Thousands of Winnipeggers gathered at the legislature building on Sunday to attend Rally for Canada, hosted by the provincial government. People showed up to celebrate the Canadian nation and show their Manitoban and Canadian pride!

“We’ll always be the true north strong and free. And we will never be the 51st State!” Kinew exclaimed. “Together, we will keep this land glorious and free! Merci, vive la Canada!”

The rally featured musical guests, food trucks, and plenty of activities for kids, with premier Wab Kinew addressing the crowd.

“The fact that somebody like me, people like us have opportunity to make our lives what we want them to be, that’s what makes Canada so special, that’s what makes Canada so beautiful, and that’s what makes Canada worth fighting for,” said Kinew.

People showed up in droves, decked out in all things Canadian, and the message to President Trump and the United States was quite clear.

“Canada will always stay as Canada, will always be a country. Trump will never ever take this beautiful country away from us,” said one Winnipegger who attended the rally.

Another saying, “We came out here because he’s trying to make Canada the 51st State, and because he doesn’t like people that were born into the wrong body.”

The post Premier Wab Kinew hosts rally for Canada in Winnipeg appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg.

A broken breaker at a power distribution substation caused Saturday's extended power outage in Yellowknife, Naka Power says.

Marco Arop powered to victory in the Grand Slam Track 800-metre race at the organization's inaugural event in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — UConn is back on top of women’s basketball, winning its 12th national championship by routing defending champion South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday behind Azzi Fudd’s 24 points.

Sarah Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds while Paige Bueckers had 17 points in her final game at UConn (37-3).

“Well, it’s amazing to have three players, three people like that on the same team,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “And Sarah, you would think Sarah was graduating the way she plays, right? All three of them complement each other so well. They all have such unique skill sets.”

Bueckers capped her stellar career with the Huskies’ first championship since 2016, ending a nine-year title drought for the team. That was longest for Auriemma and his Huskies since the team won its first championship in 1995 led by Rebecca Lobo.

Since then the Huskies have had dominant championship runs, including in the early 2000s led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, 2009-10 with Maya Moore and finally the four straight from 2013-16 with Breanna Stewart. All were in attendance in Florida on Sunday to see the Huskies’ latest title.

“You just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again,” Auriemma said. “And there were so many times when I think we all questioned, ‘Have we been here too long? Has it been time?’ And we kept hanging in there and hanging in there and that’s because these players make me want to hang in there every day.”

Finally healthy, the expected No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 14, Bueckers delivered for the Huskies throughout their championship season.

It was the only thing missing from an incredible UConn career that was slowed by injuries. She was the first freshman to win AP Player of the Year before missing a lot of her sophomore season with a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear. She then tore an ACL before the next season.

UConn closed the first half up 10 points and then put the game away in the third quarter behind Fudd, Strong and Bueckers. The trio combined for 23 of the team’s 26 points in the quarter. UConn was up 50-39 with 3:21 left in the period before closing with a 12-3 run.

Fudd, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, and Strong got it started with back-to-back 3s, and the rout was on. Auriemma subbed Bueckers, Fudd and Strong out with 1:32 left in the game. Bueckers and Auriemma had a long hug on the sideline, having finally gotten that championship that he so wanted for her.

“They’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong. But this one here, because of the way it came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I’ve been that emotional when a player has walked off the court,” Auriemma said.

Dawn Staley’s team was trying for a third title in four years and fourth overall. It would have tied her with Kim Mulkey for third most behind Auriemma and former Tennessee Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, who had eight.

UConn had reached the title game only once during its drought since 2016. The Huskies had been eliminated by heartbreaking last-second losses in the Final Four on buzzer-beaters. The Huskies’ last title game appearance came in 2022 when Staley’s team beat UConn to start the Gamecocks’ current run of success, a game that ended Auriemma’s perfect record in title games.

There seemed to be no nerves early for either team as the game got off to a fast start. The teams traded baskets for the first few minutes before the defenses started to clamp down. The Huskies led 19-14 after one quarter and then extended the advantage to 36-26 at the half. Fudd had 13 points and Strong added eight points and 11 rebounds.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press

Drivers are gearing up for more construction on the Gardiner Expressway, set to begin Monday, that will close down a lane of traffic for a stretch of the busy highway for close to a year. 

A Texas county is the epicentre of a measles outbreak that started in late January and continues to swell, with nearly 500 cases in the state alone.