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Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main
Pedestrians will legally cross Portage Avenue and Main Street before the end of next week. On Thursday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the reopening date is set for June 27. 'After (more than) 45 years of debating whether it should be open or not, we've ended the debate. It's opening and I'm getting very positive feedback from people in the downtown, that live in downtown, that work in downtown, that own businesses in downtown. I'm getting positive comments from people who live in the suburbs as well,' said Gillingham. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The Portage and Main intersection is expected to re-open June 27. At last check, the mayor said the project was within its current budget, which had been bumped up to $21.3 million from $13 million to cover its expedited schedule. The city had aimed to reopen the intersection to foot traffic by the time Winnipeg Transit unveils a new network, on June 29, that will change virtually all of its routes. 'It was very important, all along, that the pedestrian traffic be able to cross at Portage and Main and the construction related to the opening be completed before we make the change in our transit system,' said Gillingham. Pedestrian access at Portage and Main has not been allowed since 1979. Reopening it has been debated for decades, with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting against the idea in a non-binding 2018 plebiscite. Gillingham originally said he would follow the results of that vote but changed his mind after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to repair the membrane to renovate the site's underground concourse. He then supported closing the underground, an idea the city is now studying, and reopening the intersection to pedestrians. 'My thinking has (changed). When I drive through the intersection now, these days, I can't help but think how welcoming … the space looks to invite people into all of the buildings,' said Gillingham. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the reopening project triggered few construction complaints. 'I hardly got any pushback on it. The actual (traffic) flow through Portage and Main, all things considered, went extremely well,' said Lukes. 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. She said she hopes restoring pedestrian access will end heated debate over the issue. 'Many people have a passion for Portage and Main. It's a very significant hub in our city and… I think it's exciting (to open it),' she said. Opponents of the change argued it wasn't worth its cost and could create significant traffic delays, while supporters argue the change will help rejuvenate and better connect downtown. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Pump wars: fluctuating gas prices leave drivers to decide between cheap, quick
A 15-cent price gap at two gas stations across the street from one another near Polo Park had drivers choosing between saving cash or saving time on Wednesday. At the Shell on Ness Avenue, vehicles came and went with little delay, even with prices posted at 134.9 cents per litre. Across the street at Domo, long lines of cars spilled onto Ness as customers flocked to fill up at 119.9 — or 114.9 for Domo Club members. The price difference and recent fluctuation left some drivers scratching their heads. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Shell on Ness Avenue with prices posted at 134.9 cents per litre, Wednesday. 'It doesn't make much sense to me, but I'll save money where I can,' said one driver, who declined to give their name, at Domo. Over at Shell, Lynn, who was filling up her small sedan, said she was willing to pay more for what she believes is higher-quality fuel. 'And they give out Air Miles,' she said. Another woman a few pumps over said the 15-cent savings wasn't worth the wait across the street. The Domo had a steady stream of customers Wednesday afternoon, while the pumps at Shell were never at capacity. Jon, who was fueling his 120-litre Chevrolet Suburban at Domo, said the savings were worth the wait. 'When I saw the price here, and the price at Canadian Tire on St. James (134.9), I knew it was going to go up,' he said. Filling his tank at 119.9 saved him about $18 compared. For most drivers, with tanks ranging from 50 to 60 litres, the savings were around $7.50 to $9. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Former Member of Parliament and GasBuddy analyst Dan McTeague said Winnipeg's fuel market is known for unpredictable pricing. 'Gas retailers often sell fuel for below cost, and that's really the game there,' he said Wednesday from southern Ontario. 