Friday, October 3, 2025
Abolish Photo Radar in Manitoba?
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Maxime's Closing in 2025
The restaurant has been owned by the Bekios family since 1984. George Bekios passed away in 2024 leaving his two daughters to run the place. Like many Greek owned restaurants, it comes down to no one left in the family to run it for years to come when everyone is near retirement or the founding member passes it away.
St. Mary's is a valuable piece of real estate and it is not surprising a buyer has been found. No word on what the new business might be.
This comes on the heels of another business in a different field closing. Croft Music, after a 110 year in the music industry is closing. Violins by Anton will continue in the same spot on Henderson Highway. A differed type of business than Croft's but related. It will be by appointment only.
There has been an uptick in the last year of business retirements and some locations have turned into hot commodities. Retail sales have been up, restaurants have found growth in breakfasts. Were it not for tariffs, Canada might be even better positioned for growth. As it is. we will have to see some innovation as one generation hands over business to the next generation.
Should Manitoba Liberal Party Change Name?
Federal Liberals are present in the west and are the federal government has been Liberal since 2015. The federal NDP doesn't even have party status presently. This could be a reflection of the fact that our system usually means only two strong parties and very small parties get left behind in the dust. Certainly critics in the west seem to laugh at the provincial Liberals in the west but it could very well be right and left divisions and how our voting system works.
Name changes are not uncommon in Canada. The federal and provincial NDP were once named Commonwealth Cooperative Federation. The federal Conservatives have gone through several name changes but the longest name they had was Progressive Conservatives. Sometimes a name change reflects a change in direction or an alliance. Sometimes it a repackaging to re-freshen the brand.
The Liberals have a new leader in Willard Reaves who at 66 was acclaimed as leaders of the Manitoba Liberals. Acclamation is also not uncommon for political parties in Manitoba. Brian Pallister became leader for the PCs when no one offered to run. He later became premier. While Reaves has run against his fellow Blue Bomber twice in Fort Whyte, it would seem there are no shortage of seats to choose from. The Liberals will likely want to re-claim longtime Liberal strength in River Heights. As vital as Jon Gerrard is, it seems a reach that at 77 he would contemplate another run. Anything is possible but it seems likely that Gerrard helps Reaves in any way possible. It should be noted that Gerrard stood beside Reaves when he announced his candidacy.
Cindy Lamoureux remains the sole Liberal MLA in the Legislature. As a new mom and continuing as a MLA, the leadership was something she passed on. At one point it seemed all four prominent Liberals were interested in the leadership. A kind of exhaustion has set in. Any election is likely two or so years away. A byelection might be closer. Any Liberal leader should expect to be part of a rebuilding process which they may only be able to take so far.
After the last election some have suggested that maybe Manitoba is a one party province. The PCs have certainly dropped to historic lows but having a party win every seat means they only have one place to go: down. With this in mind, the Liberals should not assume the PCs are the only choice for government in waiting. However, if the Liberal name is an impediment to being elected provincially in the west, they should consider a re-branding.
Some say the NDP and the Liberals should unite. Some say the Liberals and PCs should unite. Both suggestions ignore that the Liberals are not tied as closely to unions as the NDP are. As for the PCs, the Liberals are not tied to some of the more social conservative policies. These are not easy differences to paper over. The electoral system in Canada favours two parties and majority results. Electoral reform could help but the two parties where things swing back and forth are not exactly in favour of a system that would dilute their power. National and provincial efforts on electoral reform have stalled.
Research in Europe suggests that party re-brands can help get electoral success. The Saskatchewan Party and the Wildrose parties are an indication of that. The research suggested that just a policy re-brand does not do the trick. For only a brief time in the 1980s has the Manitoba Liberals become Official Opposition and had a chance at government. That is a very long time out of power or as the main contender. In some elections they have had a very compelling policy platform and even run a solid campaign only to see little success. Could a name change help lead the party to more success?
If some of our western provincial counterparts are any example, the answer is yes,
Monday, September 29, 2025
The Evolution of the Winnipeg Sun
As I noted back when the news occurred, this means Winnipeg is unique in most of Canada in that it has two locally owned daily newspapers in the city. That can't be said anywhere else in the west. In fact, Winnipeg was one of the only cities where an underdog newspapers folded only for another newspaper to emerge immediately.
