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

Klein put on defensive as mayoral run made official

Malak Abas 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:39 PM CDT

Kevin Klein faced a barrage of attacks from the city’s incumbent mayor and largest union as he officially entered Winnipeg’s mayoral race Thursday.

While the former city councillor and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister was registering to run at city hall, Mayor Scott Gillingham’s team sent out a news release noting Klein was one of two councillors to vote against pursuing legal action against participants in the Winnipeg police headquarters scandal.

Shortly after, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 accused Klein of blaming Canada for its ongoing trade war with the U.S. and called him an “unfit” candidate who would “bend a knee to American interests” in a news release of its own.

Klein defended himself outside city hall after putting in his papers.

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Local

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
An “HVAC malfunction” at École Stanley Knowles School requires extensive cleanup and, as a result, a one-day delay to the start of the new school year.

Class delayed a day after mould found in Tyndall Park school

Maggie Macintosh 6 minute read Preview

Class delayed a day after mould found in Tyndall Park school

Maggie Macintosh 6 minute read Yesterday at 7:31 PM CDT

The first day of school has been postponed at École Stanley Knowles School after teachers discovered mould on chairs, rugs and other items when they were setting up their classrooms.

Families were alerted Thursday afternoon that an “HVAC malfunction” required extensive cleanup and, as a result, a one-day delay to the new year.

“I called it a couple weeks ago — it smelled really strong of mould,” said Amanda Bell, a mother who’s gone to the building regularly all summer to drop off and pick up her children from the on-site daycare.

Bell recalled she and her partner got a whiff of “wet mould” in a first-floor hallway near the library in mid-August and flagged it to an employee who told them they’d contact a custodian.

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Yesterday at 7:31 PM CDT

Local

QDoc patients in tight spot over billing dispute

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

QDoc patients in tight spot over billing dispute

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:41 PM CDT

Manitobans have been pulled into a dispute between QDoc — a Winnipeg-based virtual health-care platform — and the NDP government over fees billed to the province for patient care.

An Aug. 24 email from QDoc to its users prompted concern or calls for clarity from Manitobans who use the 24-7 platform to see a physician or nurse practitioner through encrypted video calls.

“When I first read it, like many others, I assumed they were going to be nixing the service altogether because that’s the way it was presented,” Tyndall resident Stephanie Pituley said.

“Upon further research, obviously that’s not the case, but I am still concerned to be honest. How many people did that research, I don’t know.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 8:41 PM CDT

Local

Free Press Files

As of Oct. 1, only tires that are “designed and marketed solely for winter driving conditions, including snow and ice,” will be eligible for financing through Manitoba Public Insurance.

MPI restricts loan program to winter tires only

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Preview

MPI restricts loan program to winter tires only

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:54 PM CDT

Manitoba Public Insurance is getting strict about its winter tire program after years in which customers used it to buy other types of tires.

As of Oct. 1, only tires that are “designed and marketed solely for winter driving conditions, including snow and ice,” will be eligible for financing through the public insurer.

Currently, all-weather, all-season, four-season and year-round tires are included in the program, which allows MPI clients to pay the cost in monthly installments. The program, established in 2014, offers financing for up to $2,000, plus interest.

In an email to retailers, MPI says the program is being changed so it “helps ensure customers receive the full winter-driving safety benefits associated with dedicated winter tires.”

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Yesterday at 6:54 PM CDT

Goldeyes Report

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS FILES
The Winnipeg Goldeyes applauded the local fan base, with overall attendance at Blue Cross Park the highest since 2019.

Goldeyes back in playoffs and attendance on the rise

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

Goldeyes back in playoffs and attendance on the rise

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:23 PM CDT

Tip your cap to the Winnipeg Goldeyes — they’re having a fantastic season, both on and off the field.

From a pure baseball perspective, the Fish are flying high. Wednesday’s 6-2 victory in Fargo was the latest in a second-half surge that has helped punch their ticket to the American Association playoffs.

Winnipeg has officially locked up a post-season spot, meaning it will play for keeps for the 22nd time in 32 seasons.

The final five games of the regular season — including Thursday’s finale against the RedHawks in North Dakota, followed by four dates in Kansas City from Friday through Monday — will determine the final seeding and the Goldeyes’ first-round opponent.

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Yesterday at 5:23 PM CDT

Local

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press
Multiple police units on the scene in the area of Byrd Avenue and Davis Crescent including the tactical support team during a standoff at a home on Davis Crescent, Thursday.

Westwood standoff ends with two arrested

Morgan Modjeski and Erik Pindera 3 minute read Preview

Westwood standoff ends with two arrested

Morgan Modjeski and Erik Pindera 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:29 PM CDT

An hours-long standoff in Westwood came to an end Thursday with Winnipeg police arresting two men and seizing a gun.

Winnipeg Police Service officers were called to Byrd Avenue shortly before 9:30 a.m. after a man was seen walking with what appeared to be a firearm, said police spokesman Const. Claude Chancy.

Officers identified a home connected to the investigation, he said.

