Yes, there is a Santa Claus. And no, COVID-19 won’t stop him

DeKalb victory adds Team Ackland to list of province’s top curling teams

MORRIS, Man., — Don’t forget about Abby Ackland.

Politicians who harp on Klein’s history with Nygard do so at their own peril

It was probably the easiest prediction to make in Winnipeg politics this week: the moment Kevin Klein officially entered the mayoral race, someone would bring up Peter Nygard.

Sure enough, they did.

And it was led by Klein’s chief political opponent in this race, Mayor Scott Gillingham, who called Klein a “fixer” for the convicted sex offender.

None of this is particularly surprising.

Owners of beloved Shawarma Time return with new eatery

Notre Dame Avenue is becoming a bit of a hotbed of new restaurants and food outlets.

Starting with the easternmost offering, there’s Altanour Restaurant and Deli, which has been open for about four months. It’s owned and run by Talal Dalank and his wife, Dounia, the former owners of Shawarma Time on Ellice.

Dalank, who immigrated to Canada from Lebanon about 26 years ago, made headlines in 2017 when he donated two days’ worth of his restaurant’s profits to the refugee centre Welcome Place, after being inspired by seeing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcoming Syrian immigrants with winter jackets.

When the Dalanks had to return to Lebanon to deal with a family emergency, they reluctantly sold Shawarma Time. However, the family maintained their residence in Winnipeg; on trips back to the city, Talal would frequently run into former customers who missed his food. When he was able to return, he and Dounia opened a new place. The menu is slightly expanded and also offers catering options, thanks to a larger kitchen in the simply decorated two-room restaurant.

Finding new markets — across an ocean

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s barnstorming trade mission to the European Union has created a ton of discussion and debate about cultivating new trade opportunities for Canadian exporters. What is hasn’t created, however, is very much certainty.

At first blush, opening up new trade relationships with the EU seems like a no-brainer as Canada is confronted with an increasing number of tariffs and restrictions from an increasingly unhinged Trump White House. And the possibilities are tantalizing; the EU and United Kingdom represent a market of more than 519 million people, which is larger than North America.

Canada is one of few nations to push back against Trump’s irrational trade demands. The result is an almost daily escalation of punitive measures and threatening rhetoric. Our trade relationship with the U.S. has been deeply wounded; in short order, it may become fatally so.

However, it is our courage in the face of American trade threats that has made us a coveted trading partner for many European nations. So much so that the EU created an entirely new category of “associate member” to give Canada an incentive to strengthen trading relationships.

PCs cleared of election violation for ‘intimacy coach’ invoice

Manitoba’s elections commissioner has cleared the Progressive Conservatives of wrongdoing after a $3,800 expense for a car rental appeared on an invoice from a company offering “intimacy coach” services.

The findings from the commissioner bring an end to a complaint raised by the NDP in October 2024, when it was alleged the PCs violated the Election Financing Act by forging financial documents related to the previous year’s election campaign.

“I am satisfied that the expense was indeed for a car rental, as the invoice described,” Bill Bowles wrote in a letter addressed to both parties Wednesday.

Concerns over the invoice to Lucid Vitality were first raised by a former PC staffer, whose internal emails with party officials were published in the Winnipeg Sun.

Hot topic: mayor considers max temp for rental properties

Mayor Scott Gillingham says he’s open to exploring a call to set a maximum temperature for indoor rental units.

“I think we should be looking at that, as far as what the specifics would be … (In) our overall body of work, recently, we have been addressing the heat and making sure people have places to get out from under the heat,” said Gillingham.

Tenant and environmental groups have called for a maximum indoor rental unit heat limit that doesn’t exceed 26 C. A city bylaw does require landlords to maintain a minimum daytime temperature of 21 C during cold weather.

Gillingham noted the city has added 24-7 safe spaces, extended spray pad hours, opened libraries as cooling spaces and added drinking water stations to provide relief on very hot days.