Man charged after pipe bomb found outside sex club

A Winnipeg bathhouse owner says he’s worried about the safety of his staff and patrons after a lit pipe bomb was placed outside the business earlier this month.

Christopher Gregoire, 45, who recently took ownership of the former Aquarius Bath House (now AQ Sauna) at 457 Notre Dame Ave., said the pipe bomb was found outside the sex and lifestyles club in the early hours of Sept. 11 by a “heroic patron.”

“It was lit and it was about to blow and (the patron) threw it in the water and he put it out,” said Gregoire.

The incident comes after the venue was first targeted by a fire bomb on July 31, Gregoire said.

Mayor introduces charter change motion to remove council members charged with crimes

Mayor Scott Gillingham believes the province should allow a forced leave of absence to be imposed on any city council member charged with a criminal offence.

Gillingham introduced a new “notice of motion” at Thursday’s city council meeting that calls for the change, days after Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt registered to run for re-election despite facing sexual assault charges.

Union leaders, the mayor and some councillors have publicly urged Wyatt to step aside from his council role to deal with the charges.

The mayor’s motion will be considered after the Oct. 28 municipal election.

Grifols says plasma donor safety was not compromised as it works to regain licence

WINNIPEG - A for-profit company that oversees plasma collection says it is working with Health Canada on a reopening plan after the federal health agency suspended one its operating licences for a clinic in Winnipeg. 

Health Canada halted all collections at Grifols' Taylor Avenue location on Wednesday after it found compliance problems at the privately run clinic that pays for plasma donations. 

Grifols already suspended donation collections at all of its sites last month following reports of two people dying after donating at two separate Winnipeg locations. 

A Health Canada investigation found no link between the deaths of the plasma donors and the collection process, and Grifols says at no point was the safety of donors and patients compromised. 

No more Jets 1.0 or 2.0: League announces all eras of Winnipeg’s club to be merged

The Winnipeg Jets finally got their history back.

The NHL announced on Thursday morning that the 1.0 (1979 to 1996) and 2.0 (2011 to present) eras will now be merged, plus they will include the seasons spent as the Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011).

The history of the now inactive Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes (1996 to 2024) will remain a separate entity.

“Today’s announcement is meaningful for our organization, our alumni and generations of Winnipeg Jets fans,” Jets executive chairman Mark Chipman said in a press release. “The Jets teams from 1979 to 1996 helped build an identity and tradition that we proudly carry forward today. For our fans, these players and these moments have always been part of the same Winnipeg Jets story, and we’re pleased that our official records will now reflect that.”

Firefighter admits to conditional sentence breach

A Winnipeg firefighter previously jailed for criminally harassing two different women has been released from custody after admitting to breaching a conditional sentence order.

Christopher Goethals, 59, was arrested July 21 after an alert from his ankle monitor six days earlier showed he had driven within 400 metres of the workplace of a former girlfriend he had been ordered to have no contact with.

Goethals pleaded guilty Wednesday to not being in possession of a copy of his conditional sentence order, a requirement of his sentence.

Crown attorney Amanda Heslop withdrew a breach charge related to Goethals’ electronic monitoring conditions and stayed a third charge of disobeying a court order.

Flyers, Monarchs look to bounce back after dropping opening-season bids

The Flyers are hoping to improve after an unusual down season by their standards in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Winkler finished fourth in the East Division and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Niverville.

Head coach and general manager Matt Melo is in his third season with the Flyers and anticipates his team growing throughout the year.

“We’re a young group, I think we’re a strong group, but certainly there’s lots to clean up,” Melo said following a pair of defeats to Steinbach this past weekend to open their season.

‘Extremely disappointed’: hunters being turned away near Bloodvein First Nation, Manitoba Wildlife Federation says

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation says hunters are again being refused access to land near Bloodvein River First Nation, a year after leadership told court it would let them through.

Relief, reproach from law school staff after disgraced ex-dean’s arrest in France

The overseas arrest of a disgraced former law dean who defrauded the University of Manitoba out of more than $600,000 is being met both with relief and renewed frustration in the local legal community.