Today’s horoscope

Physician watchdog under fire for ‘outrageous’ policy

The Manitoba physician watchdog’s policy of deferring its own investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct while a police probe is ongoing is “outrageous” and is further evidence an independent review is needed into the regulatory body, critics say.

Winnipeg Jets’ Hellebuyck wins Vezina Trophy

EDMONTON — There was no red carpet for Connor Hellebuyck to walk, no glitzy awards ceremony on the Vegas strip as is typically the case. Just a quiet steak dinner with family at his Michigan home Monday evening followed by a virtual announcement that his spectacular season had ended with a Vezina Trophy.

It may not have been as he dreamed it, thanks to COVID-19, but it didn’t dull the occasion one bit. The Winnipeg Jets star was named the NHL’s best goaltender in a ceremony prior to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.

“It was just one of those moments where I couldn’t believe that it actually happened. Everyone had a big smile on their face and they were all clapping. It was just a proud moment,” Hellebuyck said on a Zoom conference call shortly after the announcement was made.

It’s the first time a Jets netminder — from either the 1.0 or 2.0 eras — has won the award, and the first major individual trophy for any Jet since Teemu Selanne won the Calder for rookie of the year way back in 1993.

Asham Stompers ready to make some noise

The first week of Folklorama is just days away, and the Heather Curling Club is being transformed into a Canadian winter wonderland. For seven days, it will be home to the brand-new Métis Pavilion.

“I didn’t tag that bear,” Arnold Asham says, amid whirring power tools, referring to the giant polar bear skin that serves as the stage’s backdrop. “I won it in a bonspiel.”

Asham, 68, is a former professional curler and the founder of Asham Curling Supplies, one of Manitoba’s most successful Métis-owned businesses. He’s also the founder of the Asham Stompers, the Métis dance group which performs over 100 shows a year and even has its own festival, Stomperfest, which takes place over the September long weekend.

Now, he can add Métis Pavilion co-ordinator on his resumé.

Grim outlook for airport authority

The Winnipeg Airports Authority revealed a particularly grim outlook of their consolidated financial statements at their annual public meeting Thursday morning.

A year marred by COVID-19, executive members from the airports authority said urgent support is needed from the federal government to save them from their dire future beyond the pandemic, outlining the many ways in which Ottawa has failed regional airports like Winnipeg's so far.

Nicole Stefaniuk, vice-president of finance and administration, said 2020 was the worst year in the airport's history — mostly because passengers typically make up about 90 per cent of airport revenue and because almost 80 per cent of costs are fixed items the authority has to continue paying (such as utilities, personnel employment and taxes).

Passenger traffic fell from an average of 12,300 travellers per day to less than 250 people on a good day for Winnipeg's airport — a symptom of mandated lockdowns, border closures and travel restrictions across Canada.

Kripps headlines Canada's bobsled team for Beijing

After piloting his two-man sled to glory at the Pyeongchang Olympics, Justin Kripps turned his attention to perfecting his four-man driving.

Kripps headlines Canada's 18-member bobsled team for the Beijing Games, and the defending two-man champion is hoping to climb the medal podium twice this time around.

"I've traditionally had more success in the two-man, and so I wanted to get the four-man up to speed and we've definitely done that and had a lot of success over the last four years. I'm really excited about the four-man in Beijing," Kripps said from Konigssee, Germany, where the Canadian team is in a holding camp before travelling to Beijing.

Cynthia Appiah and Christine de Bruin headline the talented women's bobsled team, announced Thursday. Olympic veterans Jane Channell of Calgary and Mirela Rahneva of Ottawa and rookie Blake Enzie of Calgary are Canada's three skeleton athletes.