Business

Business

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Kevin Selch of Little Brown Jug wants Liquor and Lotteries to trim the markup on his products.

Brewers question province’s plan for trade missions to open markets

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

INSTEAD of a travel itch, confusion and frustration have emerged among some Manitoba brewers while the province plans interprovincial trade missions for the sector.

The government has slated $500,000 for its initiative.

Work is just beginning. The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries have been tapped to assist.

Delegations may land in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia or Ontario, a government spokesperson said.

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Opinion

Controlling pace of response path to success

Tim Kist 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

WITH the recent collapse of Canada-U.S. trade talks, the economic, political and social changes are coming at business leaders on a daily basis.

While you cannot control the pace of these changes, you can control the pace of response and timing of actions your organization takes. This is a time for thoughtful analysis and careful action, not chasing the latest trends.

Artificial intelligence, for example, can write articles, create images, draft emails and perform seemingly countless other tasks. But is this new tool solving a current business problem?

Successful companies know they must develop a strategy before launching any tactics. Otherwise, the strategy is based on “hope” — and we all know hope is not a strategy.

Opinion

Agriculture sector wary of ‘strong headwind’ from south

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

Industry analysts talked in circles on a recent webinar as they discussed the implications for agriculture of Canada’s deteriorating relationship with its largest trading partner.

On one hand, panellists for the hastily convened Canadian AgriFood Policy Institute event acknowledged the futility of negotiating on quicksand: a deal made today with the United States might be sucked into the muck tomorrow.

But on the other, webinar panellists speculated with varying degrees of optimism over what it will take to get negotiators back to bargaining.

This disconnect isn’t unique to this cluster of analysts. However, it underscores the difficulty of coming to terms with the seismic shift in America’s attitudes towards Canada.

Opinion

CHEYANNE MUMPHREY / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES

Back to school means increased costs for parents, post-secondary students

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

Back to school means increased costs for parents, post-secondary students

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

In the words of advice for students from Thornton Melon: “It’s rough out there. Move back in with your parents.”

As comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s character alluded to in the 1986 comedy Back to School, it is indeed a tough financial environment as students head back to the classroom in 2026.

A Capital One Canada survey found families are struggling with costs, with nearly six in 10 parents surveyed stating back-to-school expenses are higher than expected.

It’s not just tuition, new clothes and supplies. Extracurricular activities — like hockey, figure skating, ringette, soccer, dance, etc. — also ramp up, involving tuition-sized payments.

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Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

Opinion

Magnific The author shows us we don’t need to fear difficult conversations and how to better at them.

Discourse we’d rather avoid

Tory McNally 7 minute read Preview

Discourse we’d rather avoid

Tory McNally 7 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

We have all been there. A colleague says something that bothers us. A manager is not addressing an issue everyone can see. An employee’s behaviour is becoming increasingly difficult. A misunderstanding has taken on a life of its own. Or perhaps we simply need to have a conversation that we know is going to be uncomfortable.

Our first instinct is often to avoid it.

Honestly, that instinct is understandable. Difficult conversations can make us nervous. We worry about upsetting someone, damaging a relationship, saying the wrong thing or making a situation worse.

Sometimes we tell ourselves the problem will resolve itself. We decide to wait for a better time. We send the email instead of having the conversation. We hope if we give it a little more time, somehow it will become easier.

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Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

Business

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press ‘We are most definitely at an inflection point for Manitoba-based manufacturers,’ says Grant Cockshott, president and CEO of Innovair Group in Winnipeg.

Feds direct funds from Regional Tariff Response Initiative to Manitoba companies grappling with shifting supply chains

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

Feds direct funds from Regional Tariff Response Initiative to Manitoba companies grappling with shifting supply chains

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026

Grant Cockshott is looking to China, India and his own backyard. Anywhere but the United States.

“We are most definitely at an inflection point for Manitoba-based manufacturers,” said Cockshott, the president of Innovair Group.

His company sells a range of products — industrial gases, robotic welding and material handling systems. It’s taking on new projects and changing operations as a Canada-United States trade dispute continues.

So are Manitoba firetruck, sheet metal, aerospace and truck outfitting manufacturers. Company representatives gathered at Fort Garry Fire Trucks’ facility on Bergen Cutoff Road on Thursday as the federal government announced $15.9 million for 15 local projects.

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Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026

Business

A man walks past a building in Toronto that used to house the Toronto Stock Exchange on Aug. 18, 2011.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

S&P/TSX composite up more than 450 points, U.S. stock markets also higher

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

S&P/TSX composite up more than 450 points, U.S. stock markets also higher

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026

TORONTO - Canada's main stock index was up more than 450 points in late-morning trading as strength in the financial and technology stocks helped power the rally, while U.S. stock markets also marched higher.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 456.55 points at 36,548.16.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 624.99 points at 53,686.94. The S&P 500 index was up 74.15 points at 7,740.75, while the Nasdaq composite was up 330.99 points at 26,548.82.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.53 cents US compared with 72.13 cents US on Wednesday.

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Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026

More Business

Business

Aaron Epp / Free Press Zachary Flett is the founder of IndigiHub online platform that connects Indigenous entrepreneurs to funding and mentorship opportunities.

Entrepreneurial spotlight finds IndigiHub

Aaron Epp 4 minute read Preview

Entrepreneurial spotlight finds IndigiHub

Aaron Epp 4 minute read Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

The list of accolades keeps getting longer for the Winnipeg-based founder of IndigiHub, an online resource for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

In February, Zachary Flett was named one of three finalists for the Indigenous Innovation Award at North Forge’s inaugural DARE Innovation Awards. In May, he received the Community Impact Award at the Manitoba Tech Awards.

Earlier this month, Flett was selected as one of five finalists in the Indigenous division at the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, a national competition that saw more than 650 people nominated across 10 categories.

The recognition feels good, Flett said, but at the same time, he wants to keep the focus off himself and on his product.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

Agriculture

SUPPLIED Drone photo of Bob Elliot’s 5,500 acre farm east of Stonewall on June 14. That flooding has now affected his crop yield going into harvest season which he’s estimating will only be 50 per cent of it’s normal production.

Summer flooding sinks some fall harvest hopes

Tiago Resko 3 minute read Preview

Summer flooding sinks some fall harvest hopes

Tiago Resko 3 minute read Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

A number of Manitoba farmers say they are expecting this year’s harvest to be one of the worst they’ve seen after major flooding decimated fields at the start of summer.

Bob Elliot, who has been farming east of Stonewall for 43 years, said he’s expecting the operation’s 5,500 acres to produce roughly half their normal yield.

Stonewall has logged the most precipitation this summer, with 523 millimetres of rainfall between May 1 and Aug. 16, according to Manitoba’s weather conditions report.

Elliot said the amount of rain has created a “unique” situation for farmers. “This is something that I don’t think anyone around here has ever seen.”

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Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

Business

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Currently, ship traffic travels through the Port of Churchill during a four-month window but that could extend to seven months by 2100 — or up to 10 months, depending on climate change, researchers have found.

Climate change, capable ships could extend Churchill shipping season by months, studies show

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Preview

Climate change, capable ships could extend Churchill shipping season by months, studies show

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

Climate change and ice-strengthened ships — but not the most expensive icebreakers — could enable a much longer shipping season through the Port of Churchill, new studies released Friday suggest.

However, the studies flagged concerns including unpredictable sea ice conditions and tricky navigation to the northern Manitoba port.

The provincial government shared results of studies from the University of Manitoba, Arctic Research Foundation and Fednav, Canada’s largest international dry bulk shipping company.

“Churchill could be a year-round port right now, with current technology and using icebreakers and ships that are a lot cheaper, a lot more affordable than we previously thought,” Premier Wab Kinew said.

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Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

Business

Jacquelyn Martin / The Associated Press Files Pioneering U.S actress Pam Grier will speak at a Winnipeg event promoting women in film careers.

Veteran actress Grier to headline Film Training Manitoba event

Gabrielle Piché 2 minute read Preview

Veteran actress Grier to headline Film Training Manitoba event

Gabrielle Piché 2 minute read Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

An actress known for her pioneering work in U.S cinema will speak at a Winnipeg event promoting women in film careers.

Pam Grier is slated to talk about breaking barriers and building a lasting career during the Supporting Women in Film Trades (SWIFT) conference.

Grier received a Golden Globe nomination in 1998 for her lead role in Jackie Brown, a Quentin Tarantino movie. Her breakout roles came starring in blaxploitation films Coffy and Foxy Brown — released in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

“Pam Grier was such a huge get for us,” Adam Smoluk, executive director of Film Training Manitoba, said Thursday.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

Business

ROBERT LEE / FREE PRESS Jean-Philippe Gervais, executive vice-president of agricultural production for Farm Credit Canada, delivers his keynote speech at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference at the RBC Convention Centre on Thursday in Winnipeg.

‘How can we grow back the herd in Canada?’

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Preview

‘How can we grow back the herd in Canada?’

Gabrielle Piché 4 minute read Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

Amid high beef prices and trade uncertainty, a Farm Credit Canada executive touched down in Winnipeg with a message: it’s time for cattle producers to grow.

“What they face right now is … opportunity,” said Jean-Philippe Gervais, the federal Crown corporation’s executive vice-president of agricultural production.

Gervais was representing FCC, the country’s top agricultural lender, at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

He spoke to the Free Press ahead of his keynote speech Thursday afternoon. Hundreds of cattle farmers and industry leaders gathered at the RBC Convention Centre for the four-day event, which began on Monday.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

Controlling pace of response path to success

Tim Kist 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:02 AM CDT

WITH the recent collapse of Canada-U.S. trade talks, the economic, political and social changes are coming at business leaders on a daily basis.

While you cannot control the pace of these changes, you can control the pace of response and timing of actions your organization takes. This is a time for thoughtful analysis and careful action, not chasing the latest trends.

Artificial intelligence, for example, can write articles, create images, draft emails and perform seemingly countless other tasks. But is this new tool solving a current business problem?

Successful companies know they must develop a strategy before launching any tactics. Otherwise, the strategy is based on “hope” — and we all know hope is not a strategy.

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