Latest news with #RuthBonneville
Winnipeg Free Press
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for Aug. 11, 2025
Increasing cloudiness, with a few showers beginning this morning and risk of thunderstorms this afternoon. Widespread smoke this morning and early this afternoon. Wind from the southwest at 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 23 C. Humidex 28. UV index 3 or moderate. What's happening today Local group Meaningful Connections for the Autistic and Neurodivergent Community is holding a Mix and Mingle tonight at 7 p.m. at Devil May Care Brewing Company, 155-A Fort St. If you're a member of the autistic or neurodivergent community and are looking to meet new people, this event is for you. This 18+ event is free, but those interested are asked to RSVP at the event page on Facebook or by emailing meaningfulconnectionswpg@ Today's must-read A remote northern First Nation is calling on the province to order Manitoba Hydro to raise water levels in the area, after a 'lifeline' ferry was grounded for the season. York Factory First Nation Chief Darryl Wastesicoot said residents are essentially stuck because Split Lake's level dropped too low for the provincially run ferry to operate. 'We do want an all-weather road. That's the long-term goal here, but short-term is to get some help to get our supplies in so we can continue our projects and people's (grocery) shopping,' he told the Free Press. 'They're holding back a lot of water, probably for the winter.' Chris Kitching has the story. First Nation Chief Darryl Wastesicoot said York Factory's council is scheduled to meet with provincial officials Tuesday. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files) On the bright side Between his family and his four businesses, Devin Penner has a full schedule, but he still makes time to volunteer. 'I'm a sucker for it,' he says. Whether it's hosting fundraisers, organizing strength competitions or playing bass in the worship band at church, Penner likes to lend a hand. It's how he was raised. Aaron Epp has more here. Devin Penner (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press) On this date On Aug. 11, 1923: The Manitoba Free Press reported in Berlin, a strike at the state printing works that began when the ministry of labour awarded a wage of 6,500,000 paper marks weekly to workmen, who demanded to be paid 20 gold marks, had ended; the strike movement in other German sectors, such as shipyards and chemical plants, remained strong. Britain's lengthy reply to notes from France and Belgium remained sercret, but was thought to concern inter-allied indebtedness, particularly as regarded Britain's responsibilities toward the United States. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Battery-electric buses finally ready to roll
Roughly six months after the city unveiled its first zero-emission bus, Winnipeggers will finally be able to start riding one. Winnipeg Transit announced Thursday its first 60-foot (18-metre) battery-electric bus will go into 'limited service' next week. The service received its first hydrogen fuel-cell battery-electric bus in February and initially expected to have some zero-emission buses operating in April. It now has eight fuel-cell battery-electric buses and eight battery-electric ones. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press (From left to right) Councillor Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council's public works committee, Mayor Scott Gillingham, Greg Ewankiw director, Transit and Erin Cooke, project manager for Transit's zero emission Bus program, stand next to Winnipeg's first 60-foot battery-electric bus. None of the zero-emission vehicles have served local routes yet, Erin Cooke — project manager for Transit's transition to a zero-emission program — said. 'We only have one room in our facility that's been retrofitted to do service and maintenance on … fuel cell buses,' she said. 'So, we can only basically work on them one at a time.' Cooke said the large number of buses Winnipeg Transit has received in the last year has put a lot of strain on its system. 'We're used to getting 30 buses a year. We've received 105 buses in the last six months or so,' she said. Cooke said it took extra time to get buses ready for service, which includes preparing fare boxes and radios, as well as training staff members. Charging infrastructure for electric buses and hydrogen fuelling options were already in place. The hydrogen fuel cell buses can drive up to 24 hours without refuelling, while the battery electric ones can drive for 10 to 15 hours without recharging. Cooke said Thursday a total of six green buses are 'ready to hit the streets.' 'We should be seeing the remainder of the buses, within the next two weeks or so, starting to get into limited service,' she said. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Another 24 zero-emission buses are expected to arrive in early 2026. A news release notes the initial limited service period for zero-emission buses will last 30 days. During that time, they will run only weekdays during the peak morning and early afternoon rush hours. Cooke said easing the buses into broader service will allow the city to test the vehicles and address any bumps along the way. 'We want to make sure that we're operating them in hours that we have technicians on site, ready to go and respond if there's any problems,' she said. The bus unveiled Thursday will be the first 18-metre battery electric bus to operate in a Canadian city's fleet, Winnipeg Transit said. 'We are proud to be leading the charge … when it comes to sustainable transportation in the country,' Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West), chairwoman of council's public works committee, said. Another 24 zero-emission buses are expected to arrive in early 2026. Overall, Winnipeg Transit is slated to receive 90 zero-emission buses as part of a $280-million funding agreement between the city, province and Ottawa. A member of Parliament said the investment is key to reducing air pollution. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Bus driver, Allen Fifer, who has worked as a transit driver for 45 years, is all smiles as he prepares to take Mayor Scott Gillingham and others for a ride-along on Winnipeg's first 60-foot battery-electric bus. 'All summer long, this has been the worst recorded air quality in the history of the City of Winnipeg (because of forest fire smoke). We all … have a responsibility to do our part to contribute towards the combating of climate change. This is a wonderful example of how we're doing that at the local level,' Ben Carr, MP for Winnipeg South Centre, said. Transit has been slow to add green buses to its fleet so far, after first testing out four leased electric buses in a pilot project from 2015 to 2018. City council voted earlier this year to return to buying only diesel buses after its tri-government funding deal wraps up. When asked if that decision will prevent the city from reaching its goal to switch the entire Winnipeg Transit fleet to zero-emission models by 2045, Mayor Scott Gillingham said new senior government funding could still make that possible. 'The cost of the zero-emission buses is substantially more than a diesel bus … So, we as a city, would need assistance from the federal and provincial governments to be partners once again … to procure more zero-emission buses in the future,' he said. Cooke said earlier this year that a 12-metre diesel bus cost around $900,000, while the city will pay about $1.56 million for each electric bus of the same size and $1.9 million per fuel-cell version. Winnipeg Transit now has about 640 buses, its website states. The chairperson of the city's climate action and resilience committee said he's concerned green buses and other environmental initiatives aren't being deemed as urgent as other city priorities. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press The hydrogen fuel cell buses can drive up to 24 hours without refuelling, while the battery electric ones can drive for 10 to 15 hours without recharging. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. 'It does seem to be a frustrating pattern here, that we don't seem to be able to get these environmental initiatives up and running,' Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said. As an example, Mayes noted the city now expects a long-awaited plan to convert potent landfill gases into renewable energy, if council approves it, won't be implemented until at least 2028, instead of a previous 2026 target. 'I'd like to see some more priority (given to environmental projects) or at least, let's pick up the pace.' X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for Aug. 7, 2025
Sunny, with increasing cloudiness this afternoon. Local smoke. High 29 C. Humidex 34. UV index 7 or high. Winnipeg has blazed its way to its smokiest year on record — and there are still nearly three months remaining in the wildfire season. The city had recorded 306 smoke hours as of Tuesday, compared with 304 in 1961. Kevin Rollason has more here. Winnipeg recorded its smokiest month ever, with 189 smoke hours in July. (Mike Deal / Free Press files) What's happening today Today at 2 p.m., take a stroll and learn some local history at Poverty and Prosperity: A Walk Down Early 1900s Broadway beginning at The Forks. Tickets are $15 and can be found here (as well as additional dates and times for the tour). This walk takes history-hungry visitors on a trek from the Alloway Arch at The Forks to Dalnavert Museum (61 Carleton St.), the former home of Sir Hugh John Macdonald. Today's must-read For the first time in her 50-plus years in Thompson, Mayor Colleen Smook is hearing residents ask when winter is coming, even though there's still plenty of summer left. Some wildfires in northern Manitoba may not be extinguished until snow begins falling later this year, if higher temperatures and dry conditions continue, she said. 'This could go on until we get some decent snowfall and colder temperatures,' Smook told the Free Press Wednesday. Chris Kitching has the story. Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook is hoping for significant rainfall, and no lightning strikes, in the coming days. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files) On the bright side Housing advocates say the province needs more social-housing projects to address the homelessness crisis in Manitoba. Construction on a 23-unit apartment building at 480 Young St. was underway Wednesday. The aim is to house up to 40 homeless and at-risk individuals and families by the end of 2025. Ontario-based charity Raising the Roof bought the derelict property in November and began renovations in May. It's the second project the non-profit has undertaken in Winnipeg. Nicole Buffie has more here. Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic partnerships and initiatives for Raising the Roof (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press) On this date On Aug. 7, 1952: The Winnipeg Free Press reported Manitoba premier D.L. Campell called a last-minute meeting between Winnipeg mayor Garnet Coulter and union leader Leon Mitchell as well as the provincial minister of labour to avert a strike by civic workers. Four children died near Gladstone after a sandy cave they had been playing in collapsed. A U.S. embargo against Canadian meat and cattle owing to an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease looked unlikely to be lifted until 1953. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Charity building second housing site in city
Housing advocates say the province needs more social-housing projects to address the homelessness crisis in Manitoba. Construction on a 23-unit apartment building at 480 Young St. was underway Wednesday. The aim is to house up to 40 homeless and at-risk individuals and families by the end of 2025. Ontario-based charity Raising the Roof bought the derelict property in November and began renovations in May. It's the second project the non-profit has undertaken in Winnipeg. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic partnerships and initiatives for Raising the Roof, said renovation projects such as the one on Young Street can play a significant role in addressing homelessness. 