'Whoever they're trying to outdo, obviously their competitors, but the means with which to do this require either being a very large box store that cross-subsidizes losses in selling gasoline to get people onto your site, recovering losses with sales in your store, or you might have competitive advantage no one else does, such as not paying taxes.' He said retailers like Costco can afford to sell fuel at a loss and make up the difference with in-store sales. McTeague said the wholesale or 'rack' price for fuel in Winnipeg was about 93.7 cents per litre on Wednesday. After adding the provincial fuel tax (14 cents), federal excise tax (10 cents), and GST (roughly six cents), the cost to operate a pump lands around $1.23. 'No gas station can turn on their pump, that is to say, the electricity to run them, honour credit cards or do any type of business under $1.23 per litre today in Winnipeg,' he said. 'The fact that some do is either recovering the cost on something like beef jerky inside the gas station, or they have a rich uncle OK with having them lose money.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Across the street at Domo, long lines of cars spilled onto Ness as customers waited to pay 119.9 cents per litre, while Domo Club members paid as little as 114.9 cents. Some retailers may qualify to skip the GST or receive tax breaks — including Indigenous-owned operations — which could push prices as low as $1.12 per litre, McTeague noted. 'But that's really putting your nose to the grindstone,' he said. He emphasized that 134.9 cents per litre was the true market price on Wednesday. 'So what you really have to ask is when you go to these stores, how do they honour a credit card? It costs them a point or two for every litre of gasoline,' he said. 'If they have rewards loyalty programs… how do they pay for that? How do they pay for electricity to turn on the pumps, or pay for the staff?' He calls these deep discounts 'gas bar shenanigans.' In some cases, he said, a gas station will slash prices to compete with a nearby rival, prompting suppliers to temporarily lower wholesale costs to help that station maintain volume — a tactic known as dealer support. 'Gas stations win at the end of the day because they move volumes,' McTeague said. As for concerns over quality at discount stations, McTeague dismissed them. 'I don't know where they would get it from,' he said. 'Fuel can become contaminated if it's put in tanks that don't work, but generally speaking, wherever you get it from, the refineries can't sell stuff that would cause a vehicle to break down. There are liability issues. There are some pretty strict and strong sanctions. And there are only a couple of suppliers — Co-op and Imperial — that come to the market in Winnipeg, and they share product.' Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Homecoming for Froese
One of the finest talents produced on a Manitoban soccer pitch has returned home. Kianz Froese, the Cuban-born and Winnipeg-raised attacking midfielder, agreed to a contract with Valour FC, the city's Canadian Premier League side, on Wednesday. The deal secures the 29-year-old for the remainder of the season, with an option for the club to bring him back in 2026. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Cuban-born, Winnipeg-raised midfielder Kianz Froese signed with the Winnipeg's Valour FC on Wednesday. 'I think he's one of the best players that Manitoba has produced,' said an excited head coach and GM Phillip Dos Santos, who first crossed paths with Froese as a teenager on the youth national team. Valour's goalkeeper coach, Patrick Di Stefani, coached Froese during their time with Manitoba's provincial program. 'He has a track record that — for any young Manitoba player — you look at and say, 'Man, I would like to have a career like the one he's had,'' Dos Santos added. 'And he's young, he's 29, he still has very good years ahead of him.' Froese hasn't played at home since he was 16. He's spent the last seven years playing professionally in Germany, where his mettle was tested while playing in the country's lower divisions with Fortuna Düsseldorf II, FC Saarbrücken, TSV Havelse and SV Wehen Wiesbaden. 'Hard,' Froese, who netted 32 goals in 190 matches, said of his time in Germany. 'It's a hard thing when you go abroad and get used to Germany as a culture. Extremely different. I mean, Canadians are extremely nice when you think about the culture and the way they treat you, and there, I think it's very demanding, in terms of sport, in terms of pressure — they are on it when it comes to sports. 'I had to adapt to that at the start. Then I got used to it. And then, obviously, at some point I didn't really remember it, but now I'm able to reflect back and say, 'Hey, look at the differences,' so it's kind of like a reflective time period right now for me.' Froese was a sensation as a young player in the Garden City area. It didn't take long for him to earn the attention of evaluators at the provincial and national level, as he later went on to play for Team Manitoba and take part in the National Training Camp (NTC) program. At 16, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and quickly ascended through the ranks to make his professional debut in Major League Soccer in 2014. At 19, Froese made his debut with the Canadian men's national team in a friendly against Ghana, the first of two international caps he's earned. Now he returns to the place where it all started, with a wealth of experience behind him. 