examine multiple locations across Winnipeg that could be considered suitable to host encampments.

Speaking to the Free Press on Thursday, Gilroy said a recent court decision in southern Ontario has renewed the case for designated encampment sites in Winnipeg. Last month, a judge barred the Region of Waterloo from clearing an encampment in Kitchener, Ont., unless alternative housing options were made available to those living there.

“The laws are changing so dramatically,” the chair of the community safety committee said, adding she’s unsure if the city is prepared for a similar legal challenge in Winnipeg.

HBC Royal Charter welcomed in ceremony at Manitoba Museum

WINNIPEG - A 356-year-old document that granted the Hudson's Bay Co. control over roughly one-third of Canada is now in public hands.

The HBC Royal Charter was unveiled Thursday at the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg in a ceremony that was both a celebration of the new life of the document and a reflection on the troubled legacy it created.

"In 1670, a king, sitting across the ocean, claimed authority over our lands," said Ovide Mercredi, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.

"Through the so-called right of discovery, vast territories were granted to the Hudson's Bay Co., as if our lands and territories were empty. But our lands were not empty, our nations were here."

Tory MP says 4,000 letters sent urging Carney to amend Indian Act status rules

OTTAWA - A Conservative MP says more than 4,000 letters have been sent to the House of Commons committee on Indigenous issues demanding that the federal government immediately change the way First Nations status works under the Indian Act.

MP Billy Morin, the former chief of Enoch Cree Nation who serves as the Conservative party's critic of Indigenous Services, echoed those calls in a letter he sent to Prime Minister Mark Carney this week.

The committee, known as INAN, is studying legislation that would change the rules establishing who is entitled to First Nations status under the Indian Act. It was introduced in the Senate as S-2 and initially had support from the governing Liberals.

The legislation was drafted to eliminate some gender inequities in the Indian Act and allow some 3,500 people to become eligible for First Nations status.

Yiddish fest highlights comfort of knish crafting

For Sara Kasdan, the author of the mid-century ethnic best-seller Love and Knishes, the titular dough pocket was a pathway to everlasting romance via the stomach, assured to get the cook’s name into a man’s heart “faster … and stay longer.”

Restaurant bridges Ethiopian-Eritrean divide at the dinner table

Riverine origins matter at Baro, an eatery just west of the Health Sciences Centre on Notre Dame Avenue, but don’t overlook the connective power of the hyphen on the street-facing sign at chef Tammy Fekadu’s Ethiopian-Eritrean cuisine.

A waterway that rolls for more than 300 kilometres in the Ethiopian highlands, serving as a major cultural and economic thoroughfare for the nearby Gambella region as well as the South Sudanese state to the west, the Baro River is a reminder of communal reliance on precious natural resources, says Fekadu’s eldest daughter, Samra Solomon.

The hyphen is a bridge spanning political divides for Winnipeggers whose homelands have been engaged in decades of ongoing territorial tensions and civil war.

“My mom almost hesitated to call it ‘Baro Ethiopian-Eritrean Cuisine,’ just because some people might not be happy with that politically and maybe even morally,” says the 26-year-old Solomon, who manages the restaurant on top of a full-time job in the insurance business.

Inuit group calls for overhaul of Nutrition North, poverty reduction frameworks

OTTAWA - The organization representing Inuit in Canada says the federal government program meant to subsidize the high cost of food in the North isn't working and should be scrapped.

The call to shut down Nutrition North is part of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami's new poverty reduction strategy, released Tuesday.

The report says the program has failed to improve food security in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homelands, and that its fragmented approach is not fully aligned with Inuit priorities.

"It's a scattershot approach in a policy environment that is begging for specific intervention," ITK president Natan Obed told The Canadian Press.

Everyday business is human rights work: CMHR chief executive

There’s war, disease spread, attacks on minority groups globally.

But when the head of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights addressed Manitoba business leaders, she offered more narrow advice: start by looking inwards.

“Every single person in this room is already doing human rights work,” Isha Khan told Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce members during a Friday luncheon.

Spread among the tables in the Delta Hotels ballroom were slips of paper saying “Imagine,” with blank spaces underneath. The sheets are usually found on the national museum’s seventh floor.

Sweet dreams in new beds for 50 children

Fifty twin-sized beds were hand-built for 50 children by volunteers Friday as part of an annual event put on by Manitoba Blue Cross and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

“New people are always needing beds, and so there’s always a demand,” said Jim Thiessen, co-president of the charity in Winnipeg.

