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Marsha McLeod

@marshamcleod.bsky.social
3.3K followers 396 following 332 posts

Investigative reporter @winnipegfreepress.com | Tips welcome: mmcleod@freepress.mb.ca, marshamcleod@protonmail.com

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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is abhorrent. From journalist William Wilson: "I was pepper sprayed from close range without warning...After a heavy baton blow to my leg...I was then pushed to the ground. SPVM continued to beat me as I lay on the pavement. I felt several kicks against my body, including my head and neck."
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I am sad to report that today is my last day with the @winnipegfreepress.com. My personal life is taking me back home to Toronto. I'm so grateful to have spent the last 3.5 years working for a paper with such a big heart, & alongside my editor, Scott Gibbons, whose trust in me has been foundational.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
An amazing opportunity to learn from the best of the best (Bob Fife!) for emerging investigative reporters in Canada ⬇️ globeandmailfoundation.com/robert-fife-mentorship
globeandmailfoundation.com
Call for Applications: The Robert Fife Mentorship — The Globe and Mail Foundation
The Globe and Mail Foundation is launching a six-month, project-based mentorship for emerging investigative and political journalists in Canada.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"unlike its predecessor, whose release in 2019 was widely publicized and accompanied by minister-led press conferences and technical briefings ... the second edition was quietly posted online ahead of a late-summer holiday weekend." www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/scien...
theglobeandmail.com
Ottawa issues comprehensive climate report that reflects country’s physical transformation
From retreating glaciers to wildfires and marine heat waves, climate change will likely become even more pronounced, assessment finds
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My latest story, focused on questions around the safety of high-frequency plasma donation, and Canada's unique role around the world in allowing such a high annual number of donations With reporting from Rylee Gerrard, who has since moved over to do great work at the @thebrandonsun.bsky.social ⬇️
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
An inside look at the first responders stretched to their limits, but still showing up – day after day, night after night – to care for the people of this city. A heartbreaking and insightful read from my colleague @scottbilleck.bsky.social ⬇️ www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
winnipegfreepress.com
At the Winnipeg's busiest fire and paramedic hall, first responders face a relentless workload
As a soft rain begins to fall between the concrete walls of “Hope Alley,” little feels further away than the place’s namesake.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A good read from @mattdfrank.bsky.social, a Free Press intern alum, who is writing A1s for the Globe and Mail this summer ⬇️ www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
To First Nations that named Lake Ontario, Trump’s threat doesn’t hold water
‘Lake America’ proposal irks the people that called it Ontario centuries before Europeans did the same
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
Mike Hager @mikehager.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
An arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to reinstate @karenattiah.bsky.social, who was fired over social media posts about violent white men following last year’s killing of #CharlieKirk: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
theglobeandmail.com
Washington Post ordered to reinstate Karen Attiah, Black opinion writer fired for Charlie Kirk posts
Arbitrator orders newspaper to award Attiah full back pay and lost benefits
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A tense, must-read, from my dear friend @titocurtis.bsky.social therover.ca/study-finds-...
therover.ca
Study Finds ‘Alarming’ Number of Illegal Dumps on Mohawk Land – The Rover
With more than three illegal dumps per square kilometre, Kanesatake absorbed a higher level of pollution on its territory than any other district featured in the study.
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Orion Rummler @oriion.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
🌹
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You (Official Audio)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton has sung my grief anthems, especially, 'When Life is Good Again', 'Better Get to Livin', and 'Highlight of my Life'. "We'll make it through this long dark night Darkness fades when faced with light But everything's gonna be alright When life is good again." RIP 💔
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The bane of my Winnipeg garden! www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
winnipegfreepress.com
Pretty, purple and pernicious plants plaguing Prairies
After noticing mysterious purple flowers popping up in little patches around the Wolseley neighbourhood last summer, Vic Penner didn’t give it too much thought.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Quite the news from @alannasmith.bsky.social and @hannay.bsky.social ⬇️ www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
Grifols pauses plasma collection at Canada donation centres
Private blood-plasma collector has been under scrutiny for months after the deaths of two donors
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Canadian Centre for Child Protection @cdnchildprotect.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
A helpful and informative piece that breaks down Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, and how it'll impact Canadians written by @marshamcleod.bsky.social Read the full article : www.winnipegfreepress.com/featured/202...
winnipegfreepress.com
Can federal legislation effectively rein in social media’s opaque algorithms and deceptive design features?
