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Welcome to the first Friday in December, if you can believe it.
Almost 15 years ago, I got my first staff job at the Free Press. Those first days in the newsroom were magic. When work wasn’t too heavy, I took to wandering the office, searching through its closets, digging around in empty desks and the drawers for curious objects.
What I found filled me with wonder: clunky 1970s recording devices, ancient typewriters, piles of century-old newspapers. The simple passage of time had accidentally made our newsroom into a museum. I remember the first time I picked up one of the first editions of the Free Press, savouring the texture of its yellowed newsprint in my fingers. For years, I gave new colleagues a tour of these treasures: “Hey, wanna see something cool?”
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Now, you can see some of them too. This week, our little paper turned 150 years old. To mark the occasion, the Winnipeg Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition on the art of the news; on Wednesday, some readers got a sneak peek.
An Apple laptop that was once used at the Winnipeg Free Press. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)
I was there too, and I laughed in delight when I wandered upstairs to the gallery: there, under glass, were many of the exact artifacts I so love to visit in our newsroom’s nooks and crannies.
I hope you get a chance to visit the WAG and see them. (And while you’re there, make sure to swing by the gallery next door to check out the breathtaking exhibition by renowned Anishinaabe artist — and Manitoban — Robert Houle.) And let me repeat what I said in last weekend’s paper: we’re so grateful you’ve been reading along with us, all these years.
Now, onto the week that was.
It isn’t just skateboarders that have left the Youth For Christ facility, in protest of policies that prevent open LGBTQ+ identification amongst staff; other programs have had resignations too. This week, faith writer John Longhurst spoke to some of those former staff members to continue the discussion about this faith, community, and public funding.
Too many stories this week were simply heartbreaking. Police announced three more murder charges for Jeremy Skibicki, first arrested in May for the murder of Rebecca Contois. All of his alleged victims are Indigenous women. This is a time to listen to the families; though it’s devastating that we don’t know one of those families yet, because the victim is still nameless.
On the weekend, a mother from Portage la Prairie endured a terrifying ordeal, after a man on the run from police forced her to drive to Winnipeg. I was gripped by her detailed account of what happened; it’s also worth reading, I think, and taking note of all the many smart, calm steps she took to get help and manage the situation.
I wonder if we’ll ever know the whole truth about Peter Nygard. When Manitoba prosecutors declined to take up eight historical sexual assault complaints, it didn’t seem likely. Now, after some pressure for an inquiry into that decision, the province announced it will seek a second opinion on whether it should lay charges, so maybe we’ll get some more light on the facts after all.
Finally, as an act of emotional self-preservation, I simply refuse to believe any given Jets team is good, and will remain steadfast in my skepticism until if and when we host the parade. But hockey columnist Mike McIntyre is sure convinced by this year’s crew.
Until next week,
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