Time for cards on the table with gambling ma

Petan looking for a job; Jets may have opening

Is this the season Nic Petan earns a full-time gig with the Winnipeg Jets?

The 23-year-old from Delta, B.C., boasts an impressive "previous employment" section on his hockey resume: high-scoring centre in the Western Hockey League; gold medallist with Team Canada at the 2015 world junior hockey championship; and point-a-game performer in the American Hockey League.

Yet, he hasn't found a permanent spot on the NHL club's roster, five years after the Jets selected him in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2013 NHL draft.

Gone from the landscape are centres Paul Stastny and Matt Hendricks and wingers Joel Armia and Shawn Matthias, meaning at least a couple of job openings up front are available.

Germany seeks to boost renewable energy, cut Russian imports

BERLIN (AP) — The German government unveiled a major package of reforms Wednesday to boost the production of renewable power, meet its climate goals and become independent of energy imports from hostile nations such as Russia.

The 600-page “Easter package” approved by Cabinet lays out ambitious goals for the expansion of offshore power and declares the installation of renewable energy to be of “overriding public interest” — a trump card meant to cut through Germany's often lengthy bureaucratic processes.

Europe's biggest economy aims to generate almost all of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2035 — more than doubling the current rate in 13 years. But the roll-out has slowed sharply in recent years due to complex rules and changes in feed-in subsidies.

"In sum, this package will lead to a significant increase in renewable energy,” Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin.

Licence reviews probe hard-hit care homes

The results of a provincial probe into one of Manitoba's deadliest personal-care home outbreaks remain unknown, even as the health department puts the private facility's licence under review.

Maples Personal Care Home in Winnipeg is one of three personal-care homes in Manitoba currently having its licence reviewed because it hasn't been able to keep up with provincial standards, a government spokesperson confirmed Monday. But the province has yet to disclose the findings of a review it commissioned last fall.

Lynn Stevenson, a former nurse and B.C. deputy health minister, was tasked with looking into the operations of the Revera Inc. personal care home after a "nightmare" situation unfolded at Maples in early November. An anonymous paramedic's social media post on Reddit described residents dying at the chronically understaffed facility, some being left hungry and dehydrated while others were "being literally left to rot." It prompted then-Health Minister Cameron Friesen to promise a review of the facility's operations.

More than a month after a preliminary report was completed following the review, the province says it will not be publicly released, but that changes have already been put in place for staffing, infection control and safe visits. The final report was expected this month.

Stefanson shifts gears in effort to leave Pallister behind

One year after Brian Pallister suddenly resigned as Manitoba premier, his successor is striking a different tone ahead of an election the PCs could call sooner than its scheduled October 2023 date.

Open the gates: floodway put into operation in advance of fall storm

A large, unstable weather system is expected to dump 60 to 100 millimetres of rain on southern Manitoba over the next several days, necessitating the activation of the Red River Floodway in autumn for the first time.

The storm comes as fields throughout the Red River Valley are already soaked due to heavy rains.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Red River had reached 14.1 feet at James Avenue, the highest fall level recorded since at least 1971, from which time such data is readily available. In November 2010, the Red crested at 13.3 feet James.

The government issued a news release Tuesday evening warning the floodway may be activated Wednesday, after stating earlier the same day its operation was "not expected at this time." The floodway gates were to be raised at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Sea Bears finish on top

Beauty. Bliss. Ecstasy.

That is how Aug. 15, 2026 will be remembered in Winnipeg.

What was once a pipe dream in the city’s hoops community became an epic reality on Saturday, when Simon Hildebrandt, who grew up playing on the courts of this very town, made good on a three-pointer from the wing to crown the Winnipeg Sea Bears Canadian Elite Basketball League champions.

A storybook ending to a 98-84 victory over the Brampton Honey Badgers sent a CEBL attendance record of 12,519 fans into pandemonium at Canada Life Centre and capped a Finals run for the ages — one that was fraught with injury, impromptu player exits and unprecedented circumstances.