'I think it's nice to be in a familiar environment,' said Froese, who had offers to continue playing in Germany last year but decided to go back to Cuba. 'That's just part of who I am, in a sense, and even if I don't remember everything, I still feel that being back where I grew up, where I spent those early years, formative years of my life, is just a nice thing for me.' This was the right time for him to join a new club. If he didn't do it now, he said, it's unlikely he would've ever returned to the pitch. 'That's sort of the main point, and the reason why I chose Valour over whatever else I could have done, because that's kind of what I'm looking for.' Froese is exactly what Valour needs right now. Dos Santos credited him with possessing a level of decision-making and 'game intelligence' in the final third that the club is looking for. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Valour's head coach Phillip Dos Santos has high hopes that midfielder Kianz Froese (centre) will be the boost the club needs to climb in the Canadian Premier League standings. Winnipeg's side is once again struggling for offensive production. Valour, which currently sits seventh in a table of eight teams at 2-6-2, has nine goals in eight matches this season, tied with Vancouver FC for the second-fewest behind Pacific FC. 'Everyone sees it,' said Dos Santos. 'I think the common observer could see that. We were looking at our last five league games, where you outshoot the opposition… (but) there's actually an opportunity to maybe get in and put a teammate into closer spaces. So I think that he's a player that's going to give us that. He's a player that's gonna read those moments and increase the quality that we could have in those positions.' This will be Froese's debut season in the CPL. He is perhaps the biggest homegrown player that fans can cheer for since his once-close friend Marco Bustos, who scored seven times in Valour's inaugural season, then fled to West Coast rival Pacific. 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. 'Quality. Clarity in the final third. Explosiveness in space. We're not talking about straight-line fast here, we're talking about football fast. Experience — so many things,' Dos Santos said of Froese. 'Definition, goals, assists — but again, there's a process and the process is that it's still a player that's going to need time to get rhythm.' Dos Santos said it will be 'a few weeks' before Froese dons Valour's colours in a match. His last game action was July 2024, so the first step is re-establishing his conditioning for a 90-minute contest. 'He's almost going through a pre-season right now, so we're gonna take our time with him and make sure we have a healthy fit, and that he's ready when he's gonna step on the field for the first day,' Dos Santos said. Valour hosts second-place Forge FC (5-5-0) at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday (3:30 p.m.). Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
At Winnipeg's House of Saturn tattoos, the goal is make customers feel at home in their bodies
According to astrologers, a rite of passage occurs when Saturn returns to the same celestial position it occupied on the day you were born. This period coincides with the late 20s and is said to bring on intense bouts of self-reflection, growth and transformation. For Kiana Delos Santos, the ringed planet offered a fitting metaphor for her new cosmetic tattoo business, House of Saturn. 'It's really about becoming your true form,' says the permanent makeup artist and casual horoscope follower. 'Something so private and personal can still change someone's life, because it makes them feel more like themselves.'–Delos Santos Delos Santos, 28, and partner Jesse Ojenma, 33, opened House of Saturn last October in a sunny sixth-floor suite at 70 Arthur St. The art-filled studio has huge arched windows — the trim painted lime green — and several stations, where the couple offers long-lasting makeup, areola reconstruction, scar revision and tattoo removal. Two tattoo artists also rent space in the shop. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS House of Saturn is in a sixth-floor space in the Exchange District. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS House of Saturn is in a sixth-floor space in the Exchange District. The duo's goal is to enhance what's already there, restore what's been lost and remove what no longer resonates. Delos Santos traces her interest in cosmetics to childhood sleepovers with her older cousins, who often treated her as their makeover guinea pig. They also introduced her to the positive power of brow shaping. 'People would not shut up about (my eyebrows) when I got them done,' she says. 