'I think we need social housing. We tend to lean to not-for-profit or public housing because it not only guarantees it now, but also in the future,' Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project, said. The Spence-area apartment block was put into receivership in March 2023 after a significant fire in 2022. The building presented an opportunity for Raising the Roof to expand its housing projects outside Ontario. The building cost $1 million and, at the time of purchase, the organization expected the renovation to cost less than $5 million. Funding for the project came through donors and private partnerships. After renovations are finished, 24/7 on-site supports from Main Street Project will be available for tenants. Mahmood said the project is seeking public funding for operations and staff members at the complex. A provincial government spokesperson wouldn't confirm whether the province is in negotiations to provide operational funding, citing byelection blackout rules. Mahmood said any vacant or derelict building in Winnipeg should be eyed for projects such as this and that the province shouldn't rely on private landlords to increase the housing supply for homeless people. 'If there are private landlords offering, great, but I think there's a guarantee this (project) is going to last longer term and meet the needs if it's publicly or not-for-profit owned,' he said. 'It gives more stability for the longer-term housing we need.' Mahmood estimates the province needs 10,000 units of housing to meet the needs of the province's homeless population, including those living in encampments, in shelters or are at risk of becoming homeless. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press The building at 480 Young St. could house up to 40 homeless and at-risk individuals and families by the end of 2025. Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show the average vacancy rate for an apartment in Winnipeg in October 2024 was 1.7 per cent. Premier Wab Kinew said last month that when his government took office, it was constrained by the lack of housing units after the former government sold some of its housing stock. He said the province is in the process of building and restoring social-housing units and helping an estimated 700 Manitobans move from tents to homes as part of the government's Your Way Home strategy to end chronic homelessness. The province had moved 59 people from encampments to housing as of the end of July. Fifty-three have moved into social housing, and six live in private rentals. In May, the province announced 67 new social-housing units, all of which are occupied. Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic partnerships and initiatives for Raising the Roof, said renovation projects such as the one on Young Street can play a significant role in addressing homelessness. 'When you have buildings like this that can be renovated, it's efficient, and you'd be able to do this faster and easier,' she said. 'If we have the space available, then we can use it, and use it to its full potential.' The non-profit's other project, at a former nail salon at 573 Mountain Ave., was converted to a three-unit home and has been occupied ever since. Ruth Bonneville / Free Press The building cost $1 million and, at the time of purchase, Raising the Roof expected the renovation to cost less than $5 million. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 'We were there earlier today and were speaking with one of the tenants, who just was telling us all of the impacts on her life and everything that she was able to do because of the project,' Bellingham said. 'That's definitely the kind of impact that we're trying to recreate here.' Mahmood is optimistic about 480 Young St. 'If it goes well, I think there's a good model,' he said. 'We need more housing in general, but if a not-for-profit can be identified as a service provider early on, and then a partner like Raise the Roof can do all the building work and capital work, then we don't have to develop those expertise.' Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for Aug. 6, 2025
Cloudy with a 60 per cent chance of showers and risk of a thunderstorm. Wind from the southwest at 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 27. Humidex 33. UV index 5 or moderate. The north-central part of the Prairies, including nothern Manitoba, remains under a series of air-quality warnings. Environment Canada says wildfire smoke is contributing to the region's very poor air quality and could cause reduced visibility today. The Canadian Press has more here. What's happening today The Winnipeg Goldeyes play the Sioux Falls Canaries at Sioux Falls Stadium, starting at 6:35 p.m. Today's must-read Nurses will vote this week on whether to discourage their colleagues from taking jobs at Health Sciences Centre after a string of sexual assaults in and around the hospital last month highlighted ongoing safety concerns. It's called 'grey listing,' where a union will warn its members an employer is failing to maintain professional standards and advise against taking new positions there. The grey list is kept in place until requests made to the employer are met. It would not impact the jobs of the 3,000 Manitoba Nurses Union members currently working at HSC. Malak Abas has the story. The Health Sciences Centre Emergency entrance (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files) On the bright side A team led by researchers in British Columbia has solved the mystery of a gruesome disease that has killed billions of sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America, more than a decade after the die-off. Melanie Prentice, the lead author of a new study, recalls a moment of 'not really believing it' when researchers found a strain of bacteria that was abundant in diseased sea stars and absent in healthy ones. It felt 'incredible' to be part of a discovery that could help make a meaningful difference in the recovery of sea stars and their ecosystems, she said. The Canadian Press has more here. Sunflower sea stars (pycnopodia helianthoides) and sea vases (ciona intestinalis) are seen in the waters in Rivers Inlet, B.C., (Hakai Institute, Bennett Whitnell / The Canadian Press) On this date On Aug. 6, 1932: The Winnipeg Free Press reported in Ottawa, police stood guard along the route of Imperial conference delegates to the ceremonial opening of the Welland Canal, owing to threats made by a member of Sinn Fein to assassinate J.H. Thomas, British Dominions secretary. In Winnipeg, city police arrested three men and one woman, alleged members of an international confidence gang whose operations were extensive throughout western and eastern Canada, and whose victims, police said, included a farmer in Virden who'd lost $1,000 to one of their schemes. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
