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‘The fireman grabbed me… and pulled me out’

‘The fireman grabbed me… and pulled me out’

Survivor recounts horror of losing granddaughter, cousin; within four minutes, small West End fire became fatal inferno

Chris Kitching 5 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

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‘Thought it was the flu’: more sick after eating at hotel buffet

Kevin Rollason 2 minute read Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

More possible victims of a case of suspected food poisoning at a prominent hotel have come forward.

A provincial government spokeswoman said two more reports came in on Friday after an article was published in the Free Press.

It brings the official total to 17 people who have complained they got sick after eating at a buffet at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre at 1808 Wellington Ave., last weekend.

However, the Free Press heard from others who got sick but didn’t report it.

Local

Mark Blinch / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Air Canada announced it halted flights to Cuba due to the ongoing shortage of aviation fuel on the island, saying current projections will exhaust the supply of commercial fuel by Feb. 10.

Manitobans in Cuba stay calm as airlines cancel trips owing to fuel shortage

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Preview

Manitobans in Cuba stay calm as airlines cancel trips owing to fuel shortage

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

As he basked in the sunshine in Varadero, Cuba, on Monday, it was hard for Manitoban Geof Langen to imagine anything might interrupt his vacation — but when news broke that Air Canada had cancelled international flights to the island nation, it gave him pause.

“It’s kind of been the talk of today amongst Canadians. We’re a pretty large group down here, and everyone right now seems pretty calm,” Langen said by phone.

“Mostly, we’re enjoying Cuba and the incredibly gracious and hospitable people and great weather. It hasn’t at this point brought a damper or a sense of concern, beyond just paying attention to what’s going on.”

Air Canada decided to suspend service to Cuba days after Langen arrived in Varadero aboard a WestJet flight late Saturday. He and his partner are staying at a resort with friends, and were expecting a third couple from Manitoba to join them on Monday.

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Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

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Business

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Taiv Inc. CEO Noah Palansky (left) and chief technology officer Jordan Davis.

Winnipeg-based tech firm Taiv closes US$13M growth round

Aaron Epp 3 minute read Preview

Winnipeg-based tech firm Taiv closes US$13M growth round

Aaron Epp 3 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

Taiv Inc. may rely on AI, but there’s nothing artificial about the Winnipeg company’s progression.

The tech company has closed a US$13 million growth round fewer than nine months after raising US$10.5 million in series A financing.

The latest round is a combination of debt and equity, and brings the total capital raised to more than US$30 million. The company’s latest valuation is just under US$100 million, said Taiv co-founder and CEO Noah Palansky.

“This is really a growth round,” he said. “It’s about hiring people and really investing in our product. We want to make something that’s amazing.”

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Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026

Legislature

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Rebecca Schneider worked at the Health Sciences Centre between 2009 and 2014.

Health-care ‘frustration’ keeps Manitoba nurse away

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Preview

Health-care ‘frustration’ keeps Manitoba nurse away

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

A former Manitoba nurse working in Minnesota says despite political turmoil she won’t return home to practise due to the state of the province’s health-care system.

Rebecca Schneider has considered moving back to Manitoba since November 2024, when Donald Trump was re-elected.

As the U.S. has stepped up immigration enforcement raids to seek out undocumented immigrants, Schneider said she feels unsafe in her own city.

“I have felt more unsafe in the last month with all the (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity in Minneapolis than I ever felt during COVID, during the riots with George Floyd’s incident in 2020,” she told the Free Press, referencing the Black man murdered by a white police officer. “There’s areas of the city you just can’t go anymore.”

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Monday, Feb. 9, 2026

Local

SUPPLIED Julie Regner loves to see Canadians tackle the slopes or après-ski at North Dakota’s Frost Fire Park.

Manitobans continue to draw line in sand, choose not to cross once-neighbourly line on land

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Manitobans continue to draw line in sand, choose not to cross once-neighbourly line on land

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Julie Regner loves to see Canadians tackle the slopes or après-ski at North Dakota’s Frost Fire Park, which has drawn skiers and snowboarders across the border for decades.

While there hasn’t been an official tally of visitors this season, the park’s general manager doesn’t think she’s seeing as many Manitobans amid the steep decline in Canadians venturing south.

“I would say it’s maybe decreased some from last year. They’re definitely still coming down to ski,” Regner said from the park, which is close to Walhalla, just 10 kilometres south of the border.

“We just love having them come down. They’re super nice people.”

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Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

Winnipeg Jets

CHARLES KRUPA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck slides the puck out of the net after the Boston Bruins fifth goal Thursday night.

Lopsided loss not as damaging as it could have been for the Jets

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Lopsided loss not as damaging as it could have been for the Jets

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

PITTSBURGH — There once was a time in the National Hockey League when a putrid performance like the one the Winnipeg Jets delivered Thursday night in Boston would have carried some painful consequences.

Namely, a next-day practice filled with skating, skating and more skating — and perhaps nary a puck in sight.

But those “old-school” days are long gone, which is why Friday was all about rest and recovery for the Jets. Only a handful of players took part in an optional skate, while the majority stayed back at the team hotel for workouts and video sessions.

