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MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS University of Winnipeg’s interim president Jino Distasio, at the Wesmen Classic Tuesday, says ‘I bleed U of W red’ and hopes to revive the school’s women’s soccer program.

Acting U of W president says school has key downtown role

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

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The University of Winnipeg’s acting president prides himself on being a lifelong cheerleader for the Wesmen and he’s bringing that energy — as well as plans to revisit the soccer program — to his new post.

“I bleed U of W red,” urban geography professor Jino Distasio said in an interview, hours before heading to the Wesmen Classic.

“I really have a passion for the University of Winnipeg. Since I was a student there, back in the ’80s, to where I am now, the U of W’s been my home.”

Distasio has dedicated the last 26 years to teaching and researching urban revitalization and housing insecurity. He stepped into the new role on Dec. 12.

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Shatter-resistant bus shelters smooth as glass — so far

Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Preview

Shatter-resistant bus shelters smooth as glass — so far

Nicole Buffie 3 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CST

Preliminary results from Winnipeg Transit’s shatter-resistant bus shelter panels shows they have been a smashing success.

Two months after the polycarbonate panels were installed at several “high-use” transit stops, only two panels have had to be reinstalled because they were knocked out of their mounts.

The city has installed the “virtually unbreakable” panels at 22 sites so far as part of a one-year pilot project that was announced in October. Winnipeg Transit spokesperson Megan Benedictson said Wednesday those panels have cost $88,000.

After the two panels fell out, the city addressed the issue by changing its installation technique. One shelter was also damaged in a collision and removed from service, Benedictson said.

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Yesterday at 6:00 AM CST

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Polycarbonate panels have held up well in Winnipeg’s bus shelters as an alternative to glass.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Polycarbonate panels have held up well in Winnipeg’s bus shelters as an alternative to glass.

Power outage left Pimicikamak in dark, cold since Sunday

Melissa Martin and Scott Billeck 7 minute read Preview

Power outage left Pimicikamak in dark, cold since Sunday

Melissa Martin and Scott Billeck 7 minute read Yesterday at 8:12 PM CST

The power is back on in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, but it will take the remote Northern First Nation longer to recover after a prolonged electricty outage threw the community into crisis, causing waterpipes to freeze and forcing more than 1,400 residents to evacuate.

On Thursday, Manitoba Hydro announced it had completed emergency repairs of the broken power line that supplies Pimicikamak Okimawawin, also known as Cross Lake First Nation. The community is situated about 100 km south of Thompson, on Treaty 5 territory. Roughly 6,600 of its over 9,500 members live on-reserve.

All power was expected to be restored by the end of Thursday night, a Manitoba Hydro spokesman said. Electricity had to be restored in stages so as not to overwhelm the system with surges as refridgerators, furnaces, and other high-draw appliances came back online.

The fix came just in time. By Wednesday, with the water treatment plant offline, the First Nation had run out of potable water. Manitoba Hydro supplied a large generator to get the plant working again, as well as eight heavy-duty heaters and generators to power them, to be used by the community at warming centres.

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Yesterday at 8:12 PM CST

MANITOBA HYDRO Hydro workers spotted a downed line over the Nelson River about 10 kilometres from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, while flying over in a helicopter Monday morning.
MANITOBA HYDRO Hydro workers spotted a downed line over the Nelson River about 10 kilometres from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, while flying over in a helicopter Monday morning.

Nestaweya River Trail opens for the season

Melissa Martin 4 minute read Preview

Nestaweya River Trail opens for the season

Melissa Martin 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:45 PM CST

Just hours after ringing in the New Year, The Forks rang in the start of a new season, as the Nestaweya River Trail opened.

The trail — its name means “three points” in Anishinaabemowin, referencing the three-pointed juncture where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet — officially opened to the public on Thursday morning, right on time for a day of festive activities at The Forks, which included live music and family storytelling.

New Year’s Day is about the average time for the trail to be open, said Sara Stasiuk, CEO of The Forks, though unpredictable Winnipeg winters make each year a little different. This time around, the water froze at a slightly lower level than in a typical year, so the padded stairway down to the ice has been extended.

“It’s always a monumental time in Winnipeg when we can finally get back on the ice,” Stasiuk said, as she took her first glide on the Assiniboine on Thursday morning. “It’s so incredible to be able to connect communities by the ice. The rivers are such a part of our history, and to be able to use them in our every day in the winter makes this place pretty special.”

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Yesterday at 3:45 PM CST

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Skaters officially open the Nestaweya River Trail by skating through a red ribbon on New Year’s Day.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Skaters officially open the Nestawaya River Trail by skating through a red ribbon on New Year’s Day.

