New chapter in Luana Moth saga

Brewers question province’s plan for trade missions to open markets

INSTEAD of a travel itch, confusion and frustration have emerged among some Manitoba brewers while the province plans interprovincial trade missions for the sector.

The government has slated $500,000 for its initiative.

Work is just beginning. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries have been tapped to assist.

Delegations may land in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia or Ontario, a government spokesperson said.

Discourse we’d rather avoid

We have all been there. A colleague says something that bothers us. A manager is not addressing an issue everyone can see. An employee’s behaviour is becoming increasingly difficult. A misunderstanding has taken on a life of its own. Or perhaps we simply need to have a conversation that we know is going to be uncomfortable.

Our first instinct is often to avoid it.

Honestly, that instinct is understandable. Difficult conversations can make us nervous. We worry about upsetting someone, damaging a relationship, saying the wrong thing or making a situation worse.

Sometimes we tell ourselves the problem will resolve itself. We decide to wait for a better time. We send the email instead of having the conversation. We hope if we give it a little more time, somehow it will become easier.

Running a clothing company keeps mom of five girls in stitches

Andrée-Anne Généreux, mother of identical, four-year-old triplets, has grown used to being peppered with questions whenever passersby spot her and the girls ambling through their River Heights neighbourhood.

Do triplets run in the family, they openly wonder? How long was her pregnancy? Was she big?

Not that she’s aware, though both of her in-laws do have twin siblings; 34 weeks and three days, “but hey, who’s counting?”; and, “Are you freaking kidding me? I was huge,” she responds with a laugh, each and every time.

More and more, however, comments directed her way are along the lines of, “Where did the girls get those gorgeous dresses?” or “That jumper! You have to tell me who makes it.”

Veterinarian petitions Ottawa to consider four-legged patients in legal cannabis regime

An Ontario veterinarian has launched a formal petition asking the government to include animals and the physicians who care for them in Canada's cannabis regulations.

"What we're hearing repeatedly from Health Canada... is that the entire framework surrounding cannabis legalization was focused on human consumption," said Sarah Silcox, who practices palliative and hospice care for companion animals in Ajax, Ont., and serves as president of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine.

"And so they hadn't even considered animals being involved in this, or veterinarians being involved in the medical side of things. And what that's left us with is this catch-22, because now it's perfectly legal for a Canadian adult to go out and purchase cannabis, and to give it to their animal, and yet veterinarians have no legal pathway to authorize its use... Therefore we're really limited in terms of the education and support that we can give our clients to ensure that they're doing that safely."

The online petition on the House of Commons e-petitions website was launched May 27, and already has more than 500 signatures — enough to require the government to table an official response in Parliament.

Late, wet spring delays sporting events

Kent Kamenz has been the regional director for Slo-Pitch National in Manitoba for more than 20 years. But owing to the province’s never-ending winter, this season will begin later than in any other year he can recall (the 2020 pandemic year not included, of course).

Thanks a lot, Mother Nature.

“Truthfully, we were supposed to have our very first tournament this weekend. Obviously, that was cancelled about three weeks ago because we saw the writing on the wall,” Kamenz told the Free Press.

“So, this weekend and next weekend were supposed to be our first two weekends for tournaments, you know, get the teams out there and get them kind of ready for their leagues. We’ve obviously cancelled those two and now we’ve pushed everything back to May 14 and May 15 for tournaments.

FAQ: Winnipeg’s boil-water advisory

To boil water: Fill a pot with water from the cold-water tap. Heat it until bubbles come from the bottom of the pot to the top. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, let it boil for one minute (kettles with an automatic shutoff feature may not boil for a full minute).