Leons Headlines April 17: Winnipeg Jets make history..AGAIN! They closed out the regular season with 2-1 win over Ducks, setting a franchise points record and host St. Louis in the first round of the NHL playoffs with game 1 Saturday at 5 pm. The BTO concert moves from Saturday to Sunday.
-The Whiteout Hype Tour stops in Brandon Friday 11:00 am to 1:30 pm with prizes, music & games at Shoppers Mall.
-Prairie Mountain Health to begin construction in May on a $2M, 12-bed behavioral unit at Brandon’s Fairview Home, welcoming residents in 2026.
-Dauphin Food Bank, which serves 450 a monthly, urgently needs a new 2K square-foot location by September 30, as rising costs & limited options threaten operations.
-Leaders debate tonight in Montreal after the French-language debate last night, where the media scrum afterwards got most of the attention online when digital media had the CBC questioning the presence of non traditional media at such events.
-Advance Polls are open 9:00 am to 9:00 pm today through Monday. You can find your poll location on your Voter Information Card – or HERE: https://elections.ca/home.aspx VOTING DAY is April 28th.
-As 4/20 approaches, CAA Manitoba urges drivers to avoid cannabis-impaired driving, warning of serious penalties as many still drive after using despite knowing the risks.
-Manitoba chocolatiers cope with rising prices due to a cocoa shortage caused by climate-related crop failures, with some customers skipping chocolate as prices soar.
-Golf is back for the season, Shilo opens today with Easter Sunday great for golf with sun & temps near +20.
🥚 1. Canadians eat a LOT of chocolate at Easter
Easter is the second-biggest chocolate-selling holiday in Canada after Halloween. The average Canadian eats about 5 to 6 kilograms of chocolate per year, and a good chunk of that is during Easter!
🐰 2. The Easter Bunny is bilingual
In Canada, the Easter Bunny hops in both English and French! In Québec and other French-speaking communities, he’s often called “le Lapin de Pâques.”
🍁 3. Canada has its own chocolate royalty
Ganong Bros. Limited, based in New Brunswick, is Canada’s oldest chocolate company and was one of the first in North America to make chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies.
🎨 4. Ukrainian-Canadian Pysanky tradition is strong
Canada, especially the Prairies, has a large Ukrainian population that celebrates Easter with pysanky—beautiful hand-decorated Easter eggs using a wax-resist method. There’s even a giant pysanka monument in Vegreville, Alberta.
🚨 5. Easter Monday is only a stat holiday for some
While Easter Sunday is always a holiday, Easter Monday is not a statutory holiday across Canada—it’s only observed by government workers, banks, and some school boards.
🐣 6. Egg hunts in the snow? Totally Canadian
Because Easter often falls in March or early April, many Canadian families bundle up for outdoor egg hunts in the snow—sometimes spotting bunny tracks alongside deer or moose prints!
Unlike Christmas and pictures with Santa, pictures with the Bunny hits different. Here’s just a few examples of kids and the bunny. Why so creepy?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/04/13/easter-bunny-pictures-scared/7276784001
This Egg is TOO BIG TO HIDE! The Vegreville Pysanka is the world’s largest Ukrainian Easter egg, standing over 30 feet tall and weighing 5,000 pounds. Unveiled in 1975, it was built to honor early Ukrainian settlers in Alberta and Canada’s RCMP centennial. Its intricate geometric patterns symbolize protection, harmony, and Ukrainian cultural pride.
CANADA’s HOTTEST Selling Easter Candy! Based on recent sales data and consumer surveys, here are the top five best-selling Easter treats in Canada:
#1 and TOPS for 2025: Cadbury Mini Eggs
These candy-coated milk chocolate eggs are a perennial favorite among Canadians. Their crunchy shell and creamy chocolate center make them a must-have in Easter baskets.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
Combining rich peanut butter with smooth milk chocolate in an egg shape, these treats are a seasonal hit, especially among fans of the classic Reese’s flavor.
Cadbury Creme Eggs
Known for their thick chocolate shell and sweet fondant filling that mimics a real egg, Cadbury Creme Eggs are a staple during the Easter season in Canada.
Chocolate Bunnies (Solid and Hollow)
Whether solid or hollow, milk or dark, chocolate bunnies remain an iconic and top-selling Easter treat, delighting both children and adults alike.
Peeps Marshmallow Chicks
These colorful, sugar-coated marshmallow chicks are a classic Easter candy. Despite being polarizing in taste, their popularity keeps them among the top sellers each year.
Happy CHEESE Ball Day! Can you believe that cheese puffs were inspired by a machine used to feed livestock in the military, which produced puffs of cornmeal as a byproduct. A food manufacturer noticed this and experimented by adding cheese flavoring, accidentally creating the now-iconic snack. However it’s debatable if cheese balls are better than Canada’s CHEEZIES or Cheetos.
Winnipeg Jets White out is coming! Manitoba is buzzing as the Jets gear up to face the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Whiteout gear flying off the shelves and street party tickets gone in minutes. Fans, Winnipeg bars, and downtown businesses are all riding the wave of playoff energy, with many seeing big boosts in sales and excitement. True North’s Kevin Donnelly says the city’s enthusiasm is clear, and every opportunity to celebrate—home or away—is being embraced.
