Funeral held for Quebec baseball broadcaster Rodger Brulotte

Seven years sought for serial harasser

Alexander Beaton finished serving a two-year jail sentence for criminally harassing six women and didn’t last two days in the community before he was back at it, sending unwanted obscene messages and videos to a dozen women.

Now prosecutors are seeking a seven-year prison sentence for the 30-year-old Winnipeg man, whose latest string of victims includes a police officer who investigated his earlier crimes.

“He essentially continued (offending) unabated,” Crown attorney Brett Rach told provincial court Judge Malcolm McDonald at a sentencing hearing Friday. “It caused more than a nuisance to these victims — it caused them to fear for their safety.”

Beaton pleaded guilty to 14 charges of criminal harassment, sending indecent communications and breaching court orders for a campaign of harassment waged between 2015 and 2025.

A clear example of doing things right

This week’s re-opening of a temporary emergency department in the flood-damaged Dauphin Regional Health Centre was described by government officials as a “monumental team effort.” It was certainly that, but the story about how the ER was restored so quickly is so much more.

Funeral held for Quebec baseball broadcaster Rodger Brulotte

SAINTE-THÉRÈSE - The funeral for longtime Quebec baseball commentator Rodger Brulotte was held Saturday morning in Sainte-Thérèse, north of Montreal.

Hundreds gathered to pay their respects, including several political and media figures.

His wife, Pascale Vallée, delivered an emotional tribute, alongside others from the world of sports broadcasting.

Brulotte, who died of cancer on March 20 at age 79, left a lasting mark on generations of baseball fans.

Police cracking down on gangs, organized crime in bars and lounges

Patrons can expect to see more police officers in and around bars and lounges in the coming months as the Winnipeg Police Service plans to crack down on gangs and organized crime.

Winnipeg, police and downtown crime

A safer downtown is not much use if people are still afraid to walk there.

That is the uncomfortable message from Winnipeg’s latest police citizen survey, and one city council should take seriously.

Downtown crime has fallen this year, according to the most recent police statistics. Violent crime is down even more. But for most Winnipeggers, the downtown still feels like a place to avoid, particularly after dark.

Only 44 per cent of survey respondents said they feel very or reasonably safe walking alone downtown during the day. At night, that number plunges to just eight per cent. Among women, it is an appalling three per cent, compared with 14 per cent of men.