Hong Kong court sentences 3 Tiananmen vigil organizers to prison in national security case

HONG KONG (AP) — Three Hong Kong activists who organized annual vigils in remembrance of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were sentenced Friday to about five to seven years in prison in a case that prompted criticism from abroad and is widely seen as a barometer of the city’s eroding freedoms.

Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung and Albert Ho were convicted of inciting subversion earlier this year under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

Lee received a seven-year prison term and Chow was sentenced to seven years and three months. Both pleaded not guilty. Ho was given a lower sentence of five years and two months, partly because he pleaded guilty.

The three were leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which for three decades organized a Tiananmen vigil that was the only large-scale, public commemoration of the 1989 crackdown in China.

Transparency paramount after cyberattacks to prevent future breaches: tech expert

After a ransomware attack, no news isn’t always good news, a tech expert warns.

Little public information has emerged since a cybersecurity breach last month affected door access and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning at Health Sciences Centre.

“It’s critical for all of us to ask for greater levels of communication after events like this so that we can minimize the potential for these events to recur,” said Ontario tech analyst Carmi Levy.

During a ransomware attack, cybercriminals use malicious software to encrypt, steal or delete data, then demand payment to restore it.

Canadian Army formally changes divisions as military prepares for future of combat

EDMONTON - Canada's Army formally made one of the biggest changes to its structure in decades Thursday by shifting from divisions based on geography to ones built around specific purposes.

CFB Edmonton held a signing ceremony and parade to stand up the 1st Canadian Division, which will serve as the main force responsible for deploying on large-scale combat operations and responding to crises.

Headquartered in Edmonton, the "manoeuvre division" will bring many capabilities together under one roof, such as tanks and other armour, artillery, light infantry, paratroopers and engineers.

The idea is to prepare the army to rapidly deploy a large force and sustain prolonged operations.

Canada needs up to 4.69 million new homes by 2036, but construction could slow: CMHC

The federal housing agency says Canada narrowly chipped away at its supply gap over the past year, but the country still needs up to nearly 4.7 million new homes over the next decade to restore pre-pandemic affordability by 2036.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. released its latest supply gap estimate report, which said between 417,000 and 469,000 new housing units are needed per year across the ownership and rental markets over the next decade to reach affordability targets.

That's down slightly from its last estimate in July 2025, when CMHC said the pace of home construction would need to roughly double to between 430,000 and 480,000 new units annually over the coming decade.

But the agency warned recent affordability gains are at risk as new home construction is instead expected to slow, especially in the home ownership market.

U of M students call for ban on far-right group

Some University of Manitoba students are calling on their school to ban a far-right group from campus after posters promoting mass deportations were found during the summer break.

More than 50 people rallied on Wednesday, the first day of classes, to make known their concerns about a group called the Dominion Society of Canada.

The protest was organized after a supporter of the self-described nationalist group posted a video over the Labour Day weekend that shows him putting up flyers in Fort Garry.

“Canada is a really beautiful country and I have been welcomed here by a lot of beautiful people and it’s been amazing, but when I see harmful rhetoric online and now, on campus, it gives me a lot of anxiety,” said Ela Ancheta, an arts major at U of M.

The plane truth about a dangerous president

U.S. President Donald Trump has crossed firmly into cutting-off-your-nose-to-spite-your-face territory.

Manitoba-Canada Defence Alliance unveiled

Despite Ottawa’s promises of increased defence spending, Jack Enns has seen slowdowns.

Tit-for-tat tariffs between Canada and the United States have lessened demand for some of A. Adams Supply (1969) Ltd.’s products, the firm’s general manager said.

The Winnipeg company ships specialized tools to aerospace manufacturers, metalworkers and transport firms.

More clients could be useful — and so would local companies winning defence contracts, Enns said. If that happened, vendors such as A. Adams Supply may get more orders, boosting business.

Manitoba artists in TIFF spotlight as fest begins

Expect Winnipeg film production — and Manitoba talent — to grab its share of the klieg lights at the 2026 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which starts today and runs to Sept. 20.

Childfree Winnipeg group gives women without kids a place to gather

Katelyn Sawatzky founded Childfree Winnipeg Women in 2021 to bring together women who don’t have kids — be it by choice or circumstance — and do not plan on raising children.

The group is designed to help them share experiences and build meaningful friendships.

The community welcomes cisgender, straight, transgender, bisexual and lesbian women. Parents, including empty nesters and men, are turned away.

“Our group is a safe space where women can hang out with other women without being asked when you’re going to have kids or why you don’t have kids … where you don’t feel like you have to validate or defend your choices in any way, because everyone gets it,” Sawatzky says.

Feds drop plans to skirt Species At Risk Act for major projects

OTTAWA - The federal government is abandoning plans to exempt certain projects from laws designed to protect species at risk after an overwhelmingly negative response to the proposal during a summer of consultations.

However environmental groups say Ottawa can still bypass the Species At Risk Act through other means.

The government is planning to introduce legislation in the fall to speed up approvals for major projects, a key promise from Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The government released two discussion papers in May which also proposed, among other things, to give cabinet ministers what it calls "limited" power to exempt projects from what's known as the "jeopardy test" for species at risk.

City exceeds housing targets as millions in federal funds set to roll in

The City of Winnipeg has exceeded several homebuilding targets tied to its share of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, with permits issued for 14,833 new housing units since December 2023.

Ottawa renews commitment, provides funding, for Lake Winnipeg watershed protection

The federal government has renewed its memorandum of understanding with the province to protect the Lake Winnipeg watershed and is contributing more than $2 million for several projects to protect the basin.

Ottawa and the province have agreed to extend the current MOU for an additional five-year term, to August 21, 2031. The understanding has been in place since 2010.

