News briefs for Friday, October 17, 2025

Bombers edge Riders 17-16

9:58 PM

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed every last second to defeat their prairie rivals, with kicker Sergio Castillo connecting on a 22-yard field goal with zeroes on the clock to seal a 17-16 victory at Princess Auto Stadium.

The Bombers tied the game 7-7 with an Ontaria Wilson touchdown in the first quarter, but then trailed for much of the game before mounting a comeback late. There wouldn’t be anymore touchdowns, with Castillo connecting on three total field goals and punter Jamieson Sheahan rounding out the scoring with a rouge.

The victory improved the Bombers record to 9-8. The Bombers can clinch a playoff berth with a win next week in their regular-season finale against the Montreal Alouettes.

Province announces five more measles cases

3:23 PM

The Manitoba government announced five new confirmed cases of measles Friday, for a total of 230 since February.

The number of probable cases decreased to 15 from 18 since the previous weekly update.

The latest numbers are accurate as of Saturday. The province is now releasing the weekly numbers on Fridays instead of Wednesdays.

The province also notified the public of three more locations where people might have been exposed to measles.

The locations are:

• Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler, from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 9
• Dairy Queen in Winkler, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 9
• Zion Church in Schanzenfeld, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 12

Public health officials asked anyone who was in those locations during those times to check their immunization records and ensure they are up to date with measles vaccines.

Homicide in Wasagamack First Nation

2:51 PM

A man is in custody after another man was slain in Wasagamack First Nation.

Island Lake RCMP were called about gunshots at about 12:30 a.m. Friday and were also told a 37-year-old man had been found dead outside a home.

The death is being investigated as a homicide. A male suspect is in custody, RCMP said in a news release.

Run-related street closures Sunday

2:48 PM

Multiple streets will be closed Sunday for the 13th annual WFPS Half Marathon.

Shaftesbury Boulevard will be closed between Corydon and Grant avenues, while Roblin Boulevard will be closed between Shaftesbury and William R. Clement Parkway. The closures are in both directions, and will start at 4 a.m. and end at noon.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane on many other streets through Charleswood, St. James and Wolseley during that same period.

Renovation of future archives site to start soon

1:11 PM

Construction is about to start on a project that will turn the historic Carnegie Library into a new home for the City of Winnipeg’s irreplaceable archives.

The city said work at the 380 William Ave. site will start this month. The space had previously held the archives until flooding from a rainstorm forced them to be moved in 2013. The archives then moved to a leased space at 50 Myrtle St.

The renovation project is expected to cost about $23 million and be completed in 2027.

The building itself was Winnipeg’s first public library, which opened 120 years ago.

When the construction is completed, the facility will include a climate-controlled storage vault, along with space for public programs, research and reconciliation activities, such as smudging, ceremonies and displays.

Backpack stolen, man arrested 

11:59 AM

A man is facing charges after a backpack was stolen from a locker at a fitness centre Tuesday evening.

The bag was stolen from the centre on the first 100 block of Doncaster Street. Bank cards from a wallet that was in the backpack were used to buy merchandise at stores on the 1600,1700, and 1900 blocks of Portage Avenue shortly after.

Police arrested a 38-year-old man Thursday. He is facing several theft- and fraud-related charges and was released on an undertaking.

Man dropped gun during fight at Henderson Highway restaurant: police

11:35 AM

Police say a man dropped a gun during a fight inside a Henderson Highway restaurant early Thursday.

A man was fighting another patron when a handgun fell to the ground, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday. He picked it up, left with another man and drove away in a 2017 GMC Sierra.

Police stopped the pickup truck as it was headed east on Nairn Avenue at Keenleyside Street shortly before 2:45 a.m. Officers seized a loaded Glock 17, 9mm ammunition, 30 Percocet pills with an estimated street value of $600, four grams of cocaine worth $400 and more than $1,400 cash, the WPS said.

A 35-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences related to the gun and drugs, and for breaching release orders. He was detained in custody.

A 38-year-old man faces two charges of breaching a release order and was released on an appearance notice.

Police release image of getaway vehicle from jewelry store robbery

11:20 AM

Police released more information Friday about a robbery in which two men were shot at a jewelry business operating out of a home in the Maples last week.

Officers were sent to the house on the first 100 block Bachman Bay at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9. Two men, ages 56 and 33, were taken to hospital in unstable and stable condition, respectively. 

The Winnipeg Police Service’s major crimes unit is investigating. Officers learned a black 2020 or 2021 Volkswagen Jetta stopped in front of the home.  The licence plate number is unknown.

Four masked passengers went inside and stole an undisclosed amount of jewelry.

Investigators determined the Jetta had arrived from eastbound Jefferson Avenue and circled the block a few times before the robbery. It was last seen heading west on Jefferson from Argate Bay after the robbery.

Police are seeking video related to the incident, including any from vehicles driving in the area around that time. They asked anyone with relevant video to call the unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-TIPS.

Harvest Manitoba raises $1.4M through Empty Bowls auction

10:57 AM

Harvest Manitoba’s annual Empty Bowls celebrity auction, raffle and dinner has raised $1.4 million so far.

The food distributor said the dinner, held at the RBC Convention Centre on Thursday, raised more funds than any previous Empty Bowls event.

People can still bid on the unique, celebrity-signed bowls or enter an online raffle to win a trip anywhere in the world until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Salter Street house fire spreads to two other homes

10:32 AM

A house on Salter Street was damaged in a fire that started late Thursday night and spread to two other homes.

Fire crews were sent to the one-and-a-half storey home on the 300 block at 10:50 p.m. and initially fought the blaze from inside before retreating. They declared the fire under control shortly after midnight Friday.

Everyone inside got out before the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service arrived.

The house sustained significant smoke, fire and water damage. The two neighbouring houses sustained some exterior damage. No one was inside the neighbouring houses at the time.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police ask for tips in senior’s disappearance two years ago

10:20 AM

RCMP are again asking for tips about a missing senior who has not been heard from in two years.

Ywanna (Jean) Backman was last seen on Oct. 13, 2023, and was last in contact with a friend two days later. Backman, who was 70 at the time, was reported missing to Sprague RCMP on Oct. 19, and officers searched her property in the Rural Municipality of Piney that day.

Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Friday that a provincewide missing persons unit, which operates out of the Winnipeg Police Service’s headquarters, has been investigating tips and doing interviews for the past two years.

“We aren’t giving up. We know there’s someone out there with crucial information that can help move this investigation forward,” RCMP Sgt. Tyler Lamy of the provincewide unit said in the release.

“We want to bring Jean home. We want to find the answers for her family and for the community. And we aren’t going to stop until we do.”

RCMP believe Backman might have been wearing a green jacket when she disappeared.

Police asked anyone with information about Backman’s disappearance to call Sprague RCMP at 204-437-2041 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).