Right To Play International asks people to play and share their stories on Wednesday

As two of Canada's most experienced Olympians, Miranda Ayim and Erica Wiebe have made careers out of playing sports at the highest levels of competition.

But some of their most formative memories are of playing as children with almost no stakes.

"We basically would have a neighbourhood-wide game of tag where we were just jumping fences from yard to yard," said Ayim, who was on Canada's women's basketball team at four Olympics.

"I don't know if our parents really appreciated that, but we felt so adventurous going from yard to yard and running but still feeling safe to do so in that neighbourhood, and enjoying that time and that feeling of freedom."

Program offers a promising future

As soon as Anfernee Clarke learned about the Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program being offered by First Peoples Development Inc. he was intrigued.

A decade ago an 18-year-old Clarke started working in the construction industry doing concrete work. He loved the physical nature of the work but a back injury he suffered five years ago forced him to temporarily put that career on hold and seek out other employment opportunities.

Now fully healed, he learned about FPDI’s bricklayer program late last year and wasted no time applying. He was one of 12 people who were part of the program’s initial cohort of students when it was launched this past January.

“I made up my mind pretty quickly (about applying),” he says.

Nearly one in three non-profit workers burnt out and food insecure, survey suggests

A survey of 1,116 employees at non-profit organizations across Canada indicates more than one-third of workers regularly feel burnt out and exhausted.

The Changemaker Wellbeing Index, published Thursday, says 36 per cent of workers said they were struggling with issues such as anxiety, poor job satisfaction and insufficient household incomes.

The survey was conducted between Feb. 21 and March 14 by Toronto-based Environics Research on behalf of media company Future of Good.

Thirty-four per cent of respondents at community non-profits said they were food insecure, and 20 per cent said they were likely to quit in the next six months.

9 ans en 180 secondes

L’étudiante trilingue Camila Chacon a remporté au mois de mars le concours Ma thèse en 180 secondes pour l’année 2025 au Manitoba. En à peine trois minutes, elle a su convaincre les jurys à propos d’un sujet sur lequel elle travaille depuis quasiment une dizaine d’années. Elle s’en va maintenant pour le concours national qui a lieu le 7 mai.

Après les quatre présentations des autres candidats, c’est en cinquième et dernière que Camila Chacon, doctorante en physiologie et physiopathologie de l’Université du Manitoba passait pour présenter à l’oral son étude lors du concours Ma thèse en 180 secondes, lancé par l’Association francophone pour le savoir en 2012, dénommée désormais simplement Acfas.

Alors, comment se sentait Camila Chacon devant des jurys issus de différents milieux professionnels, ainsi que devant Jean-Éric Ghia, professeur en immunologie à l’Université du Manitoba et formateur en vulgarisation scientifique et à la présentation de Ma thèse en 180 secondes?

Étude de la moelle épinière

Employees aim for the stars at Magellan Aerospace

When making a major career course correction, Julie Robichaud did the math. She calculated that a job at Magellan Aerospace, Winnipeg would give her wings to soar to new and higher professional goals.

“I had just come out of 10 years in hospitality and decided to switch gears, so I started at Magellan at three days a week and they quickly moved me to five days,” says Robichaud.

“It’s been great. The company is very good about giving me the educational and other supports I need to succeed and to grow.”

Magellan Aerospace is a global company that designs, engineers and manufactures aeroengine and aerostructure components for the aerospace and space markets. Located in Winnipeg, the company’s employees build everything from complex aircraft assemblies to satellite buses.

Manitoba surpasses goal of hiring 1,000 health-care workers, says health minister

WINNIPEG - Manitoba's NDP government has surpassed its goal of hiring 1,000 health-care workers since taking office more than a year ago, but the news is receiving mixed responses from some groups who represent health-care staff.

The province announced on Friday that from last April to the end of December it hired 1,255 net-new health-care workers, including nurses, physicians and midwives, to work within the public system.

"Each and every one of these 1,255 frontline health-care workers have joined our system because they want to care for their neighbours, their fellow citizens (and) their community members," Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told news reporters.

The NDP government committed to hiring 100 doctors, 210 nurses and 600 health-care aides as part of its 2024 budget.

Province invests $17M in Magellan Aerospace to create additional jobs, training

The NDP government is continuing its aggressive support of Manitoba’s aerospace industry, announcing Thursday a significant investment in Magellan Aerospace.

The province is providing Magellan with an $8 million grant and a $9 million loan (to be repaid over 12 years). The investment expects to lead to the creation of more than 60 positions at Magellan. (Its current workforce is about 650.)

The financial assistance will leverage additional capital investment from the company. It is a global player in the aerospace industry, with head offices in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to its Winnipeg plant, Magellan has three manufacturing operations in Ontario, six in the U.S, six in Europe and two in India.

