News briefs for Friday, July 17, 2026

Brown starts for Bombers vs. former team

3:55 PM

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea officially ruled out quarterback Zach Collaros on Sunday, which means Dru Brown gets the call on Sunday against the Ottawa Redblacks.

Collaros has been dealing with a neck issue and will miss a second consecutive game, so Brown will make his second start in his second stint with the Bombers against his former team — where he was the starting quarterback for two seasons before Ryan Dinwiddie took over as head coach and general manager and brought in Jake Maier as his replacement.

Brown addressed the issue earlier this week and O’Shea isn’t concerned about Brown getting caught up in any potential distractions going into the game against the Redblacks, who are 0-5.

“Once again, I think it’s one of those things that the media has to cover,” O’Shea said after Friday’s closed practice. “I’ve said it a couple of times already, (Brown’s) emotional intelligence is extremely high. I don’t really ever worry about highs and lows with that guy.”

Brown completed 25 of 31 passes for 339 yards with one touchdown and one interception in last Friday’s 31-21 victory over the Toronto Argonauts.

Stretch of Lagimodiere Boulevard to close for railway repairs

3:35 PM

A stretch of northbound Lagimodiere Boulevard will be closed to traffic for several days.

The city will close the road between Marion Street and Dugald Road at 6 p.m. Friday to accommodate railway repairs in the area.

Officials expect the northbound section of the road to re-open before rush hour on Monday morning. Southbound lanes won’t be closed.

The city warned motorists to expect delays in the area and advised them to detour via Marion Street, Archibald Street and Nairn Avenue.

Flin Flon woman, 56, missing since Thursday

3:33 PM

Flin Flon RCMP are searching for a woman who’s been missing since Thursday.

Patricia “Trish” Cousins, 56, was last seen on Thursday afternoon at a home on Hapnot Street in Flin Flon. She was reported missing to RCMP at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Mounties have conducted “extensive patrols” but have been unable to find Cousins.

Cousins is about 5-4 tall with a slender build and reddish-brown hair. She may be driving a dark blue Chevrolet Equinox with Manitoba licence plate LPX 427.

RCMP ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call the Flin Flon detachment at 204-687-1423.

Thompson RCMP use drone to track suspect after vehicle stop

1:55 PM

RCMP used drones to track a suspect who fled a vehicle stop off a northern highway on Thursday afternoon.

Thompson RCMP on patrol on Highway 391 at about 2:30 p.m. spotted a vehicle travelling toward them at a high speed.

The officers turned on their emergency lights and moved to pull the vehicle over, but it instead turned onto a gravel road off the highway.

The vehicle stopped at a dead end and one of the five individuals inside threw a can of bear spray into the ditch. More Mounties arrived and as officers were arresting one of the vehicle’s occupants, another ran off into dense bush.

The officers called for a police dog and launched several drones to help search for the man. Hours later, at about 8:30 p.m., a drone operator spotted the suspect hiding in the ditch along Highway 391, where officers arrested him.

Officers also found two cans of bear spray in the vehicle’s trunk.

A 21-year-old man is charged with dangerous driving and fleeing police, among other offences. A 15-year-old boy and three men aged 33, 24 and 24 were charged with weapons offences.

RCMP search for missing 18-year-old woman

11:52 AM

RCMP are searching for a young woman who’s been missing from the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul since early this month.

Trinity Daffey, 18, was reported missing to Selkirk RCMP on July 10. She was last seen in West St. Paul on July 2. Mounties believe she’s in Winnipeg and are concerned for her well-being.

She’s 5-6 tall, with a medium build, long black hair and a nose piercing. She was last wearing a white crop top, a grey Nike tracksuit and white Vans shoes.

RCMP ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call the Selkirk detachment at 204-482-1222, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Suspects sought after ATM dragged from Dauphin business

11:47 AM

RCMP are searching for two suspects who used a stolen utility task vehicle to steal an ATM from a Dauphin business early on Monday morning.

Mounties responded to an alarm at the business on the 1400 block of Dauphin’s Main Street just before 5 a.m., where they learned two individuals had driven up to the business in the UTV and smashed a window.

The suspects pried open the business’s door with a strap connected to the vehicle, then hooked the strap to an ATM inside and dragged it out before leaving the scene.

Mounties say the UTV, a 2012 Kubota RTV 900XT with Alberta licence plate UTZ62, had been stolen the night before from another business in Dauphin.

RCMP are trying to find the vehicle and identify the two suspects.

One suspect was wearing a black sweater with a hood and a white Reebok triangle logo on its front, as well as a dark-coloured mask and gloves. The other was wearing an ATV helmet with a full-face cover and with what looks like a “V” or “VH” written on the side.

RCMP ask anyone who can identify the suspects or provide information about the thefts to call the Dauphin detachment at 204-622-5020 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Fire crews douse three blazes since early Thursday

10:32 AM

Winnipeg firefighters extinguished three blazes in the city since early Thursday morning.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews raced to a home on the 500 block of Flora Avenue just before 6 a.m. on Thursday, where they found the house engulfed in flames and heavy smoke. Firefighters first attacked the blaze from the outside, before they knocked down the flames enough to get inside and get the fire under control by about 6:40 a.m. No one was hurt, but residents were displaced.

Then at about 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, crews were called to another house fire on the 1100 block of Alfred Avenue, where they found smoke coming from the home. Firefighters got the fire quickly under control, but paramedics took two residents to hospital in stable condition.

Early on Friday, just before 7:30 a.m., crews went to a multi-unit building on the 500 block of Sherbrook Street, where they found smoke coming from the structure. It took just over 20 minutes to get that fire under control.

Four arrested after man beaten, kidnapped, left in woods in Killarney-Turtle Mountain

10:13 AM

RCMP have arrested four suspects after a 19-year-old man was attacked and kidnapped in the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain on Monday.

The assault was reported to Killarney RCMP at about 11:20 p.m. Monday. RCMP were told the victim was getting into his car when several men attacked him, held him down, wrapped him in a blanket and bound his ankles and hands with duct tape, Mounties said in a news release Friday.

The suspects then hit him with a stick, took two cellphones and two knives from him, loaded him into the back of an off-road vehicle and drove him to a wooded area, RCMP say.

The suspects — some of whom were partially masked — fled.

The victim managed to free himself and make it home, where he called the RCMP.

Four individuals from the municipality have since been arrested.

Justin Gross, 31, Gideon Walder, 22, and Jayden Waldner, 26, are each charged with forcible confinement, disguise with intent, overcome resistance to commit an indictable offence and robbery. A 16-year-old boy is charged with similar offences.

The men were released from custody.