News briefs for Saturday, October 15, 2022

One person has been hospitalized and is in unstable condition after a Friday night house explosion in the 1600 block of Selkirk Ave.

Crews arrived on scene shortly after 10:30 p.m. and saw a heavily damaged bungalow that smelled strongly of gas. The injured person was reportedly inside the home at the time of the explosion.

Five neighbouring houses also were evacuated as a precaution. Firefighters tested gas readings in the homes while Manitoba Hydro turned off gas access to the damaged house.

The incident is under investigation.

 

Mayoral hopeful Shaun Loney pledged in a release Saturday to work with newcomer organizations, city council and the civic administration to make Winnipeg more welcoming to international newcomers.

Loney’s plan includes establishing training and employment opportunities for newcomers, implementing a “Welcome Pass” offering free or low-cost access to civic programs, amending The Elections Act to allow permanent residents to vote, updating policing practices and investing in education and reconciliation to combat discrimination.

Étienne Gaboury, considered by many as Manitoba’s greatest architect, has died at the age of 92.

Born on a farm near Bruxelles, Manitoba in 1930, Gaboury worked as a professional architect, educator, sculptor, writer and designer for six decades, leaving a distinct mark on Canadian architecture which led the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation to describe him as an artist “who has shaped the way Manitobans view themselves.”

Among his most notable credits are the Church of the Holy Martyrs, l’Église de Précieux Sang, the post-1968 fire revitalization of the St. Boniface Cathedral, which won a Canadian Heritage Award, the Centre culturel Franco-Manitobaine, the Esplanade Riel, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City, and the Royal Canadian Mint, which Gaboury was commissioned to design in 1975. Much of his work was done with, about, and for, the Franco-Manitoban community.

Gaboury received the Order of Manitoba in 2012, and in 2010, became a member of the Order of Canada. The same year, he was granted a life membership to the Manitoba Association of Architects.

Steinbach RCMP have arrested a 51-year-old man after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted during a massage appointment.

The man, who RCMP say is not actually a registered massage therapist, was providing services out of a basement in Blumenort, located approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.

Police believe there could be additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact Steinbach RCMP at 204-326-4452.

 

The Winnipeg Jets will be without their leader for the first road trip of the season — at least to start.

Head coach Rick Bowness continues to recover from COVID-19 and won’t travel with the team for the first of three road games, which begins with Monday’s affair against his former team in Dallas against the Stars. Bowness tested positive on Friday, just hours before the Jets season-opening win over the visiting New York Rangers.

Associate head coach Scott Arniel, who has taken over head coaching duties, said after practice Saturday that they hope Bowness will be able to return to the bench for Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

 

The federal government will invest more than $23.1 million towards the construction of a Métis National Heritage Centre in Winnipeg, announced Dan Vandal, the MP for St. Boniface-St. Vital, in a release Saturday.

The centre, the first of its kind in Canada, will showcase “the heritage, language, culture, methods of governance, and significant contributions of the Métis Nation before, during, and after Confederation — including the founding of the Province of Manitoba in 1870,” said the release.

 

 

The Equate Debate, hosted by Hue Productions and ChrisD.ca, will feature six of the eleven candidates running for mayor who were excluded from CBC Manitoba’s Mayoral Candidate Debate.

The debate, which will run for an hour starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, will be livestreamed on ChrisD.ca and ILikeHue.com. Royce Koop, a professor at the University of Manitoba, will be the moderator.

Candidates include Idris Adelakun, Rana Bokhari, Chris Clacio, Jenny Motkaluk, Rick Shone, and Don Woodstock.

CBC previously announced it would include candidates in its debate polling at 10 points or higher, within a +/-4 point margin of error.