Oligarchs don’t care about ‘public good’

Don’t think the tech oligarchs are the good guys, fighting for democracy, in the next battle that’s coming. Because they’re not.

Sisler program creating new generation of animators

The characters start as crude shapes and stand-ins, then take on form. Your Elsa, Miles Morales or Buzz Lightyear are born, but move only in key poses, like a picture book.

WAG-Qaumajuq exhibition offers fresh perspective on history of Indigenous representation in art

A new exhibition at WAG-Qaumajuq invites viewers to grapple with two simultaneous histories of Indigenous presence in art.

Reframed, which opened Wednesday, takes settler art of Indigenous people shaped by colonial perspectives of the time and contrasts it with modern-day contemporary work from Indigenous artists who challenge those perspectives.

Many historical paintings create a vague representation of Indigenous people by homogenizing the culture and erasing historical presence, says Marie-Anne Redhead, assistant curator of Indigenous and contemporary art.

“I wanted to highlight Indigenous perspectives on these artworks to really see these people as people,” she said.

Winnipeg teens will carry out official match balls at World Cup

For Aiden Karacsony and Cristiano Morais, the pre-match is the main event.

City mulls grant to give life to vacant buildings

The city is looking at a vacant building grant that could entice developers to convert empty buildings into new homes.

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.

At 356, the HBC charter is about to get a Manitoba Museum welcome

When Hudson's Bay faltered last year, Manitoba Museum CEO Dorota Blumczynska didn't even need to look at the institution's bank accounts to know it couldn't afford to buy the royal charter that formed Canada's oldest business.

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.

Odd pairing of Kraft Dinner and cheesecake a hit for city bakery

It’s the food mashup that appears, at first glance, to be a match made in culinary purgatory.

Featuring a Canadian childhood staple baked into a New York-style cheesecake, the star of the show is the ubiquitous blue-and-yellow box lurking in nearly every pantry across the country.

It’s the ultimate time-saving saviour — firmly lodged in memories as a comforting dinner rapidly whipped up and just as swiftly snarfed down between after-school activities and homework.

But now Kraft Dinner is stepping boldly — some might even say wildly — out of its lane.

Sea Bears president proof there’s no one path to pro sports success

Rhéanne Marcoux — who was recently appointed president of the Winnipeg Sea Bears— has been making waves in the city’s sports industry for over 15 years.

Health experts tell Quebec politicians there are no benefits from energy drinks

Health experts told Quebec's legislature that there are no health benefits to consuming energy drinks as Health Minister Sonia Bélanger hopes to pass a bill banning the sale of the beverages to those under 16.

The Quebec government has until Friday to pass a slew of bills, including the energy drink ban, before the parliamentary session ends. It will be the last session before the general election scheduled for October.

Pharmacists, cardiologists, public health and lobby groups spoke to the elected officials in Quebec City on Tuesday after the Conservative Party requested special public consultations.

The health experts said they support a ban, adding that it must be accompanied with other measures like awareness campaigns and marketing regulation.

Rabies vaccination program for skunks, raccoons in effort to stop spread to Montreal

MONTREAL - The raccoons that roam Montreal’s alleys, parks and backyards are a familiar part of city life. But as raccoon rabies cases mount south and east of Quebec, wildlife officials are making efforts to ensure the deadly virus doesn’t reach them.

Across parts of southern and eastern Quebec, 25 teams of wildlife technicians, professional trappers and animal health specialists are trapping raccoons and skunks, vaccinating them and releasing them back into the wild.

The operation began May 12 and runs until June 23, covering roughly 750 square kilometres. The goal is to create a barrier against the disease before it reaches the Montreal region.

Since the beginning of the year, Quebec has confirmed 71 cases of raccoon rabies and three cases of bat rabies. By comparison, 93 cases of raccoon rabies were recorded during all of 2025.

Ottawa’s new Digital Safety Act expected to include under-16 social media ban

OTTAWA - The federal government is expected to bar kids under the age of 16 from social media in new legislation set to be introduced Wednesday.

The government gave notice Tuesday that it will introduce a bill "to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act." It has scheduled a technical briefing and press conference on the new bill for late Wednesday afternoon.

