Passion didn’t seem to flicker, so best move on

Nurses union questions explanation for delayed opening of new Neepawa hospital

BRANDON — The new Neepawa Health Centre — initially expected to welcome its first patients early next year — has had its opening delayed until late summer or early fall.

Prairie Mountain Health CEO Trina Slate confirmed the postponement Wednesday, saying it would allow “appropriate time to onboard and train staff and familiarize teams with the new facility.”

The hospital, more than three times larger than the current facility, was first announced as a $127-million construction project in December 2021 by the former Progressive Conservative government, with a tentative completion date in 2025.

As of January, the hospital was reported to be 75 per cent completed with an anticipated opening date in early 2027, Prairie Mountain Health said at the time.

Salvation Army trio focuses on others' well-being during frigid overnight shift in pandemic

The night begins with a prayer, an incantation from the lips of three faithful members of the flock, standing in dim light with clasped hands as they implore God to direct them where help is needed most.

Jets hold first practice since Covid-19 shutdown

Walking out of Rogers Place in the wee hours of March 12, I had no idea when the Winnipeg Jets might skate again — or what it might look like when they did. After all, the world was changing due to COVID-19, and a big win over the Edmonton Oilers earlier that night was quickly rendered meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Now, 124 days later, we finally have some answers, along with a whole host of new questions. What went down Monday morning inside Bell MTS Iceplex, as the most unique training camp in club history got underway, was like nothing anyone associated with the sport has ever experienced before.

There were mandatory nasal swabs up the noses of all Jets players, along with health questionnaires and digital temperature checks for those of us entering the facility. Masks were required at all times. The rink lobby, normally a hub of activity whenever the hometown team hits the ice, was a ghost town and closed to the public. Handshakes among colleagues I haven't seen for four months were replaced by distant waves and muffled, socially distant pleasantries, just as hugs and high-fives among players were a no-no.

A workspace was created in the Press Box Restaurant, with tables spaced out against against glass that fogged up every few minutes. It didn't take long to remember why hockey and hot summer weather don't typically work well together. Forget the wind chill, does anyone know the humidex?

'Ignorance no defence,' Pallister says after paying Costa Rica luxury tax, penalty

Premier Brian Pallister has been penalized for taxes owing on his vacation home in Costa Rica.

Pallister said he failed to update the evaluation of his property as required by Costa Rica law, which meant he didn’t pay a national tax on luxury homes.

"The valuations were supposed to have been, in hindsight, done every three years and you’re responsible for doing them,” Pallister told The Canadian Press Friday.

"At the outset, we were never advised that we owed anything on this, and actually were told we were not in this (luxury) category, so we had no reason to believe... that we would owe anything.”

Democracy is a civic election issue

Scott Gillingham should be worried — very, very worried. Not just because he’ll likely win the upcoming mayoral race for no better reason than the lack of a tenable, progressive alternative, but because longtime, and in some cases, progressive councillors are currently quitting his administration.

And they’re not going quietly.

Just take Coun. Sherri Rollins’ (Fort Rouge – East Fort Garry) recent announcement that she would not be seeking re-election. When she cited the reasons she won’t be running again, she dropped a bit of a bombshell.

In addition to citing the mayor’s lack of transparency on issues such as homelessness, she also observed that he and his advisers “increasingly sideline the public service.”