The early Sun editorial leanings were center right but it had a reputation of factual reporting. Under different ownership, it has maintained credibility in reporting and still leans center right. The present ownership is unapologetically right leaning in editorial. The sports department despite the loss of Ted Wyman too young is still reporting on hockey and football. I'd wage more readers value that coverage first in their hearts.
It is very likely that buying the Sun has Klein working every part of the job. He has leaned heavily on columnists in Winnipeg as well as the National Post for content. It is unlikely that Klein wants to use the federal program to hire journalist but ad money has so dried up that it is likely all media in Canada might face extinction. The large international companies scrape the Internet and use AI to produce information that does not credit the or pay for the source of that information. Moreover, they control the search engines used to find local news. They hold all the levers of power over even some of the larger news services. The goal is to grab all the ad money they can while lifting information from content creators.
The Free Press and the Sun continue to carve out niches. There is nothing wrong with having a political slant but important to divide the paper into news, analysis and opinion and make sure they can be identified. Some newspapers such as the National Post and the Sun chain across Canada lean heavily on columnists. The Sun continues an affiliation with Postmedia and sometimes this results in a lot of federal coverage which might be a bit too much for a local paper.
While there are some female columnists at The Sun, they are really outnumbered. The Free Press faces the same problem. It is possible to have content that will appeal to younger and female audiences but it has to be presented consistently. For young people, it could be the comics, entertainment news, advice columns, horoscopes and sports. The trick is to have stuff unique in your paper. It isn't all political opinion columns.
The quickest way for the Sun to reclaim readers is to focus on Jets and Blue Bombers coverage beyond what they are doing now. Klein already has a video discussion on politics. It would seem a natural extension to do sports. I have pointed out how amateur sports is covered by WDAY/Fargo Forum/Grand Forks Herald. We are so poor in coverage in this area but they cover in North Dakota so well. The amount of sponsors for this coverage seems diverse in the U.S.
Assuming that the Sun wishes to be a local paper in either print or digital into the future, it might wish to partner with other media. An example at the local level is Global News and CJOB. Both of the aforementioned are different units of the same company but they both contribute to content over both platforms and can be monetized as such. This does not mean companies like CJOB and Global News are not stuck in the perpetual layoffs of news media. The hoovering of ad dollars by Google and others and the stealing of content by AI has meant all media is under threat. Some big companies like New York Times have made deals for content used by AI. The truth is that all content used by AI companies needs to be paid for and the courts are likely to weigh in. It has come to the point that there are true security concerns about AI harvesting information and stripping it of it's sources. Making big money off of this is hurting major industries.
The Sun needs to carve out what will stand out locally, move beyond politics and cover news and sports in ways no one else does. Newspapers have to find ways to reach out and monetize beyond "if it bleeds, it leads" headlines. Even Internet users are getting tired of clickbait that feels false. Winnipeg needs two strong and competitive newspapers. We are very lucky having two local ones. We will continue to have them so long as they continue to adapt and develop their content. It will be up to the government to protect content creators from having their work taken and monetized by international companies.
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The Hour of Worship Fargo and Religious TV in Winnipeg
One of the reasons the CRTC came in to being was the faith-based broadcasts out of Alberta from Ernest Manning were exploding across Canada where the premier/evangelist made requests for money. This raised concern in Ottawa and the CRTC was formed so that CBC was not the arbiter of broadcasting.
Mennonites were prime drivers of religious broadcasting in Manitoba and while their start came in radio, by the 1960s moves to TV broadcasting began. In Winnipeg, Calvary Temple started Faith to Live by on CJAY which later became CKY/CTV in 1962. It is now one of the longest running TV shows in Canada.
The first faith TV broadcast began in 1950 on ABC in New York during TV's infancy. TV arrived in Canada two years later and the first broadcast in Manitoba was CBC in Winnipeg in 1954, It consisted of three hours of programming. Consumers started buying black and white TV and the programming on CBC grew and it was 1960 when CJAY joined CBWT in Winnipeg as the first private station. The same year, CBWFT, French CBC began broadcasting.
Across the border KCND in Pembina, North Dakota began to broadcast. With rabbit ear or antennae, it could be seen in parts of the city. This brought a total of four TV stations that could be seen in the city and the 1960s saw a huge increase in programming. Some of it was Canadian, lots of it American but with literally so many hours to fill, much of it was local. Some of that was by mandate but some was practicality of it being cheaper to fill than buying elsewhere.
