The Wrap: Vacant buildings, conviction overturned, park slaying, Bomber woes
Plus: Regulating a pub on wheels

As boarded-up and burned-out buildings plague parts of Winnipeg, city officials are considering changes that could allow it to take over vacant properties sooner and offer deep discounts on lots to attract more affordable homes.

Meanwhile, multiple neighbourhood residents who spoke with the Free Press said they feel indifferent and defeated about vacant building fires, citing the frequency of the blazes, costs associated with moving and safety issues plaguing nearby areas.

Joyanne Pursaga reports on the changes the city is considering, while Nicole Buffie talks to people in affected neighbourhoods.

A third Indigenous man convicted of a slaying in Winnipeg in 1974 has had the judgment quashed.

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani announced Tuesday that Clarence Woodhouse’s conviction has been voided under a section of the Criminal Code that allows the federal attorney general to review claims of wrongful conviction.

Another trial is very unlikely. Ottawa quashed the convictions of Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse (not related to Clarence) for the same murder in June 2023. Manitoba Justice elected to register a formal acquittal and declare both men factually innocent the next month.

Ting Fong Chan, a 40-year-old father of two, was brutally beaten and stabbed while walking home from his job as a chef on July 17, 1973.

In court, reporter Dean Pritchard is taking in the sentencing hearing for two teens who lured a Winnipeg man to his death at Assiniboine Park.

The now 18-year-old woman and her 19-year-old male co-accused have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Paul Enns, who was found dead in the backseat of his car.

Prosecutors are asking that the male offender receive an adult sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for at least seven years from the date of his arrest.

The same sentence was initially sought for the female offender, but prosecutors changed their position following the completion of court ordered reports examining her background and rehabilitative prospects. Now lawyers are seeking a maximum youth sentence of seven years custody and community supervision for her.

Pedal Pub arrived in Winnipeg in 2022, offering a new type of pub crawl: riders perch on a 15-seat quadricycle and pedal from bar to bar, drinking at each destination before hopping back on the bike.

The company’s owners applied for a liquor licence in 2023, but a licence can’t be issued without other government licences and permits — and the quadricycle doesn’t fit any vehicle registration classes or City of Winnipeg licences.

Fast forward to July 31: Manitoba is going to launch a pilot project regulating large quadricycles; at that point the city must adopt the regulations or Pedal Pub will have to close.

Gabrielle Piché reports on cycling through the red tape.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 2024 campaign has gotten off to an uncharacteristically brutal start — and it got worse on Saturday in Calgary, with a 22-19 overtime loss against the Stampeders.

Some on the outside might be ready to write this team off but the Blue and Gold are still exuding confidence, writes sports reporter Taylor Allen.