This is the third year volunteers from both organizations have built beds behind Blue Cross Park since the non-profit announced they’d pay for a five-year lease on a warehouse that has allowed the charity to build beds year-round.

The non-profit organization relies solely on donations to build and deliver beds to families in need across Canada.

Habibiz Café marks First Friday launch of new Exchange District location

If you’re looking for fresh flavours on First Fridays, you’re in luck.

The owners of Winnipeg hookah lounge and restaurant Habibiz Café are celebrating the grand opening of their second location today. Situated at the corner of McDermot Avenue and Albert Street, the eatery is opening just in time for the monthly Exchange District celebration that sees shops and galleries stay open later than usual.

“Ever since our third or fourth year in, we’ve been looking for a new spot,” said Ali Zeid, who owns the restaurants with his brother, Sammy Zeid. “The Exchange District is a core hub of Winnipeg.”

The brothers signed the lease for 225 McDermot Ave., formerly the home of Shawarma Khan, on April 1.

Uniform decision takes military out of Pride march

Pride Winnipeg’s president says 17 Wing Winnipeg’s decision not to send a military contingent to this year’s pride parade because of a ban on uniforms shows the military’s true colours.

Ahead of Sunday’s annual parade, Pride Winnipeg said it had banned military personnel in uniform based on community consultations and feedback. President Barry Karlenzig said the ban was supposed to apply only for this year’s march, and military members were welcome to come wearing everyday clothes, including branded T-shirts or golf shirts.

In response, 17 Wing Winnipeg pulled out of its participation in the parade.

“It has me sit back and say, ‘Is the military in the parade for the right reasons?’ Same as what we ask with police, same as what we ask with corporate partners, is you should be there for the community and to support the community. Are you there to support the community or are you there for the photo ops?” Karlenzig said Wednesday.

Indigenous speakers, politicians watching audit of languages office closely

OTTAWA - Indigenous language speakers and political leaders say they were disappointed to learn a landmark Indigenous languages office is under investigation after the federal government received anonymous complaints.

The Canadian Heritage department has ordered a financial audit of transactions and activities at the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages, The Canadian Press reported earlier this week.

The department has not elaborated on the specific allegations made against the office, an arm's-length body that was set up five years ago in response to a recommendation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The department has said it has contracted an independent third-party firm to conduct the audit and has notified Commissioner Ronald Ignace.

One Indigenous language speaker said part of the problem with organizations like the commissioner's office is that they're accountable to the federal government, not to Indigenous people.

Manitoba makes strides on poverty, but EIA rates must increase: report

When Jayline Bursey gets her monthly Employment and Income Assistance cheque, it’s gone almost immediately.

Federal poll finds nearly half of Canadians think country takes ‘too many immigrants’

OTTAWA - A survey commissioned by the federal government late last year suggests nearly half of Canadians believe the country is admitting too many immigrants — but the share of respondents who think so has dropped since last year's polling.

The survey found 47 per cent of respondents believe "too many" immigrants are coming to Canada, while 38 per cent say "about the right amount" are coming.

A similar government poll conducted in late 2024 reported 54 per cent of respondents saying that "too many" immigrants were coming to Canada.

The report on the latest poll says the numbers saw little to no movement after respondents were told the government plans to admit 380,000 permanent residents this year.

Peace, justice and bringing this country together

From the War of 1812 to today, no one has stood up for this country and worked for unity in this place more than Indigenous Peoples.

Doors Open to Winnipeg’s mystery, history

It’s easy to travel past the Manitoba Buddhist Temple and not even notice it.

Quebec moves ahead with AI cultural databank project

MONTREAL - Quebec's national library is moving ahead with plans to create a database of cultural and government content that could be used to train artificial intelligence systems and improve their understanding of Quebec society, culture and Indigenous languages.

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, or BAnQ, the province's national library and archives institution, has launched the experimental phase of its proposed government and cultural databank in French and Indigenous languages after completing a feasibility study earlier this year.

The project aims to address concerns that major generative AI systems often struggle to provide reliable information about Quebec society, economy and culture because of the limited amount of Quebec-related data available to them.

"All scenarios are a little bit on the table right now," Valérie D'Amour, who led the feasibility study, said in an interview. "We have a lot of ideas and we want to validate the possibilities with cultural stakeholders, as well as with data owners and providers, who will be involved in the discussions."

