Mysterious payment made to missing mom leads to tense father-daughter reunion

Multi-year budget to force councillors, bureaucrats to focus on the big picture

City hall is putting the final touches on the 2019 preliminary budget -- but the real tough job will start after that.

The city is committed to developing a four-year budget beginning with 2020, and having it in place by the end of this year.

It's a process that is filled with uncertainties, trying to balance four successive annual budgets at the same time, using assumptions on revenues and expenses that can change without notice: a provincial government that has frozen funding to city hall at 2016 levels and is reluctant to disclose annual funding commitments or share in unexpected revenues; erratic fuel prices; a possible change in government in Ottawa, which could bring new spending priorities. And in the middle of that four-year span, another civic election where new members of council may have other priorities than those laid out by the current crop of office holders.

Municipal governments across Manitoba are required to approve their annual operating and capital budgets by the end of March each year. But the criticism of decision-making at city hall has been that all the decisions are made on a year-to-year basis, keeping voters happy with an eye on the next election.

Mysterious payment made to missing mom leads to tense father-daughter reunion

The twisted and troubled relationship between the charming but irresponsible father John Dixon (Dix) and his adult daughter Lila lies at the heart of Justin Halpern’s comedic novel.

Halpern, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Sh*t My Dad Says, is executive producer and co-showrunner of the Emmy award-winning TV series Abbott Elementary. His literary flair for snappy dialogue and sharp humour is evident in his debut novel, Get Lost.

Dix is one of those men who, despite having a messy personal life, including a jail stint, manages to remain charismatic and overwhelmingly positive. Once a promising semi-professional baseball player, Dix’s bad decisions have left him destitute and stuck back in his dusty hometown of Los Armarios, Calif. He’s been estranged from Lila for years, but the two reunite when Lila returns to town to look for her missing mother, Mattie.

After reaching Los Armarios, Lila’s first stop is the town’s jail, where her father is being held on suspicion of killing Mattie. Lila finds the suspect at the centre of a group of laughing police officers as Dix regales them with jokes and stories.

In Africa, virus ruins Olympic dreams and tests dedication

When fully-vaccinated international tourists will be allowed into Canada is the next step in discussions on current travel restrictions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. But when might unvaccinated travellers be allowed?

‘Thank you, Winnipeg’: Gillingham wins second term as city’s mayor

Scott Gillingham won a second term as Winnipeg mayor in Wednesday’s municipal election, while Noah Redden surged to a top-three finish and more than half of the city’s 15 councillors seats were claimed by political newcomers.

Unofficial results gave Gillingham 39.82 per cent of the vote, followed by Kevin Klein (20.71 per cent), Noah Redden (19.84 per cent) and Mike Vogiatzakis (9.66 per cent) in a field of 12 candidates — the most since 1992.

“Tonight, you have given me the honour of serving as your mayor once again,” Gillingham, joined by his wife Marla and other family members, said in front of more than 100 cheering supporters who waved blue and orange pompoms at the Birchwood Inn in St. James. 

“I have to tell you, it means even more to me this second time. Thank you, Winnipeg. I will never take your trust for granted. I still believe our city’s best days are ahead of us.”

NDP introduces last-minute rent-hike bill, Tories say it will cause administrative nightmare

A day before the legislative session ends, the NDP government introduced a bill to ensure landlords can’t charge tenants backpay for approved above-guideline rent increases.

Bill 59, the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (2), would prohibit a landlord who has applied for a rent increase above the maximum permitted by regulation from charging tenants the new rate until it is approved.

Premier Wab Kinew announced earlier this month that renters would not have to pay the increases until the provincial Residential Tenancies Branch hears landlords’ arguments and issues its decisions.

“We recently passed legislation in the house to make sure life will be more affordable,” Kinew said at a news conference on Oct. 20, referring to a new rent bill introduced in March and expected to become law before the session ends on Oct. 29. He was flanked by Winnipeg tenants facing rent increases of more than 50 per cent.