2 given life sentences in 2016 killing of California teens

Premier touts addition of 137 physicians to Manitoba

Manitoba’s recruitment office has helped to attract 137 physicians to the province since it was established in 2024, including 18 who have taken positions in the western region.

“The point we are making today is that things are getting better, improvements are happening and investments are bringing people to Manitoba,” Premier Wab Kinew said at an announcement in Brandon to highlight the office’s efforts to attract physicians from across Canada and abroad.

The office, which was established as part of the 2024 budget, helps physicians navigate licensing, immigration and job placements. It has engaged with nearly 800 prospective recruits to date.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the office has assisted professionals during every step of their journey, adding that there have been some “hairy” situations at airports where the minister has waited to greet an arriving physician.

Asylum claim rise needs response: IRB

OTTAWA - The Immigration and Refugee Board is doing its best to cope with a growing number of asylum claims in Canada, but the federal Liberals must take action as well before an unmanageable backlog gets created, the head of the IRB says.

The rapid pace of the increase in new claims sees the board — an independent tribunal that decides on immigration and refugee cases in Canada — potentially on track to receive 30,000 claims this year — triple the number lodged before it just four years ago.

"There is a limit to what you can do ..." said IRB chairman Mario Dion of his agency's efforts in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"Efficiency has increased significantly, but there is no way we can deal with 30,000 cases when we're funded for about 17,000."

2026 Winnipeg election results: Mayor and council

Complete results for the 2022 election races for Winnipeg mayor and city councillors.

No PM contact with WE before deal: Shugart

OTTAWA - The federal government's top public servant says there is no evidence to suggest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with WE Charity before the organization was awarded a deal to run a student-volunteer program.

Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart made the comment during testimony Tuesday morning before the House of Commons finance committee.

He faced numerous questions about the decision to have WE Charity administer a $900-million student-volunteering program, including whether anyone in the public service raised red flags about the organization's finances.

Shugart told the committee Trudeau was briefed about the development of the program, and suggested the prime minister had no contact with the organization to which Trudeau and his family have close ties.

Klein eyes tax breaks for developers in ‘under-serviced’ neighbourhoods

Kevin Klein promises to seek a federal tax break and a new city incentive to attract private construction of homes and stores in “economically distressed” neighbourhoods if he becomes Winnipeg’s next mayor.

In a Thursday letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Klein asks Ottawa to work with Winnipeg to develop “community opportunity zones.”

“Many of Winnipeg’s older neighbourhoods continue to struggle with high numbers of vacant and boarded-up properties. These buildings sit empty for years, becoming fire risks, sources of disorder, and barriers to neighbourhood recovery,” Klein wrote.

During a news conference, Klein said he wants the federal government to defer or eliminate taxes on capital gains for investors with qualifying projects in designated “distressed, under-serviced” neighbourhoods. He would work with Ottawa to identify the exact zones where those tax breaks apply, which would be available to Indigenous-led organizations and other groups.