Culture Minister Marc Miller, who is taking the lead on the legislation, said the government will take all reasonable measures to ensure kids are safe.

“It’s obvious why it’s a priority. Kids are dying,” he told reporters on Parliament Hill.

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.

Winnipegger earns Tony for leading role in Broadway production of Ragtime

Winnipeg’s Joshua Henry was on top of the musical theatre world Sunday at Radio City Music Hall, winning the Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for his performance in the Broadway revival of Ragtime.

Campers, canoes or loons: vote on provincial park licence plate

Manitobans are invited to vote on the design for a new licence plate promoting Manitoba’s provincial parks.

The new licence plates featuring the chosen design will be made available next year.

The provincial park-themed plate was promised in the Nov. 18 throne speech.

“Manitobans love our parks, and so we want to hear from you on the best design to represent that pride in our parks as a new provincial licence plate,” Premier Wab Kinew said in a news release Monday.

Bike-to-school day initiative features fun pit stops across city, encourages families to ride

Bike Week Winnipeg is piloting new student-friendly pit stops Tuesday as part of its signature event.

This year, for the first time, bike-to-work day is also being branded as bike-to-school day.

“When students ride, their families ride,” said Andraea Sartison, event producer for the volunteer-run organization promoting cycling with activities scheduled through Sunday.

“(This initiative) is a really good way for us to reach more people, I think. School communities are much larger than the student population, so this is a really nice way to get into neighbourhoods.”

Transit revenue drop projected to be worse than predicted in 2026 budget

Winnipeg Transit warns it may earn $18.4 million less from rider fares this year than its budget calls for.

When the city’s 2026 budget was released, Transit estimated it would earn $97 million in fare revenue throughout this year. However, it also listed an “outstanding risk” that fares could fall $11.1 million lower due to a drop in ridership.

A finance update, based on figures up to the end of March, notes that risk has since increased.

“As of the first quarter, Transit is forecasting a reduction in revenues of $18.4 million,” the report notes.

Online therapy developed in Montreal helps seniors sleep better, study finds

MONTREAL - For many older adults, a restless night can be an unwelcome part of aging, but new research suggests that help may be just a few clicks away.

Researchers at a Montreal-based institute of geriatrics found that participants who completed an online program designed to treat insomnia and anxiety slept better and reported fewer symptoms of insomnia compared with when they started the treatment.

The study, published in May in the peer-reviewed journal "Age and Ageing," followed 80 adults aged 65 and older with insomnia symptoms. Participants completed the therapy through an online platform called e-SPACE Aging Well.

Researchers found that the treatment program improved participants' sleep efficiency — the amount of time spent asleep while in bed — by 11.46 per cent. Five participants met the study’s criteria for remission and no longer met the threshold for insomnia, say the researchers with Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal.

Quebec municipalities and environmentalists say province’s water reserves are at risk

A group of environmental organizations and municipalities is worried that Quebec’s groundwater reserves are dwindling due to overconsumption and the effects of climate change.

In an open letter sent to the environment minister, the 12 municipalities and nine environmental organizations say the province is consuming more groundwater than is being replenished.

The municipalities, located along the Saint-Lawrence valley, say Quebec has taken its renewable freshwater for granted and are calling on the government to trigger a province-wide evaluation and increase regulation.

“In Quebec, we have long believed that water was an infinite resource. Gone are the days of rose-tinted glasses,” they wrote in the letter.

Apple unveils an upgraded Siri voice assistant with new AI features at its annual conference

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday unveiled new artificial intelligence advances including upgrades to its Siri assistant, emphasizing a focus on privacy and day-to-day use as the iPhone maker tries to catch up to rivals when it comes to AI.

Siri AI, which was introduced at the start of Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference, has been highly anticipated by users and developers. While Siri was launched in 2011, it fell behind other voice assistants and was derided even by Apple fans.

It is the last WWDC featuring CEO Tim Cook before he turns his post over to John Ternus in September. Cook received an extended standing ovation and told the audience he is “deeply grateful to have been on this journey with you” and said “the energy around Apple platforms has never been stronger.”

The conference, which drew developers from some 65 countries to Apple’s Silicon Valley headquarters, focuses on software, in contrast to the fall unveiling of the latest iPhones.