Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 9, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba In the event of an advertising discrepancy, the official 2025 HSC Millionaire Lottery Rules and Regulations will apply without exception. All images are for illustration purposes, prizes may not be exactly as shown. 50/50 PLUS® tickets and EXTRA CASH PLUS™ tickets can only be ordered with your 2025 HSC Millionaire Lottery main ticket on the same transaction. Must be 18+ to play. For complete rules and regulations go to: hscmillionaire.com. License Numbers: LGCA 1822-RF-48322, LGCA 1822-RF- 48503, LGCA 1822-RF-48504 hscmillionaire.com 204-253-5688 | 1-855-999-5688 SCAN TO ORDER MAIN LOTTERY TICKETS BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY! 1 FOR $100 | 3 FOR $200 | 6 FOR $325 | 12 FOR $525 10 FOR $25 | 30 FOR $50 | 60 FOR $75 | 100 FOR $100 10 FOR $25 | 30 FOR $50 | 60 FOR $75 | 100 FOR $100 WEST ST. PAUL $170,000 IN ALL-CASH PRIZES! AN ALL-NEW UNLIMITED JACKPOT THOUSANDS OF ALL-CANADIAN PRIZES TO WIN! BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY! A RECORD-BREAKING 43 EARLY WINNERS! 2 0 2 5 OVER $2 MILLION IN PRIZES WIN A Millionaire HOME Winnipeg | West St. Paul | Oak Bluff | Vancouver Island | OR $1,250,000 CASH ST. VITAL CENTRE WINNIPEG & SELKIRK FOOD STORES AND MAIN ST. PHARMACY IN-PERSON SALES AVAILABLE AT: WORTH OVER $ 48 , 000 NEW! 3 WINNERS! FALL BONUS PLUS 2 WINNERS GAS & GROCERIES: $1,000 In Red River Co-op Gift Cards 2026 Toyota RAV 4 XLE AWD OR $40,000 in Indigeno Travel Vouchers PLUS $5,000 CASH OR CHOOSE $40,000 CASH DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 D O N ’ T M I S S O U T TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● A5 NEWS I CANADA Alberta government to fight legal challenge that aims to scrap school pronoun law EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government says it will fight hard to defend a court challenge to its school pronoun law. “Alberta’s government will vigorously defend our position in court,” Heather Jenkins, press sec- retary to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, said in a statement after two LGBTTQ+ advocacy groups officially filed the court challenge last week. Jenkins stressed the legislation was introduced to strengthen ties between parents and their child’s education. She said it will provide “more transparency, clarity, and consistency in their education and school community so students can continue to learn and grow.” In the application, Egale Canada and Skipping Stone ask the Court of King’s Bench to declare the rules unconstitutional. The law was passed last year and came into effect at the start of this school year. It requires children under 16 to have parental consent to change their names or pronouns. Students age 16 and 17 don’t need consent, but their parents have to be notified. Bennett Jensen of Egale said the rule targets gender-diverse youth and exposes them to harm and serious risks. “For the small minority of the minority popu- lation we’re talking about, who don’t have access to a safe and supportive home, what is being de- nied is the ability to be affirmed and supported at school — which we also know from the evidence can be the difference of making it to adulthood or not,” said Jensen in an interview. The court application notes that parental notifi- cation and consent aren’t required for all students who want to go by different names. It applies only when their request is made “for reasons related to the student’s gender identity.” Jensen said that, on its face, is discriminatory. “And it targets an already vulnerable group of young people,” he said, adding, “Animating all of this, of course, is the suggestion that there is something wrong with being gender diverse.” The court application also points to gender-di- verse students who do not feel safe coming out to their parents or who simply aren’t ready to do so. “For (them), the pronoun restrictions present an impossible choice: be outed at home or remain closeted at school,” states the application. Smith has said parents need to know what’s go- ing on with their children and her government’s restrictions are reasonable. “I think it’s well understood that children aged 15 and under are under the supervision of their parents, and you can’t have another adult making decisions over their lives without including their parents,” she said last week when asked about the impending legal challenge. The issue is not limited to Alberta. In Saskatch- ewan, Premier Scott Moe’s government intro- duced a similar pronoun law in 2023. Moe invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause last year to keep its pronoun rules in effect amid legal chal- lenges and appeals. The notwithstanding