CJAY at two years old welcomed Calvary Temple's Faith to Live By because production was handled by the church and it filled time on Sunday mornings that the station wasn't sure what to do with. Manitoba on Sundays was very quiet. Blue Bomber games were not allowed to be played on Sundays till 1965! The churches ruled the roost. No shopping, no games and even after 1965, mornings were pretty quiet. So Faith to Live by in 1962 kind of had the audience there for it.
Cable TV did not reach River Heights where I lived until 1968. And until 1970 my parents rented so it was not up to them to install the cable at $10 and pay $5 a month. We moved into our home in late summer of 1970 and by late 1971 had both colour and cable TV. The colour TV was a gift from my grandparents.
Colour TV did not come out till 1966 in Canada but so much of broadcasting was in black and white. Literally everyone I knew was getting colour TVs between 1968 and 1972. In our house, it was Saturday morning cartoons in colour that was a huge attraction. Jetsons and Flintstones were among the the first full colour series to be produced for TV. Older Warner Bros. material that originally has been in colour on the big screen was well suited for Saturday morning.
Sunday was not a day for cartoons in the morning. In Winnipeg there wasn't even a Sunday newspaper. Today, we have Vision TV and JOY-TV for faith-based programming. However, through the 1960s and 1970s Sundays and sometimes early mornings there was faith-based programming. As mentioned, Faith to Live By was one of the earliest on the air in 1962 and now one of the longest running faith programs in Canada. A few others were around for decades like It's a New Day. Church of the Rock has been on CityTV since 1996. Meanwhile, Mennonite broadcasting is done based here in Winnipeg in multi-languages for Russian and Spanish audiences.
Most people who watched TV in the 1960s through 1990s on cable would be aware of Jimmy Swaggert, Jim Bakker, Pat Robertson and whole lost of other televangelists in the U.S. However, there was some more traditionally services on the air too. In North Dakota, a Lutheran Church founded in 1950 began to broadcast in 1967 and because of cable, it was on the dial on WDAZ from the mother channel WDAY in Fargo. This year that church is 75 years old and the broadcast continues to be seen on cable in Winnipeg.
Elim Lutheran Church is a modest church in the Fargo-Moorhead area and because of the reach of cable has been part of the Winnipeg Sunday morning programming since 1968 when cable reached the city. North Dakota and Manitoba have shared a prairies experience living along the Red River. One can imagine the Swedish meatballs that will be eaten at their celebrations as the reach age 75.
It is a reminder that while times are more difficult now, we still share a heritage. The threats weekly from the U.S. ambassador in Canada notwithstanding, it is notable that our contact with our southern neighbour have lasted decades.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Uniqlo, JD Sports and Lululemon to Open in St. Vital Centre
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
The End of Late Night Talk?
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Kiokii Coming to Polo Park
It used to be jewellry stores that were the forever stores. They were often in the center of the mall facing one another. All usually on the first floor. Polo Park continues to have a lot of jewellry stores but only Ben Moss is on the first floor center court anymore. A few have migrated to the second floor while others like to be closer to entrances on the first or second.
The old Brettons/Zellers second floor area is finally getting the transformation that create anchors on that floor.
As mentioned here before, London Drugs is opening their first location on the second floor where the mall looped around in a U shape. It was a less desirable location than some others in the mall but London Drugs is likely to have their own customer base that will park at second level exclusively to shop at the store.Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Howard Kurtz Loses Job at FOX and Charlie Kirk
When I first saw his show, I largely had Sundays off. I'd be watching Meet the Press and Reliable Sources among others. My Sundays are not my own much anymore so watching the Sunday political shows is more rare. Kurtz left the show in 2013 to start a similar program on FOX called Media Buzz which replaced a program FOX already had that examined the media review of the week that was.
I don't get FOX News on cable. This is not because of any bias against it but because buying the news package that included it and MSNBC seemed superfluous. I do get FOX News and MSNBC as part of my satellite radio so I tend to bounce around channels to get a sense of what is happening south of the border. On my cable, I continued to watch Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter until CNN cancelled the show due to partisan pressures. Stelter has worked his way back into the network for media analysis.
