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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.

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Mayor 2 puts positive spin 3 on city’s less-than-edsfxpected share of federal housing fund

The city will receive $122 million in federal government housing money, falling about $70 million shy of the municipal government’s original request. However, Winnipeg’s mayor stressed the amount is substantial and should leverage millions of dollars of additional investment.

Province launches first Liquor Mart pop-up store next to new Costco

Manitoba has launched its first pop-up Liquor Mart — right next to Winnipeg’s newest Costco.

Shoppers drove by the converted construction trailer Thursday on their way to the opening of the new Costco, located on Portage Avenue West, just north of Highway 1.

The pop-up, covered in purple Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries signage, sits off Festival Drive in west Winnipeg.

“It is unique,” said Premier Wab Kinew, who paid a visit Thursday morning. “This is a really exciting opportunity for us to see if this kind of thing makes sense.”

Fitness program geared to firefighters, paramedics in works

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will provide a new exercise program tailored to the unique physical strains endured by its staff on the job, with the goal of preventing workplace injuries.

The service is seeking a contractor to design and deliver fitness and wellness programming.

“Right now, we’ve found there’s a bit of a gap in providing information, support and resources to our staff, specifically related to functional fitness or aspects of fitness that relate to the work they do,” said WFPS deputy chief Scott Wilkinson. “(This is) just trying to look at the work that people are doing and then help them with the required fitness.”

The contractor would analyze the physical job requirements of WFPS staff, provide exercise programs to suit them, administer physical evaluations, and provide education on sleep, nutrition and flexibility.

Manitoba MLAs pass 72-hour detention bill after weeks of sparring

The acrimony and finger-pointing that gripped the Manitoba legislature over a proposed law to allow for the 72-hour detention of people intoxicated by meth ended with a whimper Wednesday, as the bill passed with near unanimous support.

Bill 48 passed third reading Wednesday afternoon following a hastily called news conference in which Premier Wab Kinew accused the Progressive Conservatives of playing politics with legislation that he said is critical to addressing Manitoba’s meth crisis.

“We’ve been calling this bill over and over and they keep wasting time. I’m not playing games,” Kinew said, standing in front of more than a dozen law enforcement officials, first-responders and other backers of the bill who gathered at the legislature.

“I think everybody in Manitoba knows that meth is causing a ton of damage out there and we need to do something about it.”

Veterinarian agrees to quit practice after regulator rules on latest complaints

A veterinarian who has an extensive history of being disciplined by the provincial regulator will stop practising next year.

Dr. Wenchao Zheng has agreed to retire on June 30 after he pleaded guilty to professional misconduct in front of the profession’s regulatory body earlier this year.

The peer review complaints committee of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association held a hearing into four recent complaints against Zheng in July. Two were filed by members of the public in 2023, while the other two were referred to the committee by the regulator’s registrar in 2024.

In an order issued in September, the association banned Zheng from doing orthopedic surgeries.

Drug rehab staffer injured in attack by armed resident

A staff member at a Winnipeg drug rehab centre, frequently used as an inpatient facility for people involved in the criminal justice system, was attacked and seriously injured by a resident armed with a weapon.

City police responded to reports of an assault at the Behavioural Health Foundation at 35 Avenue de la Digue shortly after 9 p.m. on Oct. 24. The victim, a person in their 20s, was transported to hospital in unstable condition, and later upgraded to stable condition, Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said.

Officers arrested a 29-year-old woman and charged her with assault with a weapon and breaching a release order. Police withheld further details about the victim.

The Free Press has confirmed the accused involved in the attack is Jennifer Marie Pollard, who was being treated at the foundation’s inpatient facility in St. Norbert.