Latest news with #NellieKennedy
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba government matching donations to Filipino community in Vancouver after festival tragedy
The provincial government announced it will match donations up to $50,000 to a fundraiser providing counseling, trauma supports and other resources to victims after an attack at a Vancouver festival left 11 people dead and dozens injured. An SUV drove into a crowd of people at the Lapu-Lapu Day celebrating Filipino culture and history in Vancouver April 26. Vancouver's interim police chief called it the 'darkest day' in the city's history. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was arrested and faces eight charges of second-degree murder. The province will match donations to the United Way Kapwa Strong Fund, which can be reached at Donations can also be made at Red Cross of Canada at or the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg at 'These funds can help to support the grieving families and those affected by the tragedy as they continue to process and begin to heal,' said Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy. 'Manitoba values our Filipino community, some of whom care for our children, our elders and the sick. It's our turn to care for them as they begin to rebuild following this tragedy.' Donations will be matched in partnership with Jewish organizations in Winnipeg, which will launch a fundraising and awareness campaign.
CBC
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Tourism Manitoba gets $4.5M funding boost to promote province as travel destination
Social Sharing The Manitoba government is giving Tourism Manitoba an additional $4.5 million to promote the province as a travel destination for locals and Canadian tourists across the country looking for a vacation spot closer to home. "Manitoba has so much to offer," says Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy. "I encourage everyone to take the time to discover or rediscover the incredible experiences available right here in our province." The Monday announcement at Qaumajuq at the Winnipeg Art Gallery comes as some Canadian tourists are looking to avoid travelling south after United States President Donald Trump's "51st state" comments and fitful tariffs on Canadian goods started earlier this year. In February, when Trump's tariffs first went into effect, U.S. border data shows the number of Canadians returning to Manitoba from neighbouring North Dakota and Minnesota by car dropped by 18 per cent compared to last year. Border crossings that month reached lows not seen since travel restrictions loosened after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Slowed cross-border traffic could be a boon for the local tourism economy as Canadians swap U.S. travel plans for staycations and boycott American goods. Manitoba's tourism industry contributes $373 million in provincial tax revenues and employs more than 25,000 people, says Travel Manitoba's president and CEO Colin Ferguson. "We are so pleased that this government recognizes the importance of tourism and the role it plays in our province's economic well-being," says Ferguson, adding he thinks the announcement is a great way to kick off National Tourism Week. He says tourism is a "powerful economic multiplier" that brings in revenue to help fund health care, infrastructure and education. In 2023, 10.4 million visitors spent $1.82 billion dollars in Manitoba, the province said in a press release. Ten per cent of the new funding —- $450,000 —- has been earmarked for Indigenous Tourism Manitoba to promote Indigenous experiences and highlight the more than 170 Indigenous tourism businesses across the province. Indigenous Tourism Manitoba CEO Holly Courchene says the growing industry "continues to be a powerful pathway to reconciliation." Tourism "offers the potential to change perspectives; preserve culture, languages and traditions; and empower Indigenous communities to lead economic development," Courchene says. "Manitoba is home to many authentic and meaningful Indigenous experiences and this funding will help us support their growth and showcase them to the world." Kennedy says the tourism industry is a "cornerstone" of the province's economy and cultural landscape. "Tourism is about more than just numbers, it's about people, places and experiences that make Manitoba unique," Kennedy says.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
New Manitoba legislation would require independent investigation of abuse allegations in youth sports
WARNING: This story contains references to sexual assault and suicide. The province has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting Manitoba children involved in sports from mistreatment, including abuse and discrimination, by their coaches and other officials. If approved, the Protecting Youth in Sports Act would require Sport Manitoba, the main oversight agency for amateur sports in the province, to establish a "safe sport" policy that provincial sports organizations would be mandated to adopt. The policy would set out "behavioural expectations and prohibited conduct for sport participants," including coaches and officials, as well as "procedures for review, disciplinary measures and appeals," the province said in a Thursday news release. That would include implementing a system requiring Sport Manitoba to hire an outside independent adjudicator to investigate abuse allegations and provide written notice of founded abuse to provincial sports organizations. "There has to be a balance there protecting the privacy of the individuals. But people that are in violation of the regulations and mistreat people must understand there are consequences to that," said Peter Woods, executive director of Hockey Manitoba. The act was introduced at the Manitoba Legislature on Thursday by Sport Minister Nellie Kennedy. Move in the right direction: Hockey Manitoba ED The act says Sport Manitoba must give written notice to each provincial sports organization when an independent adjudicator finds that a coach or official has mistreated a young athlete, including physical, sexual or psychological abuse, grooming for sexual abuse, or any discrimination under the human rights code. The legislation follows recent high-profile cases involving abuse in amateur sports. In October last year, a former Winnipeg hockey coach pleaded guilty to sexual assault and luring after what prosecutors described as a sexually exploitative relationship with a teenage girl she coached. Prior to being charged, Madison Biluk coached hockey from 2019 through 2023, during which time several members of coaching staff said her behaviour crossed professional boundaries. And in 2023, Kelsey McKay, a former Winnipeg high school football coach and teacher, pleaded guilty to 11 charges related to sexual abuse of former players who were minors at the time. Woods says people should support regulations that create a safer environment for everyone to participate in sport, and the new legislation moves in the right direction. He says the act not only protects Manitoba players, but also puts management in a better position to eliminate coaches and officials who shouldn't be involved in sports.
