Winnipeg Beach staple Playland back in action

Tyler Bennie and Melanie McFarlane needed a change of pace, so they bought an arcade.

City considers million-dollar chop to tree planting program

The City of Winnipeg is one step away from chopping $1.2 million from its tree planting program to fill a separate budget gap.

The Manitoba government recently directed the city to spend an additional $1.236 million of its provincial “strategic infrastructure basket” funding on the Assiniboine Park Conservancy Journey to Churchill Exhibit, according to a city finance report.

Finance officials recommend the city fill that budget gap by transferring the same amount from the urban forest tree planting budget, which council’s executive policy committee voted in favour of Tuesday.

A local tree protection group said any funding loss would hurt an already ailing city canopy.

Ottawa to invest up to $400 million in Teck critical minerals smelter in B.C.

The federal government says it will invest up to $400 million into Teck Resources Ltd.'s critical minerals processing operations in southern B.C. as Ottawa looks to shore up supplies of metals used in the defence and green energy sectors.

"We are facing a trade war we did not ask for. We're facing the most volatile geopolitics since the end of World War II, which has led to the biggest energy crisis in modern history. We face technological change at a pace not seen in decades, mainly due to the advent of AI. And we face an accelerating clean energy transition that needs critical minerals," Tim Hodgson, the federal natural resources minister, said in Trail, B.C., on Tuesday.

"Anyone who tells you facing these challenges as a government, or as a nation, is not daunting is not telling the truth."

But Hodgson said the crises are creating an opportunity for Canada.

German aerospace company signs 10-year deal to use Nova Scotia rocket launch pad

HALIFAX - The company vying to build Canada’s first commercial rocket launch pad in Nova Scotia has signed a deal with a German aerospace firm that could see orbital launches by 2028.

Halifax-based Maritime Launch Services Ltd. says Germany’s Isar Aerospace plans to build a dedicated complex for its Spectrum rocket at the Nova Scotia company's site near Canso, N.S., on the eastern shore.

The two-stage rocket is designed to carry small- and medium-sized satellites into space. The German company, which has already established its first launch site in Norway, has created a new Canadian subsidiary, Isar Aerospace Canada Inc.

"While every nation needs data from space, almost no nation has the end-to-end capability to access it independently,” Alexandre Dalloneau, Isar’s vice-president of mission and launch operations, said in a statement.

Brotherly bond boosts local Amazing Race competitors

Sacha has a feeling and Sébastien has a plan — together they’ll work it out.

‘Iconic institution’ Halal Meat Centre for sale

Formally, Manitoba’s oldest halal shop is called Halal Meat Centre. But to many in the Muslim community, the outdoor sign could just as easily read “Yusuf’s.”

Until now.

After 36 years, owners Yusuf and Roshanara Abdulrehman are retiring. The 206 Maryland St. building and turnkey business are listed for $795,000.

“I’m here every day … I don’t take any day off,” Yusuf said. “It’s about time. I should let it go, let somebody else enjoy and benefit this place that I’ve been enjoying and benefiting.”

Manitoba Tories can learn from Poilievre’s mistake

Among the many errors made by Pierre Poilievre since becoming leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, his decision to attempt to persuade supporters of Max Bernier’s People’s Party and other right-wing groups to return to the Tory party ­— as opposed to adopting policies that would make the CPC more attractive to moderate Canadians — may be his greatest mistake.

Emergency responders overburdened

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service’s first comprehensive annual report offers an uncomfortable but necessary reality check. Winnipeg’s emergency responders are being asked to do more than ever, while the public is waiting longer than it should when every minute matters.

A record 136,198 incidents in 2025, including nearly 115,000 medical calls, reflects a system under relentless strain. Much of that pressure is being driven by the ongoing addictions crisis, which now generates roughly 27 emergency calls every day related to drugs or alcohol.

Opioid overdoses, alcohol intoxication and mental health emergencies have become routine parts of the workload for firefighters and paramedics, even as they continue responding to fires, traffic collisions and countless other emergencies.

The report should serve as a call to action for both city hall and the Manitoba government.

US airlines are redesigning travel around their highest-paying passengers

They may arrive at the same destination, but two passengers on the same flight can have strikingly different travel experiences.

One traveler breezes through a priority security lane and heads straight to an invite-only lounge for craft cocktails and a chef-prepared meal before boarding early. A flight attendant offering a glass of champagne and a warm hand towel welcomes the passenger to a spacious seat at the front of the plane.

The other traveler stands in a line at every step — security screening, a café selling $16 sandwiches, a crowded gate — then boards with one of the final groups, hoping there’s still room for a carry-on in the overhead bin before folding into a cramped middle seat. After the cabin lights dim, sleep comes in fragments, and a travel pillow does little to ease a stiff neck.

The contrasting journeys are no accident. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest U.S. airlines have pulled out all the stops to court premium passengers who are willing to pay for comfort, convenience and exclusivity. Budget-conscious travelers may notice a widening gap between the back of the plane and up front as the carriers increasingly build their businesses around selling first-class, business-class and premium-economy seats.

Struggling retailer Toys ‘R’ Us to shutter Transcona store

Playtime is almost over at the Toys “R” Us store in Winnipeg’s Transcona neighbourhood.

Signs hanging in the front windows indicate the longtime big-box chain outlet is closing. “All stock reduced” and “Everything must go” at the store, which has stood at 1560 Regent Ave. W. for more than 36 years. Even the fixtures are for sale.

