Couple’s quest to preserve lavish lifestyle comes with harrowing consequences

We all seek certainty in our daily lives. We expect if we make a decision, the outcome will be just as we planned: a direct correlation between the decision and result.

You, as a business leader, seek the same certainty from the decisions you make. And sometimes, the result is what was expected. Sometimes, it isn’t.

The big question is: why is it so difficult to achieve the business results you expect when you carefully craft your plans and seemingly make good decisions?

The truth is we cannot predict the future. This means we almost never know precisely how customers will respond to a sales quote, what competitors are planning, and a myriad of other external variables at play.

Advance voting for civic and school board elections begins next week.

Voters can cast early ballots for the Oct. 28 election in certain locations from Monday through Oct. 23.

Eligible voters can use their address to search for a convenient location.

Early votes can be cast at the council building at city hall (510 Main St.) every day, except weekends and Thanksgiving, from Monday to Oct. 23.

BEIJING - A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian man to death Monday in a sudden retrial in a drug smuggling case that is likely to escalate tensions between the countries over the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive.

The court in northeastern Liaoning province announced that it had given Robert Lloyd Schellenberg the death penalty after rejecting his plea of innocence and convicting him of being an accessory to drug smuggling. It gave no indication that the penalty could be commuted, but Schellenberg's fate could become intertwined in diplomatic negotiations over China's demand for the top executive's release.

Schellenberg was detained more than four years ago and initially sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2016. But suddenly last month, an appeals court agreed with prosecutors who said the sentence was too lenient, and scheduled Monday's retrial with just four days' notice.

The Chinese press began publicizing Schellenberg's case in December after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States.

Since moving to Winnipeg earlier this year, I have come to know the city through its small businesses. As a new Exchange District resident, grabbing coffee at Little Sister, walking through The Forks Market and stopping at Pho Hoang for lunch have become part of my routine. These are the places that give Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods their character and have helped make a new city feel like home.

That is why an empty storefront never feels like just vacant real estate. It represents someone’s investment and hope. When a small business disappears, the community loses a piece of itself.

On Oct. 28, Manitobans in most municipalities will choose their next mayors, reeves and councillors. While city councils may not set interest rates or negotiate global trade agreements, they do have some control over many of the barriers entrepreneurs encounter day to day, from property tax bills and permit applications to public safety and construction disruptions.

Ahead of the upcoming elections, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) surveyed Manitoba small business owners to get a sense of their municipal priorities and concerns.