Advertisement
Opinion
Today’s editorial cartoon
Advertisement
Weather
Brandon MB
9°C, Cloudy with wind
Stefanson lands on feet despite tarnished legacy
4 minute read PreviewStefanson lands on feet despite tarnished legacy
4 minute read Yesterday at 9:53 PM CDTThere is something utterly unsatisfying about the political epitaph that has been written about former premier Heather Stefanson.
Manitoba’s first female premier resigned her seat in the spring of 2024, seven months after she and her Progressive Conservative party were thumped by the NDP in the 2023 election, following a disastrous campaign that doubled down on cruelty and ignorance.
The insult to self-injury came in June when the NDP captured Stefanson’s Tuxedo seat in a byelection.
If that was the last we heard of the former PC premier, it would have been a sufficiently sad end to her otherwise long career in public service. Unfortunately for Stefanson, that is not the last we heard.
ReadHeather Stefanson, speaks to media after the completion of the 43rd Manitoba legislature throne speech at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg on Nov. 21, 2023. The Sio Silica affair brought a fine for Stefanson and a smear on her political record, but a number of companies have provided her a soft landing, nonetheless. (The Canadian Press)
How wildfires, other climate disasters strain health systems
By Bhavini Gohel 5 minute read PreviewHow wildfires, other climate disasters strain health systems
By Bhavini Gohel 5 minute read Yesterday at 9:50 PM CDTWildfires are no longer rare disasters in Canada. They are now an annual reality, and 2025 has already been one of the worst on record, with 3,582 fires burning 6.2 million hectares as of July 30 — quadruple the 10-year average.
At a time when hospitals are already strained by staff shortages, long wait times and rising costs, wildfires add yet another layer of pressure.
Rural communities are usually the hardest hit by wildfires. These communities rely on small health facilities with limited staff and equipment.
When fires cut off access or force evacuations, these facilities struggle to provide even basic care. As a front-line health-care worker and system leader, I have seen first-hand how every part of health system — from hospital operations to workforce readiness and community partnerships — is being tested. Leading resilience initiatives has shown me how urgently we need system-wide co-ordination and investment to protect patients when disasters strike.
ReadSmoke from the McDougall Creek wildfire fills the air and nearly blocks out the sun as people take in the view of Okanagan Lake from Tugboat Beach in Kelowna, B.C., in August. “Wildfires are now a predictable part of Canada’s climate reality. Yet health systems remain unprepared,” Bhavini Gohel writes. (The Canadian Press files)
Transparency only option for NDP on proposed detox centre
By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read PreviewTransparency only option for NDP on proposed detox centre
By Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025If the Manitoba government wants to move ahead with its plan to open a 72-hour detox centre for highly intoxicated people, it owes the public — especially residents living near the proposed site — a lot more information than it has provided so far.
Premier Wab Kinew’s government quietly floated the idea of repurposing a site — located at 190 Disraeli Fwy. — that was originally considered for a supervised consumption facility into a so-called “stabilization centre,” where people under the influence of drugs or alcohol could be held for up to 72 hours.
The goal, according to the government, would be to provide a safe place for people to detox, get medical care and connect them with treatment and recovery supports.
It sounds like a compassionate, common-sense response to the visible addictions crisis gripping Winnipeg’s core. But there are a lot of unanswered questions — not just about how such a centre would operate and how the surrounding community would be protected, but also about the legal and scientific basis for holding people against their will for as long as three days.
ReadThe building at 190 Disraeli Fwy. in Winnipeg is currently home to N’Dinawemak, an Indigenous-led homeless shelter. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press files)
News outlets resist attack at Pentagon
4 minute read PreviewNews outlets resist attack at Pentagon
4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025It’s safe to say the current U.S. administration has crossed a line when even Trump-toadying media outlets such as Fox News and Newsmax declare it has gone too far.
That’s exactly what happened this week as the Department of Defense — or, as U.S. President Donald Trump vainly/combatively prefers, the Department of War — sought to impose a new press policy on media outlets covering the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — himself a former Fox News personality — had demanded that all news outlets agree by Tuesday afternoon to abide by the policy, which states outlets must not solicit, obtain or use any unauthorized material, even if the information is not classified; in other words, never to accept or report “leaked” information, under threat that publishing of information not authorized by the Pentagon will result in revocation of press credentials.
Virtually every credible news outlet covering the Pentagon — along with some whose legitimacy is debatable — declined to sign the necessary pledge, meaning their personnel would be required to surrender their press badges and clear out their workspaces within the Defense Department headquarters.
ReadU.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (The Associated Press files)
A positive diplomatic step for Canada, India
5 minute read PreviewA positive diplomatic step for Canada, India
5 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025“When we’re trying to solve difficult national issues it’s sometimes necessary to talk to adversaries as well as friends. Historians have a word for this: diplomacy.”
— Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
The Government of India has agreed to readmit a full delegation of Canadian diplomats into that nation, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Tuesday. The announcement followed a meeting in India between Anand, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials of that government. The two nations have also signed a statement outlining areas in which they intend to co-operate, including trade and artificial intelligence.
The thawing in relations between the two governments will surprise, and possibly concern, many Canadians, given that the RCMP accused the Modi government in 2023 of being involved in violent acts in Canada that allegedly included murders and acts of extortion.
ReadIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) speaks as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney listens before a meeting at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 17. (The Canadian Press files)
Clock is ticking on Poilievre to reevaluate his approach
By Dan Lett 5 minute read PreviewClock is ticking on Poilievre to reevaluate his approach
By Dan Lett 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre faces a key leadership review from his party in three months time. Is it too early for him to start worrying?
To be honest, it’s quite unlikely Poilievre will lose a vote of party members at a national conference in January. Although it’s also noteworthy that the beleaguered Tory boss has refused to say whether he has identified a minimum level of support necessary to stay. So, who knows how that vote will turn out?
More importantly, when party members gather to contemplate Poilievre’s future, what will they be considering before casting a vote? First and foremost, they will likely want to know if he has changed.
The Poilievre who led the party to a crushingly disappointing second-place finish in April’s election showed that he had the wrong tone, message and strategy. Some supporters will say that it was simply bad timing. However, when U.S. President Donald Trump started musing about annexing Canada as the 51st state, voters here began to not only stand up for their own country, but to see the similarities between Trump and Poilievre.
ReadConservative Leader Pierre Poilievre talks to volunteers as he fills food baskets at Agape Table, a local non-profit food bank in Winnipeg, on Monday. Poilievre toured the facility, filled weekly food baskets and met with staff and volunteers. (John Woods/Winnipeg Free Press)
Poverty a global issue — and a local one, too
By Chidinma Emeka-Ogumka 3 minute read PreviewPoverty a global issue — and a local one, too
By Chidinma Emeka-Ogumka 3 minute read Monday, Oct. 13, 2025International Day for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on recognizing poverty and finding ways to eliminate it.
Commemorated annually on Oct. 17, this day brings together global communities through events, summits and campaigns. This year’s theme is “ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families.” The United Nations says that the day focuses on ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families, with a clear goal — to “put the furthest behind first and build institutions that help families stay together, thrive and shape their own futures.”
However, global initiatives around poverty are centred on developed countries, a bias influenced by historical imbalances, economic power and control over resources. The media tends to prioritize politically relevant issues rather than the complexities of global poverty, often portraying it as a tragedy leading people to believe nothing can be done. While poverty may never truly be eliminated, its existence can be significantly reduced.
In developing nations, extreme poverty is prevalent, due to the large populations. Yet, the day holds relevance for developed nations for many reasons, where inequality and the wide gap between social classes continue to perpetuate hardships. The observance of this day not only focuses on poverty that relates to income but also health care, education, justice and political power. (Source: “The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty,” UFCW Canada, n.d.)
ReadHeather Symbalisty checks the inventory on the milk cooler at Samaritan House Ministries in downtown Brandon. Poverty is not a distant issue — it exists in our own backyard. (File)
Just how far will Donald Trump go?
4 minute read PreviewJust how far will Donald Trump go?
4 minute read Monday, Oct. 13, 2025In a live interview last week with CNN, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller stopped talking in mid-sentence right after he uttered the phrase “plenary authority.”
Miller’s pause was so long, CNN took a commercial break. When the interview resumed, neither Miller nor the CNN host spoke of plenary authority again.
For those who have witnessed U.S. President Donald Trump’s first nine months in power, Miller’s utterance was hardly shocking. But if asserted, plenary authority — defined as a complete and absolute power — could pave the way for Trump to fully transform the U.S from a democracy to a country under authoritarian rule.
Trump officials have not formally argued in any court that the president has plenary authority. And yet, its spectre hangs over key legal disputes over the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to send in the military to suppress protests against the aggressive deportation of immigrants.
ReadPresident Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers on Aug. 21 in Washington. (The Associated Press files)
National pharmacare for contraception can’t wait
By Elizabeth Nethery, Amanda Black, Amanda K. Downey, Laura Schummers and Wendy V. Norman 6 minute read PreviewNational pharmacare for contraception can’t wait
By Elizabeth Nethery, Amanda Black, Amanda K. Downey, Laura Schummers and Wendy V. Norman 6 minute read Monday, Oct. 13, 2025Why should women in British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon have access to free contraception while the rest of Canadians do not? Our new research, published in the British Medical Journal and JAMA Pediatrics, underscores the urgent need for universal prescription contraception coverage nationwide. Spoiler alert: cost matters.
When B.C. launched universal coverage for prescription contraception in April 2023, more people used contraceptives, and importantly, more chose the most effective methods. When Ontario introduced universal coverage for those younger than age 25 in January 2017, we found a similar jump in the most effective contraceptive methods.
In October 2024, the National Pharmacare Act received royal assent, establishing a framework for a national, universal, single-payer pharmacare program, beginning with free access to contraception and diabetes medications. Now, almost a year later, only four provinces and territories (B.C., Manitoba, P.E.I. and the Yukon) have bilateral agreements to implement this legislation on the ground.
On Sept. 10, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the federal government is “committed to signing pharmacare deals with all provinces and territories.” This is welcome news given previous statements in July by Health Minister Marjorie Michel indicating wavering commitment or that “all options are on the table” for implementing Bill C-64 nationally.
ReadA one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed. (The Canadian Press files)
LOAD MORE