In June, when Ottawa introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, one element — plans to block children under the age of 16 from certain social media platforms — dominated headlines and fuelled de...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A little belated, but here's my explainer on Bill C-34, the lengthy, two-part bill meant to reduce online harm in Canada.
winnipegfreepress.com
Can federal legislation effectively rein in social media’s opaque algorithms and deceptive design features?
In June, when Ottawa introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, one element — plans to block children under the age of 16 from certain social media platforms — dominated headlines and fuelled de...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
"She gave up her specialization and now works in primary care." This makes me sad to read. Dr. Algu was my mum's palliative care doctor in 2024. She gained my mum's trust, which was almost impossible to do, given my mum's really extreme fears of the medical system. But she listened to my mum.
thestar.com
A tight-knit Toronto hospital unit cared for the dying. Then, a war thousands of miles away tore them apart
A Star investigation reveals how Mount Sinai’s palliative care unit fractured over Gaza, leading to the resignation of a veteran Toronto doctor.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I am so looking forward to reading this investigation by @ashleyokwuosa.bsky.social and her colleagues at @theexamination.org, as part of a project collaborating with a group of worldwide newsrooms, including the @thestar.com. www.theexamination.org/articles/red...
theexamination.org
Is it safe to drink Red Bull and vodka? Dubious research tied to the company has shaped energy drink policy.
The company paid scientists whose studies largely found that mixing energy drinks and alcohol isn’t harmful, contrary to most research.
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Isaac Phan Nay @isaacphannay.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Want to really make an impact? Share my stories to reddit.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Fifteen years ago, Manitoba passed a groundbreaking law intended to extract damages from people convicted of crimes related to child sexual abuse material — and use this to compensate survivors of this kind of abuse. The problem? It's never once been used. My latest ⬇️
winnipegfreepress.com
Manitoba law meant to aid survivors of child sexual abuse imagery has never been put to the test
A Manitoba law meant to provide financial support to survivors of child sexual abuse that was recorded and distributed online has never once been used in its 15 years of existence, the Free Press has ...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Fifteen years ago, Manitoba passed a groundbreaking law intended to extract damages from people convicted of crimes related to child sexual abuse material — and use this to compensate survivors of this kind of abuse. The problem? It's never once been used. My latest ⬇️
winnipegfreepress.com
Manitoba law meant to aid survivors of child sexual abuse imagery has never been put to the test
A Manitoba law meant to provide financial support to survivors of child sexual abuse that was recorded and distributed online has never once been used in its 15 years of existence, the Free Press has ...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
"In Canada, (alcohol) is responsible for an estimated nearly 9,500 new cases of cancer and nearly 4,000 cancer deaths each year ... If any of this seems like news, experts following the industry say it's by design." By Annie Burns-Pieper/@theijf.org ⬇️ theijf.org/article/alco...
theijf.org
The connection between alcohol and cancer is well known. So why are there no warning labels on bottles?
Lobbying records reveal years of organized opposition to cancer warning labels
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
A new analysis, released Tuesday, of online sex advertisements featuring Indigenous women has identified cross-country corridors that are highly indicative of sex trafficking, while revealing insight into how women and girls are exploited in Winnipeg. Report link: tinyurl.com/mm9wcd7z My story ⬇️
winnipegfreepress.com
Report draws link between missing Indigenous women and trafficking across Canada
A new analysis of online sex advertisements featuring Indigenous women has identified cross-country corridors that are highly indicative of sex trafficking, while revealing insight into how women and ...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I'm trying to switch from Otter to a different transcribing platform with better privacy and turns out if your paid plan lapses, the company locks your recordings older than 30 days. Learn from my mistake—record off the platform, then upload; I often didn't do this and now my files are held hostage.
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Mickey Djuric @mickeydjuric.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Scoop: The Liberal government is sitting on a proposal from Meta that could restore news to Facebook and Instagram in Canada. But Playbook has learned the offer is now caught up in broader Canada-U.S. trade negotiations. www.politico.com/newsletters/...
