Feds, city, province join forces with Shoal Lake 40 to build 150 apartments in St. James

The federal government has announced more than $51 million in combined funding to build 150 apartment units in Winnipeg’s St. James neighbourhood.

The development, located at 2675 Portage Ave., will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units and is led by Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, marking its first housing project in the city.

Shoal Lake 40 Chief Herb Greene said 61 of the units will be considered affordable and the remaining 89 will be offered at fair-market value. Priority will be given to Indigenous applicants.

“This development is about three things: history, teamwork, and the future,” Greene said during a sod-turning ceremony Tuesday. He noted for more than 100 years, Winnipeg was in dire need of a reliable source of clean drinking water.

City to start treating ground squirrels in nine parks

The city will begin using pesticides to control its ground squirrel population Tuesday.

Two rodenticides will be used to treat athletic fields at nine parks in the city.

The parks are: Beryl Watts Park/Vince Leah Community Centre, Charleswood Place, Fairgrove Bay Park, Shaughnessy Park, St. James Memorial Sports Park, Theodore Niitzhotay Fontaine Park, Weston Memorial Community Centre, Woodsworth Park and Valour Community Centre – Clifton Site.

The city said in a Tuesday news release it was forced to close some of the fields over the past few years because of ground squirrel damage. “The treatments we chose are used in most major Canadian cities. They pose limited risk to other animals and people,” the release stated.

Rent control killing jobs: landlords

Companies are laying off staff and pausing major investments ahead of changes to Manitoba’s rental market.

One Manitoba company that works primarily on apartment buildings has had four projects put on hold and had to lay off roughly a dozen staff.

“That’s been a common theme with my peers… They’re all having to do the same,” said Con-Restor Technologies owner Stephane Phaneuf.

The Manitoba government plans to change how rental property managers can apply for above-guideline increases this spring. If implemented, landlords won’t recoup renovation costs through rent as quickly.

Province warned time ticking on sewage plant funding

Winnipeggers could see their water bills spike unless the province steps up to fund the final phase of upgrades at the north end sewage plant, city leaders and environmentalists are warning.

“Without a funding commitment from the province, without a funding commitment from the federal government, Winnipeggers themselves will have to pay the full cost of the Phase 3 project, which has skyrocketed in cost from when it was first mandated back in 2005,” said Alexis Kanu, Lake Winnipeg Foundation executive director.

Two weeks ago, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham expressed disappointment the 2026 provincial budget did not specify funding for the $1.57-billion upgrade designed to greatly expand sewage capacity and significantly reduce algae-promoting nutrients flowing from the plant into the Red River, ending up in Lake Winnipeg.

“Without that in writing from the province, the city has no choice but to download the cost onto ratepayers because they can’t award a contract based on a vague promise of money down the road,” said Kanu. “Until we hear from the province, we also can’t leverage any money from the federal government.”

Steady flow of donors at one of two Winnipeg for-profit plasma centres

It was business as usual at a Winnipeg for-profit plasma donation centre Monday after Health Canada announced that a review sparked by the deaths of two Manitobans found “systemic deficiencies” at sites across the country.

Veteran sports broadcaster Scott Oake to retire later this month

Veteran sports journalist and acclaimed Winnipegger Scott Oake has announced his retirement from broadcasting, marking the end of a more than 50-year career during which he spent decades as a mainstay on Hockey Night in Canada.

Oake, who is in his early 70s, made the announcement Saturday after hosting Sportsnet’s After Hours program following a game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL.

“I would like you to know that the decision to retire is mine. I’m going out on my own terms and I greatly appreciate the opportunity because not everybody in this business gets it,” Oake said as he bid farewell.

“Rogers, Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada would have had me continue, but as I’ve said to more than a few people, 50-plus years in this business is more than anyone should have to take of me, and frankly, ladies and gentlemen, it’s just about all I can take of myself — and so it’s time.”

‘I don’t want to tempt fate twice’: Manitoban Ukraine war vet embarks on fundraising trek

After sticking his foot through the massive steel border wall separating the U.S. and Mexico on Sunday, Peter Derksen turned to face north — taking his first steps on the Pacific Crest Trail and officially embarking on a more than 4,000-kilometre trek through the American wilderness in support of Ukrainian soldiers.

No link found between deaths, plasma donations: Health Canada

Health Canada says it has found no linkage between the plasma donation process and the deaths of two Manitoba donors.

The federal regulator began its assessment following the deaths on Oct. 25 and Jan. 30 at two Grifols Plasma Donation Centres. The Spain-based company operates two for-profit paid plasma centres in Winnipeg on Taylor Avenue and Innovation Drive.

Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson says it visited the Winnipeg locations and identified areas of “non-compliance” in accordance with federal regulations. Grifols was required to provide a “corrective and preventative action plan” which Johnson says is currently under review.

Plasma centres in Calgary (December) and Regina (January), and Grifols’s head office in Oakville, Ont., (January) were also inspected.