Midweek check-in, Winnipeg! 💙

Hope the Thanksgiving leftovers are holding up! It’s getting chilly, and the weather can’t seem to make up its mind, so bundle up and stay well this week.

In today's edition:

— Jas Singh

Earlier this year, Winnipeg police and local outreach groups teamed up to deal with open drug use and safety concerns downtown. For the last two months, they’ve been heading out side by side, and this week they shared how it’s going.

On 14 shared days between Aug. 7 and Oct. 6, officers focused on outstanding warrants, while their partners looked out for anyone who needed a hand.

Partners say they’ll keep tracking the results and adjust as they go.

There’s still work ahead, but it’s a step in the right direction. Making downtown safer for everyone who spends time there, while helping the people who need it most, is the kind of teamwork Winnipeg can be proud of.

Click here: To read the full update and see how the partnership is working!

Everyone has a few. The Amalfi Coast, with the houses stacked up the cliffs. A market in North Africa. Or a temple in Bali.

You’ve seen them in movies and in somebody’s vacation photos. The hard part has always been the how. Five flights, six hotels, and a suitcase you repack every other night.

So they stay on the someday list.

Viking puts several of them on one trip, and Bonaventure Travel can book it. You unpack once, and the ship carries you to the next place while you sleep.

And the experience onboard is just as thoughtfully planned. No casino. No kids under 18. No formal nights. Dinner is made with the local food of wherever you’ve docked, and before each stop, you’ll learn the story behind the place you’re about to see.

And right now, Viking’s Fall Sale makes it easier to start. Special fares and reduced roundtrip airfare on select trips, plus you can hold your stateroom with a $25 deposit per person, about the cost of a lunch.

But the sale ends October 31. After that, the deals are gone, and the someday list goes back to being someday.

You’ve spent years looking at photos of these places. It’s about time you saw them for yourself.

P.S. Rather talk it through? Call Bonaventure at (204) 488-6653.

Every so often, Winnipeg police sell off items that nobody came back to claim, and the next auction runs online from 9 AM today until Oct. 21 at 1 PM.

It all happens through Michener Allen Auctioneering, so you can browse and bid from home.

That’s just a start, and with bidding, some of it could go for a lot less than you’d pay in a store.

Before you bid, know that everything is sold as is. Nothing is tested or guaranteed, and all sales are final.

These things never made it back to their owners, but they can still find a good home right here in Winnipeg.

Click here: To browse everything up for bid!

From summer nights at Folklorama to winter weekends at Festival du Voyageur, festivals are a big part of what makes life in Manitoba fun.

Now the province is putting more than $1.2 million behind them for 2026-27, from Winnipeg’s biggest celebrations to small-town favourites.

That support helps these events give local artists a stage, bring visitors into our towns and give families something to look forward to all year.

Manitoba knows how to celebrate in every season, and we’ll keep you posted as each festival comes around.

Click here: To read more about the festivals receiving funding!

Earlier in today’s edition, we shared how Winnipeg is working on downtown safety. Towns outside the city are thinking about it too, and just west of us, Portage la Prairie is getting $69,790 from the province to move its own plan forward.

That money is going to the Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation, the local group leading it, and covers a little over a third of the $199,800 cost.

And plenty of people are already at the table. The school division, the City of Portage la Prairie, Portage RCMP and Southern Health-Santé Sud are all giving their time to the project.

It’s a town looking out for its own, and that’s what Manitobans do best.

Click here: To learn more about the program behind this funding!

If the Giant Tiger on Pembina Highway is part of your weekly routine, this one’s a little hard to hear.

The store at 2195 Pembina Hwy. is closing on Feb. 28, 2027. It follows the downtown location, which closes on Nov. 7.

For a lot of families, a store like this is where the weekly basics come from, and where the staff start to recognize you after a while. Losing one close to home is never easy.

Giant Tiger has other stores around Winnipeg if you need a new go-to.

There’s still time before February, so if this one’s been your store, stop in and say thanks to the people who work there.

Click here: To see all Giant Tiger stores in Winnipeg!

This section includes only the major events happening soon.

Events marked with (Tickets / $) require advance purchase. Double-check dates before heading out!

Thanks for reading The Winnipeg Digest! Let’s chat again on Friday!