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Tons of peoples' Claude chats are exposed on Google. Cryptocurrency keys, API keys, login credentials, legal discussions, more. This happened with ChatGPT last year. And Claude too. There's clearly an ongoing issue with search engines indexing peoples' AI chats www.404media.co/tons-of-peop...
404media.co
Tons of Peoples’ Claude Chats and Creations are Exposed on Google
Claude users are creating public share links, but probably don't realize that means their chats are now ending up in Google searches where anyone can dig through them.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Great story by Ian Bickis/Canadian Press ⬇️ www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/202...
winnipegfreepress.com
An eroding Winnipeg neighbourhood looks to new foundations
WINNIPEG - The lot Jesse Bettcher lives on in Winnipeg
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
This was from 2025. A dark congrats to cartoonist Greg Perry for predicting the future.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Me planning when I can take a weeklong log building course with the whole family 😀
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 21/07/2026
Meta’s smartglasses mean any child can be covertly filmed. In the age of AI, how do we tackle that risk?
theguardian.com
Meta’s smartglasses mean any child can be covertly filmed. In the age of AI, how do we tackle that risk?
The company argues that it’s for individuals to ensure they don’t ‘actively exploit’ this technology. That won’t keep children safe, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
"For now, as we walk and bike and work and play under the shade of 120-year-old trees, we should pause to thank those who planted them. It’s easy to forget that the urban forest did not spring up on its own." By @doubleemmartin.bsky.social 🌲🍃 www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2026/0...
winnipegfreepress.com
Opinion: When it comes to our city’s tree canopy, Winnipeggers stand tall
Summer came to Winnipeg a little late, and a whole lot wet, but at least it finally came. It felt as if, in the last week or so, the rain finally took a backseat to the sun and heat, and the brief but...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I'm back at work today after two incredible weeks spent in Berlin, Kraków and Oświęcim, studying with the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE), along with 45 or so fellows who are working around the world in journalism, medicine and religious leadership.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
"What can be said with some assurance is that sending a young, impressionable first-time offender to prison is not going to make him a better person, and is not going to leave him undamaged." Gut punch of a story by my colleague Dean Pritchard www.winnipegfreepress.com/featured/202...
winnipegfreepress.com
Unmoved by young offender’s progress, Manitoba judge ordered prison term; Indigenous man later chose death
The day started with an email from my editor.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
With Canada proposing new regulations for social media use for teens, you can read into the safety issues that have evolved online for kids and teens in my latest feature, profiling the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, here in Winnipeg. www.winnipegfreepress.com/featured/202...
winnipegfreepress.com
Winnipeg-based organization resolute in its global mission — protecting children from online pedophiles
More than a century ago, a brick two-storey building near the banks of the Assiniboine River opened as an orphanage. Later, it became a residential school for First Nations children sent hundreds of k...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Winnipeggers can pick up a copy of this story tomorrow, in our Saturday paper's 49.8 section, with incredible photography from Ruth Bonneville and illustrations by Kris Kuzdub from Kirsch Street Studio. www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
winnipegfreepress.com
Winnipeg-based organization resolute in its global mission — protecting children from online pedophiles
More than a century ago, a brick two-storey building near the banks of the Assiniboine River opened as an orphanage. Later, it became a residential school for First Nations children sent hundreds of k...
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
Lianna McDonald @liannamcdonald.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Marsha masterfully weaves the history of 615 Academy, the reality of the Assiniboia Residential School, Ted Fontaine’s wisdom, Candace’s abduction & murder, Wilma’s lifechanging dedication to supporting families, & the development of C3P. On behalf of C3P - thank you @marshamcleod.bsky.social!
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Winnipeg Free Press @winnipegfreepress.com · 03/06/2026
Set back from Academy Road, in Winnipeg’s affluent River Heights neighbourhood, is a two-storey building that was once known as the Julia Clark School.
winnipegfreepress.com
Guardians on the prairies
Winnipeg-based organization resolute in its global mission — protecting children from online pedophiles
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
This is a long read, about 7,000 words, and I am grateful to our readers for being open to giving their time to our reporting.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Operating from a quiet, Winnipeg neighbourhood, @cdnchildprotect.bsky.social is a global leader in the fight to end the sexual exploitation of children. I spent months learning about their herculean efforts; it’s a heavy story but not one without hope. www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
winnipegfreepress.com
Winnipeg-based organization resolute in its global mission — protecting children from online pedophiles
More than a century ago, a brick two-storey building near the banks of the Assiniboine River opened as an orphanage. Later, it became a residential school for First Nations children sent hundreds of k...
