News briefs for Friday, June 12, 2026

Marion Street closed over weekend for emergency repairs

7:42 PM

A portion of Marion Street will be closed for emergency repairs over the weekend. 

The closure will take place between Archibald Street and Panet Road/Dawson Street North starting at 6 p.m. Friday, said a City of Winnipeg news release. 

The street will remain closed until Sunday, with local access maintained through Dupuy Avenue, said the city.

Drivers are advised to give themselves extra time to get through the area as the closure is in place. 

Fewer work-related injuries reported by city staff in 2025

4:26 PM

City of Winnipeg employees filed fewer work-related injury and illness claims in 2025.

An annual workplace safety report notes the number dropped since the previous year, as did lost time due to injuries.

City staff filed 1,238 injury and illness claims with the Workers Compensation Board in 2025, down from 1,297 in 2024.

WCB time loss claims fell to 886, from 919, and the number of psychological claims fell to 182, from 207, during the same period.

However, the city spent more on claims last year, with the cost rising to $28.4 million in 2025, from $25.5 million in 2024. The extra costs were due primarily to a $2.1-million hike in WCB administration fees, the report notes.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and Winnipeg Transit continue to have the highest injury rates of all city staff, though both reported a reduction in lost time injuries in 2025.

“Work in these departments can involve increased risk of exposure to violence, traumatic events, and stress not experienced in other workplaces,” the report notes.

WFPS is adding a wellness clinic to add more employee support services, while Transit now offers a behavioural health resource nurse.

Mini cabins being constructed in St. Malo Provincial Park

1:39 PM

Manitobans will soon have a new opportunity to go glamping.

Six mini cabins are being constructed in St. Malo Provincial Park, offering outdoor enthusiasts a new “comfort camping” option, said a news release from the province Friday.

Located in the park’s Sunset Shores area, the new cabins — part of a $2.5 million investment from the province — will cost approximately $90 a night and will be available through the provincial reservation system.

The “made-in-Manitoba” cabins will have electrical connections, beds and a cooking area outside, but the province said parkgoers will have to bring their own bedding and cooking equipment.

The cabins can be booked for seven nights max and are expected to be completed later this summer. A new beach washroom is also in the works.

Manitobans are being encouraged to get outside this weekend, as entry to provincial parks is free and anglers can fish without a licence.

Campers are advised to check out the Manitoba Parks website to reserve the camping spaces and get informed on closures and advisories.

Teen charged in Thompson slaying

12:05 PM

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a 21-year-old Leaf Rapids man.

Officers located the boy on Thursday at about 11:30 p.m. while patrolling in Thompson, an RCMP news release Friday stated. He was set to be remanded into custody later today and charged with second-degree murder.

RCMP were sent to an open area off Princeton Drive in Thompson on May 20 at 2:20 a.m. after a report of a stabbing. The victim was taken to hospital, where he died. His name has not been released.

Two others were previously charged in the slaying. Marshall Merasty, 24, was charged with second-degree murder and Eternity Chastelaine, 19, was charged with manslaughter earlier this week.

Police had asked the public’s help to locate the three suspects.

Daughter of Amanda Lathlin aims for MLA seat

11:30 AM

Elise Lathlin is hoping to follow in her late mother’s footsteps.

Lathlin announced on social media this week she intends to seek the provincial NDP nomination in The Pas-Kameesak — the northern Manitoba constituency her mom, Amanda Lathlin, represented. Amanda died in March.

Elise is the granddaughter of Oscar Lathlin, a former Opaskwayak Cree Nation chief and provincial government cabinet minister.

Fewer than 100 customers still without power after storm

9:16 AM

Fewer than 100 Manitoba Hydro customers in the province, including about a dozen in Winnipeg, were still without power on Friday morning due to storms that wreaked havoc across Manitoba earlier this week.

The Crown corporation said crews had completed repairs on the last of the large outages across the capital and southern Manitoba. About 80 homes in the Balmoral area were also still affected.

Storm damage is still causing issues, Hydro media relations officer Peter Chura told the Free Press.

At around 4:30 a.m. Friday morning, tree branches brought down power lines in Windsor Park, causing outages for some 330 customers. Crews are working to safely restore power there as quickly as possible, but it could be several hours, Chura said.

“Some of the damaged power lines are in difficult-to-access areas where we can’t use heavy equipment.” he said. “These customers had already been without power for a couple of days due to the storm earlier this week and were just restored last night, so getting the power back on today is a priority.”

The aftermath of the storm has continue to cause issues, including a damaged hydro pole in East St. Paul that broke, causing an outage that affected more than 1,000 customers. Crews were able to repair the pole and restore power before the end of the night.

Hydro said that damaged equipment not yet detected or weakened trees and branches falling on power lines could still result in power disruptions in the days ahead.

Hydro, in a release, said damage this extensive and outages so numerous and widespread is rare for a summer storm in the province.

One person in unstable condition after North End blaze

9:05 AM

One person was taken to hospital in unstable condition after a house fire in Winnipeg’s North End on Thursday afternoon.

Fire crews responded to reports of a fire at a single-storey home in the 1300 block of Magnus Avenue just after 4 p.m.

Upon arrival, crews encountered smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters entered the home and launched an interior attack, bringing the fire under control by 4:30 p.m.

Paramedics treated one individual at the scene before transporting them to hospital in unstable condition. No other injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage estimates were not immediately available.