The Wrap: Human smuggling, care-home waits, photo radar, pricey chocolate, Jets inconsistency, and Made From What’s Left

A man accused of helping smuggle people across the Canadian border into Minnesota — including four members of an Indian family who froze to death in Manitoba in 2022 — pleaded not guilty Wednesday to seven counts of human smuggling.

Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 28, who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” entered his plea during a brief teleconference.

Steven Shand, 49, was hired by Patel to drive the Indian nationals from the Canadian border to the Chicago area, authorities said. Shand pleaded not guilty during the same hearing to four counts contained in an updated indictment against them that was unsealed last week.

More than 1,000 Manitobans are waiting for a bed at a publicly funded long-term care facility of their choice anywhere in the province, according to figures compiled by the Free Press this week.

Of those, about 897 were waiting for a personal-care home bed to open up close to home, in their local health region.

The number of long-term care beds Manitoba needs has been a “moving target,” says local long-term care advocate, noting if beds are added to the system, we also need nurses and health-care aids to staff them.

“How do we build care services that will meet the needs of the people, and that we can actually sustain?”

The University of Winnipeg is extending its winter term by a week in the wake of a weekend cyber attack that led the institution to shut down its network.

The university is aiming to have critical online services — the learning management system, the student information system, financial systems, email and Microsoft 365 products — back up and running by early next week, officials told a town hall Wednesday afternoon.

Officials did not elaborate on exact nature of the attack but said the university’s technology team is working with the outside experts to determine if any data has been stolen.

Speeding fines of up to $1,412 have been handed out since Winnipeg police started using mobile photo radar in a massive construction zone on the south Perimeter Highway — possibly for the first time — but opponents are crying foul.

Since March 15, mobile units have been set up east and west of St. Mary’s Road, where crews are building an interchange, to catch drivers who disobey the designated work zone’s speed limit, which is usually 80 km/h.

Winnipeg’s most vocal photo radar opponents, Wise Up Winnipeg, are trying to mobilize a challenge in a bid to get tickets quashed, arguing police don’t have jurisdiction to hand out the tickets.

Note the chocolate bunny prices this Easter — the sweet treats could take a bigger bite out of your wallet next year.

As cocoa futures spike, local chocolatiers and retailers are bracing for even higher operating costs, following years of price increases.

The Winnipeg Jets have admitted they have a problem — a critical step in the recovery process.

Inconsistency has, indeed, been a serious issue for the Jets in recent weeks, and no one in the organization is hiding from the cold, hard truth.

With 10 games left in the regular season, the Jets are nearing the end of the runway to clean up the self-inflicted wounds that continue to plague them during an uneven stretch of hockey — and that’s not a formula for a lengthy playoff run.

Made From What’s Left is a chatty, funny exploration of the buildings, people, places and food that make Winnipeg Winnipeg. (The title is a cheeky reference to our current civic slogan, “Made from what’s real.”)

Since its debut in 2022, the podcast has, over its 42 (and counting) episodes, explored everything from street cars to ghost signs to Brutalism. And snacks. Lots of snacks.

Working on the podcast together has been a source of discovery — and, in some cases, re-discovery — for Rebecca Hadfield and Paige Lloyd.