Midweek check-in, Winnipeg!

Halloween’s less than 10 days away, and you can feel the city getting into it. Haunted houses are popping up, spooky tours are filling fast, and even a few Halloween musicals and plays are making their way onto local stages.

Amid all that, there’s a lot happening around town, from new grants helping families and newcomers to fresh investments in Indigenous language programs.

So grab your coffee, bundle up, and let’s see what’s new this week in our city.

In today’s edition:

• $900K in Grants Helping Newcomers and Low-Income Families

• Manitoba Invests $4.5M in New Teaching Degrees for Indigenous Languages

• Seven Oaks Pool Closing for 12 to 14 Months

• Jets Win Their Fifth Straight Game

• Multiple events this week & more

— Jas Singh

News

$900K in Grants Helping Newcomers and Low-Income Families

For many families starting over in a new place, or trying to hold onto their homes during tough times, support from the community can mean everything.

That’s why five local organizations are receiving a combined $900,000 in new provincial grants to continue the work they’ve already been doing in helping newcomers and low-income families across Winnipeg.

Funded through a new $20 million endowment with The Winnipeg Foundation, these one-time grants are going to groups that support EIA recipients, newcomers, and low-income Manitobans.

Here’s who’s receiving support:

• Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation helps prevent evictions, repair homes, and cover urgent utility bills in Elmwood (LINK)

• Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute supports newcomer women with resume help, job training, and English classes (LINK)

• New Journey Housing works with refugees and newcomers to find long-term, stable housing (LINK)

• Welcome Place (MIIC) provides legal aid, translation, and refugee support services (LINK)

• Healthy Muslim Families helps families adjust through language training, benefit applications, and pre-employment services (LINK)

So, if you or someone you know could use support like this, be sure to share these resources with everyone you know.

Each program is focused on making sure no one is left behind, especially those facing barriers that aren’t always easy to see. These grants give a little more breathing room to the people helping others find stability, hope, and a sense of home.

Click Here: To learn more about the program and how to access support.

Community Spotlight

Manitoba Invests $4.5M in New Teaching Degrees for Indigenous Languages

Across the province, Indigenous families have worked quietly for generations to keep their languages alive: teaching words at the dinner table, singing lullabies in Anishinaabemowin or Ininimowin, holding onto the rhythm and roots of their communities.

Now, that work is being honoured in a big way.

The Manitoba government is investing $4.5 million into new Indigenous language degree programs at University of Winnipeg and University College of the North to support a new generation of fluent speakers and teachers.

• $2.3 million is going to UWinnipeg to launch a BA in Anishinaabemowin immersion, Manitoba’s first-ever second-language immersion degree

• UCN will offer a new BA in Ininimowin (Cree), focused on fluency and community leadership

• New Centre for Aboriginal Languages and Culture will also be built at UCN with $1.49 million in upgrades

• Programs begin in January 2026, with intake already open

• Graduates can become certified teachers, helping bring Indigenous language learning into more schools

These programs will help carry stories, songs, and spirit into the classrooms of tomorrow, opening the door for Indigenous students to become the teachers who will keep these languages alive for generations to come.

Click Here: To read how these new programs are helping protect Indigenous languages across Manitoba.

City Updates

Seven Oaks Pool Closing for 12 to 14 Months

Seven Oaks has been a regular spot for so many North End families, whether it’s swimming lessons, lane swims, or just cooling off on a hot day.

It's been a part of the neighbourhood for decades, and now it's getting the care it needs to stick around for many more.

Starting December 14, the main tank at Seven Oaks Pool will close for 12 to 14 months for major repairs.

• $3.5 million in upgrades will go toward concrete fixes, waterproofing, and tile replacement

• Funding comes from a provincial rec and library investment program

• The kiddie pool and splash pad will stay open, except for a future 6-week closure

• Other city pools will still be available while renovations are underway

• The city says the work is essential to keep the facility safe and enjoyable for future generations

While it’s a long time to go without a local swim, it’s also a great excuse to explore some of the other pools across the city.

Click Here: To see the full list of other pools you can visit during the closure.

Community Digest

Jets Win Fifth Straight as Toews Scores First Goal

Monday night’s win in Calgary wasn’t just another W on the board. Jonathan Toews scored his first goal as a Jet, and his first in over two years, tying the game in the third and giving fans a full-circle moment to cheer for.

