Suing for Silence

Mandi Gray, author of Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation Law, will speak at two Winnipeg events about her book, which “critically examines how abusive men can use defamation lawsuits as a weapon against anyone who attempts to hold them accountable.” Gray will speak at McNally Robinson (Grant Park) on March 14 at 7 p.m. and at the University of Winnipeg on March 18 in room 3C01 at 12:30 p.m.

Kinew calls for Gaza ceasefire

On Monday, March 11, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew issued a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In the letter, Kinew cites conversations with local Palestinian and Jewish communities, Israel’s disregard for civilian casualties in Gaza and the “famine ... caused by the war.” The letter doesn’t acknowledge that the famine’s cause is Israel’s deliberate blocking of aid to Palestinians or the fact that multiple members of Israel’s ruling coalition have explicitly called for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the conflict.

Appeal sought in curling doping scandal

Briane Harris, a four-time Canadian women’s curling champion from Winnipeg, has been handed a four-year suspension after testing positive for Ligandrol. The tests left Harris ineligible to compete in February’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Ligandrol is a muscle-growth substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Harris plans to appeal the decision, saying that she doesn’t take supplements and may have been unknowingly exposed through physical contact with another individual.

Minimum wage increase coming in October

Starting on Oct. 1, Manitoba’s minimum wage will increase by 50 cents to $15.80 an hour. The move comes after the provincial NDP government declined to raise the minimum wage in autumn 2023 shortly after coming to power. The op- position PCs have criticized the NDP for not raising the minimum wage sooner. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says that, as of 2023, someone living in Winnipeg must make at least $19.21 an hour to earn a living wage.

Transit safety officers assaulted

A 29-year-old man is in custody following an assault on two of Winnipeg Transit’s new security officers on Monday, March 11. The man, who the officers say was acting erratically, was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant. He now faces two accounts of assaulting a peace officer after, the officers allege, he attacked and tried to bite them.

Sunday library closures looming

Around 100 Winnipeggers gathered in Winnipeg’s Millennium Library on Sunday, March 10, to protest the city’s plan to close the library on Sundays year-round. The city also plans to close all its libraries on Sundays from June to August. Win- nipeg’s 2024-27 preliminary budget did increase funding to the city’s long-underfunded libraries but will still close the centrally located Millennium Library on Sundays, keeping suburban libraries open.

Published in Volume 78, Number 21 of The Uniter (March 14, 2024)