Winnipeg Free Press – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

Man, 21, killed in animal attack on Manitoba First Nation

Free Press staff 2 minute read Updated: 12:09 PM CDT

A 21-year-old man was killed in an animal attack in northwestern Manitoba on Wednesday, with the preliminary investigation ruling out a bear attack.

An investigation into a suspicious death reported on Sapotaweyak Cree Nation is ongoing, RCMP said in a news release Monday.

Officials were called to the scene, located on the southeast shore of Dawson Bay, on Wednesday and found the man dead on a community road.

“Following an autopsy, the preliminary cause of death was determined to be from an animal attack. The type of animal has not been determined,” RCMP said in the release.

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Premier touts Port of Churchill opportunities at Canadian investment summit

Free Press staff 3 minute read Preview

Premier touts Port of Churchill opportunities at Canadian investment summit

Free Press staff 3 minute read 12:17 PM CDT

Premier Wab Kinew announced Monday that major capital investments in the Port of Churchill Plus project will receive an exemption from Manitoba’s seven per cent retail sales tax.

Kinew made the announcement at the start of the two-day Canada investment summit in Toronto. The premier made the pitch to a room of 250 Canadian and global investors representing more than US$13 trillion in assets.

“We are here in Toronto to tell global investors that the Port of Churchill is open and ready to expand,” Kinew said in a provincial government news release.

“These new capital incentives make it easier for investors to get in on the ground floor of the largest project featured at the Canada investment summit. The grain and critical minerals we are already shipping out of the port are reaching Europe faster than the Port of Vancouver. With the right investments we can ship commodities year-round, strengthening trade between reliable partners and creating good jobs,” the premier said.

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12:17 PM CDT

Local

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
J Fiedler, a sexual and reproductive health educator, has been working with school divisions to train teachers to confidently deliver age-appropriate lessons.

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Manitoba’s newest curriculum introduces the menstrual cycle earlier and repeatedly calls for explicit lessons on how students can give, seek, and decline to provide their consent.

The education department has released its sweeping proposal to overhaul how exercise, nutrition and sexuality are taught between kindergarten and Grade 12.

Grade 5 has long served as a key turning point for “the talk,” said J Fiedler, a sexual and reproductive health educator who provided input on the new curriculum.

“There’s no ‘the talk’ anymore. Now, there’s continuations of multiple ‘talks,’ which can hopefully reduce stress for students and stigma that people experience talking about sexuality.”

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6:00 AM CDT

Winnipeg Jets

Defenceman Morrissey focused on season ahead

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

Defenceman Morrissey focused on season ahead

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read 12:08 PM CDT

Josh Morrissey insists that a trade request from the franchise goalie doesn’t change his desire to be a lifelong Winnipeg Jet.

The top-pairing defenceman and alternate captain reinforced that view on Monday morning when speaking to a group of reporters prior to the Winnipeg Jets Golf Classic at St. Charles Country Club.

“At the end of the day, I love being here and I love being a Jet. That’s how I’ve always felt,” said Morrissey, who spoke for just over nine minutes on a variety of topics. “That doesn’t change because of somebody else’s decision. Nothing is finalized, so who knows, he could be back. My position doesn’t change.”

Morrissey has two years left on a contract that pays him US$6.25 million and he’s only eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but the future of the franchise pillar will be a topic of discussion as the Jets work to sort through the situation with franchise goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, which remains unresolved.

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12:08 PM CDT

Local

Winnipeg police at the scene following a police pursuit near Broadway and Langside Street Friday afternoon. (Mike Deal / Free Press)

IIU investigating after police pursuit ends in crash

Scott Billeck 2 minute read Preview

IIU investigating after police pursuit ends in crash

Scott Billeck 2 minute read 11:32 AM CDT

Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after a Winnipeg police pursuit Friday ended in a crash that sent one person to hospital with serious injuries.

The Winnipeg Police Service notified the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba of the incident after the crash on Broadway.

The incident began around 1:45 p.m. on Friday when a 911 caller reported seeing a man force a woman into a green Jeep-style vehicle near River Avenue and Donald Street, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Monday.

Officers later spotted a green 2023 Ford Bronco in a parking lot in the 400 block of River. Police said the driver fled as officers attempted to stop it, striking a parked vehicle, leading to a pursuit.

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11:32 AM CDT

Local

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Joseph Foure speaks as people participate in the Fentanyl Awareness Day Walk from the Forks to the legislature Sunday, September 13, 2026. reporter: marsha

Fathers united by loss share warning about dangers of fentanyl

Marsha McLeod 6 minute read Preview

Fathers united by loss share warning about dangers of fentanyl

Marsha McLeod 6 minute read Yesterday at 7:30 PM CDT

Harlan James Edward Fourre would have turned 35 on Sunday.

But instead of celebrating his birthday, Fourre’s father organized a sombre walk through downtown Winnipeg to commemorate his son and the many others who have died of fentanyl poisoning.

Three and a half years ago, Harlan Fourre took a recreational drug he believed was ecstasy but turned out to contain fentanyl, which killed him, said his father Joseph Fourre, a Red River Métis citizen, actor and filmmaker.

Fourre said his son was a master roofer, working on a job in The Pas around the time of his death. He wasn’t known to use drugs — in fact, his boss relayed that if someone pulled out an illicit substance at the end of a job, Harlan’s response would be: “no thanks, I’m good.”

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Yesterday at 7:30 PM CDT

Opinion

Staying away to keep the heat on Editorial Updated: 7:33 AM CDT
50 years ago, we thought we could change the world Robert Milan and Miriam Cooley Updated: 9:48 AM CDT
Treating the disease we simply won’t insure Rafiq Andani Updated: 10:40 AM CDT

Local

A beluga whale swims behind a boat through the Churchill River. (Joshua A. Bickel / The Associated Press files)

Port of Churchill expansion could chase belugas away, U of M researcher says

Nicole Buffie 4 minute read Preview

Port of Churchill expansion could chase belugas away, U of M researcher says

Nicole Buffie 4 minute read Yesterday at 9:07 AM CDT

As plans to expand the Port of Churchill into a four-season trade corridor gathers momentum, a University of Manitoba researcher has published a report on what ship traffic could mean for the beluga whales that gather in the Churchill River estuary each summer.

Veronica Coppolaro said more vessels in the waterways bring a risk that belugas will stop using the estuary for migration, which would impact the ecological landscape, tourism and communities that rely on the animals for food and cultural purposes.

“There are studies showing that (noises) change the way they swim, they change the way (the whales) are vocalizing, they change their main activity, and so this (expansion) can have consequences at different levels,” she said.

The Churchill river estuary is a marine habitat where the Churchill River empties into Hudson Bay. During the summer months belugas gather in the area to feed and give birth.

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Yesterday at 9:07 AM CDT

Local

Justice officials hope to seize homes, vehicles, jewelry, cash from father, son accused in drug-trafficking operation

Erik Pindera 4 minute read Yesterday at 4:01 PM CDT

A father and son arrested last month are accused of travelling across Canada — and using courier services and Canada Post — to supply their Winnipeg drug-trafficking operation, a recent court filing shows.

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Business

Prime Minister Mark Carney participates in a scrum as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Ottawa offers faster access to tax rulings as Carney kicks off investment summit

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Ottawa offers faster access to tax rulings as Carney kicks off investment summit

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: 10:58 AM CDT

OTTAWA - Ottawa is tweaking tax policy to make Canada more attractive to international investors just as Prime Minister Mark Carney is welcoming scores of global asset managers to Toronto.

The federal government said in a press release Monday that investors putting $1 billion or more into the Canadian economy will now get priority access to a program that offers binding decisions from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Through the existing Advance Income Tax Rulings (AITR) program, qualifying investors can get clarity on how income tax law will apply before they commit capital.

"When investors are considering major projects, certainty matters," Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a media statement.

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Updated: 10:58 AM CDT

News Quiz

The Week That Was: Sept. 7 to 12

11:10 AM CDT

This week's news quiz topics include: Banjo Bowl, geo-thermal power, tornadoes and more.

Bomber Report

Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Ridge Texada (26) defends against Saskatchewan Roughriders' Shemar Bridges (84) during first half CFL football action in Winnipeg, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Bombers bring A-game in avenging Labour Day loss

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Bombers bring A-game in avenging Labour Day loss

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Yesterday at 7:11 PM CDT

This season hasn’t been overly pretty at times for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

But if they’ve proven anything over their last four games, including Saturday’s 19-6 Banjo Bowl victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, it’s that they’re capable of beating the CFL’s best when they come to play.

“The sky’s the limit for this team. We can hang with anyone, and we know that,” said receiver Tommy Nield. “It’s just a matter of being consistent and playing team football.”

The Bombers, now 7-6, avenged their Labour Day Classic loss and won the season series with the Riders (8-5) thanks to point differential in their head-to-head meetings.

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Yesterday at 7:11 PM CDT

NHL

CASSIDY DANKOCHIK / THE CARILLON
Winnipeg Jets forward Viggo Bjorck signs autographs at Jets development camp earlier this summer.

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

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Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT