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Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday, as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes and Saskatchewan RCMP charged two people with starting blazes.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that one charge relates to starting a fire near La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people from the area.

“The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,” Moe said.

An 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation and a 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows each face one count of arson, said RCMP.

Fifty more children in Winnipeg will have a bed to call their own thanks to the efforts of Manitoba Blue Cross and local non-profit Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP).

According to a press release, Manitoba Blue Cross employee volunteers gathered at Blue Cross Park for the second year in a row to build 50 beds for children who don't have one.

Five new animals have made their home at the Assiniboine Park Zoo this week. 

On Thursday, a new pack of five grey wolves came from the Greater Vancouver Zoo after the passing of Bear, in March, who was the last member of the Zoo's original wolf pack. 

The new wolves include a seven-year-old male, Chinook. Gigi, a seven-year-old female. Comet, a three-year-old male. Stella and Virgo, both three-year-old females. They are all adjusting and settling into the expansive wolf habitat in the Grasslands and Boreal Forest section of the Zoo.

Motorists are encouraged to use extra caution on Manitoba highways on Saturday as an annual project is taking place. 

Members of 4-H club are set to begin their annual cleanup campaign on Saturday, June 7, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

4-H is "an international youth and volunteer organization. It’s a program that provides members with the resources and activities to build self-confidence, communication, and leadership skills while learning about a topic of their choice," 4h.mb.ca says. 

A remarkable wave of generosity swept across Manitoba this week as communities united for the Manitoba Day of Caring for Wildfire Evacuees — a special, province-wide broadcast that brought together more than 30 radio stations to support those displaced by ongoing wildfires.

Held on Thursday, June 5, the unprecedented collaboration mobilized listeners from Brandon to Steinbach, Thompson to Winkler, and nearly everywhere in between. By the end of the broadcast day, donations had reached $306,073.26 — an incredible show of care and compassion from Manitobans.

A 12-year-old boy who was reported missing on June 4 has been found safely. 

RCMP said he originally was reported missing from his temporary residence in West St. Paul.

Red River North RCMP thank the public for their assistance.

This summer, the skies over Manitoba have been thick with smoke as wildfires continue to burn across the Prairies and into northern regions. The haze hasn’t just made it hard to breathe—it’s forced outdoor events to a grinding halt, including performances by Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR).

In just 48 hours, the beloved site-specific theatre company had to cancel multiple shows due to unsafe air quality, racking up more than $15,000 in unexpected losses. For a small non-profit arts organization, that kind of hit isn’t easy to absorb.

The Town of Snow Lake has issued a mandatory evacuation order, requiring all residents to leave by noon on Saturday, June 7, as a massive wildfire threat looms.

The order follows a prior evacuation alert and was announced at noon Friday.

Approximately 1,100 people live in the northern Manitoba community, which is now under threat from three wildfires that have merged into a single, massive blaze. According to the City of Flin Flon, the fire spans an estimated 140 kilometres in length and five kilometres in width.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew promoted his province Friday as the route for a future trade corridor, which could include a pipeline, in order to get goods from Western Canada to overseas markets.

"The politics are (that) something needs to get built in Western Canada. I think everybody understands that," Kinew told a breakfast meeting of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Jami Reimer first became interested in frogs because of her background in choirs. The link between the two is the joining of many voices into one.  

“When I was in grad school, my sister Jillian was in grad school at the same time doing a much more ecological course of study,” she explained in an interview on Morning Light, “and she was telling me about these massive chorusing events... whereby biologists could connect through these species, their sound and through their voice.”