Father of Captain Canuck returns to Winnipeg

Man accused of stabbing security guard has record of thefts

The man accused of stabbing a security guard at a Winnipeg grocery store last week left jail in early August after admitting to several thefts from retail stores and an assault at a Sobeys earlier this year.

Winnipeg Police Service officers were called to the FreshCo store on the 600 block of Sargent Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday over an assault.

The suspect had tried to leave the grocery store without paying for merchandise before a confrontation broke out and he pulled out a knife outside the store, police said on Sunday. The guard, a 24-year-old man, was taken to hospital in critical condition and later upgraded to stable.

Peter Edwin Morrison Black, 23, has been charged with robbery, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was detained in custody. He was arrested on Saturday, the day after the stabbing, in the area of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street.

Health-care workers worry province rushing to open temporary Dauphin hospital

The province says it is on track to reopen the flood-damaged Dauphin hospital emergency department on Labour Day, but some of health-care workers worry the reopening is being rushed.

The temporary emergency department will operate on the main floor of Dauphin Regional Health Centre, using temporary power and water while restoration work continues in other areas of the hospital. The facility was forced to close on July 1 after significant flooding hit the region. More than 50 patients had to be evacuated.

When it opens Sept. 7, the temporary emergency department will provide services 24-7, a Manitoba government news release said.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said it’s her understanding crews are “rapidly cleaning” an area of the flooded hospital, but said critical necessities, like running water and flushing toilets, will be missing.

Committee vote brings outdoor learning facility one step closer for Riel school division

Plans for an outdoor education facility that would host Indigenous and land-based learning for the Louis Riel School Division are moving forward.

The one-storey, 10,869-square-foot (1,010-square-metre) building would feature three classrooms, seven offices, multi-purpose rooms, workstations and common areas. The site would also offer an entry plaza and an outdoor classroom on 8.2 acres (3.3 hectares) of land at 3280 St. Mary’s Rd. in the St. Vital Perimeter South neighbourhood.

Existing buildings would remain and be used as a bus maintenance shop, outdoor material storage sheds and a covered outdoor work area.

Once the facility is built, students could take field trips to the site to learn about the environment, as well as Indigenous culture.

Father of Captain Canuck returns to Winnipeg

Actor Jay Baruchel may be the biggest star to come to Winnipeg as one of the “celebrity guests” of the Central Canada Comic Con this weekend, alongside genre luminaries such as Renee O’Connor (of Xena fame), John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings) and Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation). 

But in a way, Baruchel comes to the event riding the coattails of comic book writer-artist Richard Comely, who created and published the maple-flavoured superhero Captain Canuck from Winnipeg back in 1975.

Baruchel is behind the relaunch of Captain Canuck in his capacity as investor, owner and chief creative officer of Chapterhouse, a Canadian comic book publisher tasked with creating a new, unified comic universe for Canadian heroes, including Cap and Northguard.

Comely, 67, on the phone from his home in Ingersoll, Ont., says he will arrive to participate at C4 on Friday, and looks forward to returning to his old hometown, although he emphasizes he was not Winnipeg-born.

New businesses start to creep up in former Winnipeg Slurpee shops

The remnants of 7-Eleven can still be seen as new businesses move into spaces where Slurpee machines and taquitos once ruled.

As fresh paint dries on several new ventures — such as a pizza place and a convenience store with a name that might make a customer do a double-take — holes across Winnipeg once occupied by the international convenience chain are slowly being filled.

Business at a Domino’s Pizza in Elmwood, formerly a 7-Eleven, has been booming since it opened June 1, the store manager said.

“The issues that 7-Eleven would have had might be different than what we would have. They were dealing with a lot of theft where people can just walk in and out, but Domino’s isn’t set up that way,” said Paul Hemmerling.

Port of Churchill celebrates first grain shipment in six years

Approximately 30,000 tonnes of Canadian durum wheat from Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods is being loaded at the northern Manitoba port and will be shipped to customers in Europe.