Life and death behind bars A Free Press investigation Posted: 3:20 PM CDT Tuesday, May. 18, 2021 Last Modified: 2:21 PM CDT Thursday, Mar. 31, 2022

Life and death behind bars: a Free Press investigation

Stony Mountain Institution is not only Canada's oldest penitentiary, it's also the country's deadliest. The 143-year-old prison has been dubbed Murder Mountain due to the high rate of suicides, homicides and unrelenting violence behind its crumbling walls. Life and Death Behind Bars is an ongoing series by reporter Ryan Thorpe that examines the deeply dysfunctional conditions that pervade Manitoba's lone federal prison.

‘We need systemic change’: Loney builds campaign on value of solutions

Cracked concrete of a gated Point Douglas-area parking lot, tucked between a refurbished brown-brick warehouse and the imposing steel tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway, doubled as stage for mayoral candidate Shaun Loney on an early August afternoon.

Healthy food subsidy might be on table over gas tax cut: Kinew

Premier Wab Kinew says he is still considering relief for Manitobans struggling with the high price of fuel but it may not be in the form of a gas tax holiday.

Nearly a month after suggesting gas tax relief may be coming, Kinew told reporters Thursday that “giving people a subsidy to buy healthy food might be the more effective intervention.”

The premier said such a subsidy would be geared to income, targeting the most in need.

“We want our intervention to be well timed and to really help you with the cost of living. So, we’re still actively considering the gas tax situation in Manitoba to help you keep your life more affordable. At the same time, this is a situation where we’re going to be facing high gas prices for the rest of this calendar year and it might be leading to higher costs at the grocery store,” he said during a news conference.

Venture studio bridges gap between startups, financiers

While the province works on establishing the structure for its $50-million venture capital platform, the business development ecosystem is already expanding.

This week, North Forge Technology Exchange established an official partnership with the province’s first so-called venture studio — Datomar Labs Venture Studios.

Whereas an incubator like North Forge gives startups strategic advice and guidance and mentorship, a venture studio like Datomar will provide the actual technical assistance — writing the software, building the mobile app, building the back-office governance structure — as well as providing the early stage financial capital as well.

Dustin Refvik, Datomar’s CEO, said the company has assembled a talented team of about 14 people and hopes to double that by the end of the year.

Footwear: Some helpful tips on what you need to know

When it comes to footwear, we often have a lot of questions regarding what kind of shoe is right for me? What am I looking for in a shoe?

In general, when it comes to shoes “The least amount of shoe feasible” (Simon Bartold) to achieve your personal goals while maintaining comfort is usually the right shoe for you.   Often when we go into the shoe store there are so many things to take into consideration that it can feel overwhelming and complicated.  In general, it is good to think about a few different questions. What activities you will be using the shoe for? What type of terrain/surface will you be using the shoes on? What has been your go to shoe in the past and why do you like it?

These are all great questions to start thinking about when going to look for your newest footwear purchase.

Whenever you go to a shoe store, the shoes will most likely fit into these four common categories: Cushioned, Stability, Motion Control and Natural footwear. Each of these categories have differences in the stack height, heel drop, heel counter, last shape and toe box width: