Hi everyone,

My name is Tomas Ponzilius, and I am a second-year social work student. I am posting again about my ongoing struggle to access specialized medical care for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)/HSD. Manitoba Health has denied my requests for out-of-province care twice, and I am increasingly worried about my future.

CBC recently published an article about my situation for those interested:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/ehlers-danlos-syndrome-out-of-province-9.7393474

EDS affects collagen, which provides structural support to joints, ligaments, and tendons. In my case, this results in widespread joint instability and recurrent dislocations. An analogy would be that my collagen is made of clay, while yours is made of wood. My connective tissue is more vulnerable to injury, physical and biomechanical differenes, which is why I need specialized medical care.

I regularly experience dislocations of my shoulders, hips, and knees, and my hands are also unstable. Most concerningly, my cervical and thoracic spines are unstable, and breathing and swallowing have become extremely painful. This is made worse by my instable ribs which are also affecting my breathing too. I have, due to the cervical instability, spinal cord compression, and I am frightened that without appropriate treatment, my condition could become life-threatening.

My health has also made education incredibly difficult. Most days, I am bedbound because of severe pain and instability. Even completing two university classes has become a struggle.

I have been trying to find appropriate care for a long time. Despite repeated requests, I have not been directed to a provider in Manitoba who can meet my specialized medical needs. Three MLAs have contacted Manitoba Health on my behalf without receiving a response, and I have sent approximately a dozen emails myself without receiving a response. I have also sought input from local and international doctors and surgeons regarding the availability of appropriate care. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba has also indicated that it does not believe there are surgeons in Manitoba with the necessary EDS/HSD education and experience.

I am now appealing the most recent denial, but the process takes time, and I am frightened that my health could deteriorate before I obtain the treatment I need.

I believe there is hope if I can access the appropriate surgeries and specialized postoperative rehabilitation. I want the opportunity to stabilize my condition, improve my functioning, and continue my education.

I am asking for your help.

Please call the constituency office of Premier Wab Kinew at (204) 615-1922 and the Minister of Health's office at 204-945-3731. Please ask them to arrange an urgent meeting with me, Tomas Ponzilius, to discuss access to the specialized care I need.

I want to work collaboratively with the Manitoba Government to find a solution. I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for access to medically necessary care that can address my condition.

If you would like to join me in advocating for access to this care, I would welcome your support. You do not need to have EDS/HSD to help. All allies are welcome.

I believe all Manitobans, regardless of their health needs, deserve the opportunity to live and receive necessary medical care. No one should be left without a path to appropriate treatment because of the cost of providing it.

Thank you for reading and for any support you can offer.

Tomas Ponzilius

second photo is without 0.5 setting on my camera for a more realistic view. had awesome time

A small but steady stream of voters arrived at a Portage Avenue diner Sunday to meet Noah Redden, just two days after a new poll suggested the 27-year-old has emerged as a player in Winnipeg’s race for mayor.

Once a low-polling candidate, the software developer is now in third place with 14 per cent support, tied with candidate Mike Vogiatzakis, an Abacus Data survey released Friday shows.

Incumbent Scott Gillingham remains in the lead with the support of 36 per cent of decided voters — 19 percentage points lower than a September survey conducted by Abacus for the Free Press.

The new data placed former city councillor and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Kevin Klein in second place with 19 per cent support — a drop of four percentage points since September.

The poll gave Redden the biggest jump (10 percentage points) — a sign his message is resonating with Winnipeggers, Redden told the Free Press Sunday at Dreamland Diner in St. James, where he shared his vision with voters.

“I’m feeling pretty good… Back in the last poll… I was still impressed by the amount of support then, considering I wasn’t really a public figure, as recently as June, but to see it increase as much as it has has been really exciting,” said Redden.

“I appreciate having a candidate (in Redden) who seems to have actually given it some thought and seems to have actually considered that these are people, and that people who don’t drive are people, and that people who don’t have big houses are also people. That’s the kind of thing I’m looking for.”

Asked whether Redden’s apparent surge in support has raised any concerns, Gillingham’s spokesman Colin Fast said the incumbent’s focus is his campaign.

“We’re going to keep focusing on our own campaign, and getting ready for election day when we’ll have 200 people mobilized throughout Winnipeg to get out the vote,” said Fast.

Fast continued to zero in on Klein — Gillingham’s main target throughout the election campaign.

“Mr. Klein is still a threat to this city and if people don’t want him then they should vote accordingly,” Fast said.

Klein questioned Abacus’s latest numbers, calling the data “fictional.”

Survey respondents were recruited from an online panel and by text message. No margin of error can be ascribed for the online poll. A margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is plus or minus 3.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20, Abacus said last week.

“This is not a legitimate poll,” Klein said.

“The firm itself has said no margin of error can be applied because the sample was not random — it was drawn from an online panel and text-message recruitment. That makes it closer to a question of the day than a proper public-opinion survey.”

Support for eight other candidates — Mazher Alam, Johnny Calderon, Christopher Clacio, Tracey Drexler, Brad Gross, Umar Hayat, Joshua Pagdato and Don Woodstock — ranged between seven and one per cent in the latest Abacus survey.

Voters go to the polls on Wednesday.

By: Erik Pindera

Published: 6:46 PM CDT Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026

Last Modified: 7:14 PM CDT Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026

Hi all, looking for advice from anyone who has experience dealing with lack of heating in rented apartments in Winnipeg. The heating system is working in our building, however it comes sporadically, and the average temperature inside my unit is 16C, with all windows fully closed.

