Opinion

Editorial cartoon for Feb. 26, 2026

Opinion

Artificial intelligence requires human-led thinking

Room 309, École Laura Secord 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

Picture this. A teacher creates an assignment using AI. There is a provocation generated by a prompt, followed by vague parameters and a generic rubric. The AI-generated emojis are left in, and the task and success criteria are not connected to the passion, interests or soul of the child.

Subsequently, the child responds using AI. The thinking and language are clearly not their own and there has been no transformative or profound educative experience to stir cognitive dissonance. The child has not been asked, or better yet invited, to engage in sophisticated thinking and work that matters to them. That matters to community.

When the child uses AI, it’s considered “cheating.”

So here we are. An opportunity lost because we are not thinking deeply about the impact of AI on our species.

Opinion

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The newly installed exhibition, Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present, at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, has raised questions about the institution’s standards.

What is the responsibility of a national institution?

Gustavo Zentner 5 minute read Preview

What is the responsibility of a national institution?

Gustavo Zentner 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

As we approach Canada Day, we reflect on the values that define our country: our way of life, our commitment to fairness, our responsibility to care for those in need and our collective obligation to contribute to a society built on respect, dialogue and shared responsibility.

Yet, as we celebrate these principles, we must also recognize troubling signs that some of our national institutions are failing to uphold the very commitments that make Canada unique. When institutions allow one-sided narratives, incomplete historical context and a lack of meaningful engagement to override reason, transparency and responsibility, they create a dangerous precedent.

There is perhaps no clearer example of this challenge than what has unfolded at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) with the opening of the controversial “Nakba” exhibition.

A national museum dedicated to human rights carries a profound moral responsibility. It must be grounded in intellectual rigour, historical integrity, transparency and balance. It must create space for difficult conversation while ensuring complex histories are presented with the depth, nuance and fairness Canadians expect of a national institution.

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Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

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Opinion

Andre Penner / Associated Press Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio celebrates scoring the winning goal against South Africa in a World Cup match in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28

Canada’s ‘heroes’ on the pitch

Editorial, June 30 4 minute read Preview

Canada’s ‘heroes’ on the pitch

Editorial, June 30 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

“You guys are Canadian heroes!”

Jesse Marsch, the head coach of Canada’s national men’s soccer team, was effusive in praise of his players after they defeated South Africa on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles.

A goal by Canadian midfielder Stephen Eustáquio in the game’s 92nd minute broke a 0-0 stalemate, ensuring that Canada won a knockout-round game at a men’s World Cup for the first time.

The team will play in the tournament’s round-of-16 on Saturday, July 4, in Houston, Texas — the furthest Canada’s men’s team has been in this competition.

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Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

Opinion

Brandon Sun files Under Manitoba’s Protecting Youth in Sports Act, all provincial sports organizations must adopt and implement the Sport Manitoba Safe Sport policy manual.

Safe sport policies make a difference

Mac Horsburgh 4 minute read Preview

Safe sport policies make a difference

Mac Horsburgh 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Times have changed for the better. It is now expected that sports organizations will incorporate impartiality and objectivity into investigations of allegations of misconduct and maltreatment of their athletes. The sine qua non of such investigations has been that an independent third party (ITP) must investigate these complaints.

The historical handling of maltreatment complaints has drawn significant scrutiny and criticism, most recently related to Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual assault allegations dating back to 2018 and 2003. As a result of these concerns, Hockey Canada went through a restructuring in 2022, adopting the ITP system and a national-level complaints system tied to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).

Also in 2022, under Manitoba’s newly enacted Protecting Youth in Sports Act, all provincial sports organizations were mandated to adopt and implement the Sport Manitoba Safe Sport policy manual. For anyone in Manitoba who plays a provincial sport, the Safe Sport policy manual is well worth reading.

It lays out an extensive code of conduct and ethics policy as well as a discipline and complaints policy. The code of conduct references Sport Integrity Canada’s universal code of conduct and, as such, outlines what constitutes psychological and physical maltreatment, neglect, sexual maltreatment, grooming, boundary transgressions, discrimination and other forms of maltreatment.

