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

There were tears and cheers on an elementary school playground in Rossmere as students arrived for the first day of classes Wednesday.

Seven-year-old Ethan Minski is among tens of thousands of Manitoba students who have officially started a new school year.

Before entering King Edward School, Minski said he was most looking forward to phys-ed class.

“Everybody loves gym. It’s just fun!” the Grade 2 student said.

‘Dynacare sucks:’ premier muses about bringing lab services back into public system after strike halted

Manitoba’s premier said the province is looking at bringing diagnostic lab services back into the public system rather than continuing to contract Dynacare, declaring the for-profit company “sucks.”

“Maybe we’ll take over the whole system… we’re working on it, we’re looking at it, the situation is not great, this company’s making a mess — I think it’s pretty clear I’m not happy with them,” Premier Wab Kinew told CBC Radio Wednesday morning. “At the same time, nobody should be trying to use people’s health care as leverage.”

Kinew made the comments the day after the Manitoba Labour Board cut short a strike by 350 lab technicians and technologists employed by Dynacare, which administers blood, urine and other medical tests for patients in Winnipeg, Brandon and surrounding communities.

Dynacare, which is contracted by the provincial government, performs the majority of non-emergency blood and urine tests in the province.

DNA on beer can helps solve killing

Two years after 74-year-old James Monaghan was stabbed in his Sherburn Street home, DNA found on a beer can led police to his killer.

Shara Harper, 29, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and on Tuesday was sentenced to six years in prison.

A neighbour found Monaghan dead in his home on July 29, 2022. He had been stabbed twice in the chest and back.

The investigation into Monaghan’s killing had stalled until June 2024, when DNA found on an empty beer can in Monaghan’s home was confirmed to be a match for Harper.

Bumps in the road as students collect free bus passes

Alexis Enns left her guidance counsellor’s office empty-handed, but no less excited about starting Grade 12 — even though she still didn’t know how she would get there or her timetable — on Tuesday.

“My summer was pretty boring,” the 17-year-old said after an unsuccessful trip to get her free bus pass and bearings at Technical Vocational High School.

“I like back-to-school. I like having somewhere to be every day and something to do every day.”

For some families in the Winnipeg School Division, hers included, the 2026-27 academic year kicked off with delays related to the rollout of free youth transit and course schedules.

St. Charles golfer takes opening round lead at national senior men’s championship

David White didn’t set any expectations entering this week.

The St. Charles golfer knew he had the game to keep up with a talented field across four days, but wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d be in the hunt for a title.

So the 59-year-old walked away in great spirits after an opening round three-under 69 has him leading the Canadian senior men’s championship at Niakwa on Tuesday.

It was a terrific display of resilience in blustery conditions for White, who was one shot clear of Scotland’s Ronnie Clark, the only other player to reach red figures.

Goldeyes open three-game playoff series in Fargo

The Winnipeg Goldeyes return to post-season action Wednesday night since their trip to the Miles Wolff Cup Final in 2024.

First pitch in Game 1 of the West Division series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Fargo, N.D., against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.

Here’s a breakdown of what to know as the best-of-three series begins at Newman Outdoor Field.

By the numbers

‘It blew my mind that four lives were taken’

A two-vehicle crash that killed four teenage friends in the Interlake Sunday night prompted outpourings of grief in several communities and calls for safety improvements at the intersection, which was also the site of a death in July.

Recent high school graduates Maya Borsa and Chloe Vermette, both 18, were identified by their families as victims of the collision at Highway 8 and Provincial Road 229, just west of Winnipeg Beach.

“(Chloe) was a very bubbly, loving personality. Always giving, always caring. Her friends meant the world to her,” said her mother, Veronique Vermette, who struggled to comprehend the tragedy when she went to the scene Monday. “We sat in the rain for hours, and it blew my mind that four lives were taken.”

The teens’ parents are waiting for RCMP to provide more information about the cause of the crash. Chloe, who graduated from Windsor Park Collegiate in Winnipeg in July, was driving one of the vehicles, her mother said.

Hydro crews working to restore service to last of the powerless people in River Heights after ferocious Sunday storm

When Sheila Fenby’s basement began filling with water Sunday night, it felt like déjà vu.

Her Lorette Avenue home had managed to stay dry through eight years of rainstorms, but fell victim to June’s once-in-a-lifetime storm that hammered southern Manitoba. She chalked up that day as a “freak accident” and began working on repairs to her flooded basement.

She describes that work as “90 per cent done” when her basement filled with several centimetres of water from the toilet and shower.

“I don’t know if insurance is even going to cover me this time, because I still have my open claim from the last one,” she told the Free Press Tuesday.

No reason to panic about city’s projected $29-M shortfall: councillor

The City of Winnipeg expects to end this year with a nearly $29-million shortfall in its tax-supported operating budget, as costs for fuel, snow-clearing and other expenses pile up.

The financial outlook is based on data up to June 30 and projects a deficit that is $8.5 million larger than the city’s first-quarter forecast.

“It’s obviously going in the wrong direction but … I wouldn’t necessarily consider it (reason for) panic at this point. It’s not surprising with fuel prices, in particular, being higher than forecast,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), city council’s finance chairman.

Traditionally, the city’s finances often improve in later months of the year, though there is no guarantee that will happen.

Governments chip in for housing at Portage Place, Market Lands, other city locations

A new government partnership will aim to speed up home construction, largely in downtown Winnipeg, with a goal to produce at least 740 affordable housing units.

The Build Canada Homes partnership, funded by the governments of Canada, Manitoba and Winnipeg, will support at least 821 housing units. The vast majority (811) will be in Winnipeg, while the rest will be added in Swan River.

Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said the partnership will tackle substantial housing needs in Manitoba, at a time home prices are out of reach for many Canadians.

“Far too many people (are) sleeping outside, sleeping rough, unsheltered. Far too many people … can’t find a home they can afford,” said Robertson.

Word test

TESTING

Premier Wab Kinew is an imported Manitoban, born in Kenora and raised on Onigaming First Nation in Treaty Three (in northwestern Ontario) before his family moved to Winnipeg. He’s the son of well-known Anishinaabe leader and traditional knowledge keeper Tobasonakwut Kinew and Kathi Kinew.

These are the words we provided feedback on: Boniface, Cockburn, Dauphin, Dene, Hellebuyck, Iafallo, Íslendingadagurinn, Kinew, Kildonan, Malak Abas, Métis, Newfoundland, Orlikow, Pembina, Portage la Prairie, Premier, Regina, St. Vital, Samyn, Schiefele, vínarterta, Wiebe, Generation Z.

Labour board ruling halts Dynacare strike

The Manitoba Labour Board has cut short a strike by 350 lab workers employed by Dynacare who administer blood and urine tests for patients in Winnipeg, Brandon and surrounding communities.

The board ruled late Tuesday afternoon that the workers, who hit the picket line at 6 a.m., must return to work Wednesday.

Jason Linklater, president of their union, the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, slammed the board’s decision.

“The Manitoba Labour Board is doing exactly what the government asked them to do: they are taking away our members’ right to fight for fairness,” he said in a statement.