“Just reset. That’s a big thing. Do what everybody feels like they need to do today in order to be ready for tomorrow,” said rookie forward Isak Rosen, who was one of the few to hit the ice.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Local

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES City council’s community services committee is set to revisit fireworks restrictions next March.

Councillors push decision on new fireworks restrictions to next spring

Malak Abas 4 minute read Preview

Councillors push decision on new fireworks restrictions to next spring

Malak Abas 4 minute read Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2026

Fire prevention officers will meet with cultural groups and fireworks sellers to talk about conducting safe celebrations, but the city won’t impose any bans or create new bylaws before next year.

City council’s community services committee heard from the Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service Tuesday and from speakers arguing both for and against additional fines, enforcement or restrictions around the sale and use of fireworks.

The committee was split on how to approach new fireworks bylaws and eventually voted to revisit the issue next March, promising to create a working group to explore the issue further, in the meantime.

“I think it’s a very complicated file, and it’s important that we’re able to hear from the councillors on what direction they want this to take for the city,” Lisa Gilmour, the WFPS’ assistant chief of community risk reduction, said after Tuesday’s meeting.

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Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2026

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Canadians from coast to coast are finding and displaying patriotic pride

TIM SMITH / THE BRANDON SUN FILES A Canadian flag is see affixed to the side of a barn along Grand Valley Road west of Brandon on Thursday. In the wake of U.S. tariffs against Canada and comments by President Donald Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state, Canadian flags and other displays of patriotism have been much more visible in Brandon and across the country. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

The week that was: July 12-18

The week that was: July 12-18

Listen: Niigaan and the Lone Ranger podcast

Niigaan and the Lone Ranger podcast

Old barn reconstructed in Lego, brick by brick

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Jets salute the crowd after the final game at Winnipeg Arena, a 4-1 loss to Detroit. Norm MacIver scored the final Jets 1.0 goal.

Festive feast of children’s books sure to please young readers

JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Alexander Heather, 7, (left) and his nine-year-old brother Stewart get into the holiday spirit while poring through some of this year’s books for younger readers.

Local

MORGAN MODJESKI / FREE PRESS Fire damage inside of a suite on the fourth floor of 145 Powers St. is extensive. No injuries were reported and fire crews were able to contain the fire to one suite.

Fire strikes North End high-rise known for crime, drug use

Morgan Modjeski 2 minute read Preview

Fire strikes North End high-rise known for crime, drug use

Morgan Modjeski 2 minute read Yesterday at 8:21 PM CDT

Some residents of a Manitoba Housing high-rise in the North End, which has been plagued by crime and drug use, had to be evacuated Thursday after fire broke out in a fourth-floor suite.

Crews from Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service were called to 145 Powers St., a 12-storey building, at around 11:30 a.m.

The fire was under control by 11:52 a.m. No one was hurt and the incident is under investigation.

Hearing about the blaze upon her return from a volunteer shift, Sharon Markwell, said the entire building smelled like smoke and fire when she got home.

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Yesterday at 8:21 PM CDT

Local

Municipal board searches for new leader after chair resigns

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Yesterday at 6:26 PM CDT

The head of the Manitoba Municipal Board has resigned.

Lori Lavoie, who has been a member of the arms-length provincial branch that hears property assessment and planning appeals since at least 2015, will step down as chair on May 31.

Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard learned of Lavoie’s resignation last week. He said he wasn’t given a reason for her departure.

“Lori was a dedicated and passionate and expert board chair,” Simard said. “I’m very thankful for her service.”

Local

A still from the 2023 video shows a jockey grabbing a mare by the throat.

Assiniboia Downs urged to install cameras after jockey caught beating horse

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Preview

Assiniboia Downs urged to install cameras after jockey caught beating horse

Tyler Searle 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:45 PM CDT

An animal rights organization is demanding Assiniboia Downs install closed-circuit cameras in stables after a whistleblower leaked footage of a horse being beaten in 2023.

The video, which is just under three minutes, shows a jockey grabbing a mare by the throat, repeatedly striking her face and whipping the animal with her headgear.

An employee captured the footage in July 2023 and it was leaked to Animal Justice in March, said Kaitlyn Mitchell, the organization’s director of legal advocacy.

“The video is absolutely gut-wrenching. It is a drawn-out, physical assault on this horse,” Mitchell said. “You can see this individual hitting the horse repeatedly. You can see that the horse cannot escape.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:45 PM CDT

Local

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press The remnants of a fire in a vacant, two-storey house and adjacent garage at 274 Powers St., Tuesday. One of several blazes that ripped through vacant homes so far this week.

City working to reduce number of vacant buildings but can do more, mayor says

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

City working to reduce number of vacant buildings but can do more, mayor says

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:23 PM CDT

After several blazes ripped through vacant homes earlier this week, Winnipeg’s mayor is highlighting efforts to seize dozens of empty properties and reduce that risk.

The city has started the process to seize 48 properties through a “taking title without compensation process” since mid-December.

That’s when city council called on staff to use the process more often.

“I think there’s more we can do, and I want to see us use this tool of taking title more frequently,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

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Yesterday at 5:23 PM CDT

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