The Winnipeg plant has been around for close to 100 years. In addition to being a centre of excellence for the company when it comes to machining aero-engine parts, it is also Magellan’s space centre, having manufactured five satellites currently orbiting the Earth.

Slow fashion houses embrace made-to-order to reduce waste

TORONTO - On occasion, fashion designer and clothier Katelyn Woodburn is accused of running a scam.

When a customer makes a purchase without reading the "about" section on her website or following her on social media, they might send an email a week or two later saying something like: "Where's my order? It hasn't even shipped yet? What's going on?" Woodburn recounted from her Vancouver studio.

"Which is a totally reasonable response," she added. Consumers are conditioned to expect instant gratification when it comes to clothes shopping, but that's not really how Woodburn does things.

"I'll say, 'Oh, your shirt is being cut out. We're going to sew it tomorrow.' I tell them the whole process of what's happening. And 100 per cent of the time, I get a response going, 'Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize. This is so cool, no rush at all.'"

Christine Ivory, un nouveau rôle décisif pour le travail parlementaire

Depuis le 21 octobre, la Franco-Manitobaine Christine Ivory est devenue la nouvelle bibliothécaire parlementaire. Au service des parlementaires, elle aura notamment un impact sur leurs décisions.

Même si elle a passé plus de 15 ans dans l’équipe de direction de la Bibliothèque du Parlement, c’est tout de même tout un nouveau poste auquel doit s’acclimater Christine Ivory depuis quelques semaines. “Ça se passe bien pour l’instant, j’espère que mes collègues peuvent dire la même chose (rires). Il est vrai que ça aide de connaître l’organisation, de connaître les gens et les dossiers. J’ai besoin de me remettre à jour sur les dernières nouvelles et ce qu’il se passe sur la Colline du Parlement, mais jusque-là ça va. “

Christine Ivory a été sous-ministre adjointe, Secteur des collections, à Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (BAC) en 2023 avant de prendre ce nouveau rôle. Alors qu’elle est depuis longtemps dans l’organisme, elle avoue ne s’être “jamais projetée aussi loin. Je suis très reconnaissante et je sais bien qu’il y avait plusieurs autres personnes tout aussi qualifiées. Mais je suis une des seules à avoir travaillé dans différents services, j’ai pensé que ça serait un atout pour ma candidature. Ce n’est pas nécessairement la trajectoire que je visais, mais c’est là où je me retrouve maintenant.”

Représentation et réconciliation

‘Cette terre n’a fait aucun mal’

Le 3 mai, une caravane d’étudiants en architecture paysagiste de l’Université du Manitoba a été accueillie devant le bâtiment d’autogouvernement de la Nation Dakota de Sioux Valley. Ils ont présenté à un comité du conseil de bande leurs plans pour l’aménagement d’un centre de guérison sur les lieux de l’École industrielle indienne de Brandon.

L’École industrielle indienne de Brandon était un pensionnat autochtone où, de 1895 à 1972, des enfants autochtones étaient éduqués par divers ordres religieux selon la politique d’assimilation du gouvernement canadien. Le chef de la Nation Dakota de Sioux Valley, Vincent Tacan, indique qu’il y a grand nombre de survivants de l’ancien pensionnat dans sa Nation.

“Nous avons besoin de guérir. Nous sentons les effets intergénérationnels des pensionnats autochtones. Essayer d’aller de l’avant avant de guérir serait inutile.”

Le Sud-ouest du Manitoba n’a aucun centre de guérison avec un environnement approprié aux cultures autochtones. Le chef Tacan note que les membres de sa Nation en besoin de traitement doivent se rendre à Regina, ou encore en Alberta.

Retired nurse doesn’t mind doing laundry to help raise money for Children’s Hospital Foundation

Donna Askew has been doing other people’s laundry for more than 20 years, but she doesn’t mind. It’s all for a good cause.

It’s fair to say Askew has washed, dried, mended and hung up thousands of shirts, blouses, dresses, T-shirts and trousers during her tenure as volunteer laundress at the Nearly New Shop at 961 Portage Ave.

“You name it, I’ve washed it… underwear and socks and lots of bedding and tablecloths and runners… if you’ve washed it at home in your washer, I’ve washed it in mine,” she says, laughing.

The shop attracts more than 50 customers daily, many who have come to rely on it.

Burger King to bring AI-based voice coach to Canada later this year

When you stop at a Burger King later this year, staff may have an artificial intelligence-based coach in their ears.

Restaurant Brands International, the owner of the fast-food giant, revealed Thursday that it is bringing its new Patty tool to Canada in the second half of 2026.

Patty is a voice-based assistant which will be piped through the headsets Burger King staff wear, listening to their conversations and prodding them toward more attentive customer service and efficiency.

The tool will be able to remind employees how to make food orders and help them upsell customers.

