News briefs for Friday, April 17, 2026

Woman charged after gun found on ATV

3:43 PM

Oxford House RCMP have charged a 34-year-old woman after they say she was riding an ATV with a gun.

At around 1 a.m. last Friday Mounties assisted a First Nation Safety Officer with a traffic stop on the Bunibonibee Cree Nation, according to an RCMP release on Friday.

Police say when she was pulled over, the barrel of a gun could be seen protruding from inside the ATV.

She was arrested without incident and RCMP recovered the loaded gun. 

The woman, from God’s Lake Narrows,  is now facing numerous charges.

They include careless storage and unauthorized possession of a gun, possession of a gun with tampered serial number and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. 

She was also wanted by God’s Lake Narrows RCMP on three warrants. 

The woman has since been released on conditions with a court date.

Province and Niverville commit funding for road reconstruction

3:29 PM

The Manitoba and Niverville governments are funnelling $17.7 million to reconstruct a road crucial to the growing town.

Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor announced Friday the province would spend $9.7 million on the project. Provincial Road 311 will see land drainage system upgrades, more turning lanes, a new roundabout, “improved” traffic lights and an expansion to a four-lane cross-section on part of the road.

The expansion will cover the western half of the project; the government identified a strip of PR 311 west of Wallace Road to Fifth Avenue as being targeted by the funding.

Design work is almost done, Naylor said in a news release. Manitoba expects tendering and construction to begin later this year.

Post-construction, Niverville will become owner of PR 311 from Wallace Road to Sixth Avenue South, and of Provincial Access 622 from PR 311 to the south limit of Niverville.

It will be responsible for road maintenance, traffic authority and future improvements. The Manitoba government will continue operating PR 311’s traffic signals.

New developments will likely make PR 311 busier, Naylor said in a news release.

Property owner leads RCMP to stolen motorcycle

2:39 PM

Selkirk RCMP have recovered a stolen motorcycle after they said a thief tried to park the bike with a good Samaritan who figured something was up.

On Wednesday evening, Mounties got a call about a suspicious person outside a home on Highway 8 in the RM of St. Andrews, said an RCMP release Friday.

Police say the suspect told a property owner that the bike had broken down and had asked to park it on the property until he could pick it up. The owner called the police and it was immediately determined the bike was stolen from the RM of East St. Paul. 

A little later, the suspect returned for the bike, but officers were already on the way and intervened, said RCMP. A 45-year-old St. Andrew man is now facing charges of possession of property obtained by crime. 

He was released with a pending court date.

Melting snow raising water levels in southern Manitoba

1:54 PM

The province’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre says snow melt has begun in parts of Manitoba and is already resulting in rising water levels.

The province said on Friday that as a result a high-water advisory has been issued for the Assiniboine River from the Shellmouth Dam to Portage la Prairie.

Next week’s predicted warmer temperatures are expected to increase both the melt and ice movement across southern and central Manitoba.

As well, the province said runoff is expected to start next week in the Interlake where some communities, including Peguis First Nation, are bracing for the potential of a flood as high as a devastating one in 2022.

Freezing rain to blame for Friday morning accidents in southeastern Manitoba: RCMP

1:33 PM

RCMP were busy Friday morning after snow and freezing rain caused slick road conditions in southeastern Manitoba

Between 3:45 a.m. and 9 a.m., officers responded to five incidents, including a vehicle in the ditch in the RM of Morris, a minivan that slid off the Trans-Canada Highway into the ditch near Lorette, a semi-truck jackknifed on Highway 75 and three semis that slid off the road or jackknifed on Highway 75 north of Morris.

No one was hurt, RCMP said in an email.

Mounties also responded to a vehicle that went into the ditch on the north Perimeter Highway around 9 a.m., resulting in what appears to be minor injuries to the driver.

Environment Canada issued freezing rain warnings for the area but lifted them by late morning.

Selkirk man arrested in ‘gas and dash’ blitz

12:00 PM

RCMP have charged a 39-year-old Selkirk man with stealing a vehicle and then fueling up at multiple gas stations in the Interlake without paying.

On Wednesday Stonewall RCMP received two reports of a gas and dash at a gas station on Progress Way in Warren, at 3:30 p.m. and just before 7 p.m. Officers also learned that the suspect vehicle was reported stolen from Winnipeg and that it was seen stealing fuel from a business on Main Street in Selkirk earlier that day.

Officers went to the business in Warren and were told the stolen vehicle was now parked at the South Interlake Rec Centre. The vehicle was located and Colin Groves was charged with possession of property obtained by crime, two counts of theft under $5,000 and three counts of failing to comply with a release order. He remains in custody.

The investigation is ongoing.

Winnipeg woman accused of tampering with Hydro meter

9:15 AM

A Winnipeg woman is facing theft charges after a Manitoba Hydro employee discovered the electrical meter at her Glenwood residence had been tampered with.

The 46-year-old suspect is accused of stealing just over two weeks’ worth of power, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday.

According to the release, Manitoba Hydro installed a load limiter on the suspect’s electrical meter on March 12 because she had not paid her bill.

The account was settled on March 25 and a Hydro worker went to her home to uninstall the limiter. They then discovered the device had already been forcibly removed and tampered with, allowing the suspect to allegedly steal power between March 12 to March 30, WPS said.

Investigators arrested the woman on April 15. She is charged with mischief and theft under $5,000 and was released on an appearance notice.

In the release, police issued a warning that diverting or bypassing Hydro meters without paying is illegal. Instances of electrical tampering have increased significantly in recent years, WPS said.

Mayor, councillors to pitch water and sewer rate freeze

9:11 AM

A water and sewer rate freeze could be coming in 2027.

A proposal from councillors Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) and Ross Eadie (Mynarski) suggests the city could take its surplus from 2025’s water and sewer revenue and use it freeze 2027 water and sewer rates and expand affordability measures for homeowners struggling to pay their water and sewer bills.

If a freeze were approved, water and sewer rates would remain at current levels, rather than the previously-approved 4.2 per cent increase.

The allocation would require the provincial and federal governments to confirm their funding of the third and final phase of the North End sewage treatment plant.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he will support the motion when it is presented to the city council’s executive policy committee April 21.

“Winnipeggers are feeling the pressure of rising costs, and when we have an opportunity to keep services more affordable, we should take it,” Gillingham said in a press release. “This plan does that in a responsible way.”