Not long after, Mark Scheifele sealed the deal with the game-winner, extending his own goal streak to five. The Jets are now sitting at 5-1-0 and looking strong heading into a big week at home.

Here’s what went down:

• Toews tied it up early in the third with a slick power-play tip-in

• Scheifele buried the game-winner late in the third, marking his fifth straight game with a goal

• Connor Hellebuyck stopped 32 shots

• Jets now sit at 5-1-0 for the season

And if you want to catch the momentum live, now’s your shot. Three home games are coming up fast.

This week’s home games at Canada Life Centre:

• Thursday, Oct 24 vs Seattle Kraken

• Saturday, Oct 26 vs New Jersey Devils

• Tuesday, Oct 29 vs New York Islanders

Click Here: To see the full Jets schedule and grab tickets before they’re gone!

Events coming up this week:

This section includes only the major events happening soon. For a complete list of all events, you'll have to wait for future editions!

• Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics | 6:30 & 8:45PM, Oct 24 (Tickets)

  • Location: Crescent Arts Centre

  • Description: Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience. Discover music inspired by Halloween at Crescent Arts Centre under the gentle glow of candlelight.

• SCREAM 2025 | 7PM, Oct 24 (Tickets)

  • Location: Assiniboia Downs

  • Description: Winnipeg’s largest & longest running Halloween event showcasing electronic dance music is BACK. Don’t miss Kaskade’s return to Winnipeg’s largest Halloween event! Three indoor stages of music with fully decorated rooms and costumed performers. Last year sold out!

• Manitoba Nature Summit Paint Night | 6PM-9PM, Oct 24 (Tickets)

  • Location: Bord Aire Community Centre

  • Description: Local Metis artist and educator, Kisa MacIsaac, will be leading us in some creative expression to make some wild garden themed artwork! Invite your friends, your coworkers, your neighbours - hope to see you there!

• Afterlight Musical | Oct 24 - Nov 2 (Tickets)

  • Location: Rainbow Stage

  • Description: A weary vampire, longing for release, encounters a lonely elderly widow who awakens both his hunger and his humanity. Over the course of several surreal nights in her apartment, the two unlikely souls forge a connection that is alternately comic, tragic, and romantic.

• Scattered Seeds | Oct 24-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Red River Exhibition Park

  • Description: Winnipeg’s largest fall market. Each weekend hosts its own set of over 160 vendors.

  • Note: Use code WINNIPEGDIGEST for the cheapest tickets.

• Winnipeg ComiCon 2025 | Oct 24-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg

  • Description: Winnipeg Comiccon is a pop-culture fan convention that showcases artists and products from entertainment genres like: Sci-fi, Horror, Anime, Gaming in all its forms, and, of course, bande dessinée and comic books.

• Petric | 7PM, Oct 25 (Tickets)

  • Location: Burton Cummings Theatre

  • Description: The Winnipeg based band hits the legendary stage and they’re not coming alone. Joining the party with them are Catie St. Germain, Leanne Pearson, Sean Taylor and Ross Roteliuk!

• Fall Forest Frolics | 10:30AM & 1:30PM, Oct 25 (Tickets)

  • Location: FortWhyte Alive

  • Description: Discover the sights, sounds, and stories of the forests in this guided forest walk. Perfect for families, these outings invite you to enjoy the changing season and try an eco-printing activity.

• Ghost Tours at Lower Fort Garry | Oct 25-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site

  • Description: Listen to stories that unveil the dark past; discover unexplained phenomena; visit locations where disturbing and significant events have taken place and may possibly still be haunted….

• Gather | 7PM, Oct 25-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Manitoba Theatre for Young People

  • Description: When their town goes into a deep freeze and everyone is stuck inside, people start to lose their connection to the world and to each other.

• Harland Williams | 8PM, Oct 26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Burton Cummings Theatre

  • Description: Comedian and actor Harland Williams is known the world over for his outlandish stand-up and sketch comedy routines and his hilarious movie roles in films such as Kill Tony, Dumb & Dumber, Something About Mary, Half Baked, and so many more.

