Diplomacy, peacekeeping cuts weaken Carney’s middle-power vision: South African envoy

OTTAWA - South Africa's envoy to Ottawa says Canada's decision to remove most of its peacekeepers from the continent doesn't align with the Carney government's pledge to get middle powers working together.

"I am saddened by the fact that the budget cuts (are) appearing to be a kind of withdrawal of Canada's commitment towards peace in Africa," High Commissioner Rieaz Shaik told The Canadian Press.

"You don't withdraw from the global commons and then say you want to build a middle-power alliance."

Shaik's comments come as Canada plans to recall peacekeepers from Congo and from South Sudan, where Ottawa has suspended its embassy. The foreign service is also reversing staffing changes that were meant to foster closer ties with South Africa.

Anxious Canadian firms bet Trump will buckle before 50% tariff deadline

MONTREAL - Companies are opting to wait and see as the clock ticks down on U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff deadline, rather than rushing shipments across the border to beat the buzzer, industry insiders say.

A new round of 50 per cent tariffs on nearly US$20 billion worth of Canadian goods ranging from dairy to down jackets is set to take effect Aug. 19. Unlike most of Trump’s other tariffs, the duties would not exempt goods that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, a trade deal widely known as CUSMA.

In spite of the looming threat, business owners have avoided front-loading their shipments, said Janine Harker, president of the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers.

"For better or for worse, everybody has settled into a process of watchful waiting — and planning to the extent possible, but very much not trying to get too ahead of what actually comes out as the official direction on Aug. 19," she said.

Hutterite speakers take aim at Bill 21

SOURIS — Members of Hutterite colonies in the province took aim Thursday at the NDP government’s proposed changes to drinking water legislation during a public meeting in Souris.

The meeting was hosted by Progressive Conservative MLA Colleen Robbins (Spruce Woods) to hear from rural residents about their concerns over Bill 21, which the government says will improve oversight on wells and other water systems in the province.

“There’s not enough clarity, but I feel that the overreach that this bill will bring is not clearly defined, and it could have a lot of negative consequences,” attendee Gilbert Hofer, a member of Green Acres colony near Wawanesa, said after the meeting, which drew about 20 people.

Bill 21 would allow public health officers to designate the type of water source based on its intended use, water quality and use duration rather than solely the number of connections it has.

Councillor vows to keep serving despite charges

WINNIPEG — Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt vowed Thursday to continue doing his job after more criminal charges were laid against him this week, while the mayor called for “better tools” to address elected officials who face serious allegations.

Wyatt, 56, was charged Monday with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance in an October 2023 incident. He was previously charged with sexual assault and administering a noxious substance in March, based on allegations tied to a 2025 gathering.

On Thursday, Wyatt arrived at city hall and quickly walked to his office at 10:20 a.m., nearly an hour after the East Kildonan-Transcona community committee meeting he planned to attend was scheduled to begin.

He answered few questions from reporters.

Number of Americans visiting Manitoba spikes

WINNIPEG — As Canadians begin to lower their elbows and start to cross the U.S. border again, Americans are coming to Manitoba in numbers not seen in years.

The latest Statistics Canada data shows Canadians arriving in Manitoba from the U.S. by land was up 16 per cent last month compared to July 2025, and up 59 per cent last month over June’s number.

The figures recorded almost 68,000 crossings by Canadians at Manitoba land borders in July, up from 42,555 in June.

There were 58,282 crossings in July 2025.

Court approves $4.5M settlement in WestJet flight attendant harassment case

A British Columbia court has approved a $4.5-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over workplace harassment of flight attendants at WestJet.

The settlement was approved this week after a judge ruled it fair and in the best interest of the eligible employees, JFK Law states on its website.

The lawsuit alleged that WestJet failed to live up to its contractual "promise" to provide a harassment-free workplace.

Former flight attendant Mandalena Lewis, who spearheaded the suit, said she is experiencing "a whole wave of emotions" at the moment.

BU takes over Campus Manitoba resources

WINNIPEG — Brandon University has absorbed all the public resources created by a defunct online education hub that promoted free textbooks and co-ordinated remote learning courses.

After 35 years of facilitating collaboration between local post-secondary institutions, Campus Manitoba was shut down at the end of June.

“Brandon University now serves as the records custodian, but all of the open educational resources are still available (to the public),” Advanced Education Minister Renée Cable said.

Campus Manitoba, a consortium of post-secondary institutes, supported the creation of more than 20 digital resources as part of the Open Education Manitoba PressbooksEDU Network. It is estimated to have saved students upwards of $6 million.

High school rodeo

The action was fast and furious Thursday during the high school rodeo at the 2026 Virden Indoor Rodeo and Wild West Daze. The annual festivities run until Sunday with a variety of events that include a parade, a demolition derby and nightly rodeo performances.

» Photos by Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun

Dynacare workers approve strike mandate

The Brandon Dynacare location could halt operations after the company’s lab workers in the province voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate if negotiations for better wages cannot be met.

Dynacare — a laboratory service provider with 22 locations in Manitoba — tests for a variety of things such as cholesterol, glucose, liver-kidney function, blood counts and more, usually for doctor’s offices.

Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals — which represent almost 350 lab technicians and technologists across the province — said almost every Dynacare member attended the vote over a 48-hour period that closed Wednesday at noon.

The result, he said, was 99.7 per cent approval of the strike mandate.