News briefs for Tuesday, April 11, 2023

School cancelled in northern Cree community after roof collapses

10:52 AM

Students on a northern Manitoba reserve have been dismissed from classes indefinitely after their school’s roof collapsed over Easter weekend — the latest challenge in a community grappling with an addiction and mental health crisis.

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation is expecting engineers to arrive today to assess damage at Thunderbird School, a nursery-to-Grade 10 building operated in partnership with the Frontier School Division.

Chief Shirley Ducharme said a large amount of heavy, wet snow is to blame. 

“The high winds lifted the sheet metal and left the roof bare which concerns us because with freezing rain forecasted for the area it could cause further damage to our school,” Ducharme said in a news release prepared by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc.

More than a month ago, the First Nation located in South Indian Lake — roughly 130 kilometres northwest of Thompson — announced it was in an emergency situation following several deaths in the span of two weeks. Ducharme has called on the provincial and federal governments to help residents living with addiction and mental health challenges.

MKO said it remains unclear when the community’s nearly 50-year-old school, which was already in disrepair before the roof collapsed, will reopen. The advocacy organization indicated efforts are underway to get residents a new school.

Police arrest three accused in St. Vital bear spray assault spree

12:53 PM

Multiple civilians, police officers and a police dog were assaulted with bear spray over the course of an hour in St. Vital Monday night.

Winnipeg police said the first incident occurred at a convenience store on the 1600 block of St. Mary’s Road around 9:30 p.m., where a trio of suspects sprayed an employee in the face before going outside. Outside, police said, the trio put on ski masks and sprayed another victim before running off. Police haven’t identified that victim.

Then the trio confronted and sprayed another unknown victim walking on the 200 block of Meadowood Drive before fleeing. Officers and a police dog unit found the three suspects running through a parking lot, when three officers and the dog were sprayed in the face, police said. Paramedics treated police while the dog was helped by its handler.

Police arrested a 13-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman. All three face assault and resisting arrest charges.

Fatal snowmobile crash in Porcupine Provincial Forest

1:24 PM

A man is dead after a snowmobile crash in Porcupine Provincial Forest.

RCMP said an 80-year-old man from Minitonas was travelling behind another snowmobile when he veered off the groomed trail and drove into a cluster of trees on Friday afternoon.

The other snowmobiler, after noticing the injured man was no longer behind him, turned around after a short distance and found him suffering from life-threatening injuries.

The injured man was taken to Provincial Road 365, where emergency workers gave him medical help. The man died from his injuries.