In the news today: Crews continue battle against Manitoba wildfires

A roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Crews continue battle against Manitoba wildfires

Fire crews in Manitoba continue to battle out-of-control wildfires, including one in the eastern part of the province, which has revealed the bodies of a couple in the ashes.

In the Manitoba legislature on Thursday, opposition Progressive Conservative legislature member Rick Wowchuk named the victims as Richard and Sue Nowell, who lived in the Rural Municipality of Lac Du Bonnet.

The bodies were found on Wednesday.

The wildfire burning in the municipality, a popular cottage area northeast of Winnipeg, was over four-thousand hectares in size as of midnight Friday.

Wildfires in eastern Manitoba have also forced the province to declare a state of emergency in Whiteshell Provincial Park, and gave people until Thursday evening to evacuate.

The Alberta government says it is sending help to Manitoba to battle the wildfires, with two wildland firefighting crews and support staff expected in the coming days.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Hoekstra, Haley to speak at B7 in Ottawa

Global business leaders and diplomats will converge on Ottawa today in an attempt to chart a path through the United States’ tariff war.

The B7 conference in the nation’s capital is a partner event to the G7 summit set for next month in Alberta.

This year’s conference is tackling trade uncertainty as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to overturn the global trading order with his tariffs.

Among those speaking today in Ottawa are U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra and Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who was Trump’s rival for the Republican presidential nomination.

The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said ahead of today’s events that trade is the “foundation” of relationships among the G7 and urged stronger commercial ties within the group.

‘Trump factor’ could swing gas prices: analyst

The May long weekend is when gasoline prices tend to start levelling off ahead of the high-demand summer driving season.

But Roger McKnight, chief petroleum analyst with En-Pro International, says the “Trump factor” may throw long-held expectations about gas price behaviour out the window.

McKnight says in January and February, refineries go down for maintenance to switch over to producing summer fuels, raising prices until they peak around mid-April.

What consumers see at the pump now might be what they get for the warmer months, but McKnight says the utterings of U.S. President Donald Trump on tariffs and geopolitical issues may jolt the market.

He says the effects of the federal consumer carbon levy’s demise seem to be holding after Prime Minister Mark Carney did away with the charge on April 1.

Small businesses gear up for Canada Post strike’

Small businesses and shipping firms are preparing for a possible Canada Post strike as early as next week, a disruption they warn could strain supply chains and freeze millions of packages as well as billions of dollars in sales.

Mom-and-pop shops and e-commerce companies have started making alternative arrangements to get their packages to consumers and clients — but many are already frustrated.

In Cape Breton, N.S., yarn retailer Tracy Hubbard says she’s begun tallying the hit to her bottom line if she’s forced to ship through a large courier, which typically charges more for parcels than Canada Post.

Jarrett Stewart, in charge of commercial operations at delivery startup GoBolt, says a Canada Post work stoppage would mean more customers but also more headaches if the big couriers it relies on such as FedEx and UPS cap freight volumes.

Alternative shipping company Stallion Express says a strike would stall billions of dollars in e-commerce revenue and leave rural shoppers waiting for essential goods.

Gull-Masty says she was handed ‘toughest task’

As the first Indigenous person ever to lead the federal department responsible for delivering services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Mandy Gull-Masty knows she has a daunting task ahead.

But the newly-appointed Indigenous services minister also knows what it’s like to sit at both sides of the table — as a cabinet minister now and, until recently, as the grand chief of the political body representing 20,000 Cree people in northern Quebec.

Gull-Masty inherits a series of outstanding files from outgoing minister Patty Hajdu, who had served in the role since 2021. They include reforming the First Nations child welfare system and ensuring communities have access to clean drinking water and working infrastructure.

While Hajdu was known for having a good working relationship with Indigenous communities, some Indigenous leaders — frustrated with the slow pace of change in the Crown-Indigenous relationship — accused her of doing too little to build consensus on those files.

“I personally, as an Indigenous person, felt that I was handed probably one of the toughest tasks because all eyes are on the first Indigenous person to do the role,” Gull-Masty said. “The expectation is going to be very high.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.

The Canadian Press