Global prediction markets, local presence

Winnipeg’s mayoral race has reached a new platform: illegal online betting.

Incumbent Scott Gillingham took the lead on U.S.-based Polymarket on Thursday afternoon. Some $15,335 had been invested in his win (from 54 per cent of bettors).

Gillingham also led on Kalshi, another U.S. prediction market. Half of bettors were banking on his victory (a ‘yes’ share was 60 cents at the time).

Kevin Klein trailed in second place in both Polymarket and Kalshi contracts; Mazher Alam had garnered $2,256 and third place on Polymarket; Don Woodstock claimed third place on Kalshi by 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

More than 60,000 Manitobans rely on food bank each month, Harvest Manitoba report says

Linda Smith first turned to Harvest Manitoba in the early 1990s when her husband became permanently disabled. Now, on a fixed income, she continues to access the food bank to make ends meet.

Smith is one of more than 60,000 Manitobans now relying on food banks each month as demand continues to grow, a new report by Harvest Manitoba reveals.

The organization said in its 2025-26 impact report, released Thursday, that 61,188 people accessed a food bank in the province in March. Nearly half of them were children. The number of people accessing food banks in the province since 2020 has ballooned by more than 150 per cent, including more seniors, like Smith, than ever before.

Smith, a mother of five now in her 70s, first went to Harvest Manitoba in 1991 when he husband was disabled, and then again in the mid 2000s following a major car accident that led to a brain stem injury that forced her out of the workforce.

‘Anti-worker’ status change for Winnipeg Transit Plus drivers voted down

A controversial change of status for Winnipeg Transit Plus drivers, which some feared could leave them with lower pay and fewer benefits, has been rejected.

On Thursday, Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) raised a successful motion that called for the changes to be “received as information,” which means the city will not act on them.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), mayoral candidate Kevin Klein and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 had all urged city councillors to reject the changes.

Mayes deemed the proposal a “ridiculous anti-worker provision.” It would have repealed a 2023 council decision that required Transit Plus drivers to be employees of companies the city hires to provide accessible transit service.

Flyers, Monarchs look to bounce back after dropping opening-season bids

The Flyers are hoping to improve after an unusual down season by their standards in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Winkler finished fourth in the East Division and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Niverville.

Head coach and general manager Matt Melo is in his third season with the Flyers and anticipates his team growing throughout the year.

“We’re a young group, I think we’re a strong group, but certainly there’s lots to clean up,” Melo said following a pair of defeats to Steinbach this past weekend to open their season.

Klein wants city-run, maintained ‘bridge’ space for homeless people

Mayoral candidate Kevin Klein wants the city to set up a 24-hour community space pilot project for homeless Winnipeggers.

Klein said the space — a building, piece of land or both — would provide washrooms, garbage-management facilities and on-site staff to assess visitors and direct them to housing or other supports over a one-year pilot project.

City council recently rejected a similar proposal for a managed encampment in Winnipeg — a motion that would have directed the public service to identify potential designated encampment sites with public washrooms and garbage facilities was struck down in June — but Klein said his plan differs because it would include more resources.

“I will pursue a time-limited, professionally managed community, as a bridge to housing and treatment,” he told reporters at his campaign office Thursday morning.

Mayor introduces charter change motion to remove council members charged with crimes

Mayor Scott Gillingham is urging council to move forward with his plan to force a paid leave of absence on elected civic officials charged with criminal offence.

The mayor introduced a new “notice of motion” at Thursday’s city council meeting that calls on the province to change the City of Winnipeg Charter to allow the process, days after Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt registered to run for re-election despite facing sexual assault charges.

“This is about the electorate, the people of the City of Winnipeg who elect members of council, the mayor, to public office, to serve them. There should be no distraction, there should be confidence and public trust that people of Winnipeg can have for their elected officials,” said Gillingham.

Union leaders, the mayor and some councillors have publicly urged Wyatt to step aside from his council role to deal with the charges.

No more Jets 1.0 or 2.0: League announces all eras of Winnipeg’s club to be merged

Mark Scheifele’s goal was always to chase down his mentor and former Barrie Colts head coach Dale Hawerchuk, no matter what the official record book said.

So when the NHL and the Winnipeg Jets announced on Thursday morning that they were consolidating the franchise history to include the 1.0 and 2.0 eras (including the Atlanta Thrashers chapter of the club), Scheifele was among those to give the move two thumbs up.

“Yeah, it clarifies it for you guys more, not as much (for) me,” said Scheifele. “It’s really cool to bring in the old Jets records, and especially Dale. Chasing him down was always on my mind. So, it’s cool to do it actually in the record books.”

Scheifele remains the franchise leader in games played (961) and he’s likely to eclipse Hawerchuk in goals (Scheifele has 372 to Hawerchuk’s 379) and points (Scheifele has 907 to Hawerchuk’s 929) this season. He now has Thomas Steen’s 553 assists in his sights after amassing 535 heading into 2026-27.

Husband of rival sex club owner accused in attempted bathhouse bombing

A Winnipeg bathhouse owner says he was shocked to learn the man accused of planting a pipe bomb outside his business is married to the owner of a competing sex and lifestyle club.

Christopher Gregoire, who recently took ownership of AQ Sauna, said a live pipe bomb was found by a “heroic patron” outside the club, formerly known as Aquarius Bath House, in the early morning hours of Sept. 11.

On Thursday, the Winnipeg Police Service announced Erik Lymen Olson, 59, was facing multiple charges in the incident. Olson is the husband of Adonis Men’s Spa owner Doug Pomanski.

“This is wild,” Gregoire said after learning of the charges.

Firefighter admits to conditional sentence breach

A Winnipeg firefighter previously jailed for criminally harassing two different women has been released from custody after admitting to breaching a conditional sentence order.

Christopher Goethals, 59, was arrested July 21 after an alert from his ankle monitor six days earlier showed he had driven within 400 metres of the workplace of a former girlfriend he had been ordered to have no contact with.

Goethals pleaded guilty Wednesday to not being in possession of a copy of his conditional sentence order, a requirement of his sentence.

Crown attorney Amanda Heslop withdrew a breach charge related to Goethals’ electronic monitoring conditions and stayed a third charge of disobeying a court order.

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.