Before her retirement, Carol Paul is tackling a new goal: creating more male allies.

Men are in focus at the Manitoba Women in Trades Conference next month in Winnipeg. It’s the fourth event of its kind promoting women in construction.

“The missing piece was having men at the table,” said Paul, the Manitoba Construction Sector Council’s outbound executive director. “We need to take care of the men in the construction workplace or the women are not going to stick around.”

More women are training to become construction workers: the council has trained 800 women over the past decade, with 400 since its November 2024 conference.

Winnipeg-based Buhler Versatile Inc. announced on Monday the completion of its acquisition of German construction machinery manufacturer Atlas Group.

The transaction was first announced in June and officially closed on Oct. 1, following the satisfaction of the required closing conditions. Financial terms of the deal will remain confidential, the company said in a news release. As part of the acquisition, more than 200 jobs at Atlas will be retained.

“The completion of this acquisition marks an important milestone for Buhler Versatile and our long-term growth strategy,” Zafer Ozbalaban, president of Buhler Versatile, said in the release. “Atlas brings an established European brand, valuable engineering expertise and a strong manufacturing heritage. Together, we have an opportunity to expand our capabilities, strengthen our international presence and build a more diversified equipment manufacturing business.”

The addition of Atlas broadens Buhler Versatile’s equipment portfolio beyond its agricultural equipment brand, expanding into construction and material handling equipment. It also strengthens the company’s European manufacturing presence, with Atlas continuing operations at its established locations, including Ganderkesee, Delmenhorst and Vechta in Germany, and Bradford, England.

The cookie flavours are a secret for now. The promise of free cookies for a year isn’t.

Manitoba’s first Crumbl location is slated to open Oct. 23 in Winnipeg.

“It has been a long time coming,” said franchisee Kristina Bighill.

She and business partner Paulina Coombs are spending the week training 60 new staff. On opening day, Bighill is expecting around 1,500 people to walk through 1570 Regent Ave. West’s doors.

A delegation from Manitoba will travel to India seeking to bolster economic ties with the South Asia nation.

The province announced Tuesday it will send representatives to join what the federal government is dubbing the “Team Canada trade mission” in India this week.

The Manitoba delegation includes business leaders and Indigenous leadership, including representatives from the University of Winnipeg, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada.

The mission will look to strengthen ties with a shared goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030, according to the province. It will focus on priority sectors including aerospace and space, clean technologies and energy transition, information and communications technologies, life sciences, products and agri-food.