Feeling somewhat fresh, optimistic after washing off the stench of 2025

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Feeling somewhat fresh, optimistic after washing off the stench of 2025

Dan Lett 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CST

First, a confession.

Last week, I filed my version of the year-end column in which I declared 2025 the “year of the xenophobe.” I was left decidedly dissatisfied by my choice.

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Yesterday at 6:00 AM CST

I hope that in next 12 months, a measure of genuine integrity and intellectual honesty returns to politics at all levels in Canada, Dan Lett writes. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)
I hope that in next 12 months, a measure of genuine integrity and intellectual honesty returns to politics at all levels in Canada, Dan Lett writes. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/TNS)

It’s deja vu for opponents of proposed housing development near riverside ‘oasis’ in 2018

Tyler Searle 4 minute read Preview

It’s deja vu for opponents of proposed housing development near riverside ‘oasis’ in 2018

Tyler Searle 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

A property developer has come full-circle in a proposal to build an apartment near a historic park in south Winnipeg, frustrating some nearby residents who fought against the plan in 2018.

Progressive Real Estate Group is asking the city to allow construction of a four-storey apartment building located near Henteleff Park on St. Mary’s Road.

The developer approached the city with the idea about eight years ago, but changed the proposal after residents raised concerns over the height of the buildings and population density. In response, it agreed to build a smaller, two-storey apartment and townhouses.

The city approved that plan in 2018 and the project appeared set to proceed, but the developer has now reversed course and amended its proposal to again feature a larger building.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

Henteleff Park in south St. Vital is near the site of a proposed four-storey apartment building.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Henteleff Park in south St. Vital is near the site of a proposed four-storey apartment building.

News briefs for Thursday, January 1, 2026

2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 9:14 PM CST

A collection of breaking news briefs filed on Thursday, January 1, 2026

Jets drop eighth straight

9:14 PM

TORONTO – The Winnipeg Jets found a painful new way to lose on Thursday.

How the new year will affect your pocketbook

Free Press Staff 3 minute read Preview

How the new year will affect your pocketbook

Free Press Staff 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

The arrival of 2026 will herald changes to rates and taxes for Manitobans.

A four per cent Manitoba Hydro rate increase takes effect on Jan. 1. The interim rate hike was announced Tuesday by the Public Utilities Board in response to the Crown utility’s drought-related losses and its need to maintain, upgrade and expand the power grid.

“It is an understandable response from Hydro’s regulator to send a message that the drought is being taken seriously,” the Consumers Coalition said in an email Wednesday.

A four per cent rate increase in hydro rates will be challenging for many consumers who have to make difficult choices alongside the rising cost of other essentials, said the coalition that represents Manitoba Harvest, the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg, the Manitoba branch of the Consumers Association of Canada, and the Manitoba Seniors Equity Action Coalition.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

A four per cent Manitoba Hydro rate increase takes effect on Jan. 1. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press files)
A four per cent Manitoba Hydro rate increase takes effect on Jan. 1. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press files)

‘Stunned’ chief justice, longtime philanthropists among new Order of Canada members

Kevin Rollason 4 minute read Preview

‘Stunned’ chief justice, longtime philanthropists among new Order of Canada members

Kevin Rollason 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

A former chief justice of the province’s highest court and a philanthropist couple with ties to the city are among 80 new appointments to the Order of Canada.

The appointments, by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, were announced Wednesday.

Richard Chartier, the former chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal, was recognized as a member of the Order of Canada for improving access to justice and language rights in the province.

Chartier said he was “stunned” when he received the call from the Governor General’s office in November. He assumed he was going to be a reference for someone else until he was told the news.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Former chief justice Richard Chartier (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)
Former chief justice Richard Chartier (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

Drug site bid made on day consults were set

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Preview

Drug site bid made on day consults were set

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Health Canada has confirmed it received an application for a supervised drug consumption site on Henry Avenue in Winnipeg, which is dated Dec. 5 — the same day the Manitoba government invited community members to weigh in on the plan for the proposed facility.

The Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg applied for the site under Health Canada’s “urgent public health need” stream, federal spokesperson Karine LeBlanc said in an email Tuesday.

The “urgent” stream allows the centre to establish a site more quickly to address the addictions crisis, said Emily Coutts, Manitoba’s principal cabinet secretary.

“The need is urgent. Manitoba lost 570 people to overdose in 2024 and 232 in the first six months of 2025,” she said.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

The future supervised drug-consumption site location at 366 Henry Ave. in Winnipeg is set to open next month. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)
The future supervised drug-consumption site location at 366 Henry Ave. in Winnipeg is set to open next month. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press)

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