Paul Wiecek

Reporter (retired)

Paul Wiecek was born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End and delivered the Free Press — 53 papers, Machray Avenue, between Main and Salter Streets — long before he was first hired as a Free Press reporter in 1989.

A graduate of St. Paul’s High School and Carleton University in Ottawa, Paul covered the police beat for seven years before he was named the paper’s investigative reporter in 1996. He moved over to sports in 1998, where he has worked ever since.

Along the way, Paul has covered two World Series, two Winter Olympics, five Grey Cups, an NBA Finals, a Queen’s Plate, a Belmont Stakes, 15 Briers, 14 Scotties, at least a dozen world curling championships and was in the house the night former Detroit Tigers catcher Matt Nokes attacked Winnipeg Goldeyes mascot Goldie and pinned him (her?) to the wall.

Paul travelled on assignment for the Free Press to Iraq, Jordan, Mexico, Sweden, Switzerland (twice), Italy (three times), Scotland and to all 10 provinces and one territory in Canada and at least half the states in the U.S.

He’s been a finalist for Michener and National Newspaper Awards and is a five-time winner of the Sovereign Award, which is awarded annually for the best journalism about Canadian horse racing. He’s also the 1998 winner of the Gil Amoroso Media Award, which is awarded annually by the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association for the best investigative journalism in North America about the biker trade. And finally, he’s a two-time winner of the Scotty Harper Media Award, awarded annually by the Canadian Curling Association for the best story in Canada about the sport of curling.

Paul lives in the West End and is a father of two.  He retired from the Free Press in 2018.