News briefs for Thursday, February 13, 2025

Police solve non-emergency phone line disruption

7:11 PM

Intermittent issues with the Winnipeg Police Serivce’s non-emergency line have been resolved.

A post on X at 6:37 p.m. announced the issue, which led to some callers and police not being able to hear each other when transferred to the communications centre, had been fixed.

“Thank you for your patience,” the post said.

City police first reported the issue at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Alessia Cara brings Love & Hyperbole tour to Burt

2:35 PM

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alessia Cara is releasing her fourth album, Love & Hyperbole, on Friday, and the Brampton, Ont., performer is touring in support, with a stop at the Burton Cummings Theatre on May 19.

The platinum-selling Scars to Your Beautiful singer, who was the first Canadian to win Best New Artist at the Grammys, has collaborated with Zedd and Logic, and contributed to the Moana soundtrack.

Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. Prices have not yet been announced.

Charges pending in school bus crash

12:11 PM

RCMP say charges are pending against a teenage driver who caused a crash involving a school bus near Swan Lake on Wednesday.

The pending charges against the 17-year-old male, who was driving a pickup truck, are under the Highway Traffic Act.

The collision happened in the Municipality of Lorne at about 8:30 a.m. The school bus ended up on its passenger side in the southeast ditch at the intersection of Road 28 North and Road 66 West. The truck also went into the ditch, RCMP said in a news release Thursday.

The 14 children on the bus, ranging in level from kindergarten to Grade 11, were already off the bus when police arrived.

Police determined the truck was travelling south on Road 66 when it collided with the rear driver’s side of the school bus, which was heading east on Road 28.

All students were taken to hospital as a precaution, and some of the students were taken to Winnipeg for further assessment.

The driver of the truck was taken to hospital, treated and released.

One killed in suspicious fire

10:05 AM

RCMP are investigating a suspicious fatal house fire in Pinaymootang First Nation.

Gypsumville RCMP were sent to the home off Highway 6 at 8:25 p.m. Friday.

The house was fully engulfed in flames when police arrived and was destroyed by the fire.

The remains of a person were found in the rubble Sunday, RCMP said in a news release Thursday.

The cause of the fire appears suspicious, police said.

RCMP asked anyone with information regarding the fire to contact the Gypsumville detachment at 204-659-5224, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.

Man charged in knife attack

9:59 AM

A man attacked two people with a knife before robbing a taxi driver Tuesday evening, police say.

Officers were called about a serious assault on the first 100 block of Keewatin Avenue at about 6:50 p.m.

Police were told a 33-year-old man attacked a 26-year-old woman with a knife when an argument escalated. She suffered injuries to her “upper body,” the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday.

A 37-year-old man also suffered upper body injuries, the WPS said.

Officers helped both victims until emergency crews arrived. Both were transported to hospital in unstable condition with serious injuries and have since been upgraded to stable.

All three people know each other, the WPS said.

The knife-wielding man fled on foot before entering a taxi and travelling to the 800 block of Main Street, where he robbed the 26-year-old male driver. Officers arrested a man on that block at 7:25 p.m. and seized a knife.

Aditvanand Katwaroo of Winnipeg has been charged with robbery, possession of a weapon, assault with a weapon and two counts of aggravated assault. He was detained in custody.

Person hospitalized after jumping out of window during house fire

9:17 AM

A person has been sent to hospital in unstable condition after jumping from a second-floor window after a fire broke out at a Parr Street townhouse Thursday.

Crews arrived at the two-storey townhouse in the 0-100 block of Parr Street at 6:08 Thursday. They remained on scene fighting the fire as of 9 a.m. Crews are being rotated to mitigate extreme cold temperatures.

All occupants of the home evacuated prior to firefighters arriving, and the residents in the neighbouring townhouse were evacuated by firefighters. No other injuries were reported.

The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team was called and a Winnipeg Transit bus was deployed to provide shelter to those displaced by the fire.

Parr was closed between Jarvis and Stella avenues, and Dufferin avenue was closed between Arlington and McKenzie streets.

Non-emergency lines service limited

7:48 AM

The Winnipeg Police Service is experiencing intermittent issues with its non-emergency phone line.

“Some callers may encounter a situation where neither party can hear each other when transferred to our communications centre. Many callers have successfully connected after calling back,” the WPS said on social media late Thursday morning.

“Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this matter.”

The WPS first posted about the problems at 1:30 a.m.

People can file many non-emergency reports online or in person at 245 Smith St.

Arlington Street reopens after Winnipeg Avenue house fire

7:44 AM

Arlington Street between Notre Dame and McDermot Avenue has reopened after a house fire on Winnipeg Avenue that began just before 6 a.m. Thursday.

Crews were sent to the two-and-a-half-storey home on the 800 block of Winnipeg at 5:55 a.m. and found one person trapped in the upper floor. Firefighters rescued the person, who was taken to hospital in stable condition. Two cats were also rescued.

The fire was deemed under control by 6:54 a.m. The home has “significant” smoke and fire damage.

Firefighters remain on scene putting out hot spots, and road closures remain in place.

The area will be very slippery because water was used to fight the fire, the City of Winnipeg said.