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Winnipeg Free Press
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kinew says cabinet minister who complained about sign-language interpreter will stay
WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says a cabinet minister who complained about a sign-language interpreter will stay on in her role as minister responsible for services for people with disabilities. Kinew says Nahanni Fontaine has apologized and is working to serve the deaf community. Fontaine hosted a celebration for Indigenous women graduates last week in Winnipeg and a sign-language interpreter was on stage during the minister's speech. While preparing to speak to reporters after, Fontaine told one of her staff that she was thrown off by the interpreter's presence and that the woman should not have been on stage. The comments were met with widespread criticism and the Opposition Progressive Conservatives called for Fontaine to be removed from her role. Fontaine issued two apologies in the days after the event and said she had been worried about not being able to see everyone in the room on the small crowded stage. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Manitoba says no to some U.S. bidders, but Tories say U.S. firms still getting work
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government is formally barring U.S. companies from bidding on some government contracts, but the Opposition Progressive Conservatives say that's not the case for at least two big-dollar projects. The government promised in March to implement a buy-Canadian policy which would prioritize Canadian firms, in response to tariffs on Canadian goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. In some recent requests for proposals, the government has explicitly banned bids from south of the border. A request for proposals issued Tuesday for a 'comfort camping village' — a term that can include amenities such as cabins or yurts — in St. Malo Provincial Park is limited to Canadian suppliers. In addition, 'submissions which propose the use of subcontractors based in the United States will be automatically disqualified,' the government's online proposal said. Similar wording was used for the planned redevelopment of a washroom and shower building in Whiteshell Provincial Park. The work involved is of a low enough dollar value to be exempt from Canada-U.S. free-trade obligations, a government spokesperson said. But the Progressive Conservatives said Tuesday there have been glaring exemptions to the buy-Canadian policy. The Tories tabled government documents in the legislature that showed two technology contracts, worth more than $1.8 million each, were awarded to firms headquartered in Texas and California in March after U.S. tariffs took effect. One — a deal with software company Actian, based in Round Rock, Texas — was awarded directly, meaning other companies were not given an opportunity to bid. 'This NDP government gave multimillion-dollar ... contracts to American firms in the middle of a trade war,' Tory legislature member Josh Guenter said. The government said it is in the middle of reviewing its purchasing and aiming to favour Canadian firms. 'Our government is reviewing all the contract and procurement policies to make sure we are getting the most benefit for Manitobans,' said Mintu Sandhu, the provincial minister for public service delivery. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba says no to some U.S. bidders, but Tories say U.S. firms still getting work
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is formally barring U.S. companies from bidding on some government contracts, but the Opposition Progressive Conservatives say that's not the case for at least two big-dollar projects. The government promised in March to implement a buy-Canadian policy in response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. In some recent requests for proposals, including one for new camping spots in a provincial park, the offer is limited specifically to Canadian suppliers and subcontractors. An NDP government spokesperson says the dollar amounts are small enough to be exempt from free-trade obligations. At the legislature, the Tories tabled government documents showing two technology contracts, worth more than $1.8 million each, were awarded to firms headquartered in Texas and California. Mintu Sandhu, Manitoba's minister for public service delivery, says the government is reviewing all its contracts with U.S. firms. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Province meets with Telus after man dies during 911 outage
One Manitoba man died of a heart attack while family and friends tried — unsuccessfully — to reach 911 for 90 minutes. Another man was put on hold by 911 while a fire threatened his home. The two failures of the emergency system had the Opposition Progressive Conservatives asking heated questions in the legislature Thursday. The NDP government said it has spoken to Telus about a multiple-day outage that occurred in March. 'Manitobans obviously expect good reliable access to emergency services, which includes 911,' PC MLA Derek Johnson, who represents Interlake-Gimli, said Thursday. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz said Telus hasn't yet given him all the details of its investigation into a 911 outage in Manitoba. 'It is pretty much part of our public safety necessity, especially in rural Manitoba and it can mean the difference between life and death.' Fisher Branch-area resident Dean Switzer, 55, died of a heart attack on March 23. Switzer's family couldn't be reached Thursday. Johnson said family and friends tried to help Switzer while calling 911 on their cellphones. 'They placed 22 calls and they just didn't get routed to 911,' Johnson said, arguing it wasn't an outage. 'There is a difference between an outage because their cellphones still worked for every other phone call. They could call neighbours for help so it wasn't an outage… So when they are trying to save their loved one, they did CPR for an hour and a half, they were still trying to call 911. Friends and neighbours are now over there helping, while she is doing CPR on her husband, trading off with friends and family, trying to resuscitate him and keep him alive. '(They) ultimately ended up reaching out to an off-duty RCMP officer on his cellphone.' The officer went to the RCMP detachment and an ambulance was called. Johnson said he is calling for the province to hold a public inquiry about what happened with the 911 service. 'How many (other calls) were there? Without an inquiry by the minister, how are we going to know? 