One of the only programs I used to listen to on FOX was Media Buzz. It has become increasingly a politics show and less about media in recent years. And too many FOX authorized guests repeat talking points. I find it boring just as find three word sloganeering boring. I found Kurtz pushed back or added addendums to some of the blatant propaganda but it was a fairly conservative friendly show.
It was probably not friendly enough. In today's Republican world, the expectation is you promote Trump and MAGA or face the consequences. It is very likely that Kurtz's Trump interview that challenges falsehoods in the election had some network people looking at possible changes.
Following the death of Charlie Kirk, Kurtz said that Kirk was no angel. It was the wrong thing to say because many Republicans were very much trying to make him an angel. Criticism of this kind was just not in the cards and FOX cancelled Media Buzz in favour of a Sunday morning political show with reliable conservatives. One FOX news channel personality mocked Kurtz over the loss of his show. Greg Gutfield has often being particularly cruel.
Kurtz will continue with his FOX podcast and will be an analyst for two years but he has been de-platformed essentially. I have no idea what the ratings of the show were. I used to rely on media analysts to tell me what the ratings and profitability was. Now, no show exists of that.
To be fair, Canada hasn't had very much in the way of news and media analysts. I can think of no show that has existed or presently exists. That's true of both public and private broadcasters, We have huge gaps in coverage in terms of media, education, sports and business.
I'll miss the media show on FOX just as I missed CNN's show. I think politics killed them. And now there won't be a show to sometimes point out that media needs to a light shone on them at all times.
Monday, September 15, 2025
The End of Stylus 2025
The reduction in students has meant the University of Winnipeg Student's Association and CKUW have less revenue. This has resulted in funding disagreements that seem to go on every year. University politics. It seems the associations are often trying to lift funding for various reasons. In this case, the reduction in international students has dropped funding so the radio station has had to make painful choices.
It is possible some fundraising might save the publication. However, other music magazine like Pitchfork and Vice have had to make cuts. Few music publications in Canada are as old or continuous as Stylus. Exclaim! started in 1991. Many reporters across Canada, including the Free Press, started off at Stylus.
Love it or hate it, musicians would be at a performance hall and pull out Stylus and and read about themselves or others. There really wasn't anything quite as local and music related. And no, it won't be replaced with a TikTok show. A 30 second clip is not enough information or as curated as a publication. There isn't anything wrong with it but it isn't the same. It might be the preference for young people but I can't imagine they play games that end in 30 seconds so why would they consume journalism that short either?
The comeback of vinyl records would suggest that sometimes old formats find new audiences. It has gotten to the point that when you are entering any bookstore or bar, there is no news stand. Invariably, that has led to people using their phones at all the time? But where is the local in that?
The thing about Stylus was that it was super local. Perhaps it's greatest strength. It is possible it could go digital. Some former newspapers like Music Express have gone digital in Canada after a hiatus. The advertising dollars have disappeared and are now being used the AI and their parent companies. Rolling Stone is now suing AI for taking their work and not paying for it. New York Times just made a settlement.
Smaller publications and podcasts routinely have their work pillaged. The only way content will continue to exist if large companies like Google and others are forces to pay it. This won't help in the near term. Only a rescue could help. It seems awful that the student's association and radio station can't figure this out. Perhaps there is an outside investor who can help.
The world is changing quite a bit but they day music journalism ends will be a sad one.
Saturday, September 13, 2025
Political Discourse in Canada
Friday, September 12, 2025
Travel to North Dakota/Minnesota
To our friends in the U.S., it should be said that, most Canadians have responded with hurt and anger. Most of the trade that passes between the two countries has no tariffs. However, some items in both countries are protected by quotas. In the U.S. it is sugar and in Canada, it is milk. There is room for negotiation but accusations that Canada is a main source for fentanyl headed to the U.S. is a fiction shown clearly from America's own numbers.
Ever since the election of Trump, Canadians have re-thought their travel and investment in the U.S. for winter housing, business and the like. Smooth travel across the border is always a concern. No one wants to be stopped at the border when they cross. Being asked questions about whether you support Trump and the answer dependent on if you cross is not exactly what anyone wants to hear. Also, knowing that any and all your electronic devices can be searched is enough to discourage people. What if you have business materials that you don't want your competitors to know on pricing, specifications and so on? Does this get passed along to U.S. business? You don't have any rights when you cross as a Canadian. You can be denied for whatever reason. In the past, this was not nearly as aggressive as it is now. Being denied entry because you brought a pre-paid phone instead of your regular phone has happened as well.