North End puts its best foot forward with Culture Fest

Fostering friendship is one of the most important parts of Melanie McKay’s day.

At the Winnipeg Indigenous Friendship Centre, she serves as a program co-ordinator, where she organizes bingo nights, drop-ins for elders and craft sessions. She spent Saturday afternoon at the third annual North End Neighbours Culture Fest, where a dozen organizations serving the neighbourhood gathered at the Ukrainian Labour Temple to share food, watch performances and celebrate each other.

“These are the people that we represent, and these are the people that we want to help out,” McKay said Saturday. “I think being here shows that we’re out there in the community, and we’re willing to help any way we can.”

The Indigenous Friendship Centre began operating out of 410 McGregor St., May 1, while they renovate their former home at 45 Robinson St. They’re holding an open house June 5 in hopes of letting more people know their resources are available to the North End, regardless of their cultural background.

Religion on census needs a rework, group says

Did you get the long form of the census? If you did, then you are among the 25 per cent of Canadians who had a chance to tell the government about your religious identity.

The federal government has been collecting information about religion in Canada since 1871; it’s one of the oldest efforts to track religion in the world.

Since that time, the religious landscape in Canada has changed a lot. Up until the 1960s, the country was mainly Christian, with small numbers of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist Canadians.

The 2026 census lists over 200 religious groups, just over half of them Protestant and Catholic. The rest are from a wide variety of other religious traditions, including six streams of Buddhism, 10 different Jewish groups, seven kinds of Islam and five different forms of Indigenous spirituality. People can also choose from Wiccan, Satanist, Rastafarian and New Age groups, among others.

New essay collection explores menace of far-right movements in Canada

“Democracy is at stake and Canada is not immune to its demise,” states Miriam Edelson, editor of this timely anthology, warning that right-wing extremism, energized by memes and trolls permeating digital spaces, is heralding social and political change and affecting how current generations view the slow, often cumbersome democratic process.

Edelson’s well-researched observations are supported by 18 different contributors comprised of an array of like-minded academics, researchers and concerned activists who collectively alert readers to the extremist messaging that is altering some long-standing expectations of responsible governance.

Edelson’s social activism was honed by personal experiences while living in Toronto and working with the Canadian labour movement, spawning a literary legacy of personal essays and commentaries published by the Toronto Star, Globe & Mail and Literary Review. Her earlier book, My Journey with Jake: A Memoir of Parenting and Disability (2000) remains a poignant reminder that society functions best when individuals share a common purpose of looking out for one another.

In a concise foreword to Confronting the Resurgent Right, University of Manitoba professor and award- winning Free Press columnist Niigaan Sinclair similarly reminds readers that “far right movements built on hate,” like those earlier thrust upon Indigenous people and still targeting Jews, Muslims and other identifiable groups, inexorably lead to “racism, violence, and genocide.”

Ruling against Aboriginal title on private land is allowed to stand by high court

A New Brunswick ruling that Aboriginal title cannot be declared over private land has been allowed to stand by the Supreme Court of Canada, giving British Columbia an avenue to win its appeal in the landmark Cowichan Tribes case, B.C.'s attorney general said Thursday.

Niki Sharma said the high court's refusal to hear an appeal by the Wolastoqey First Nation in the case involving Aboriginal title in New Brunswick gives B.C. a "clear path" for an appeal in the Cowichan case, which has cast doubt on the primacy of private property rights.

"When it's the same legal issues that we are dealing with here, I think that bodes well for our arguments, and the appeals that we are seeking in B.C.," she said.

The mayor of Richmond, B.C., meanwhile said private property owners in the Cowichan Tribes title area should "breathe a little easier" in light of the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling.

The quiet power — and necessity — of Oseredok

At a moment when Ukraine sits at the centre of global political attention, one of North America’s most important Ukrainian cultural institutions continues to operate quietly in Winnipeg’s Exchange District.

For many Winnipeggers, Oseredok remains one of the city’s hidden treasures — preserving an extraordinary collection of Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian art, artifacts and archives within its five-storey building on Alexander Avenue.

Originally constructed in 1912 as the British and Foreign Bible Society Building and designed by Winnipeg architect William Bruce, the structure itself reflects layers of immigration, faith and history embedded within the city.

Yet few people fully understand its scale and significance.