Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

The premiers of Manitoba and Nunavut are hopeful a proposed hydroelectric and fibre optic project is moving closer to fruition and are seeking federal money.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok have signed a memorandum to work together on the project and ask Ottawa for capital funding.

The proposed Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link would see a 1,200-kilometre line built through northern Manitoba to several Nunavut communities west of Hudson Bay that currently use diesel to generate electricity.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has discussed increased trade with representatives from Europe and appears open to having a second port on Hudson Bay.

Kinew met this morning with ambassadors and high commissioners from the European Union and 18 member countries.

He says the meeting was a chance to show the countries, which represent a market of 450 million people, that Manitoba is open for business.

Some of the bills now before the Manitoba legislature will have to wait until the fall to be passed into law.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have exercised their right under legislature rules to hold back five bills for further debate beyond the summer break.

One bill would forbid liquor licences in urban convenience stores and gas stations — a move the Tories say will affect small businesses and customer choice in the few locations where such licences have been issued.

The Manitoba government is planning to expropriate a private property in south Winnipeg that has seen clashes between its owner and area residents.

Premier Wab Kinew says the government will take over the area known as Lemay Forest and turn it into a provincial park.

The owner of the 18-hectare property started cutting down trees in the winter and planned to develop an assisted living facility.

Area residents and conservationists opposed the move, citing the pristine forest and the area's history, which included an orphanage and a cemetery.

The Manitoba government says it is repatriating energy by not renewing two hydroelectric export contracts to Minnesota.

Premier Wab Kinew says the contracts are set to expire at the end of this month and amount to 500 megawatts of power that will now be available for Canada.

Kinew says 50 megawatts of power will be set aside to go toward the potential development of a transmission line that would connect parts of Nunavut to Manitoba's grid.

Recent increases in school taxes have put a dent in the Manitoba government’s estimate of how many homeowners are better off under its new tax-credit system.

"We have seen some unexpectedly high increases from school divisions," Finance Minister Adrien Sala said in an interview.

The large Canadian flag that was recently draped on the front of the Manitoba legislature is being repaired for a second time and is being adopted by the Manitoba government.

The nine-by-18-metre flag was property of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers football team and was brought out onto the field for the national anthem before each home game.

The provincial government borrowed it in early March and had it hung above the legislature's main entrance as a symbol of the resistance to tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump. 

The Manitoba government is putting up $13 million for a centre aimed at helping grain producers find new international trading partners.

Cereals Canada, a national industry group, announced plans last year for a new $100-million facility in downtown Winnipeg called the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange.

Premier Wab Kinew says the centre will help showcase Manitoba’s grains and drive up global demand for Canadian products.

The Manitoba government says adding officers to a police emergency team will help address crime.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe says $3.3 million is being directed to double the RCMP emergency response team's current roster of nine full-time positions.

The money is part of a $5.3-million plan announced in last month's budget to boost policing in rural and northern areas.

The province has seen a series of high-profile crimes in recent months, including three break-ins west of Portage la Prairie last weekend that involved armed suspects stealing all-terrain vehicles.

A member of the Manitoba legislature has resigned his seat to run in the federal election. 

Progressive Conservative Grant Jackson is leaving his Spruce Woods seat in western Manitoba to run for the federal Conservatives in Brandon-Souris.

The federal seat has been held since 2013 by Conservative Larry Maguire, who announced Sunday he is not seeking re-election due to health concerns.

Jackson has represented Spruce Woods since 2023, and previously worked as an assistant to Maguire.