“Lake Winnipeg is not only an environmental treasure, it’s also an economic treasure. But we also know that Lake Winnipeg is under pressure. Too many nutrients, particularly phosphorus, are entering the lake, contributing to harmful algae blooms and affecting water quality and ecosystem health,” said Terry Duguid, MP for Winnipeg South.

Lake Winnipeg is one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world and its watershed spans parts of four provinces and four American states. It is vulnerable to high levels of nutrients caused by agricultural runoff, sewage and other contaminants that create large algae blooms and affect fisheries.

Girl Scouts’ first cookies for dogs will go on sale in January

Man’s best friend is getting some love from the Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts of the USA said Tuesday its first cookies for dogs will go on sale in January.

The blueberry muffin-flavored cookies were developed with Bark, a New York-based seller of dog treats and toys. The cookies, dubbed Patch Pals, will only be sold online.

Also joining the Girl Scout cookie lineup in January are Sparkables, the organization’s first allergy-friendly cookie. The crunchy oatmeal cookie, which has chocolate chips and colored sprinkles, was developed with New Jersey-based Partake Foods.

Gym, health pilot program rolls out as Manitoba children go back to school

Phys-ed is on the minds of many Manitobans — seven-year-old Ethan Minski included — as roughly 200,000 kindergarten-to-Grade 12 students start a new school year.

Winter to wait on the sidelines as El Nino extends fall: The Weather Network outlook

It's shaping up to be a mild fall across much of Canada, The Weather Network's forecast suggests, with a potentially historic El Nino expected to prolong the season and delay winter's arrival.

September and October will still bring the usual swings between warm spells and bursts of chilly, stormy weather, the network's three-month outlook says. But the balance is expected to trend milder and, in many regions, drier than normal as the season progresses, said senior meteorologist Doug Gillham.

"Winter is probably going to wait on the sidelines for a while," he said in an interview.

The main reason is El Nino, the climate phenomenon tied to shifting patches of warm water in the Pacific Ocean, Gillham said.

Mountain trail runners describe appeal and peril of sport as Canadian still missing

It's been just over a year since mountain runner Margaux Cohen suffered a life-changing injury while hiking a mountain in Squamish, B.C., after her dog Zion lost his footing, sending them both tumbling nearly 20 metres down a rocky slope.

Cohen said she's still recovering from a fracture of her tibial plateau, but Zion is "doing great," and she visited the spot where the fall occurred just last week.

"Seeing the cliff a year later was pretty insane because I don't think I remembered how high I fell from," she said. "The last week I've been feeling even more grateful to be alive because it's pretty crazy."

For so-called "skyrunners" or ultra-runners like Cohen, the adrenalin rush of tackling dangerous mountain terrain is worth the risk, which is ever-present on local mountains and famous peaks including the Matterhorn, where famed Canadian skyrunner Kalie McCrystal has been missing for more than a week.

Why our democracy depends on your vote

I think that fining people who don’t vote and paying people who do isn’t a bad idea. Because people who don’t vote aren’t participating in our democratic system of governance, and we all pay for that.

New Apple CEO unveils latest iPhone lineup, including a foldable model called Duo

CUPERTINO, California (AP) — Apple on Wednesday unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo.

The company's new CEO, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1, introduced the latest lineup at the company's Cupertino, California headquarters.

After cycling through other updates to the iPhone, the Apple Watch and AirPods, Ternus told the audience inside the Steve Jobs Theater that “actually there is one more thing," in a nod to the trademark phrase from Jobs that the company's legendary late founder himself borrowed from the 1970s detective show “Columbo.”

The foldable phone has the “largest display ever on an iPhone, yet fits into your pocket,” Ternus said.

Winkler-based internet provider delivering high-speed service to 30 rural and First Nations Manitoba communities

Valley Fiber says it is undertaking one of its largest fibre optic projects and is building infrastructure that will deliver internet to 10,000 homes and businesses in rural and First Nations communities across Manitoba.

“These communities will now have access to the fastest internet network in Manitoba, and it will power their lives and their business,” Ryan Klassen, chief executive officer of the Winkler-based internet provider, said Tuesday from Fisher River Cree Nation.

The province has granted Valley Fiber use of two of its underused cables on the existing Manitoba Hydro fibre optic network for up to 20 years as part of the project, which will connect nearly 30 communities — including Buffalo Point, Hollow Water, Black River and Peguis First Nations, along with Fisher River and Fox Lake Cree Nations — to high-speed internet.

Construction should be finished by 2027.

Vita Health Fresh Market nears 90th anniversary in Winnipeg with new St. Vital Square location

Yogurt, avocados, organic eggs and kefir — when Manja Nyland wants to purchase her favourite items, she visits Vita Health Fresh Market.

“They have healthy food,” she said of the Winnipeg retail chain, which sells wellness products and organic groceries.

Vita Health launched a grand opening celebration on Tuesday for its new store in southeast Winnipeg. Nyland was one of the customers who stopped in.

Located in St. Vital Square at 2-785 Dakota St., the new store replaces a smaller space Vita Health occupied in the same shopping centre for 19 years. At 4,700 square feet, the new store is approximately 60 per cent larger than its predecessor.

Interprovincial trade missions on rise under tariffs pressure

Interprovincial trade missions are poised to become more common as a Canada-United States trade war persists.

Prairies Economic Development Canada is working with trade commissioners nationwide to create gatherings with business groups, including chambers of commerce, according to the federal cabinet minister overseeing the department.

“I think the idea of interprovincial trade missions is (an) incredibly efficient and sensible way for businesses to learn about one another,” Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister Responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada said.

She visited Winnipeg last week and spoke to the Free Press on Friday.