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Opinion

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES As chief justice of Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench, Glenn Joyal has been the author of remarkable moments of compassion and empathy.

Joyal brings compassion, empathy to Canada’s high court

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Joyal brings compassion, empathy to Canada’s high court

Dan Lett 5 minute read Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

There is no easy way to describe the career of the latest Supreme Court of Canada nominee.

Glenn Joyal entered the legal profession nearly 40 years ago, and served as both defence counsel and prosecutor. He has been a judge for nearly three decades, with the last half of that time as the chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba.

Over his time on the bench, he has overseen cases involving the most contentious issues of our time, including assisted death, COVID-19 restrictions and a long list of constitutional dilemmas.

Legal scholars from across the country applauded Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to appoint Joyal to the high court, noting his many years of loyal service and fair-mindedness.

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Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

Opinion

Letters, June 29 6 minute read Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

Drug situation requires complex solutions

Re: Police begin massive 10-day drug sweep (June 26)

While many residents understandably want safer streets and less visible drug use, the recent police operation in Winnipeg raises serious questions about whether enforcement alone can address a complex public health crisis.

Police officials state that the initiative is not aimed at people struggling with addiction, yet the operation appears to have overwhelmingly targeted those very individuals. Reports from front-line workers suggest that people were detained, searched and had harm-reduction supplies confiscated.

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Opinion

Summer school for RESPs

Summer school for RESPs

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Summer school for RESPs

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

If you’ve been saving for years for your child’s post-secondary education, and they are now ready to pursue higher learning in the fall, it’s not unusual to feel a little lost regarding how best to use that money.

That’s because the main savings vehicle for post-secondary learning, the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), is often complicated to unwind.

“There are definitely some unique aspects to taking out money from a RESP,” says Anthony Maros, senior private banker at BMO Private Wealth in Winnipeg.

Unlike a RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) where every withdrawal is taxable because all contributions are made with after tax money (hence the deduction on contributions), RESPs involve taxable and non-taxable withdrawals.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Opinion

Magnific Nobody wants to come back from a relaxing week away only to face 500 unread emails, a backlog of urgent requests and a mountain of work that accumulated during their absence.

Vacation shouldn’t feel like workplace risk

Tory McNally 6 minute read Preview

Vacation shouldn’t feel like workplace risk

Tory McNally 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

As summer officially arrives, many Canadians are preparing for lake weekends, road trips, family vacations and the long-awaited opportunity to step away from work for a few days. At least, that’s the theory.

In practice, many employees are packing something extra alongside sunscreen and sandals: guilt.

A recent survey conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of Employment Hero sheds light on an uncomfortable reality in workplaces. While many organizations proudly promote work-life balance and encourage employees to use their vacation time, a significant number of workers still feel anxious about actually disconnecting.

The survey found 45 per cent of employees have delayed, shortened or changed vacation plans because of workload or workplace pressures. Nearly half (46 per cent) admit they check work communications at least sometimes while on vacation. Thirty-nine per cent avoid taking their full vacation entitlement because they worry about falling behind, while 41 per cent report feeling guilty when taking paid time off.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Opinion

The Canadian Press files Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks last month at a press conference on the province’s October referendum.

‘Chequebook federalism’ is no solution

David McLaughlin 6 minute read Preview

‘Chequebook federalism’ is no solution

David McLaughlin 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

It’s pretty rich that the richest province in Canada wants out. Or is it?

In politics, like life, emotion often trumps fact. It fuels grievance. It creates myths that morph into “common knowledge.” Once embedded, it is strikingly difficult to change.

This is where we have arrived with Alberta’s separation movement and the October referendum on whether to “remain in Canada” or “commence the legal process … to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.”

By every financial metric, Albertans are the most well-off Canadians. So much so that for years the province marketed the “Alberta Advantage.” That is the factual argument. However, the separatist movement believes the province would have been even better off, but Canada wouldn’t let them. Alberta must therefore separate. That is the emotional argument.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

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