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Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Turn on that barbecue and get grilling
It's a subtle shift. As warm weather settles in for good, the sweet, smoky smell of outdoor cooking becomes an evening staple of neighbourhoods across the city. Make the most of grilling season with reader recipes for Barbecue Lean Pork from Anita Lee, Gale's Barbecue Trout from Gale Petreny and Auntie Shirley Potatoes from Patti Mersereau-LeBlanc. Want to share a recipe? Visit to fill out the submission form. Barbecue Lean Pork JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Anita Lee's barbecued pork dish is easy and flavourful. JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Anita Lee's barbecued pork dish is easy and flavourful. Ingredients Directions Note: The pork can be basted with the remaining marinade half-way through cooking. If cooking on the barbecue, place the meat on the grill over medium heat and keep a close eye to ensure the sugary marinade doesn't burn. JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Anita Lee's pork dish can be done on the barbecue or in the oven. JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Anita Lee's pork dish can be done on the barbecue or in the oven. — Anita Lee Gale's Barbecue Trout Ingredients Directions Freepik Adding lemon to barbecued trout is never a bad idea. Freepik Adding lemon to barbecued trout is never a bad idea. 'Many years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Cranberry Portage to officiate at a local wrestling tournament. While I was up there, I was invited to go ice fishing. We caught a number of lake trout and my host taught me how to cook up our catch. Maybe it was the fresh-caught trout or the pride in catching the fish, but this was the best fish I had ever tasted. This is the only recipe I use now to barbecue fish and is a gold standard in our family. Even the kids that don't like fish love this recipe!' — Gale Petreny Auntie Shirley Potatoes Ingredients Directions 'When I was a child my family would go out on my Auntie Shirley and Uncle Dalton's house boat on the weekends. There was camping, fishing, and swimming all weekend. Endless fun! And of course my aunt would make these potatoes. I loved them. Throughout the winter I would ask my mom to make them but didn't know what to call them, so they became Auntie Shirley Potatoes.' — Patti Mersereau-LeBlanc Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva 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
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Bill 43 represents a victory for all
Opinion While for many years Canada has enjoyed a global reputation as a predominantly safe place to live, the erosion of that reality — which more recently we have seen play out in communities across the country — is a clear and present threat to that reputation. The Manitoba Teachers' Society, representing 16,600 public school teachers across the province, has taken vocal and steadfast positions in opposition to the banning of books from libraries, wresting control of hiring practices from school divisions and the spewing of hate-fuelled rhetoric at school trustee meetings. We do so recognizing that efforts to undermine public education through bodies such as our school boards create a portal to a much larger prize: that of destroying systems of democracy, law, and human rights. This brings me to Bill 43, The Human Rights Code Amendment Act. The amendment proposed by our provincial government is significant; the kind of thing that earns a country, and a province, the reputation as a safe and secure place for all. ALEX LUPUL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS / FILE A new bill presented in the Manitoba legislature represents a victory for all Manitobans. Bill 43 proposes that gender expression be added to those characteristics already protected under human rights legislation in Manitoba. According to Egale Canada, gender expression is defined as 'the way gender is presented and communicated to the world through clothing, speech, body language, hairstyle, voice and/or the emphasis or de-emphasis of body characteristics and behaviours.' Let's be clear that defending human rights for marginalized or vulnerable persons, including their right to gender expression, does not infringe on anyone else's human rights. In fact, I would argue that the more protected marginalized or vulnerable folks are, the more each and every one of us will benefit from a safer, kinder and just society. Bill 43 represents a victory for all of us. It is a victory for parents and caregivers who want to send their children to safe and supportive schools, free of harassment and bullying that far too often have lifelong physical and emotional impacts. It is a victory for parents of children who are not marginalized, shaping communities in which those who have power and voice are governed by kindness, understanding, and a commitment to belonging and security guaranteed for all. It is a victory for workplaces, giving them a North Star, guiding development of organizational cultures in which colleagues welcome, support and learn from one another. It is a victory for our communities, which are the beneficiaries of the diverse, vibrant lived experiences of their citizens. And of course, it is a victory for those among us who are most vulnerable, who are counting on us to stand up for them, to speak out for them. Strengthening human rights is essential — perhaps the most important work of any government. And while the federal government passed Bill-C16 in 2017 adding gender identity and expression to Charter rights, similar protections do not exist in some provinces, Manitoba included. This leaves gaps for discrimination in areas such as health care, education and criminal justice, because these systems are governed by provincial and territorial human rights law. Genocides are born in the vacuum created by erasing human rights. We need look no further than our own backyards, to the multi-generational impacts of residential schools to see ample evidence of that. A quick Google search will reveal the heartbreaking trend of suicide among those who do not present in a manner that conforms with what for many is a pink and blue 'gender reveal party' world. We must be firm in our conviction that no person, young or old, should be subjected to violence, harassment, or be compelled take their own life because the rest of us stood by in silence. Rights which for many years we have believed to be inalienable are not. We have witnessed the rolling back of rights and freedoms in other countries, including the United States. Even within the context of our own federal election, the Conservative Party leader made it clear that if elected he would have passed a law overriding our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If that doesn't terrify you, it should. It's what makes Bill 43 all the more important. To be human is to have a heart, and we are all human. No matter how we dress, no matter if we wear make-up, no matter if we dye our hair or wear it in ways some might find non-traditional, we all have the right to safety and security. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. Bill 43 is a crucial step in that direction, prioritizing and protecting human rights rooted in love and compassion for oneself, and one's neighbour. If you looked at me, you'd see someone granted all the privilege imaginable. With my privilege comes the responsibility to speak out in defence of legislation like Bill 43. I'm speaking out because I'm privileged. I'm speaking out because I'm a parent, I'm speaking out because I'm a teacher and I'm speaking out because I'm a union leader. I'm speaking out — not just for me, not just for my members, but for all of us. Nathan Martindale is president of The Manitoba Teachers' Society.
