Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 24, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba 4.00% * *Rate subject to change. Conditions apply. SCU.MB.CA/GICS 14-MONTH | 28-MONTH | 54-MONTH Limited-time GIC specials winnipegfreepress.com/ photostore Own a piece of Manitoba’s history Choose from 150 years of Free Press archived photos. M A K E S A N I D E A L G I F T SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2025 WEATHER SCATTERED FLURRIES. HIGH -3 — LOW -12 CITY ‘SCRAPPY’ EADIE JOINS MAYOR’S INNER CIRCLE / B1 RCMP facing dire staffing crunch T HE shortage of RCMP officers in Manitoba is so dire that the national force is asking officers in other provinces to consider work- ing here for two weeks to bolster the ranks. RCMP sent a message titled “Nation- al Call Out for Temporary Assistance in D (Manitoba) and F (Saskatchewan) Divisions” to Mounties across the country, saying they need to “imme- diately manage the serious staffing challenges” in the two provinces. “As such, we are asking all mem- bers and active reservists across the country to consider a temporary placement for a two-week rotation to D or F Division between February and May 2025 to help cover general duty resource shortages,” says the message from Deputy Commissioner Jodie Boudreau and chief human resources officer Jasmin Breton. The message was obtained by Global News and reported Wednesday. It says any officer’s deployment, which has to be approved by the member’s line officer, can be between Feb. 1 to 28 or April 1 to 15, and they should indicate their relevant skills and experience, including general duty and contract policing, breathalyzer operation, or work on an emergency response team. It says deployment locations will be chosen by the RCMP based on opera- tional requirements in each province. The force said it would post RCMP cadets to Manitoba and Saskatchewan when they graduate from its training facility in Regina, also known as Depot Division. Breton and Boudreau said in the message they wanted to also thank the members who already have “volun- teered for immediate transfer.” “We are truly grateful for your com- mitment to serving Canadians through ensuring our organization provides the necessary supports to divisions cur- rently experiencing critical staffing shortages.” University of Manitoba criminal justice professor Frank Cormier said staffing shortages have been an issue for the force in recent years. “They are the Swiss Army knives of police services,” said Cormier. “They do everything from political VIP protection, like the Secret Service (in the United States), to terrorism and organized crime, right down to local policing in small towns. “It’s past time and overdue to having a discussion about what we want the RCMP to do.” Cormier said a key issue is the force’s decision to allow new recruits to say where they want to be posted. It has resulted in fewer of them working in Manitoba. KEVIN ROLLASON Rural teacher develops robotics course; hopes for provincewide expansion BUILDING THE FUTURE UNLIKE other provinces, Manitoba does not have a standardized robot- ics curriculum or credit — but one rural technology teacher is trying to change that. JP Jamieson is raising awareness about a one-of-a-kind program at Morris School in the hopes that one day his students will not have to leave the province to enter their robots in a contest and hone their engineering skills. The kindergarten-to-Grade 12 school’s two robotics teams will trav- el to Minnesota this weekend for a VEX V5 competition. The event will be a first for many of the students who are enrolled in grades 8 to 11. “They have to figure out it’s not a one-person show. They have to work together to make a better robot,” Jamieson said, referring to both his teams’ players and the students en- rolled in his homemade high school course on the subject. The technology teacher describes robotics as “an incredible learning unit,” composed of coding, driving and other STEM (science, technol- ogy, engineering and mathematics) lessons. Not only must they learn how to build a robot, but they have to brain- storm innovative ideas to improve its performance, communicate their ideas to teammates and convince others to get on board, he noted. Jamieson’s interest in robotics as an educational tool dates back to the roughly dozen years he spent deliv- ering Canadian curriculum over- seas. He has taught at accredited schools in Beijing and Tokyo, where robotics has become a common extracurricular. Upon returning to his home province in 2020, he recalled being surprised to learn about its small robotics community and limited options for student participation. The volunteer-run Manitoba Robot Games attracts robotics enthusiasts to challenge one another’s cre- ations at Technical Vocational High School’s “field house” in Winnipeg every year. As far as Jamieson is concerned, there’s room for those school-based programs — which are affordable to start up, with build-it-yourself robot kits ranging between $25 and $50 — and VEX teams. The latter require a larger invest- ment, with a $1,600 starter set that forces students to code complex sen- sors so their creations can complete a range of tasks. In comparison, the Manitoba Robot Games revolves around building a small machine that can push a competitor’s design out of a circular ring. “Seeing how far we’ve come, from having a basic robot to having an absolute beast of a robot competing against some of the best teams of the world … It’s very (empowering),” said Andrew Hildebrandt, a Grade 9 student at Morris School. The 14-year-old transferred schools this year to participate in Manitoba’s only formal VEX pro- gram and he stands by the decision. MAGGIE MACINTOSH Trump’s economic plan at odds with reality, experts say KELLY GERALDINE MALONE WASHINGTON — Experts say U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for the American economy — tariffs, lower oil prices, lower interest rates — is at odds with economic reality. Trump reiterated threats to pun- ish Canada with 25 per cent tariffs, said he will ask OPEC nations to cut the price of oil and demand the U.S. Federal Reserve then cut interest rates in a wide-ranging address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzer- land, on Thursday. He also promised tax cuts for coun- tries that move manufacturing to the U.S. and threatened to impose tariffs if they don’t. Those tariffs will only add to American inflation, economists say, while a strong economy led by strong consumer spending is limiting the abil- ity of the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. “We are in a different world,” Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax advisory and consulting firm, told The Associated Press. “Gone is the era of low inflation and low interest rates. In its place is a new framework featur- ing scarce capital and higher rates.” As a result, Trump’s promises to stimulate the economy through tax cuts and deregulation, while also promising to impose tariffs and immi- gration restrictions, would keep prices elevated. “That’s going to be inflationary, and that’s going to push (Fed) poli- cymakers to adopt more stringent policies than they would otherwise,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY. “So you’re going to be in a higher interest-rate environment.” Trump also told the forum he’ll press for lower oil prices. “I am also going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil. You got to bring it down,” Trump said, appearing via video link from the White House. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Gold Team members Hannah Klassen, Zajac St. Godard and Tennyson Janke (from left) make some adjustments to their robot after testing it out in the ring. LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER Mounties issue cross-Canada plea for officers to work in Manitoba, Saskatchewan ● TRUMP, CONTINUED ON A2 ● FUTURE, CONTINUED ON A2 ● RCMP, CONTINUED ON A2 ● MORE COVERAGE ON A3 ;