Man shot dead by police during hostage incident turned to drugs, crime after dad’s slaying

A man shot dead by police following a hostage taking at a Winnipeg home last week slid into a life of drug addiction and crime following the violent killing of his father over 20 years ago, the Free Press has learned.

Multiple sources have identified the man killed by police as 34-year-old Matthew Craig Gibson.

Gibson “has struggled with an addiction his entire adult life,” his lawyer, Aaron Braun, told court at a January 2025 hearing where his client was sentenced to one year in jail after he was caught driving a stolen car and in possession of shotgun shells.

“He went through something when he was 12 years old that he never quite recovered from,” Braun said.

Councillors identify weakness in homeless camp enforcement

Two Winnipeg councillors say there must be close co-ordination with railways to deal with homeless camps on rail property because the sites fall outside city jurisdiction.

“Despite our encampment policy clearly identifying these locations as unsafe and requiring action, there was a lack of response from the city, including limited participation in efforts to connect individuals with appropriate supports and services,” said Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre).

The city centre committee passed a joint motion by Gilroy and Sherri Rollins (For Rouge - East Fort Garry) last week that calls for a review of the city’s response to camps on railway-owned land.

While the encampment bylaw prohibits camps from being located within 50 metres of a rail line, the city has limited authority to act when those encampments are on railway property, which is considered private land.

Winnipeg artist’s House on Fire chronicles fallout of grandmother’s MK Ultra experience

In the late 1950s, Velma Orlikow sought treatment for postpartum depression at the Allen Memorial Institute at McGill University in Montreal.

Later, it would be discovered that she was unknowingly enrolled in the secret CIA research program now known as MK Ultra, where she was the victim of brainwashing experiments at the hands of Dr. Ewen Cameron. She was injected with LSD and forced to listen to Cameron’s voice on tape for hours.

In the 1980s, Orlikow and eight other victims sued the CIA, which settled out of court.

Winnipeg visual artist Sarah Anne Johnson, Orlikow’s granddaughter, explores this difficult family history through her long-running series of work House on Fire, which is on view now at Plug In ICA.

Goldeyes hosted second school game of the season Wednesday

A sizeable chunk of inhabiting schools from around Friendly Manitoba came out to the Blue Cross Park to get a taste of what baseball is all about Wednesday.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes hosted their second school day of the year, filling the crowd with students from 78 different schools located throughout the province.

Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier looks forward to these events every year as the stands are filled with smiling kids, whether they have a deep love for the sport or are just being introduced to it.

“They are really successful days of the year. Kids have a great time,” Collier said. “It’s nice to have a field trip and get out of school.”

One week, six crashes, seven Manitobans killed

Seven Manitobans have been killed in as many days in crashes on highways or streets, prompting grief in communities and concern from road-safety advocates.

Arborg residents were mourning two people who died in a collision near the Interlake town May 29.

“This is going to be carried by the families and friends for the rest of their lives,” Mayor Peter Dueck said. “It was a tremendous loss, an unimaginable loss for the entire community.”

The seven deaths occurred in six collisions, mainly on highways in rural areas or at controlled intersections, between May 27 and Tuesday. Three crashes happened in municipalities policed by Manitoba RCMP, which did not reveal potential factors amid ongoing investigations.

Manitoba trade delegation makes D.C. case

Manitoba’s presence in Washington, D.C., swelled — briefly — during a whirlwind trip to meet officials behind the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade.

A delegation visited the U.S. capitol on Tuesday. While there, they liaised with representatives from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office and Canadian embassy officials.

“What we pushed hard on was that we have a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Bram Strain, president of the Business Council of Manitoba.

The keystone province exported some $7 billion worth of goods to the United States between January and June 2025, according to Manitoba data. It traded $9.04 billion in agri-food exports, and another $2.06 billion in agri-food imports, with the U.S. in 2025.

Security incidents down at Millennium Library — but police calls up

The number of unsafe incidents at Millennium Library fell by more than a third in early 2026, amid calls for further security measures.

There were 35 per cent fewer incidents reported at the city’s downtown flagship library between January and March of this year, when compared to the same period last year, a new city report notes.

The overall number of security incidents fell to 201 from 309, which counts a wide variety of disruptions, including substance use, assaults, harassment, theft, computer misuse, “inappropriate” behaviour, missing children, vandalism, verbal abuse, medical conditions and more.

“At Millennium Library, we know the incidents are down quite a bit. That’s great. That shows confidence in our library system, that it’s becoming a much safer space for the public,” said Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas), chairwoman of the community services committee.

Heat wave leaves schools sweltering

Classes are being cancelled as thermostats spike — up to 42 C, in one case reported to the teachers union — in schools without building-wide air conditioning.

PM Carney to announce federal artificial intelligence strategy in Toronto today

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce the federal government's strategy on artificial intelligence in Toronto today.

Carney is slated to tour an artificial intelligence institute and meet with researchers as he unfurls the blueprint.

The strategy comes as governments, businesses and civil society navigate the rapid development of machine learning and tools that can process information almost instantly — with varying degrees of accuracy.

Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said this week the government's new strategy will look to build trust in AI, empower workers and help build Canada. 

Mounties in Saskatchewan resume hunt for suspect in deadly shooting

PELICAN NARROWS - The hunt is back on for a suspect in a deadly shooting this week at a remote northern Saskatchewan First Nation, Mounties said Wednesday.

It began Monday after a shooting at a home in Pelican Narrows, 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

A 28-year-old woman died at the scene and a man was also taken to hospital with injuries.

Two suspects were initially arrested. One was released without charges soon after and, on Wednesday, police said the second person had been let go.