Current Events: October 22nd & 23rd

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

Sports🏀

• Winnipeg Jets vs Seattle Kraken | 7PM, Oct 23 ($)

  • Location: Canada Life Centre

• Frigtening 5er | 6PM-8PM, Oct 23 ($)

  • Location: Paul Albrechtsen Visitor Centre

  • Description: Join FortWhyte and the Manitoba Marathon for the spookiest 5K you will ever run!

Community Fun🎆

• Boo at the Zoo | Oct 22-31 (Tickets)

  • Location: Assiniboine Park Zoo

  • Description: All aboard, the train’s ready to go to a town where Halloween spirits roam! Welcome to a mysterious land where fall festivities are in full swing.

• Life of Pi Play | Oct 22 - Nov 8 (Tickets)

  • Location: Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre - John Hirsch Mainstage

  • Description: Based on the best-selling novel, this epic story of courage, faith and survival roars to life with riveting storytelling and stunning puppetry.

• Witchy Wonderland – A (not-so) Fright Fest | Oct 23-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Red River Exhibition Park

  • Description: All the thrills, chills, and giggles to keep every ghost, goblin, and grandma grinning from ear to ear. Rides, costumes, face painting and more!

Performances🎭

• Classic Albums Live Performs Pink Floyd: The Wall | 7:30PM, Oct 22 (Tickets)

  • Location: Centennial Concert Hall

  • Description: Classic Albums Live knows how to perform this album all the sounds and voices, all the sonic luxury, it all comes alive on stage. The musicians all realize how important this album is, we all do. It’s a monumental work of art.

• Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary tour | 7:30PM, Oct 22 ($)

  • Location: Canada Life Centre

  • Description: As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards.

• Liars at a Funeral Play | Oct 22-26 (Tickets)

  • Location: Prairie Theatre Exchange

  • Description: A hilarious comedy about family & falsehoods

    How do you get your dysfunctional, estranged family together in the same room? Pretend you’re dead and invite them all to your funeral, of course! Mavis, the matriarch of a family of misfits, fibbers, schemers and identical twins, has a plan to reunite them once and for all.

• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in Concert | 7:30PM, Oct 23-24 (Tickets)

  • Location: Burton Cummings THeatre

  • Description: A tale of a mysterious showman who arrives in a small European town at the time of its annual fair. He intends to amaze the crowds with a genuine somnambulist who knows the past and sees the future. That same night, a series of bizarre murders begins to take place.

Special Events/Comedy🥂

• The Leaf After Dark: Adults Only Nights | 7PM-9PM, Oct 22 (Tickets)

  • Location: The Leaf, Assiniboine Park

  • Description: Join us for an evening of botanical bliss at The Leaf After Dark! Enjoy a relaxing adults-only atmosphere complete with live musical entertainment.

• Mike Green Comedy | 7:45PM, Oct 22 ($)

  • Location: Rumor's Restaurant and Comedy Club

• 2025 Haunted Forest / Corn Maze | October 22 - November 1 (Tickets)

  • Location: A Maze In Corn

  • Description: An interactive, outdoor experience that you won't soon forget. Enter at your own risk as our resident creatures of the forest come alive and lure you in with their haunting humour.

• Ghost Painting | 10AM-12PM, Oct 23 (Tickets)

  • Location: Dalnavert Museum and Visitors' Centre

  • Description: Join us for a ghost painting party! Transform old paintings into supernatural masterpieces with the addition of ghosts, spiderwebs, and more!

• Debra DiGiovanni | Oct 23-25 ($)

  • Location: Rumor's Restaurant and Comedy Club

  • Description: Debra can be seen around the world appearing in comedy festivals like Moontower, High Plains, JFL Sydney, and JFL Montreal. Her comedy album Lady Jazz was nominated for a Juno award: Comedy Album of the Year 2019.

• HEEBIE JEEBIES | Oct 23-31 (Tickets)

  • Location: Heebie Jeebies, 53071 La Salle Road

  • Description: One of the most terrifying Halloween experiences and haunted houses near Winnipeg, Heebie Jeebies is back for its annual scare-fest.

• Six Pines Haunted Attractions | Oct 23-31 (Tickets)

  • Location: Six Pines

  • Description: Six Pines Haunted Attractions has continuously strived to offer Manitoba’s haunt enthusiasts an ever-changing range of haunted houses since inception.

Music 🎵

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

P.S. Want to get your business in front of thousands of local Winnipeggers? Email us at [email protected].