Crossing at Winnipeg International Airport or through North Dakota and Minnesota crossings seems to be less of an issue than at other crossings in Canada. Perhaps, those entry points are different than others but who can say? Regardless, traffic is down by a significant margin at those crossings. It isn't just the value of Canadian dollar either. People continued travelling to the States when the dollar was much lower. No, the problem now runs much deeper. Many are choosing not to go because of deeply felt convictions that it is wrong when Canadian sovereignty is threatened.
State and federal officials from the U.S. have appealed to Canada to return as tourists and encourage trade. Many have come to Canada to make their pitch. The thing is that a discount or appreciative banners on streets saying: we love Canadians is not going to remove the fear of border crossings or feelings in regards to 51st state talk. It is a question of respect. It may be that we are in for an even rougher road ahead. The full free trade act comes up for renewal next year.
Every long weekend since the beginning of the year, the car traffic to North Dakota and Minnesota has dropped. It will likely not completely die off. Too many Canadians have family in the U.S., or kids in school, work, conferences, winter homes that they have owned for years or holidays planned for a very long time. All of that will continue. Not to mention it will be hard to keep Canadians from wanting to see Team Canada in the Los Angeles Olympics, of soccer's World Cup in 2026. This applies to Blue Jays game and playoffs and NHL teams over the next months.
It is likely though that many Canadians will limit their travel or spending plans in the U.S. for some time to come unless there is a dramatic de-escalation of tariffs, tensions and other irritants. So states like North Dakota and Minnesota will likely still see reductions in Canadian travel and that could be more pronounced in the weeks and months ahead.
For the U.S., it is probably not just Canadian travellers who are absent this year but so far the overall decline is listed as 30% below last year's levels. From all tourism that is a $30 billion hit. There is no evidence that this is changing. Canadian tourism is up 30% as more in Canada have travelled elsewhere in the country.
America First is looking more like America alone. And Trump says this is only the beginning.
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Trees in Winnipeg
Friday, September 5, 2025
Banjo Bowl Saskatchewan Roughriders Car Smash
Sunday, August 31, 2025
The Return of Zellers to Winnipeg
As The Bay struggled in post-Covid times, Zellers was brought in to help the store sales with a wave of nostalgia and product lines. However, the American owner of HBC had pretty much sold most things of value and so the oldest company in Canada was liquidated including the Zellers popups in Bay stores across Canada.
In receivership, leases and namesakes and anything of value are being sold off with oversight by the court. Canadian Tire bought The Bay name and key intellectual property for around $30 million. It is believed that they open parts of the business under The Bay name and sell things like Hudson Bay blankets.
But no one knew what was to come of Zellers. No mention was made whether it's name or intellectual property was sold. Now we know the answer. It was. A group associated with retailer Fairweather. The details on the new Zellers are few. It is in Edmonton's Londonderry Mall and around 60,000 square feet. But whether it has a grill, carries certain products and the like is a mystery.Saturday, August 30, 2025
Bath Depot Now Open Regent West
The goal of the family business was to be a box store and boutique but to keep prices reasonable. With tariff problems being what they are, it makes more sense than ever to have manufacturing and supply chain tied into a Canadian closed loop.
As the first venture into the prairies. Bath Depot is straying from the denser population of central Canada. However, the reward is a stronger west economy and becoming a true national retailer. There is probably room to challenge retailers such as Home Depot and Rona.
Some Canadian retailer have managed to do very well in Canada. There is likely room for more stores beyond 1530 Regent. There are opportunities in south, north and west Winnipeg still. Initially, it might be contractors who discover this store and then a wider audience will start to pay attention. Expect to see more stores soon.The Federal NDP Convention in Winnipeg March 2026
So far only two potential candidate have announced they will run once vetting is over. The new people are Avi Lewis and Heather McPherson. Presently, both are in the west. Since 2019, Heather McPherson has been a NDP MP in Edmonton. Lewis is NDP royalty with both his father, grandfather and even great grandfather connected to the labour movement and the NDP. He is working as a professor at UBC in Vancouver. Lewis is known to many Canadians as a former journalist for the CBC who is married to Naomi Klein. McPherson has been a resilient member of the NDP opposition and supportive of the oil industry. Her past work was with a social agency in Alberta focused on international development.
