Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 17, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba SCAN THE QR CODE, OR FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO BID NOW! can.givergy.com/harvestmanitoba Auction sponsored by: Online Fundraising Auction There are over 100 exciting travel, entertainment and culinary experiences to bid on! FINAL WEEK TO BID! A MID complaints about hazardous holes spreading throughout local fields and parks, the province is being asked to reconsider the City of Winnipeg’s request to use a lethal pesti- cide on ground squirrels. Manitoba Liberal MLA Cindy Lam- oureux wants the government to revisit its decision last spring to deny the city a permit to use the sulfur gas product known as Giant Destroyer against the rodents or, at least, present other op- tions. “We have seniors who are tripping on the fields as they go for walks. We have children who are literally picking up the carcasses of these ground squirrels (due to increased population and road kill),” said Lamoureux, MLA for Tyn- dall Park. “I’ve had my constituents tell me… they’ve had to call exterminators because of the overpopulation bur- rowing around their homes.” She’s received more than 20 com- plaints in recent months. “It truly is getting out of control,” Lamoureux said. A Winnipegger who lives near Fair- grove Bay Park in Tyndall Park said she’d like to see the pesticide used and blamed ground squirrels for digging deep holes throughout the park, as well as nearby yards. She said damage was already a con- cern in 2024, but grew much worse this year. “Since when do we put the needs of rodents ahead of humans? At one point, this field used to be used by children to play soccer. It can no longer be done. We are going to lose the ability to use it and that’s not fair to us, as humans and taxpayers,” said the woman, who did not want her name published. She said some squirrel holes are difficult to detect with grass growing around them, increasing the risk of trips and falls. The province denied the permit to use the pesticide in May, arguing its decision balanced the safety of park visitors with environmental protection, noting 6,300 public submissions were received expressing concern about the chemical. Some animal-rights activists and ani- mal experts say the initial decision was correct and humane, due to concerns Giant Destroyer can cause extremely painful deaths for the creatures. “Individual (animals may not) be exposed to a lethal concentration, so you’re causing undue suffering…. (They) can spend hours choking on sul- furous gas and still not pass away,” said James Hare, a University of Manitoba professor emeritus in biological sci- ences. FRIDAY OCTOBER 17, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM SECTION B CONNECT WITH WINNIPEG’S NO. 1 NEWS SOURCE ▼ CITY ● BUSINESS TOM BRODBECK OPINION I T should come as no surprise that Wolseley School is changing its name. In fact, it’s surprising it took this long. The man for whom the Winnipeg neighbourhood — and by extension, the school — was named, wasn’t just some 19th century British officer with the kind of outdated colonial attitudes we now view through a modern moral lens. Garnet Wolseley didn’t merely hold racist views toward Louis Riel and the Métis people who lived in Red River. He helped unleash a wave of violence and intimidation against them — what became known historically as “The Reign of Terror.” That campaign of brutality, carried out in part by the soldiers he led, set a lasting tone of fear and injustice that scarred the Métis community for generations. Wolseley arrived in the Red River Settlement in August 1870, leading the Red River Expedition, a military force sent from Ontario under the banner of bringing “order” to the newly formed province of Manitoba. Officially, the expedition was sup- posed to be one of peace. The federal government said Wolseley and his troops (regular British army and a Canadian militia) were sent to Red River to establish Canadian sovereign- ty following negotiations in Ottawa between representatives of Red River and the federal government. Those negotiations established the terms of Manitoba’s entry into Canada. But Wolseley had his own agenda, one rooted in racism and hatred. He came for blood and spoke about hunting down Riel — who led the Red River Resistance in 1869 and 1870 that forced Ottawa to the negotiating table — and what he called the “cruel half-breed rebels.” Wolseley later wrote that had he caught Riel, he would have killed him on the spot — no trial, no discussion, just summary execution. He used openly racist language to describe the Métis, dismissing them as inferior. It’s laid bare in my book Treaties, Lies & Promises: How the Métis and First Nations Shaped Canada, released a year ago this week. These weren’t casual prejudices of the time. They were deeply ingrained, militarized beliefs that shaped how he commanded his troops and how they viewed the people they were supposed- ly sent to support. What followed after Wolseley’s arrival is one of the darker, less openly discussed chapters in Canada’s early history. Although Wolseley and his British troops left Red River within days of arriving (members of the Canadian militia remained), his job, at least on paper, was complete. But the conduct in the weeks and months that followed by some members of the Canadian mi- litia and others who opposed Riel was nothing short of disgraceful. Wolseley’s contemptible legacy must be wiped from school ● BRODBECK, CONTINUED ON B2 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Jenna Malmo, a sewing teacher at St. John’s High School, shows donated formal wear for Gowns for Grads and Suit Up Winnipeg. A LOCAL charity dedicated to outfitting Grade 12 students in second-hand party dresses to celebrate their graduation is putting out a public appeal for its survival. Gowns for Grads, a volunteer-run organization in Winnipeg, was evicted from its Exchange District headquarters over the summer. Despite its best efforts, retiree Analyn Baker said her committee has yet to find a suitable re- placement location to continue helping students. “There could be 400 students this year who won’t be able to go to grad,” said Baker, a longtime vol- unteer with the group that serves high schools and adult education programs across Manitoba. The registered charity requires a rent-free space that is between 2,600 and 3,000-square-feet with tall ceilings, as well as accessible washrooms and parking. Baker, 75, has long been a dedicated volunteer because the group’s mission is about much more than sourcing garments for teens and adults facing financial hardships. “So many of these students are the first in their family to graduate high school and it’s such an accomplishment,” she said. “It’s really a privilege to share their joy. We get way more than we give.” Baker, who graduated from St. John’s High School — the inner-city Grades 7-12 facility where Gowns for Grads was born — is one of seven wom- en on the charity’s operating committee. Volunteers collect gowns, purses and other accessories from donors and thrift stores. They clean and fix used items, apply for grants and set up appointments for low-income students to browse their makeshift storefront. Although the busiest season is between April and July, Gowns for Grads needs somewhere to store its ever-changing stock on a year-round basis. For the better part of the last decade, organizers have relied on the generosity of Harvard Develop- ments Corp., their landlord at 35A Albert St. Baker said the charity was incredibly lucky to have had access to its main-floor space — at no charge — for as long as it did. The setup was ideal because the accessible site, a former gym, had built-in mirrors and tall ceilings that could accommodate 20 racks of gowns, she said. It allowed the charity to mimic “a personal shop- ping experience,” Baker said. The organization, which was established in 2011, previously hosted pop-ups at the convention centre. That proved less than ideal; volunteers had to haul dozens of fancy dresses to the site. Gowns for Grads has grown exponentially since then. “My fingers are crossed. (This initiative) makes our kids feel special, and they should — every kid should,” said Jenna Malmo, a sewing teacher at St. John’s. Malmo said she has used the annual opportunity to browse second-hand grad dresses to talk to her students about sustainability. She offers hemming and other alterations for inner-city youth who require adjustments after an appointment. “When the girls come back to the school they are just so hyped about it. They love the experience,” she said. Malmo noted that the spring outings not only build camaraderie, they ease the nerves of stu- dents who are about to make a huge transition. Teachers, guidance counsellors and other em- ployees refer students with financial challenges to the organization. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER Charity that gets grads into glitzy gala gowns loses home, hopes for Cinderella-story ending MAGGIE MACINTOSH JOYANNE PURSAGA Destructive ground squirrels ‘out of control’ MLA, residents fed up with holey, hazardous mess in rec fields, parks ● DESTRUCTIVE, CONTINUED ON B2 ;