The landlord has indicated that they are "looking into it" and I am aware that many tenants have complained. According to my online research, I should now either call 311 or request emergency order from the Residential Tenancies Branch.

Does anyone have experience with these processes, and can share some guidance?

Debated grabbing tickets last minute for the game but didn't end up going, how was the experience for those that were there?

Caught the fly-by of the RCAF CC-130H Hercules that flew over Princess Auto Stadium for the Heritage Classic game.

Does anyone have more information about RETSD trustees campaigning?

It's so hard to find any information... We want to vote and know how important the trustee election is but this election is ridiculously complicated... Why is there no central list on the city website with people who have signed up to run for trustee :(

This upcoming municipal election is the first time I'm eligible to vote. I thought I'd be automatically added to the voters list, but I recently check and I'm not on the list.

Could I still go to my local voting location (where the other members of my household are voting) to cast my vote?

Nothing online is helpful. I would sit this election out, but I feel like the city really needs my vote, even if it just me.

Hi everyone,
My wife is applying for a teaching licence in Manitoba. She has a teaching degree and worked as a teacher in Kuwait.
Has anyone obtained a Statement of Professional Standing from Kuwait for a Manitoba teaching licence?
If yes, could you please share how you got it and which authority you contacted?
Thanks in advance!

A while ago I asked y'all for public bench recommendations... this is the video that came of it! I Was limited to a few minutes, so I didn't get to as many as I'd like, but it was a fun, goofy little project. Let me know what you think :)

Got too many tickets and I have 1 free ticket. I don't need anything other than someone to enjoy the game. I can transfer or meet outside and enter together.

I need armour/chainmail for a Halloween costume (only shoulder plating and a tunic), is there anywhere other than party city or spirit Halloween I could find something like that? I don’t mind spending a bit more money..

Also known as Exercising your Franchise.

With voting rights in question in so many countries it's important that those who Can vote Should vote.

Since polls indicate a win for Mr Gillingham you doesn't have to vote strategically and you can use this opportunity to try to reduce his margin of victory. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/final-winnipeg-abacus-mayoral-race-poll-2026-9.7393524

"younger people (who) tend to be less likely to cast a ballot" is from an article referenced in this post https://www.reddit.com/r/Winnipeg/comments/1xdyqdm/mayor_gillingham_poised_for_repeat_despite/ so it's even more important for these younger people to start making decisions for their own future and not rely on the older generations.

If you don't know where to vote or who is running you can find voting information and the list of candidates here https://www.winnipeg.ca/city-governance/wards-elections/2026-election . Some of the candidates have their websites in their information. You can also look for them on social media.

Yesterday Reddit didn't let me publish a list of some of the sites with candidate information. I'll try again today.

With the upcoming time change (or lack there of), my teams app on my phone shows November calendar events as one hour behind. Same with my Apple calendar. On my computer it shows the correct time but I schedule my appointments when I’m out and about and don’t have access to a computer. Does anyone know how to fix this? Is this happening to anyone else? I contacted my IT department and they couldn’t fix it, same with the Apple Store. My phone and app are up to date, I’ve restarted it. Idk what else to do

I'm new to Blondie's car wash. I noticed that you can use a credit card to start the spray wand machine. It starts a timer and you get charged by time. I like to set the wand to soap and then use my own wash mitt instead of using the "foamy" brush. Can I just hit the stop button to end the timer so it charges my credit card and then use my wash mitt. Then use my credit card again when I want to rinse my car? Seems like you can save a few bucks instead of letting the timer continue when you're not actually using water.

any shops that might have it or any place worth checking?trying to not order it online due to the fact it’s a older electronic piece that’s also fragile

Did we know about this one?

the other day i was out with a friend of mine, and we decided to walk to a nearby spirit halloween so we could check it out. as soon as we entered we were told we couldn’t be there because we were without an adult (for reference we are in high school). i guess i can understand kinda for safety cause we’re minors, but i’ve never had this problem before, even in a different spirit halloween location just last year. is it because of shoplifting, and is this a thing for other places in winnipeg?

Looking at the forecast for the next two weeks, I’m wondering: Has anyone switched to winter tires yet? Should I switch mine over too? Thanks 🙏

Edit: I did it already 😅

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are looking to buy a place and we’re checking out a few houses in West Transcona. We’ve got a 5 month old baby, so our main thing right now is finding somewhere super quiet, safe, and family friendly where we won't have to deal with a ton of noise or hassle.

Our max budget is around $300k.

For locals or anyone who knows the area well:

- What’s West Transcona actually like for a young family?
- Can you still find decent houses out there for under $300k?
- Are there any other quiet, family friendly pockets in the city we should be looking at instead?

Appreciate any honest opinions!

After a fire burned through its interior earlier this year, a local furniture store has bounced back.

Dufresne Furniture and Appliance store was hit by a large fire at the end of January. Crews were called around 2:30 a.m. to the 800 block of Nairn Avenue on Jan. 28.

An aerial ladder was needed to fight the blaze, as it was unsafe for fire crews to go inside.

The fire forced the closure of the store until further notice.

Now, nine months later, the store has reopened. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday morning to officially reopen the second-ever Dufresne store.

Dufresne started in Kenora, Ont., in 1986. The Canadian company later expanded into Winnipeg, opening on Nairn in 1993.

It continued to add in Manitoba, opening locations in Swan River, Selkirk, Portage la Prairie, and Brandon.

In 2017, Dufresne went even further west, opening in Saskatchewan. In total, there are 15 locations throughout Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

By: Devon McKendrick

Published: October 24, 2026 at 6:46p.m. EDT