People First president focuses on helping those who need help

Heidi Hutchison is frank when describing her commitment to People First of Manitoba, a group that represents Manitobans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“I don’t stop,” the volunteer says. “People First does not stop for me at all. Period.”

After founding People First of Winnipeg a few years ago, Hutchison was elected president of the provincial chapter in 2025.

Members of People First have the opportunity to socialize, share experiences, advocate for change, and learn new information and skills.

Tax-filing season begins today. Here’s all you need to know

Gather your tax slips and receipts because it's that time of the year. The 2025 tax-filing season officially kicks off on Monday. It will last a little over nine weeks, ending with the April 30 deadline for most taxpayers.

Untapped workforce

When we think about hiring people with disabilities, the images that often come to mind are limited and old-fashioned. Some people still assume disability means only certain basic roles or supports.

That narrow view misses a more important truth: people with disabilities and neurodivergent professionals bring distinct strengths and capabilities that can enrich workplaces and contribute to innovation, performance and long-term success.

People with disabilities remain significantly underrepresented in the workforce.

According to Statistics Canada, the employment rate for Canadians with a disability was about 46 per cent in 2024, compared with 66 per cent for those without a disability — a gap that has stubbornly persisted over time. That means a large share of Canadians who could work do not have paid employment opportunities at the same rate as others.

‘Neighbourhood staple’ Oakwood Cafe to shutter

At one of the Oakwood Cafe’s last lunch rushes, one might guess the restaurant packed full of diners was influenced by the announcement a day earlier the decades-old South Osborne neighbourhood institution would be closing its doors for good.

That’s partially true — some customers beeline to veteran server Kendra Menard with questions, well-wishes and hugs — but every time it happens, a chain reaction follows: diners just here for lunch, shocked, ask their companions if it’s true, if the Oakwood is really closing.

Menard has been a server at the Oakwood for 23 years, almost half her life. It shows: while speaking with the Free Press on Friday, she welcomes guests by name and preps drinks at tables reserved by regulars before they show up.

Pointing to a single-seat table, she tells a story of a regular, Bob, who was at that table for breakfast nearly seven days a week for years. Menard’s children shovelled his snow and staff would call to check on him if he didn’t show up.

Eviance to develop success strategy for women entrepreneurs with disabilities

The federal government has tabbed nearly $800,000 for a new project that aims to help women entrepreneurs with disabilities succeed.

Liberal MPs Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, from Quebec, and Ginette Lavack, who represents St. Boniface—St. Vital, announced on Friday that Eviance (formerly the Canadian Centre on Disability Studies) will receive $797,557.

The organization, which is headquartered in Winnipeg, will use the federal investment to develop a strategy to promote opportunities and resources for women entrepreneurs with disabilities across Canada through community engagement, including focus groups and interviews.

Eviance, in partnership with Toronto-based think tank New Power Labs, will engage women entrepreneurs with disabilities to identify key issues and help shape solutions that create more equitable opportunities for success.

Elmwood students’ clothing venture instils pride, breaks down stereotypes in blue-collar neighbourhood

Xander Woodley is spending his fourth period filling orders.

The Grade 12 Elmwood High School student pulls a blank sweatshirt from the supply closet and double-checks the customer’s purchase: one double-extra-large GPS Crewneck in navy.

He walks over to the heat press at the back of the graphics lab and flips through a stack of transfer sheets to find the correct design.

“It’s a map of our community of Elmwood; these are all of the streets, as well as the Red River and co-ordinates of where we are,” Woodley says, pointing to the line-art rendition of the northeast Winnipeg neighbourhood, the ward boundaries of which run from McLeod Avenue to the Canadian Pacific mainline and from the eastern bank of the Red River to Lagimodiere Boulevard.

Focus on local ‘fertile ground’ at 3rd annual MbTech Week

A weeklong tech “festival” is ready to celebrate made-in-Manitoba innovation later this month.

Winnipeg-based organization injects federal funds into innovative, women-powered business in Bolivia

With practised grace, Antonia Olpo slides down the bank of the long, shallow pond and plunges fully clothed into the muddy water. On the grass above, other women and their male helpers unfurl the net, stretching it across the pond from edge to edge, and let it sink below the surface.

Winnipegger’s artwork chosen for Walmart’s national Orange Shirt offering

As she walked into the Unicity Walmart department store, Indigenous artist Brooklyn Rudolph-Nicholas felt her excitement levels rising.

She headed towards the racks of instantly recognizable orange T-shirts, smiling as she glimpsed the familiar image on the front.

It was a pinch-me moment: her work was emblazoned on Walmart Canada’s National Day for Truth & Reconciliation orange shirts stocked in stores across the country.

The granddaughter of two residential school survivors, Rudolph-Nicholas made her T-shirt art in honour of her late grandparents.