Winnipeg Free Press
25-04-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
The tough positions an economist takes
Opinion Here are three statements for your consideration. 1) The minimum wage should be set at $0 per hour; 2) Landlords should be allowed to raise rents by any amount; and 3) The costs of expropriating Lemay Forest are higher than most imagine. Saying these things on a first date will guarantee a tart refusal for a second date. That is why economists have difficulty procreating; they cannot get that second date. Let us double down and take each statement in turn. Most view minimum wages as part of society's social safety net and a key tool in fighting poverty. When provinces decide to raise the rate, advocacy groups invariably argue that the proposed increase fails to meet families' basic needs. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Lemay Forest. For many years, conventional economic wisdom held that minimum wages had several adverse effects. By making workers more expensive, employers have an incentive to invest in technology that replaces labour. Minimum wages have little benefit for the unemployed, especially those needing a first job to start their resumes. David Card and Alan Krueger conducted a natural experiment in 1994 that compared employment levels of young workers in two states, one of which had increased its minimum wage while the other had not. Their findings upset the conventional wisdom as they found that employment levels did not decline because of the minimum wage increase. This paper not only upset standard theory but also won Card the Nobel prize (Krueger had died in the interim, and Nobels only go to the living.) The story does not end there. Subsequent research sought to fix limitations to the Card/Krueger study by extending the measurement of effects beyond the original 11 months, broadening the impacts to all industries in a region, and using official payroll data instead of surveys of fast-food managers, which have biases. The more comprehensive study conducted in Seattle restored the conventional wisdom of the adverse effects of minimum wage and showed it triggered more poverty. Investment in technology and resource-led growth, supported by an educated workforce, cures poverty. Another important finding is that property rights and the rule of law promote growth and reduce poverty. Finally, Adam Smith, often (and wrongly associated with pure laissez-faire, advocated for investments in key public services as essential for a functioning economy. Now, consider rent control. It seems intuitive that to cap rents, one needs a regulation limiting the power of property owners. But this is like controlling boiling pots by adding lids — the more you press down, the worse the problem. Eliminating rent control, increasing housing supply by relaxing regulations, managing public debt to reduce pressure on interest rates, ensuring the availability of land, and creating a fiscal structure to service land are the time-tested ways to moderate housing prices. This brings us to Lemay Forest. On the one hand, we have the developer, who is easy for most to dismiss. On the other hand, we have a small group of greenspace advocates who point to the existence of a cemetery, abundant wildlife, and the spiritual significance of the forest. But on the third hand — and there is always a hidden third hand — we have a large amorphous group comprising potential homeowners and the taxpayer. Consider this third and its hidden costs. First, the Manitoba taxpayer bears the costs of compensating the developer. The law requires this, but it creates a disincentive for future development. The developer had proposed 2,500 assisted-living housing units. The City of Winnipeg and Municipal Board rejected this proposal but noted that the development of 800 units might be feasible. As boomers age, the demand for this type of housing will increase in the next few years. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. This development would have relieved pressure on personal care homes. It also would have added to the overall housing supply, as seniors downsize, yielding housing for younger families. The cost of creating another park will increase housing prices in the future. Finally, the housing development would have generated future tax revenue in perpetuity. The feel-good creation of a park will have enduring costs for Winnipeg. Of course, this decision to create a park instead of housing will not produce a noticeable increase in housing prices. However, when political expediency becomes the norm, the cumulative effect emerges, and we suffer death by a thousand shaving nicks. That second date? After dousing ice water on curing poverty by raising minimum wages, creating affordable housing through abolishing rent controls, and dissing parks over housing, it is fair to wonder how economists get even the first date. Gregory Mason is an associate professor of economics at the University of Manitoba.
