Could it be a rose ruse, or second office admirer?

NDP infrastructure plan on shaky ground

The problem with the NDP’s proposal to ramp up spending on infrastructure by hundreds of millions of dollars is the party has no legitimate plan to pay for it.

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew announced this week, if elected Sept. 10, his party would spend $690 million more on strategic infrastructure over four years compared to what the Pallister government has planned.

Strategic infrastructure includes capital spending in areas such as highways, flood mitigation, health-care facilities and public buildings.

Capital spending under the previous NDP government skyrocketed from $994 million in 2007-08 to nearly $1.7 billion in 2015-16, according to a 2018 report by Manitoba’s auditor general.

Bearing other people’s burdens

It might feel like an honour to have a family member or friend place tremendous trust in you to be their voice when they can no longer speak for themselves.

Whether they’re physically or mentally unable to do so, or deceased, being in charge of fulfilling their wishes often can’t be fully grasped by those taking on the roles of executor of their will or power of attorney.

These important jobs may not be the most onerous on the planet, but for the uninitiated, they probably involve more twists and turns than anticipated.

There’s not many playbooks on how to be an executor or serve as the attorney-in-fact named in the power of attorney document, says Philippe Richer, lawyer and principal at TLR Law Office in Winnipeg.

Trump’s graceless own goal sabotaged World Cup’s spirit of fair play

Like many Canadians, I have avoided crossing the U.S. border in the last couple of years. For me, it was a mixture of defiance and uncertainty. What if border guards ask me what I think about President Donald Trump? I would fail the lie detector test.

But the World Cup is going on, and I had a pass for the Seattle stadium. I needed to take advantage of it. After all, I love soccer and I love the World Cup. I see it as one of the great peace movements of our time.

But the irony of travelling to the U.S. for the World Cup wasn’t lost on me. Led by their FIFA Peace Prize-winning president, the country is dropping bombs on World Cup participant Iran. Referee Omar Artan was refused entry into the U.S., where he was to become the first Somali to referee at a World Cup. Fears of ICE raids sent shivers through international communities. Even players were harassed at border points.

It was fair to wonder: what would my experience be like?

Jets backup goalie has things to think of other than hockey

The balance David Rittich needed came in a way he least suspected.

Another fresh start for North Portage

It’s hard to believe that a good chunk of Portage Place mall will face the wrecking ball. As a mixed-use development, Portage Place’s history is marked by controversy and unmet expectations of being an upscale retail centre tasked with saving Winnipeg’s downtown.

To understand the gravity of this week’s announcement regarding new owner Starlight Investments’ planned $400-million retrofit of Portage Place, it’s important to look back to 1984, when Winnipeg’s economic outlook was bleak and our city had weathered the tumultuous 1970s.

It was also this period that tore open the economic and social fabric of the fabled stretch of Portage Avenue, between Eaton’s and the Bay, that had long been the retail heart and soul of not only the city, but also Western Canada.

The story of the mall’s transformation is also indicative of just how dramatic has been the transformation of downtown, and our broader economy, over the past 35 years. What is central is the shift from Winnipeg’s historical “desperation planning” model, dependent on deep subsidies and government-led support, to the more recent private-sector-driven approach.

Peguis daycare at the centre of child abuse allegations has been operating without licence

The Peguis First Nation daycare subject to an RCMP probe into allegations children were being abused at the hands of employees has been operating without a license.

Three employees were implicated in a recent Child and Family Services investigation into the daycare, including a woman who served as the facility’s administrator and her son who also worked there.

Current and former staff have now come forward with accusations the administrator was covering up misconduct complaints against her son, despite his co-workers repeatedly bringing concerns to her attention.

“I didn’t care that was her son. I told her. She said, ‘I will deal with it.’ Obviously she didn’t,” a current staff member said.