Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

Efforts to have RCMP officers from other provinces temporarily fill empty slots in Manitoba and help out with a rising vacancy rate are bearing fruit, the province's top Mountie said Friday.

"I'm told we've got upwards of 10 people from out of the division that have been in contact with my team here, and we're scheduling deployments as we speak," said Assistant Commissioner Scott McMurchy, the commanding officer of D division, which covers Manitoba.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday he still hopes Canada can avoid United States tariffs, but the country will have to respond strongly if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to slap a 25 per cent charge on Canadian goods.

"If tariffs get applied, Canada's response has to be noticed. We can't be a punching bag," Kinew told reporters.

"And we have to get our elbows up and let other folks know that we're in the ring there too."

The Manitoba government has ordered a regional health authority to cut the amount of money its spends on private-agency nurses by 15 per cent by March of next year.

Premier Wab Kinew says Prairie Mountain Health, which covers a large portion of western Manitoba, has been using more-costly private nurses and must focus more on nurses in the public health system.

The NDP government promised to address a shortage of health-care professionals during the 2023 election campaign, and has budgeted more money for wage increases and new hires.

A child from the Gaza Strip seeking medical treatment arrived Thursday in Winnipeg, supported in part by the Manitoba government, and a federal cabinet minister called on other provinces to follow suit.

The 11-year-old Palestinian boy and his mother were greeted at the airport by Premier Wab Kinew, who said the province is already planning to welcome a second child in the coming weeks.

"We have always been a people who stand up during times of conflict and famine and natural disaster to help the innocent," Kinew said.

Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare has died after a battle with cancer.

Altomare, who was 61, worked as a school principal before being elected in 2019 to represent Winnipeg's Transcona riding for the New Democrats in the legislature.

He was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma shortly after being elected and underwent chemotherapy.

He went on leave in October as his health worsened.

Premier Wab Kinew paid tribute to Altomare on social media, praising his work to expand school nutrition programs across the province.

The Manitoba government is buying apartment buildings and plans to start clearing encampments next month as part of its long-term strategy to reduce homelessness.

Several buildings are being bought and renovated, and the province aims to partner with municipalities and community agencies to offer support services such as addiction treatment.

The Manitoba government is buying apartment buildings as part of its plan to move people out of encampments and address homelessness.

The government says several buildings are being bought and renovated, and the province will partner with community agencies to offer support services such as addiction treatment.

The NDP government has promised to eliminate chronic homelessness — people who are unhoused for several months or more — within seven years.

The battle for the leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives is three months from being decided, and the two men vying for the role are laying out different paths to try to reignite the party voted out of office in the last election.

Manitobans will soon be paying more for basic automobile insurance.

The Public Utilities Board has ordered an overall increase of 5.7 per cent for basic rates as of April 1, although the exact increase will vary by the type of vehicle, a driver's record and other factors.

The increase follows decreases that totalled more than 15 per cent over the last five years, along with rebates at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when fewer people were commuting.

The days when a Manitoba premier could ride a bicycle to work alone and unworried about their security seem like a long time ago.

In the decade since Greg Selinger took a two-wheel commute from his home to the stately legislature in Winnipeg, security has been beefed up as concerns about threats faced by politicians grew.

Wab Kinew, elected premier in 2023, is followed by security inside the legislature and when he's out at public events and press conferences. He is driven in a large vehicle with someone always at his side.