Roadside giants towering symbols of Canada’s quirkiness

Widow on mission to improve mental-health supports for law-enforcement officers, families

Stacia Franz is honouring her late husband’s life and legacy by seeking to ensure no law enforcement officer suffers in silence and no other spouse is widowed at 36.

The lights are on, but Manitoba Hydro isn't answering the door to offer clarity on greener power plans

Flying above the coast of Hudson Bay west of Churchill, in the furthest northern reaches of Manitoba, you pass over two rivers that offer diametrically opposed narratives on how humans can choose to interact with the natural environment.

Further to the west, the mighty Seal River flows unrestricted into the bay. Marking your proximity to the river’s mouth from above is the shine of the red tin roof of the remote, but brightly coloured, Seal River Wilderness Lodge. There isn’t another human-made mark visible on the horizon.

The Seal River watershed covers about 50,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of Nova Scotia, and is completely untouched. There are no roads, no mining or other industrial activities, and — most critically in northern Manitoba — no attempt to harness the river to create hydroelectricity.

The river remains a pristine and critical ecosystem for both wildlife and First Nations (and Inuit communities in Nunavut), which have formed an alliance to create an Indigenous protected area encompassing the watershed.

Bisons begin reshaping herd

The Manitoba Bisons turned the page on a storied chapter of the football program on the sidelines last season. This year, another new era dawns on the field.

With quarterback Jackson Tachinski graduated, third-year pivot Cole Anseeuw will take the reins of a younger Bisons offence as it figures out who its core group of playmakers are for the foreseeable future.

“It’s not just (Tachinski),” said head coach Stan Pierre, who enters his second year at the program’s helm. “I think he’s probably the face of this era, but we’re also losing essentially all our offensive backfield production from last year. So that’s really where the challenge lies for us.”

Besides the quarterback, the Bisons also graduated their centre, top two running backs and three of their top receivers. There’s fewer turnovers on defence, but young players will need to step up in the first and third level, as two starting linemen and three defensive backs have left the program.

Winnipeg biz owners encouraged to fly the Maple Leaf

A Winnipeg city councillor says business owners should fly the Maple Leaf to bolster Canadian pride as the country fends off a trade assault from the U.S.

“It’s all about being patriotic and showing that we are all on the same page and are unified in our efforts as we negotiate trade with the United States,” said Markus Chambers.

The St. Norbert - Seine River representative launched “Operation Naked Flag Pole” Wednesday.

“I’m seeing flag poles in our downtown area, but they’re not covered with Canadian flags,” he said. “They’re sitting empty. They’re naked. So let’s get them dressed with the Canadian flag.”

EXPLAINER: Brexit ends Britons' right to live and work in EU

LONDON - So far, the large majority of British and EU citizens have not felt the realities of Brexit. Though the U.K. left the European Union on Jan. 31, it follows the bloc’s rules until the end of this year as part of a transition period to the new economic relationship.

That's all set to change.

On Jan. 1, Britain embarks on its new, more distant relationship with the EU after nearly five decades of closer economic, cultural and social integration.

The change for Britain's economy and people is the most dramatic since World War II, certainly more so than when the country joined what was then the European Economic Community in 1973.

From activist to politician in St. Norbert

After years as a grassroots, volunteer community activist, Janice Lukes is about to find out what it's like on the inside.

The community fundraiser -- who was a longtime thorn in the sides of elected municipal officials -- won the St. Norbert riding in a decisive victory over main challenger Sachit Merhra. Lukes will take the seat previously held by Justin Swandel.

In fact, Lukes had served as a community assistant under Swandel for recent years, along with serving as director of the Winnipeg Trails Association.

"People always said to me, 'You should run (for council)'," Lukes joked on Wednesday night. "I said, 'No way! There might be another me out there.