Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 12, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2025 VOL 154 NO 303 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2025 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. 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INSIDE Arts and Life C1 Business B5 Classifieds D7 Comics C4-5 Diversions C6-7 Horoscope C6 Jumble C6 Miss Lonelyhearts C6 Obituaries D7 Opinion A6-7 Sports D1 Television C2 Weather B8 COLUMNISTS: Dan Lett A4 Pam Frampton A7 Deveryn Ross A7 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada “He was also the secretary of the le- gion in the town I grew up in, so I met a bunch of the vets when I was young. For me, I have that physical link with the past. But for other generations that didn’t have the direct link, it’s not as vivid, not as strong. So that’s one thing we can do about Remembrance Day, is make that link to the past with those people before those who served in those conflicts are no longer with us.” Shepherd said it’s important to remember how terrible the world wars were. “When we look out in the world today, the war in Ukraine, other conflicts around the world, we don’t want to ever let those grow to the point where you end up with another war like World War II,” he said. “It would be unforgivable to let that happen.” He also said it’s important to remem- ber other countries know war much more intimately than Canada. There are Canadian troops stationed in Lat- via, for example, as part of Operation Reassurance, an ongoing mission to deter Russian aggression in the region. “(Latvia) was on the front lines of the world wars, the Cold War and only relatively recently gained its indepen- dence and freedom as a country (in 1991),” he said. “For them, our soldiers serving there are real. “So we certainly don’t want to glorify war, because there is nothing good about it, but we do want to honour those who volunteered and served in them and remember that many of them came back and it was tough, scarred by what they had seen.” In a statement, Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday was a time to pause and honour the bravery and sacrifice of Canada’s veterans, the fallen and those who continue to serve. He also expressed gratitude to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families, who “serve alongside them in spirit.” “Because of you, we live in a country where we can speak freely, worship freely and raise our children in peace,” the statement reads. “The freedoms we enjoy didn’t just happen automatically; they were built and defended by people who believed in something bigger than themselves. People who understood that democracy is not a given, but a shared responsibil- ity. Our rights and freedoms are only as strong as our willingness to uphold them. Each generation must protect them, nurture them and keep them alive. “The Canadians who fought for us believed in a country that belongs to everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from. They gave us not just safety, but purpose. And it’s on us to carry that work forward — to strengthen our democracy, to choose unity over division and to keep building a Canada that lives up to their example.” — With files from The Canadian Press scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca She was hired by the legislative as- sembly management commission with a mandate to identify and evaluate systemic problems faced by seniors and make recommendations on a wide range of government services includ- ing health care, housing and programs and supports. “My job as an advocate shouldn’t be managing government,” Caron said. “My job is to make the recommenda- tions and then be accountable to those recommendations.” The non-partisan independent officer of the legislative assembly is expected to refer matters to the appro- priate body for complaint, inquiry or investigation when warranted. Legislation to establish the seniors advocate was tucked inside the 2024 Budget Implementation and Tax Stat- utes Amendment Act along with other non-budget items, and passed by the NDP majority government last fall. While most bills must be referred to a standing committee for public input, financial bills such as BITSA are referred to the committee of the whole, which is held in the legislative chamber and doesn’t include public presentations. Critics argued the prov- ince should have met with seniors and community organizations for guidance in establishing the seniors advocate. The province said Manitobans could offer their input online through its EngageMB portal. The Seniors’ Advocate Act was pro- claimed to go into effect on Nov. 1 with a salary range of $169,839 to $210,086 per year. Caron starts her five-year term Wednesday in a temporary office with support provided by the legisla- tive assembly until she can set up. She expects to have staff and a website, but didn’t say when that will happen. A coalition of Manitoba seniors or- ganizations has publicly called on the advocate to form an advisory commit- tee and include them. Caron said she plans to get to know those who are speaking up publicly, and those who aren’t. “I’m also interested in the voices we haven’t heard from — who the different groups and communities and people are throughout Manitoba,” she said. “Relationship building will take some time.” Caron said she’s keenly aware of the public scrutiny that comes with the new position. “I like to be behind the scenes, and do the work and get it done,” the mar- ried mother of three teens said. “But, also, I think it’s a really important role. “I feel a lot of responsibility, so I want to do it well.” Caron said she’ll be meeting with the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, Sherry Gott, about her role as an independent officer of the Manitoba legislature ,as well as the seniors advo- cate for British Columbia, Dan Levitt, one of three Canadian counterparts. “I’d like to learn from people within the province and other seniors advo- cates in the country.” Calls for a seniors advocate grew louder during the COVID-19 pandemic when the situation at understaffed personal-care homes turned deadly in Canada. “Seeing what was happening to people who weren’t getting care was heartbreaking,” Caron said. “I think we all have to work from the shared idea that we’re all work- ing from the same place. We all want what’s best for seniors.” carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Another pilot proposal involves relocating a small active section of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line through River Heights. The team is also exploring options in St. Boniface and Point Douglas, and considering converting a spur line that serves the North End Sewage Treatment Plant. Some community meetings have already been held. Axworthy said res- idents raised concerns about pollution and the transport of hazardous goods in urban areas. A wider public forum could be held next year. “But what we’re finding, the more we get into the study, is that there are some fairly significant issues emerg- ing, such as how do we provide a kind of regional rail system as opposed to just a city-based one,” Axworthy said. He described the study as an evolv- ing process, with new ideas and rec- ommendations emerging each week. An average of 50 trains travel daily along Winnipeg’s 240 kilometres of active rail lines. A previous study found 75 per cent of Winnipeggers live within 800 metres of a rail line, with 240 crossings across the city. The interim report also urges a re- view of consolidating the 200-hectare (465-acre) Canadian Pacific Kansas City railyard that separates Winni- peg’s North End from the inner city, following the 2023 CP–Kansas City Southern merger. It calls for finan- cial and technical analyses of phased relocations of both the CPKC and CN’s 321-hectare (793-acre) Symington Yards to reduce impacts on nearby neighbourhoods. A final report with recommenda- tions and projected costs is expected to be submitted to the province in October 2026. Axworthy said the study team doesn’t have to wait until then to make recommendations, however. “We’ve been doing a lot of the prep work, meeting with people, holding consultations, looking at maps and en- gineering studies,” he said. “From now on, it’s really about implementation and how do we get things done.” scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca RAIL ● FROM A1 SON ● FROM A1 ADVOCATE ● FROM A1 MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Leigh Anne Caron got the bug for advocating for seniors as a teen working in a care home. Separated by time and distance, two Ukrainian vets remembered A S the late-morning sun began to peek past the clouds, Cole Wasiuta knelt in the grass and took out a small box. While his cousins watched, he carefully lifted out five medals and a handful of military patches, tokens of his grandfather’s service in the Second World War. One by one, he laid the medals and patches on the grave, beside his grand- father’s name: William “Gus” Wasiuta, 1923 to 2021. The man from Elma had volunteered for the Canadian Forces as a teen, served in Europe, came home, married his sweetheart, had two chil- dren and lived a blessed long life. Now, every Remembrance Day since his passing, his children and grandchil- dren gather in his honour. This year, they began the day at East Kildonan Centennial Park, where they joined a small crowd solemnly standing before the cenotaph, reflecting on those who had served before. “Knowing that we had a family mem- ber that was involved, and honouring the memory of those that served in the past and are now currently serving, is important, especially in a world where we make everything else more of a priority,” says Kylie Wasiuta Elias, Cole’s sister. Then they went to the cemetery, car- rying his medals. But this year, there was something a little different. Three more mementoes to display. Three more tokens of an extended family’s sacrifice. Old war and new; close fam- ily and distant. Memories of the past, mixed with the grief of the present. In November 2024, to mark Remem- brance Day for the Free Press, I trav- elled to Western Ukraine to meet Vasyl Vasyuta, a decorated Ukrainian soldier and his family. Vasyuta, who’s always lived in Ukraine, is a relative of the Manitoba Wasiutas: they share a name, just transliterated differently. Although distance had separated the family for generations, they had main- tained ties. Vasyl’s brother had kept in regular contact with Canadian veteran Gus Wasiuta while the latter was alive; the cousins had gotten to know each other on social media, using Google Translate to reach past the language barrier. So, when Russia launched its full- scale invasion of Ukraine, the Wasiuta family in Manitoba was gripped with fear for their relatives in Ukraine. Vasyl was in the Ukrainian army, as were three of his sons. It didn’t take long for the worst of those fears to become reality. On Feb. 27, 2022, just three days into the full-scale invasion, Vasyl’s youngest son, Dmytro Vasyuta, was killed while trying to rescue compatriots from an encirclement. At age 20, he was then the youngest of the fallen; reporters from across Ukraine and the world came to his funeral. Their story struck me, painting a stark picture of how war and sacrifice binds generations. And when I left the Vasyuta’s home in Ukraine that day, Vasyl gave me several of Dmytro’s military patches. I promised I’d give them to their relatives here in Canada, to add to the stories of service they can pass down to their children. Almost exactly one year and 8,000 kilometres later, those patches joined together. One set, belonging to a brave young man who was born in Canada, stepped up to defend Europe from the Nazis and survived; the other, to a young man who shared the same last name and bravery, but who will never get to grow old. Gus never got to meet Dmytro, but they had much in common. And on Tuesday, their relatives in Manitoba got to lay their patches side-by-side on Gus’ grave, thinking about how much has been given, so that the world might someday know peace. “It really puts it into perspective,” Cole says. “Even though we’d nev - er met, he’s family. Knowing what they’re dealing with and what they’re facing … it hits home, and yet we’re still disconnected. We’re safe here. A majority of Canada, I think especially in the younger generations, takes a lot for granted, until you’ve experienced it or seen it.” melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca MELISSA MARTIN SUPPLIED Alyssa Gardner (from left) and cousins Cole Wasiuta and Kylie Wasiuta Elias, along with Cole’s wife Kaitlyn Wasiuta and Kylie’s husband Jordan Elias, make their annual Remembrance Day visit to grandfather William “Gus” Wasiuta’s grave at Glen Eden Cemetery. SUPPLIED Wiliam “Gus” Wasiuta’s Canadian service medals and patches from the Second World War lie on his grave. Beside them sit three patches worn by Wasiuta’s relatives in Ukraine, veterans of the current Rus- sia-Ukrainian war. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The idea of resurrecting this line, seen crossing Alexander Avenue, to provide rail service to and from Gimli has sprung from talks on rail relocation in Winnipeg. ;