PembinaValley

The federal government is slashing immigration targets to levels that will flatten population growth as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits the government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government had targeted bringing in 500,000 new permanent residents in both 2025 and 2026.

Next year's target will instead be 395,000 new permanent residents, and that will fall to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has no intention of stepping down as the leader of the Liberal party by next week. 

A letter signed by two dozen Liberal MPs asking Trudeau to step down was presented to the prime minister Wednesday at a tense caucus meeting in Ottawa.

The letter asked for him to let the caucus know by Oct. 28 what he decides to do.

Trudeau told MPs he would reflect on what was said, but when asked today if he would stay on as prime minister after that date he answered a definitive "yes." 

In Morden, children have been donning their lucky running shoes for an event that is quickly becoming a treasured tradition — The Western Run. 

From two schools to five 

The cross-country event, established four years ago, initially began as a friendly competition between two schools, Minnewasta School and Maple Leaf School.  

This year, the race saw a new scale.   

Funeral For:  John T. Friesen 
Funeral For:  October 25, 2024 
John T. Friesen, 75, of Morden passed away Tuesday, October 22nd at Boundary Trails Health Centre. He is survived by his wife Betty, 2 daughters, 3 sons and their families.
The funeral service for John T. Friesen will be held Friday, October 25th at 2pm at Chortitz Old Colony with burial at the church cemetery. 
Viewing will be at Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler Thursday, October 24th from 1 to 6:30pm and at the church prior to the service. 
Donations may be made to Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler. 

Funeral For:  Susie Klassen nee Martens 
Funeral Date: October 26, 2024 
Susie Klassen nee Martens, 90, of Winkler passed away Tuesday, October 22nd at Tabor Home, Morden. She is survived by 3 daughters, and their families. 
A memorial service for Susie Klassen nee Martens will be held Saturday, October 26th at 2pm at Winkler Mennonite Church with burial prior to the service at 1pm at Reinfeld Cemetery. 
Viewing will be at Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler Friday, October 25th from 1 to 8pm. 
Arrangements by Wiebe Funeral Home, Winkler. 

Funeral For:  Helen Marie Doerksen 
Funeral Date: October 26, 2024 
Helen Marie Doerksen, 88, of Winnipeg formerly of Altona, passed away Friday, October 18th at Grace Hospital. She is survived by her husband Dave, 3 daughters, 1 sister-in-law, 1 brother-in-law, and their families. She was predeceased by 1 sister and 1 brother. 
The funeral service for Helen Marie Doerksen will be held Saturday, October 26th at 11am at Green Acres Funeral Home, 1 Green Acres Lane at Navin, with burial at Sage Creek Cemetery. 

The reigning Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions will play in Swan River and Dauphin this weekend. Head coach Matt Melo will join Clayton Dreger on the Flyers Report which airs Thursdays at 5:15 p.m. on CFAM Radio 950.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) has revealed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' six nominees for the 2024 Most Outstanding Player Awards, as selected by the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and CFL head coaches.

Brady Oliveira leads nominations with dual honours

Winnipeg native and standout running back Brady Oliveira has once again been named the Blue Bombers' nominee for both Most Outstanding Player (MOP) and Most Outstanding Canadian (MOC).

A man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of his common-law partner and their two children is to serve a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 16 years. 

Court of King's Bench Justice Chris Martin agreed Thursday to a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers at the sentencing hearing for Trevis McLeod in Winnipeg.

"It's horrible, just horrible," the judge told court, calling it "one of the worst cases I've dealt with in my career." 

"At the end of the day, nothing takes away the pain, nothing takes away the shock."

A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information says 83 per cent of adults in this country have a regular primary-care provider, but that still leaves 5.4 million adults without one. 

It says seniors 65 years and older are more likely to have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner than younger adults between 18 and 34. 

Access to primary care is highest in Ontario and lowest in Nunavut.