Rich, spicy hot chocolate a decadent treat

‘We’ll stand for the children’: crowds gather for Orange Shirt Day in Winnipeg

A sea of people clad in orange shirts and waving flags marched through downtown Winnipeg to honour those who survived and died in residential schools.

Wednesday marked National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It was first enshrined as a Manitoba statutory holiday on Sept. 30, 2024.

As part of the many organized events throughout the province, the Southern Chiefs Organization held the sixth annual Orange Shirt Day Healing Walk and Pow Wow.

The march began with Indigenous elders leading prayers and a pipe and smudging ceremony at Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks.

Northern style

North of North is partnering with the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq to celebrate the way it has propelled authentic northern fashion into the global spotlight at the gallery’s special edition of Crafted on the Catwalk tonight, featuring fashion and design from Manitoba, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Nunatsiavut and Nunavik.

Arnaquq-Baril and series stars Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq spoke to the Free Press ahead of tonight’s catwalk show.

Rich colours, nature-inspired hues key decorating trends for 2026

Forget featureless white walls and cold, pale floors, a warm, rich colour palette is one of the key decorating trends this year — and it won’t break the budget to update your house if repainting isn’t on the cards.

Despite Pantone’s announcement of a “soft, serene and versatile” shade of white as 2026’s colour, interior designers and decorators are eschewing Cloud Dancer, informally christened “the landlord’s special,” for richer, jewel- and nature-inspired hues such as soft ochre, deep green and earthy brown.

Moving away from the sleek, clinical practicality of flat minimalism, this year’s trends reflect the uncertain political, social and economic climate, firmly re-establishing the home as a place of safety, comfort and refuge.

“Spaces that are overly minimal can feel empty and dated,” says Michelle Chisick, interior designer at Interior Illusions on Princess Street.

Hamelin, Poulin named Canada's flag-bearers

Also, a reader expresses support for a husband who keeps in touch with an ex from 30 years ago.

Pallister’s ego behind carbon tax flip-flop

It doesn't make any sense.

Earlier this week, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister stunned onlookers inside and outside the province with a decision to abandon his own $25-per-tonne carbon tax — the core lever in a complex, provincewide plan to curb carbon emissions.

The premier told reporters Wednesday he was throwing out nearly two years of work on a homegrown climate change plan because Ottawa did not "respect" Manitoba's desire to hold carbon taxes at about half the level demanded by the federal government.

It was not clear what Pallister meant by respect; the two levels of government disagree about the level at which carbon taxes should be set. Up until this week, the two levels of government disagreed over policy and methodology.

Port of Churchill signs agreement with Dutch port

Arctic Gateway Group, operator of the Port of Churchill, has signed an agreement with the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to attract business and strengthen supply chains linking Western Canada and Europe.

The agreement enables the two ports to work together to develop new trade in critical minerals and energy products, connect Canadian producers with European buyers, and identify opportunities to improve the supply chain from Western Canadian resource projects through Churchill and into European markets.

The Port of Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port and home to more than 3,000 businesses across its industrial complex, serving as a major gateway for critical raw materials and energy.

Meanwhile, the Port of Churchill has been identified as a transformative national strategy for Canada and is emerging as a northern trade corridor connecting Western Canada’s resources to global markets.