An employee at the store declined to comment on Monday, directing the Free Press to Toys “R” Us Canada Ltd.’s head office. The company did not respond to interview requests.

Signage at the store does not specify when it will close for good.

Work permits extended to 2027 for international grads

The federal government is offering a reprieve for international graduates who found work and settled in Manitoba, giving the province more time to process a backlog of provincial nominee applications.

Franchise model expected to bring new 7-Eleven stores to Winnipeg

A new franchise model rolled out this week is expected to attract new 7-Eleven stores in Winnipeg.

A look at defunct past pipeline pitches and their recent revivals

CALGARY - Pipeline proposals long considered dead and buried are coming back from the grave — sort of.

Past plans to send oilsands crude east, west and south are being revived with different branding, proponents and routes. And, at least in the first two cases, the efforts are being driven by politicians rather than the private sector.

Here is a look at defunct projects of yore and their resurrected versions:

East

Five things you should know about Canada’s new fleet of submarines

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government on Monday named Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as the preferred bidder to build the navy's next fleet of submarines.

That means Canada will now enter into months of closed-door negotiations with TKMS.

The firm competed with South Korean defence firm Hanwha Ocean for the lucrative contract.

Here's a quick look at what is behind this major military purchase.

Carney names TKMS preferred sub bidder, hopes to join sub club with Germany, Norway

HALIFAX - Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday named German defence manufacturer TKMS as the preferred bidder to supply the Royal Canadian Navy's next fleet of submarines, and he said several are expected to be delivered by 2034.

Carney made the announcement at a Canadian Armed Forces base in Halifax, a stop along his way to this year's annual NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he can talk up the massive purchase.

"The sovereignty of our country, bounded by the three oceans and the world's longest coastline, depends on our maritime capabilities," he said.

The prime minister said it was a close race and the government had a difficult decision to make between offers from TKMS and its South Korean rival Hanwha.

Rogers to take full ownership of MLSE with $4.35B purchase of remaining stake

TORONTO - Rogers Communications Inc. says it has signed a deal to buy the remaining 25 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment it does not already own from Kilmer Sports Inc. for $4.35 billion.

Rogers chief executive Tony Staffieri called it a defining moment for the company.

"Our full ownership of MLSE brings together Canada's premier communications company with Canada's premier sports and entertainment organization," Staffieri said in a statement.

"It gives us even more opportunity to invest in championship-calibre teams, create unique experiences for customers and fans, and unlock long-term value for shareholders."

Craft ministry crochets scarves, tuques, more for vulnerable Winnipeggers

It’s a sunny summer’s day with barely a cloud in the sky but Winnipeg’s bitter winter is already on the minds of the folks gathered in the small library at Epiphany Lutheran Church (200 Dalhousie Dr.).

Every first and third Wednesday of the month, armed with needles and hooks, they knit and crochet for two hours, transforming “oodles of yarn” into scarves, tuques and headbands, to be distributed to the city’s most vulnerable residents.

The church’s volunteer craft ministry was resurrected in early 2023 by Lynnette Stamler, a retired nursing academic who returned to Manitoba after a 27-year career abroad.

“The group had started several years ago when a few ladies got together to make prayer shawls which they gifted to individuals in need. Then during the COVID-19 pandemic it went the way of all good things,” Stamler explains.

Teen urges premier to reject data centre, ‘put people and the environment first’

A 17-year-old who started a petition against the construction of an AI data centre northwest of Winnipeg has made a personal appeal to the premier to stop it.

Leona Gollub emailed Premier Wab Kinew to voice her concern about the environmental impact of a 5.5-megawatt AI data centre that’s being built on Brookside Boulevard in the Centreport industrial area in the Rural Municipality of Rosser, northwest of Winnipeg.

She said she worries about the noise and light pollution that would be emitted by the facility, and the massive amount of electricity it will require that could instead power people’s homes.

The premier, who recently rejected a data centre in Île dês Chênes, southeast of Winnipeg, thanked her for her concern in an email but did not go beyond that.

Premiers Smith, Ford unveil proposed west-east oil pipeline route

CALGARY - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled Monday a route for a proposed west-east oil pipeline.

The two premiers say it would stretch 3,300 kilometres from Hardisty, Alta., to refineries in Sarnia, Ont., without crossing the U.S. border.

They made the announcement at the Calgary Stampede after the two leaders were up bright and early flipping pancakes at Smith's annual premier's breakfast.

An Ontario government brochure says the line, referred to as the Northern Shield Energy Corridor, would move 500,000 barrels of crude per day and help reduce Canada's need to import refined oil. It could be expanded to handle 800,000 barrels per day, the brochure says.

Vaping: a clear and present danger

The numbers are startling. According to a recent Free Press story, nearly one-fifth (18.4 per cent) of Manitoba teens in grades 7 to 12 reported using ‘vapes’, known more formally as e-cigarettes, within the month prior to answering a Health Canada survey in 2023-24.

Roughing it (less): Handy items for novice campers to make the great outdoors tolerable

I hate camping.

I loathe the very idea of leaving the comfort and safety of home to sleep in a random field, where not only will I be exposed to the elements, but will also be at the mercy of all manner of creatures, from ursine to canine to insectan.

I do not want to hike up a hill just to share one outdoor tap with 12 others, standing alongside them as I brush my teeth.

I do not want to queue for 15 minutes, then part with a $2 coin to wedge myself into a shower stall just to stand under a piddly stream of lukewarm water while trying my best to swiftly soap up and sponge off lest I irk the rapidly growing line of campers outside.