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
The biohackers subreddit banned all posts about peptides and HRT because peptide companies were spamming + manipulating the sub in order to manipulate Google AI and ChatGPT answers. Very insidious industry that is drastically changing the internet www.404media.co/companies-ar...
404media.co
Companies Are Using Reddit to Manipulate ChatGPT and Google AI Search
Peptide companies have been doing AI-engine optimization by spamming the biohackers subreddit to manipulate ChatGPT and Google.
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
Morgan Modjeski @morganmodjeski.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Unclaimed bodies in #Manitoba reached a record high in 2025 and one family in the province has questions as to how their loved one became one of the 238.
winnipegfreepress.com
Manitoba logs record-high increase in unclaimed bodies
When Robert Dobson died last year, no one attended his funeral.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I am really pleased to be representing @columbiajournalism.bsky.social and @winnipegfreepress.com at the FASPE fellowship in Berlin and Kraków later this month, and will be studying with the program from June 19-July 3.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Wanted to share a piece I had the privilege to write over the last few weeks. It is beautiful to hear families talk about their loved ones. Thanks to Christina's family for speaking with me 🙏 www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...
winnipegfreepress.com
Even residential school couldn’t erase who Christina Henderson was
Over her life, Christina Gladys Henderson was known by a few names.
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
404 Media @404media.co · 01/06/2026
NEW: Hackers say that they used Meta’s AI support chatbot to break into a host of high-profile Instagram profiles by asking the support bot to change the email address associated with the target account.
404media.co
Hackers Simply Asked Meta AI to Give Them Access to High-Profile Instagram Accounts. It Worked
The exploit shows the extreme risk of offloading technical support to AI.
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
Nick Hune-Brown @nickhunebrown.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Quick thread on the long-term care issue we launched today at @thelocal.to, spearheaded by the brilliant @royinori.bsky.social, and why it’s such vital public-interest journalism. 🧵 1/ thelocal.to/spring-2026/
thelocal.to
Inspecting Long-Term Care | The Local
Five years after a pandemic that revealed the disastrous conditions in Ontario’s long-term care homes, we investigate the state of oversight in the sector. Rolling out over the next two weeks, our “In...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
For so many, Bob has been an incredible mentor. Bob took a chance hiring me in his bureau, in 2022, with little daily news experience. The year I spent working on his team made me a better reporter and it was truly incredible to see his unfailing energy for this work day after day after day.
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Such a beautifully-written, technical and human story. By @jenniferyang.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
theglobeandmail.com
Inside a university anatomy lab where researchers study bodies Canadians have donated to science
Medical students use real-life specimens to learn human anatomy, but this critical education relies on an extraordinary final act of generosity
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
The Winnipeg Free Press is hiring its next editor to lead the paper. There is so much love for the craft, love for community, and love for local news rooted in this paper's long history, and the next person to lead it will be lucky indeed. www.winnipegfreepress.com/job-opportun...
winnipegfreepress.com
Editor
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
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Reposted by Marsha McLeod
The Rundown @therundowntvo.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
“(IVF is) mostly a for‑profit privatized system… and it’s highly unregulated.” On the next (MIS)Treated, @namshine.bsky.social speaks with @walshfacemillah.bsky.social about her Toronto Life article on the business of IVF — and what patients are being sold. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/m...
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Marsha McLeod @marshamcleod.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
“They’re taking the money out of existing programs for governments to fund a war, but they won’t look after the people in their own country. That is shameful.” – Sandra DeLaronde By Crystal Greene/@indiginews.bsky.social indiginews.com/winnipeg/win...
indiginews.com
In photos: Winnipeg marks Red Dress Day with community support and calls for justice
Annual day to honour and remember MMIWG2S+ draws hundreds of people at two Winnipeg events
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