'If there is a failure in that, maybe with a specific provider, that is not holding their end of the deal up, maybe they shouldn't be allowed to remain in Manitoba.' Meanwhile, Willy Ginter, who lives on a farm near Zhoda in southeast Manitoba, said he saw a fire near his property and immediately called 911. 'They put me on hold,' Ginter said. 'I hung up and I tried again — they put me on hold again. 'I figured there was no time to wait so I called the municipality. When they asked if I called 911 I said I did, but they didn't answer.' Ginter said the municipality contacted the fire department and soon the fire was out. His house was spared, but a vacant farmhouse on the neighbouring property was destroyed. '911 should be available 24/7, every minute. This was a matter of life and death — it was an emergency. It's not a toy, it's not a joke. If it doesn't work, shut it down and let us call our own fire department.' Tory MLA Konrad Narth, who represents LaVerendrye, said he wants to know why Ginter was put on hold. 'It's concerning for my constituency right now, being under immediate risk of active wildfires, as people's homes are under threat, that they won't be able to access 911 services,' Narth said. He said he is even more concerned after speaking about the 911 service with fire chiefs at a fire evacuation centre in the RM of Piney. 'There were eight different fire chiefs there,' Narth said. 'They say in the last 12 months it is commonplace that staffing shortages are not allowing 911 calls to go through to the rural 911 service in Brandon. 'All the fire chiefs are greatly concerned there is going to be a loss of life one day if the province doesn't address this.' Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz said he had a meeting with officials from Telus late Thursday afternoon. 'We are deeply concerned about the situation,' Moroz said. '911 should be there when you need it, particularly in a medical emergency, like the one experienced. We had a long and very comprehensive conversation with Telus.' Moroz said he has asked Telus to notify the province if there are future outages. He said Telus didn't give him all the details of its investigation because the company is still looking into it and will submit a report to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. He said Telus told him the outage, which hit all of its equipment linking cellphone users to 911 service, began on March 22, at 8:15 p.m. and lasted until March 24 at 11 a.m. The company refused to say how many Manitobans were affected, citing business confidentiality. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The outage did not affect Manitobans with different cellphone providers. 'We know the system was down, we know one family was tragically impacted by it, and we know Telus needs to do better,' Moroz said. 'We're going to be there to insist that they are.' Moroz said the province's justice minister is investigating how the Zhoda-area resident ended up on hold with 911 and hopes to provide more information Friday. Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. Every piece of reporting Kevin 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.
Global News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Defeated Manitoba Tory leadership candidate wants to win seat in byelection
Wally Daudrich, who was recently defeated in the race to lead Manitoba's Opposition Progressive Conservatives, says he remains a 'loyal' member of the party and still plans on seeking the Tory nomination to run in a byelection. The hotel owner and longtime party board member says he hopes to run uncontested in the Spruce Woods constituency. 'I've been vetted (by) the party. I have gone through all those hoops … and I believe I'm ready to run as a candidate,' Daudrich said in an interview Wednesday. '(Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan) just needs to give the thumbs-up and let me run basically as an uncontested candidate.' Khan, a former cabinet minister, pro football player and business owner, was elected leader of the province's Progressive Conservatives on Saturday in a tight race with Daudrich that came down to several decimal points. Story continues below advertisement Numbers from the party's website show that Daudrich garnered 53 more votes than Khan, but under the party's recently adopted system that awards points to each constituency based on the number of votes cast, Khan got 50.4 per cent of the total points to Daudrich's 49.6 per cent. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Daudrich did not address the crowd after the results were determined. On Wednesday, he said he accepts the results and supports Khan as leader. 'I went into the race knowing the rules,' Daudrich said, referencing the party's decision to adopt a point system that limits the influence of constituencies with large membership numbers. 'I went in understanding it and accepting it. That is the basis that (Khan) won and he's the new leader. I put my support behind him.' The Tories used a one-member, one-vote system in 2021 in which all votes were counted with equal weight. The new system was designed to prevent candidates from potentially winning by flooding one or two constituencies with new membership sales. Daudrich said he voted against the new rules but declined to elaborate on the concerns he had with them. During the leadership race, Daudrich staked out more socially conservative ground, saying the party needs to return to more conservative positions. Story continues below advertisement He said some of his supporters feel the education system has become an 'indoctrination system' and criticized the NDP government's decision to cover the cost of prescription birth control. He stirred up controversy by joking that he would tackle homelessness by letting polar bears loose outside the legislature in Winnipeg. When asked on Wednesday whether he had any regrets with the way he ran his campaign, Daudrich said he did everything that he wanted to do and is now focusing on uniting the conservative movement in the province. This does not include starting a new party or joining fringe parties in Manitoba, said Daudrich. He is putting his focus on running in Spruce Woods and hopes to receive the support of Khan. The riding was previously represented by Grant Jackson, who resigned and was elected a Conservative member of Parliament in Monday's federal election. Daudrich said he has researched the riding and has spoken to many members in the area. Khan did not comment directly on Daudrich's interest in running. 'I am encouraged when people are interested in running for our party but as leader, I have to stay neutral,' he said in a statement. The byelection has not yet been called.