There are sure to be other candidates but plenty of people have passed including people like Wab Kinew. It seems unlikely that a powerful new premier wants to lead a party where he spends a lot of time in opposition with possibly no chance to be prime minister. The B.C. premier also rejected the chance to run. It is a job that may have no real upside for many years. Even Kinew, had to serve in opposition for 8 years, 9 as a MLA, before becoming premier in Manitoba. For Eby, it was a decade in opposition, three as leader before becoming premier.
Any new leader of the NDP had better be realistic that they might need to go thought at least two and maybe three election cycles. And even then, it might only be to be the third or fourth party. In a minority government, the NDP had more power than they had had in decades. Singh gave a list to the Liberals and a lot of the agenda was adopted. But for what? For the NDP to wiped off the board next election? Sadly, this has been the pattern for decades for those who support a minority government. It nearly never results in a win in first past the post elections.
And while the NDP federally wants proportional representation, the provincial NDP in the west don't want anything to do with it lest it see Liberals get more seats. What good for the goose is good for the gander. Can't really promote it federally and not want to talk about it provincially.
The choice to have the leadership convention in Winnipeg makes sense. The provinces with NDP governments are in B.C. and Manitoba. Surprisingly, Vancouver has only hosted one leadership convention in party history. The convention in Winnipeg likely makes the city the most frequent NDP convention site ever used. In a way that makes sense. It has generally been safe territory for NDP provincially and federally for years. The federal party will be able to get the warm support from their provincial counterparts. Wab Kinew is a likely prominent speaker. This week he is a prominent speaker for the Assembly of First Nations convention in Winnipeg.
The NDP is likely to have a very important debate about the directions of the party. The Socialist wing wants to defund the military, recognize Palestine and end the oil industry. The centrist part of the federal party is far more pragmatic. One can argue that the more dogmatic aspects of the Manitoba NDP were suppressed to attract Liberal votes to win the election. Most times Kinew will avoid the former pitfalls that befall NDPers such as being anti-military, anti-Jewish or anti-business. He still can't resist being hyper-partisan on the provincial front and that might be his Achilles heel.
The NDP would very much like to displace the Liberals federally as they have in the west and rarely done elsewhere, including federally. The problem for the NDP is they need to court Liberal or centrist votes if they hope to win office regularly. It seems most times they don't want to do that and push further left which alienates the party and keeps them from being the brokerage party the federal Liberals are.
The Winnipeg convention will be a battle for the future of the party. Is it a movement or a political player ready to govern? That is the question. Regardless, it might be possible the next general election comes in the new year as it still a minority government. It will really only take two parties to vote together to bring the Carney government. With that in mind, the NDP needs to formulate policies and recruit candidates to, at the very least, try to get party status and a leader in the Commons to represent the party.
And what of the Manitoba influence on what is to come of the federal NDP? I suspect that it will be a lot. The people coming to the convention will hoping their provincial counterparts will give them a masterclass in how to win elections and what policies might be winning ones and what policies will be losers for them. They will also get an education on how to build a leader. There is a time expiry for leaders and policies. The federal NDP and Conservatives have been less adaptable than Liberals. It might annoy the other parties but the Liberal pivot was breathtaking. However, it wouldn't have been possible if the public didn't want to go there.
Expect some fire at the convention but it should be interesting to see how Manitoba influences it all.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Modern Ambition/Mondetta Coming to True North Square
Over the decades Mondetta has managed to stay relevant and get their lines of fashion in various stores in Canada. The head office is in Winnipeg and the core ownership group has remained intact. It therefore seemed appropriate that their new venture would be launched in the city.
The new venture is a 1,200 square foot men's business and casual dressy aimed at Gen Z and Millennials. There are suits in the $200 to $400 range and there are some suits out there in the $5,000 to $6,0000 or higher range. Tip Top, RW&CO and Moores are the most well know places in Canada to find suits as well as rental formal wear. Aldo Formal Wear and Mallabar's are also important because men will always need some places for events like weddings, funerals and grads. For more in the pricier business suits there is Harry Rosen which has been in Winnipeg since 1986. And for local flavour and often bespoke you have Danali, Eph Apparel, Hanford Drewit and Vittorio Rossi.