'It really does change your look completely.' After watching a YouTube tutorial, Delos Santos learned how to thread her own brows and, as a teen, started offering the service to others. She trained with a local brow artist and launched her own permanent makeup career in 2018. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Tattoo artist Kiana Delos Santos says her work is about 'becoming your true form.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Tattoo artist Kiana Delos Santos says her work is about 'becoming your true form.' Permanent makeup, also called micropigmentation, employs a handheld machine, similar to a tattoo gun, to recreate the look of makeup. It's a practice that's been around for decades but has experienced a popularity boom in recent years. While Delos Santos specializes in brows, eyeliner, lip blush and freckles, her scar and areola work is equally meaningful. With scar restoration, she uses a tattoo pen to bring blood flow to the area and encourage further healing. With areola reconstruction, she creates highly realistic nipple tattoos for clients who've undergone breast cancer or gender-affirming top surgery. KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Areola reconstruction can be undertaken after gender-affirming top surgery. KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Areola reconstruction can be undertaken after gender-affirming top surgery. 'Something so private and personal can still change someone's life, because it makes them feel more like themselves,' she says, adding permanent makeup can create a similar reaction. 'They're feeling fresh and they don't have to think about their appearance, which is something people may struggle with on a day-to-day basis.' Delos Santos sees many people hoping to fix their pencil-thin ''90s brows,' which never grew back after being plucked to oblivion. 'I wouldn't have a career if that era didn't exist,' she says with a laugh. Since trends are fleeting, subtlety is the name of the game. Delos Santos uses application techniques that allow the makeup to fade over two or three years as the skin naturally regenerates. Sun exposure, skin-care routines and pigmentation can also impact longevity. KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Nano brows are created using a thin needle to create individual hair strokes. KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Nano brows are created using a thin needle to create individual hair strokes. 'I would rather people come every few years to get things updated than be stuck with something for many years,' she says, adding the industry is slowly moving away from heavy lines and deep application for fashionable and practical reasons. These days, Delos Santos prefers crafting nano brows — using a thin needle to create individual hair strokes — over microblading, a waning trend in which pigment is dropped into the skin through tiny incisions. If the ink is deposited too deeply, it can get trapped in the oil-producing layer of the skin and become discoloured over time. 'When you see someone with blue or green eyebrows, it's usually a depth issue,' she says. 'That's actually why we have Jesse doing brow removal now.' Originally from Brampton, Ont., Ojenma moved to Winnipeg after meeting Delos Santos while she was vacationing in Ontario. The pair have been together for nine years and are now co-workers, with Ojenma handling shop logistics and tattoo removals. KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Lip blush KIANA DELOS SANTOS PHOTO Lip blush The couple often do consultations together, since pairing both procedures can make natural-looking results more achievable. Ojenma uses a pico laser, which delivers short pulses to break up tattoo ink. 'When the laser hits the ink, it blows up into tiny particles,' he says. 'It could take six to eight weeks to see results, because it goes through your (lymph system) and your body has to flush it out.' Complete removal can take multiple sessions, which can become slightly more painful as the laser frequency increases. True to the shop's namesake, opening House of Saturn has been a transformative experience for Delos Santos, who is Filipina and was diagnosed with ADHD later in life. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. 'As someone who's both neurodivergent and a minority, I didn't always see people like me owning businesses,' she says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS House of Saturn co-owners Jesse Ojenma (left) and Kiana Delos Santos MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS House of Saturn co-owners Jesse Ojenma (left) and Kiana Delos Santos Running her own space has allowed her to explore other forms of artful body modification, such as traditional tattooing and Filipino hand-poking, called batok. She and Ojenma also regularly host community events, such as sound baths, pottery workshops and drop-in art programming. Find more information about House of Saturn on Instagram (@ Eva WasneyReporter Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Free Press Arts & Life department since 2019. Read more about Eva. Every piece of reporting Eva 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.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘I wish spectators were a little farther from the street'
