News briefs for Thursday, September 29, 2022

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will be without defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat Friday night at IG Field against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Cedric Wilcots II, who has two defensive tackles in nine games this season, will start in Jeffcoat’s place.

Jeffcoat has been placed on the one-game injured list. The 31 year old has three sacks, 18 defensive tackles, and an interception in 11 games this season.

A worker was injured in a structure fire in the 1900 block of Logan Avenue Wednesday night.

When crews arrived at the scene at around 8:06 p.m., they found heavy smoke and a machinery fire. One injured person was helped out by other people in the building. The fire was under control by 8:41 p.m. and the injured person was sent to hospital in unstable condition. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Hours later, a four-storey residential building in the 0-100 block of Barnes Street caught fire.

The fire was reported at 1:43 a.m. Thursday and was under control by 2:09 a.m. There were no people inside and no injuries reported. An investigation is underway.

Manitoba is recording declines in COVID-19 hospitalizations and testing.

Last week saw decreases in the number of admitted patients, and in the number of Manitobans receiving lab tests for the virus.

There were 73 hospital admissions, including 11 ICU admissions, in the week of Sept. 18 to 24, compared with 87 hospital admissions the week before (which also included 11 ICU admissions). Three deaths were recorded, up from two the previous week.

There were 283 PCR lab tests conducted last week, compared with 377 the previous week, and the test positivity rate is up slightly to 22.2 per cent, from 22 per cent.

The province retroactively added 118 COVID-19 hospitalizations to its tally last week, for a total of 12,403. Seventeen deaths were also retroactively added, for a total of 2,160 lives lost.

RCMP major crimes officers are investigating after a man was found dead in suspicious circumstances in a rural area northeast of Arborg Wednesday.

Arborg Mounties were called about the death in the Rural Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton at about 2:20 p.m.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 41-year-old man dead. RCMP has released few details, including his name and where exactly he was found, but said the circumstances of his death were suspicious. Major crimes investigators are now leading the probe.

RCMP asks anyone with information on the death to call the local detachment at 204-376-5253 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

The majority Progressive Conservative government has voted against an NDP private member’s bill to make Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30, a statutory holiday.

The provincial government has said it supports making the day a provincial stat, but more consultation is needed. In question period Wednesday, Labour Minister Reg Helwer said the government is still consulting with Indigenous, business and labour leaders about how the day should be observed to make sure the province gets it right before making it an official stat holiday.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission called for the acknowledgment of a day to honour residential school survivors and reflect on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. In 2017, NDP leader Wab Kinew introduced and helped pass a bill to proclaim Orange Shirt Day in Manitoba. In 2021 the federal government proclaimed it the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and made it a statutory holiday for federal workers.

 

 

RCMP are investigating after a body was found in the Burntwood River in Thompson on Wednesday.

Thompson RCMP said on Thursday the body of a man was found at about 1 p.m., by searchers from Gods Lake Narrows who were looking for a missing member from their community.

RCMP said an autopsy will be conducted to verify the identity of the body and police continue to investigate.

 

 

The Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens traded goals in the opening period at Bell Centre.

Kaiden Guhle gave the Habs an early lead when he beat David Rittich with a wrist shot just 5:15 into the game.

But Evan Polei, who is signed to an American Hockey League contract with the Manitoba Moose, tied it up later in the frame when he tipped a point shot past Jake Allen.

Shots are 9-5 for the Jets through 20 minutes.

This is Winnipeg’s third of six preseason games. They are 1-1-0 so far.

Winnipeg police are searching for a vulnerable 76-year-old woman missing since Thursday afternoon.

Janice Borlase was last seen around the 2000 block of Pembina Highway around 1 p.m.

Police describe her a 5-4 with a thin build and white or grey hair in a short bob. She wears glasses and was last wearing a Winnipeg Jets cap, a baggy, white Winnipeg Jets windbreaker and blue pants.

The missing persons unit said it is concerned for her wellbeing and ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call investigators at 204-986-6250.