News briefs for Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Grace Hospital Surgery Clinic opens to divert patients from ER, OR

5:53 PM

Grace Hospital’s newest facility is dedicated to treating patients who require a surgery consultation, minor procedure or have concerns about a recent operation.

Manitoba issued a news release Wednesday celebrating the launch of Grace Hospital Surgery Clinic — an initiative that came from the lowering wait time and system improvement team.

Seven surgeons are staffing the new clinic located inside Access Winnipeg West.

They will assess patients who would previously be admitted to the emergency department, as well as ER patients who require a surgical assessment.

“Bringing a team of general surgeons together in one clinic allows us to assess patients sooner and co-ordinate care more efficiently,” clinic site lead Dr. Ali Khan said in the release.

“With surgeons located close to the emergency department, patients can be seen earlier, decisions can be made quickly and appropriate cases can move directly to treatment instead of waiting in the emergency department.”

The facility includes eight exam rooms and designated clinical support areas.

Its practitioners have expertise in areas including breast surgery, surgical oncology, colorectal surgery and minimally invasive surgery.

The province touted the new facility as one that will divert patients from both the ER and operating room.

The province provided roughly $700,000 to undertake renovations and purchase equipment to open it.

Four migrants, alleged smuggler arrested near Emerson in December: RCMP

4:08 PM

A Winnipeg man, charged with an immigration offence after he was stopped in a vehicle near where four migrants had illegally crossed the border in December, is due in Emerson court on Thursday.

At about 9 p.m. on Dec. 5, federal RCMP border officers were working with United States Border Patrol when they detected a number of migrants crossing into Canada from the U.S. about 10 kilometres west of Emerson, near the Rural Municipality of Montcalm.

Patrolling RCMP officers saw a vehicle in the area, which appeared to accelerate when the driver spotted police. Mounties pulled the vehicle over and arrested the driver.

Bereket Wondwes Wube, 31, has been charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He’s due in provincial court Thursday.

Officers found four migrants nearby and turned them over to the Canada Border Services Agency in Emerson.

Woman accused of stealing $11,000 worth of merchandise in 23 shoplifting incidents

11:15 AM

A woman accused of stealing more than $11,000 worth clothing and other merchandise from Winnipeg retail stores in a string of thefts over seven months last year has been arrested.

Winnipeg Police Service property crimes investigators began looking into the series of thefts in May 2025 and linked one suspect to the incidents.

The woman is accused in 23 shoplifting incidents over May to November last year.

She largely stole clothing worth hundreds of dollars, but also stole food and other merchandise, police say.

The suspect hit repeatedly hit stores on Regent Avenue West, McPhillips Street, Kenaston Boulevard, Portage Avenue and Plessis Road, police say.

The last theft was in late November.

The thefts were all captured on video surveillance. All together, the merchandise was worth just under $11,500, police say.

Property crimes investigators identified a suspect and got an arrest warrant for Francene Margaret Hudson, 37.

She was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of theft over $10,000. She was released on an undertaking.