Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press

A Winnipeg man is showing signs of improvement after suffering horrific injuries in an explosion in Hawaii.

Darren Stevenson remains in hospital following a blast in a communal barbecue area at a resort last week.

Police in Maui have said seven people were injured, with three in critical condition, and the blast seems to have involved liquefied petroleum gas that supplies the barbecues.

Stevenson's friend, Randy Van de Mosselaer, says Stevenson suffered severe burns and complex bone fractures to his head, chest, and lower body.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says Manitoba hydroelectricity rates must remain affordable, partly in order to help people switch from other fuels and to help the environment.

Kinew's NDP government promised a one-year rate freeze on electricity in the last election, and Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro says it will ask provincial regulators to keep rates frozen this year.

The utility also says it needs money to maintain and upgrade infrastructure, and has commissioned an opinion poll with a number of options for the future.

While the Manitoba government has promised to keep electricity rates low, the province's energy Crown corporation is asking people for their thoughts on a rate hike for electricity and changes that could see different rates applied at different times of the day.

Manitoba Hydro has commissioned an opinion poll saying it's faced with aging infrastructure and a growing demand for energy.

The poll covers a variety of topics and floats some options.

The Manitoba government's new advertising campaign encouraging people to spend their dollars in Manitoba and support local businesses is being questioned because some of the government money is being spent on international social media sites.

The government announced $140,000 on Wednesday for a four-week "Buy Local" ad campaign, aimed at supporting Manitoba businesses that may be harmed by tariffs threatened by the United States.

The Manitoba government launched a website and advertising campaign Wednesday to convince people to buy local products and support businesses threatened by potential tariffs from the United States.

The website links to retail associations, farm co-operatives and local shopping platforms within the province. The ad campaign will see $140,000 spent over the next month to urge consumers to spend their money with local businesses in mind.

The Manitoba government called off plans Monday, at least temporarily, to pull United States liquor products from store shelves as retaliation against threatened U.S. tariffs.

The Manitoba government is looking for ways to prevent companies in the United States from bidding on provincial contracts as another retaliatory measure against tariffs on Canadian goods threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Cabinet ministers whose portfolios are linked to the economy have been tasked with reviewing the provincial government's procurement procedures with an eye to restricting bids from south of the border, Premier Wab Kinew said Monday.

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.