More than just a mystery

Canada urged to create anti-Islamophobia strategy

OTTAWA - The federal government hasn't gone far enough in addressing Islamophobia in Canada despite the rise of anti-Muslim hate in recent years, a Wilfrid Laurier University professor said.

Jasmin Zine said the London, Ont., attack that left four members of a Muslim family dead is another episode in a series of attacks that targeted Muslim Canadians across the country in the last few years amid lack of concerted government action to tackle the rise in Islamophobia.

Zine said she is working with a group of researchers on a study that will come out in the fall to document how a network of associations, groups, activists and donors has been promoting anti-Muslim hate in what she calls an "Islamophobia industry."

"We're inspired to act, to do this kind of work because of tragedies like the Quebec massacre, this horrible terror attack in London, the stabbing of a Muslim caretaker at a (Toronto) mosque (last year) and all of the other incidents and issues of Islamophobia that happen on a daily basis," she said.

Dauphin ER reopening ‘monumental team effort’

DAUPHIN — The emergency department at Dauphin Regional Health Centre reopened Monday morning after a closure of just over two months, restoring 24-7 emergency services to Dauphin and surrounding communities.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara hailed the reopening as a major milestone.

“It’s been a monumental team effort to get to this point,” Asagwara told the Brandon Sun on Monday afternoon before embarking on a tour of the facility.

“We asked everyone to approach this as one team and that’s exactly what we’re seeing the results of now.”

New TV shows help home hibernators

We’ve made it. It’s the middle of January, the month I affectionately refer to as the armpit of the year (November is the other one).

Many of you are in full-on hibernation mode, which means you need things to watch.

The latest instalment of Don’t Sleep on This — a semi-regular series in which the Free Press Arts & Life department provides (spoiler-free) recommendations of the TV shows you should watch — is brought to you by the letter S. We look at a soapy figure skating drama, a life-affirming comedy and a banter-filled crime drama.

Seven of city’s 10 best-paid employees work for police

The City of Winnipeg’s 2025 compensation disclosure document, released Friday, shows seven of the top 10 highest paid employees are police officers.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers earned $313,467 during his first year in the position, coming second only to an unnamed police superintendent who took home $491,926.

Collectively, WPS members earned $2.1 million of the total $2.9 million paid to the city’s highest earners, equivalent to about 72 per cent. That includes a constable ranked No. 8 in the top 10 after earning $260,234 — more than outgoing Winnipeg Fire Paramedic chief Christian Schmidt (No. 9) at $255,036.

Schmidt’s successor, Ryan Sneath, who was appointed chief this week, earned $247,432 last year.

‘We belong… and we are giving back”: Sikh celebration enlivens downtown Winnipeg

Downtown Winnipeg came alive with vibrant sights, sounds, and scents on Sunday, as Manitoba’s Sikh community flocked to Memorial Park to celebrate its annual Nagar Kirtan procession and festival.

This year marked the 422nd anniversary of the completion of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture central to the Sikh faith. Shortly after 1 p.m., a palanquin bearing a copy of the scripture was led in parade through downtown Winnipeg, with musical accompaniment.

“This is a chance to tell the public and the whole community where we come from and who we are,” said volunteer Prabh Grewal shortly before the procession got underway. “In a community there are people from every race and every country, and our main objective is to have everybody live in peace and harmony together.”

Before, during, and after the procession, the park hummed with life. As many as 55,000 people converged on the site, with the majority dressed in festive traditional attire. Near the height of the day’s 30 C heat, families relaxed in patches of shade, enjoying plates of Punjabi cuisine dished out for free at dozens of tents sponsored by local businesses.

Intergenerational, historical whodunit sees pair of women push back against societal norms

Liberty Street, the third novel by Heather Marshall, Toronto author and self-described “incorrigible feminist,” is a historical mystery both captivating and cautionary, with murder as motivation for societal change.

The story is told through two primary timelines and points of view: Emily Radcliffe in 1961, and detective Rachel Mackenzie in 1996. Each hold strong views on gender inequality of their times — in their pursuit of careers Emily is motivated by ambition, while Rachel is driven by pain.

Rachel’s character is revealed slowly as she works through a puzzling case. In Millgate, Ont. in 1996, decades-old human remains are discovered in an unmarked cemetery plot. Who is this person? Why are they there? Rachel hates unanswered questions. She is guarded about her own life, but as she unravels the mystery, tragic events of her past unfurl.

We meet Emily in 1961, a young woman working as an editorial assistant in the offices of Toronto woman’s magazine Chatelaine. The magazine is meant to share stories on fashion and home-keeping, however, fierce editor-in-chief Doris Anderson sandwiches in stories on subjects such as spousal abuse and birth control, which go unnoticed by “the boys upstairs” as long as sales remain strong.