A Manitoba Marathon race participant was attacked by a spectator's dog while running the half marathon on Sunday morning. Brendan Scott, a 28-year-old dental student at the University of Manitoba, was around the seven-and-a-half-kilometre mark of the race on Dunkirk Street, about to turn onto Kingston Row, when he was bitten by a dog who jumped out from the spectators watching on the sidewalk, inflicting two puncture wounds. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Brendan Scott, a 28-year-old University of Manitoba dental student, has some bruising on his arm and a small cut, after a dog bit him while he was running the half marathon on Sunday. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Brendan Scott, a 28-year-old University of Manitoba dental student, has some bruising on his arm and a small cut, after a dog bit him while he was running the half marathon on Sunday. 'Most of the half marathon up until the halfway points are pretty packed with runners,' said Scott. 'So I was trying to get a good time, and I'm weaving between people. At points a lot of runners are up against the sidewalk there where the spectators are. So nothing unusual for me or anyone. But running along the spectators, just trying to pass people, I guess I got a little close. Again, to me, nothing out of the ordinary, I see a lot of people running along close to the sidewalk.' 'But I just felt almost like a bang on my elbow. And at first, I just thought, like maybe I'd hit someone that had peeked out from the sidewalk, or even a traffic cone, I was really confused, but I looked back to see a dog owner pulling back the dog.' Scott said with the adrenaline rush of the race, he wanted to keep going and, at first, didn't see that there was broken skin. After finishing the half marathon with a time of 1:57:04, Scott realized there were two fang marks which had drawn some blood and started to bruise. 'I think a big problem with the marathon is just, I guess the amount of congestion there is for the first half of both the full marathon and the half marathon… So I'd like to see just even the marathon do a better job at making us go at different times.'– Brendan Scott 'I actually ended running the exact same time as last year, so a little disappointed that it wasn't a better time that I wanted,' said Scott. 'Honestly, yeah, it was just at points during the race that I was thinking, like, 'oh, I should really — I need to check this bite out after I finish running, like, properly.' But you know, couldn't really look fully down on my elbow while running.' He immediately attended the marathon's first aid station at the finish line inside Princess Auto Stadium before seeking medical attention at urgent care at Victoria General Hospital. 'I think the whole experience is just more shocking if anything,' said Scott. 'Just where I got the tetanus shot hurts the most. I can't really lift up my arm, but the dog bite itself is just a little bruise, nothing I can fully complain about. I just think the whole, again, experience was a little shocking and I didn't enjoy having to spend my Sunday in the hospital trying to figure out what to do about it.' Scott reported the incident to the City of Winnipeg and also hopes to see some changes made in upcoming marathons. Related Articles Father-son bond makes victory extra special as record number of Manitoba Marathoners compete In photos: 2025 Manitoba Marathon 'It really propels me forward': Women's half marathon winner digs deep Wildfire smoke changing outdoor sports landscape 'I wish spectators were a little farther from the street to allow runners to run by unopposed,' said Scott. 'Because I think it's a lot of people running the half and the full marathon, and it does get crowded, that people are running at different paces, and at times they have to go to the outskirts, and it's not uncommon.' The Manitoba Marathon had a record number of people run the full marathon this year, just shy of 1,300. Approximately 12,500 runners took part in the event, which offered a variety of race options including a 5K, 10K, half marathon, relay, and the full marathon. 'I think a big problem with the marathon is just, I guess the amount of congestion there is for the first half of both the full marathon and the half marathon, where there's a ton of runners running, and there's often just what feels like people colliding into each other or not being able to run at their proper pace. So I'd like to see just even the marathon do a better job at making us go at different times,' said Scott. Organizers of the Manitoba Marathon were contacted for comment but did not respond by press time.
