Help give grieving dad the tools he needs to heal

‘It blew my mind that four lives were taken’

A two-vehicle crash that killed four teenage friends in the Interlake Sunday night prompted outpourings of grief in several communities and calls for safety improvements at the intersection, which was also the site of a death in July.

Recent high school graduates Maya Borsa and Chloe Vermette, both 18, were identified by their families as victims of the collision at Highway 8 and Provincial Road 229, just west of Winnipeg Beach.

“(Chloe) was a very bubbly, loving personality. Always giving, always caring. Her friends meant the world to her,” said her mother, Veronique Vermette, who struggled to comprehend the tragedy when she went to the scene Monday. “We sat in the rain for hours, and it blew my mind that four lives were taken.”

The teens’ parents are waiting for RCMP to provide more information about the cause of the crash. Chloe, who graduated from Windsor Park Collegiate in Winnipeg in July, was driving one of the vehicles, her mother said.

No reason to panic about city’s projected $29-M shortfall: councillor

The City of Winnipeg expects to end this year with a nearly $29-million shortfall in its tax-supported operating budget, as costs for fuel, snow-clearing and other expenses pile up.

The financial outlook is based on data up to June 30 and projects a deficit that is $8.5 million larger than the city’s first-quarter forecast.

“It’s obviously going in the wrong direction but … I wouldn’t necessarily consider it (reason for) panic at this point. It’s not surprising with fuel prices, in particular, being higher than forecast,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), city council’s finance chairman.

Traditionally, the city’s finances often improve in later months of the year, though there is no guarantee that will happen.

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Wildfires force two northern First Nations, Lynn Lake to evacuate for second consecutive year, province warns of ‘high to extreme’ danger

The Manitoba government warned of “a high to extreme level of fire danger” in northern parts of the province Monday, where out-of-control wildfires have already prompted hundreds of people to flee their homes.

The community of Lynn Lake, about 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was evacuated Saturday and nearby Marcel Colomb First Nation followed suit through the weekend. O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, located about 130 kilometres east of the communities, also issued a local state of emergency and began to evacuate vulnerable residents owing to smoke in the region, the province said in a news release Monday.

The province said it is tracking 127 active fires across Manitoba, bringing the year-to-date total up to 196 — well above the annual average of 156 on the same date in previous years.

About 600 people were ordered to leave Lynn Lake Saturday. Some fled in their vehicles while others boarded flights destined for Brandon.

All that glitters … could work here

Sometimes, it’s hard to even suggest a change, because it seems there is always a plethora of people ready to tell you that your idea just won’t work.

But a unique program is working in Portland, Ore. and some version of that program could work in Winnipeg as well. Something that glitters may just be a small nugget of gold.

G.L.I.T.T.E.R. stands for Ground Score Leading Inclusivity Together Through Environmental Recovery.

It’s a long handle for a simple concept. Launched in 2021, the program hires people who are either unhoused or have recently been unhoused to do litter collection and tentside garbage collection for homeless encampments in the Portland region.