"This is the key time of the year when high sales make up for softer sales from the balance of the year."

Manitoba is set to reopen as the province's COVID-19 statistics slowly dwindle and the infection curve remains flat.

Although it won't feature a raucous crowd of over 10,000 spectators, live horse racing will resume at Assiniboia Downs this week.

Berry picking is a summer pastime for many Manitobans, and some farms are adjusting their operations to include social distancing for the upcoming season amid COVID-19.

The first week of May was also the first week certain businesses were allowed to reopen their doors in Manitoba since public health orders shuttered much of the province to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Manitoba's unemployment rate rose from 5.2 per cent in February to 6.4 per cent in March.

Though there have been mixed opinions about the first phase of Manitoba's reopening, a local professor says he thinks what the province has planned is a sensible first step.

Although the actual economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is clouded by uncertainty, experts agree the longer the global economy remains at a near stand-still, the more difficult will be the return to normalcy.

One expert is predicting the COVID-19 pandemic won't put much of a dent in Manitoba's estimated $6 billion in annual agricultural exports.

A new survey from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC) shows Manitoba business leaders are cautious when it comes to economic growth in 2020.