Two men were arrested but Chancy could not yet say what they will be charged with. It’s not clear whether either of the men arrested was the male spotted with a gun.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:29 PM CDT

Opinion

No more playing around, make 30 km/h school zones permanent Tom Brodbeck Updated: Yesterday at 2:09 PM CDT
Leaders must make trade war, not snarky words, the priority Dan Lett Wednesday, Sep. 2, 2026
Ending special duty helps staff cruisers Editorial Updated: Yesterday at 7:03 AM CDT

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AARON EPP / FREE PRESS
More than 100 people gathered at the intersection of Roslyn Road and Osborne Street last November to remember Rosalie Tennison and promote safe roadways.

History of pedestrian injuries prompts Osborne Street safety review

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

History of pedestrian injuries prompts Osborne Street safety review

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:50 PM CDT

Traffic experts will put Osborne Street safety under the microscope to find ways to make the busy route safer for pedestrians.

The short-term study will take place “over the next year” with the aid of a consultant, to identify “low-cost improvements that can be installed quickly,” wrote David Patman, the city’s manager of transportation planning, in a new report.

Coun. Sherri Rollins, who represents the area and has long called for safety improvements on Osborne, said the study is long overdue.

“(This street is) … known for the absolute worst-case scenario, deaths and injuries from pedestrians … There have been calls for action for years,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).

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Yesterday at 6:50 PM CDT

Local

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Justice Minister Matt Wiebe

Minister tight-lipped about prosecutors’ grievance, but chatty about who’s to blame

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

Minister tight-lipped about prosecutors’ grievance, but chatty about who’s to blame

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

The justice minister said Thursday he can’t discuss an arbitration case in which Crown attorneys blasted the government for trying to keep a report on excessive workload out of an upcoming grievance hearing.

Matt Wiebe wouldn’t say whether Manitoba’s justice system needs more Crown prosecutors, but agreed to discuss who he said is to blame for the Crown attorneys’ grievance.

The NDP minister noted the complaint was made by the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys in 2023 when the Progressive Conservatives were in power.

The PCs “had not even acknowledged or begun the process of sitting down with the Crown attorneys to begin to deal with that grievance,” Wiebe said Thursday.

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Yesterday at 6:32 PM CDT

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Curling

Curling Canada adopts World Curling rulebook, including new double-touch rule

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Curling Canada adopts World Curling rulebook, including new double-touch rule

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:33 PM CDT

Curling Canada will be following an explicit rule on double-touching a stone starting this season as it adopts the World Curling rulebook.

Canada's curling governing body announced Thursday that it will fully align itself with World Curling's standards after a reduction in key differences between the organizations over the last few years.

That includes World Curling's new rule on double-touching, which was at the heart of a high-profile controversy at this year's Milan Cortina Olympics.

During a round-robin match, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Marc Kennedy of a double-touch infraction — grazing the stone's granite after releasing the handle. Kennedy responded to the cheating allegation with a profane retort, and Canada ended up winning the match 8-6 en route to claiming the gold medal.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:33 PM CDT

Local

Murder of vulnerable stranger worth four years in prison, three years of supervision

Dean Pritchard 4 minute read Yesterday at 3:41 PM CDT

A Manitoba teen has been sentenced to seven years in custody and conditional supervision in the community for his part in a fatal, unprovoked attack on a stranger who was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The now 18-year-old offender was one of three intoxicated teens who were “looking to get into a fight” when they crossed paths with the 21-year-old male who was walking in Swan River’s Legion Park, Nov. 1, 2024, and violently attacked him, provincial court Judge Geoffrey Bayly said in a recently released written decision.

The offender pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

The victim, described as “highly intoxicated and vulnerable” at the time of the killing was not identified by name in the court decision or in media reports following the killing.

Local

Former Gilbert Plains CAO Amber Fisher has been charged with defrauding the municipality. (Facebook)

Former Gilbert Plains CAO forged doc’s note to get out of court: RCMP

Erik Pindera 5 minute read Preview

Former Gilbert Plains CAO forged doc’s note to get out of court: RCMP

Erik Pindera 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:10 PM CDT

A former rural municipal official awaiting sentencing for stealing more than $500,000 from community coffers has been accused of forging a fake doctor’s note to get out of attending court.

Amber Fisher, the former chief administrative officer for the Rural Municipality of Gilbert Plains, pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 last year.

Dauphin RCMP say investigators learned Fisher, 42, had submitted the note indicating she would be unable to attend court for her Sept. 2 sentencing, after she was seriously injured in a vehicle collision on July 22.

Fisher’s lawyer submitted the note to the court and the judge adjourned her sentencing to a later date.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:10 PM CDT

Local

Right Facing For Rent Real Estate Sign Over Blue Sky and Clouds (Dreamstime/TNS)

More residential units subject to rent control: minister

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

More residential units subject to rent control: minister

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:36 PM CDT

The province is expanding the number of residential units that are subject to rent control.

Starting next year, units with monthly rent as high as $2,000 will be regulated under the Residential Tenancies Act. Currently, the threshold is $1,670 per month.

“This is a good thing,” Right to Housing Coalition spokesperson Yutaka Dirks said Thursday. “For those people who weren’t covered but will now be covered, that’s certainly a positive. It’s something that we called for,” the advocate said.

The change is intended to protect affordable housing for more Manitobans by expanding the number of units subject to rent-regulation rules, a news release said Thursday.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:36 PM CDT