clause allows govern- ments to override certain Charter rights for up to five years. The Alberta law is part of a suite of controver- sial changes from the UCP affecting transgender people in the province. Another law now in effect blocks transgender athletes from Alberta who are 12 and older from competing in female amateur sports. That means parents are being asked by school authorities about their children’s assigned sex at birth in or- der for them to participate in female sports. Egale and Skipping Stone have also challenged a third Alberta law, which would prohibit doctors from providing gender-affirming treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy for youth under 16. The law isn’t in effect because of a temporary court injunction issued in June. In early August, Alberta’s government appealed that injunction. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says all three laws punch down on the most vulnerable. “This UCP government claims to love freedom, but they take away people’s rights every minute they can,” he said. — The Canadian Press LISA JOHNSON Self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’ freed on bail in Saskatchewan SWIFT CURRENT — The self-proclaimed spirit- ual leader known as the “Queen of Canada” was freed on bail Monday, nearly a week after a police raid on her Saskatchewan compound. And the compound has been declared off limits. Romana Didulo, 50, was released on strict con- ditions, including not visiting the village of Rich- mound west of Regina. In Richmound, she and her followers — known as the “Kingdom of Canada” — have long clashed with locals to the point the village office closed its doors to the public outside prearranged ap- pointments, citing harassment and intimidation towards staff. Didulo, 50, had little to say to reporters as she left court following the bail decision by Judge Alan Jacobson. “Grand rising, everyone,” Didulo said, invoking her trademark phrase. She told reporters she’s “doing well” but didn’t take other questions. Didulo is charged with breaching a court order and attempting to intimidate a justice system par- ticipant. The judge imposed a number of other bail con- ditions. She must stay at a Regina residence around the clock, unless granted permission to leave by a probation officer. She can’t have contact with those associated with the Kingdom of Canada, must stay at least 50 kilometres away from Rich- mound, and can’t have any weapons. She was one of 16 people arrested last Wednes- day at the compound, a former school, in the com- munity west of Regina. RCMP have said officers searched the site and seized 13 imitation semi-automatic handguns along with ammunition and electronic devices. Didulo and the others were released from custody shortly after the arrests. But she and a co-accused were rearrested the next day and ac- cused of breaching a condition not to contact one another. Didulo and some of her followers, who have promoted various conspiracy theories, set up the compound in 2023. The group has been accused of being a cult that doesn’t recognize Canadian authorities or laws. Didulo gained prominence during the “free- dom convoy” three years ago in Ottawa, where she argued against COVID-19 vaccinations and gained notoriety for attempting to burn the Can- adian flag. She and her followers, in a caravan of campers, settled in Richmound, where the group has been accused of harassing residents and disregarding bylaws, although Didulo has said they are peace- ful. On the weekend, health officials declared the decommissioned school building unfit for human habitation and are banning anyone from living there. A publication ban was placed on details of the bail hearing. Prosecutor Curtis Wiebe told reporters outside court he thinks the judge’s decision was thought- ful. “I think the judge did a good job of going through the different issues and determining what type of conditions would be necessary,” Wiebe said. “Also, very importantly to this case, whether she would be willing to abide by those conditions.” Didulo previously said in court she rejects the judge’s jurisdiction. Wiebe said the Crown had sought to keep her in custody. “We take any case seriously where there is an allegation of anyone interfering with the court process or the process involving alleged victims or witnesses who would be part of the case,” he said. Didulo elected to have her case heard by a jury. Her next court date is Sept. 17. Also as part of her release conditions, she must not speak with Ricky Manz, the owner of the com- pound building. Manz faces charges of breaching a court order and attempting to intimidate a justice system par- ticipant, along with previous charges of assault- ing two police officers. His next court appear- ance is scheduled for Sept. 18. — The Canadian Press JEREMY SIMES HEYWOOD YU / THE CANADIAN PRESS Romana Didulo arrives at provincial court for a bail hearing in Swift Current, Sask., Monday. 44 per cent of Canadians want temporary foreign worker program scrapped: poll O TTAWA — A new poll suggests 44 per cent of Canadians want to see the temporary foreign worker program scrapped as the country grapples with high unemployment, es- pecially among young people. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently proposed eliminating the program in response to high youth unemployment. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 hit 14.6 per cent nationally in July, according to Statistics Canada data. The new Abacus Data poll, which was con- ducted online and can’t be assigned a margin of error, suggests that support for eliminating the program is higher among younger age co- horts, topping 50 per cent of 30- to 44-year-old respondents and hitting 48 per cent of those 18 to 29. Only 37 per cent of respondents aged 60 and over said the program should end. Support for ending the program is highest in the Prairie provinces and lowest in Québec and Atlantic Canada. The poll suggests most Conservatives are in favour of what Poilievre is proposing, while opinion is divided among respondents who identified as Liberals — 36 per cent said they support eliminating the program and 39 per cent said they opposed the idea. David Coletto, Abacus Data CEO, said this creates the “perfect wedge issue” for the Con- servatives. “This could be one of those issues like the carbon tax that the Conservatives could go all-in on and force the Liberals into an awkward position,” he said. “I think the lesson of the carbon tax is (the Liberals are) going to have to figure out how to explain why the status quo works for people, it works for the economy and it works for individuals.” Prime Minister Mark Carney last week ruled out scrapping the program, adding that it’s part of a broader immigration policy review. The government’s current goal is to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada to five per cent of the population. The share of the population made up of non-permanent residents was 7.1 per cent as of April 1. The Conservatives plan to make immigra- tion one of their key issues when the House of Commons reconvenes next week. Immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner has taken to sharing on the social media plat- form X daily postings from Job Watch Canada, a website that tracks job postings with pending applications to hire a temporary foreign work- er on the Canada Job Bank. Postings recently highlighted by Rempel Garner include several jobs with fast food chains in Edmonton, Vancouver and Ottawa. The website was built by Tyrel Chambers, a 33-year-old web developer in Peterborough, Ont., as a hobby project. He said that while he’s surprised by the attention his website has re- ceived, there are things in the job market right now that seem “odd.” “It is really hard right now. The job market sucks. And even some family members that just graduated from university, they’re strug- gling to find a job in their field,” Chambers said. “I think that’s why this whole TFW pro- gram and what’s going on is striking everyone just as odd. Because you’ll see in downtown Oshawa or Regina or Vancouver where Subway and McDonald’s and Tim Hortons are advocat- ing for bringing in a TFW. It just doesn’t make sense that there are so many companies that claim they can’t find a Canadian worker.” Coletto said that the poll’s findings speak to the “anxiety” young people are feeling about a job market being hit by multiple threats. “(Artificial Intelligence), Trump, global uncertainty, and then the domestic macroeco- nomic picture is just creating that space where people are looking for answers to why they feel their life is so tough right now and they can’t get it started,” he said. “And I think (temporary foreign workers) may be something they can hook on.” Business and industry groups such as Restaurants Canada have said that ending the temporary foreign worker program would hurt sectors like hospitality and tourism. The government first imposed limits on admissions of temporary residents in its immigration levels plan last year. That plan is scheduled to be updated later this fall, but Chambers said the issue of temporary workers should have been addressed much sooner. “I definitely think that there are legitimate scenarios for this TFW program, but it sure isn’t what it looks like now. I think it definitely needs to be scaled back and definitely needs be revisited,” he said. The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. — The Canadian Press DAVID BAXTER ;