Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew apologized to defence lawyers Wednesday for comments he made when his NDP caucus expelled backbencher Mark Wasyliw. Wasyliw, who’s a criminal defence lawyer, was removed because one of his colleagues is representing disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard. At the time, Kinew said someone cannot be affiliated with both Nygard and the NDP. Wasyliw has since accused Kinew of being a dysfunctional bully – which the premier has denied. The Tories now want the Ethics Commissioner to look into Wasyliw’s accusations.
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Manitobans, who face barriers to attending in-person addictions treatment, can now access care online. ‘Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine’ clinics are available without an appointment by using any smartphone, tablet
or computer. The province spent $450,000 to develop the platform.
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A previously unknown Canadian soldier, who fought in Belgium in the First World War, has been identified as a man from Manitoba. Corporal William Benjamin Cunningham was born near Hayfield in 1895 – just southwest of Brandon. A headstone rededication ceremony is now being planned.
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Brandon University’s marketing and communications director is taking part in Tour 21, a charity cycling event affiliated with the Tour de France. Grant Hamilton is one of 25 amateur cyclists selected from around the world.
The charity ride next June 27th will follow the same route and distance as the professional race.
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The last GST rebate cheques of the year are going out on Friday. The quarterly tax-free payments are for Canadians who earn low and modest incomes. The average individual cheque is $519 – for a couple with no kids it’s around $680.
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In a new Nanos poll – Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives have a 20-point lead over Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in voter support. They sit at 41.6% – while the Liberals and NDP now basically tied. The Grits have 21.5% voter support, while the New Democrats are at 21.6%.
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How many alcoholic drinks do you have in a week? A new survey found a majority of Canadians say – none. Over half of people aged 18 and over – 54% – reported not drinking any alcohol in the past week – while only 15%
said they had one or two drinks. Back in March – another report found Canadians are skipping alcohol in favour of cannabis.
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Here’s an unusual item going up for auction next week – a medallion containing some of the original mold involved in the discovery of penicillin. It could fetch up to $50,000. Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, created the medallion as a gift for his niece.