Young pianist shows extraordinary talent

Police chief pulls plug on security shifts at supermarkets, stores

The Winnipeg Police Service is ending its years-long practice of allowing officers to pick up overtime shifts to provide additional security in supermarkets and other stores at retailers’ expense.

Letters, Aug. 27

Providing a safe work environment for bus drivers is a no-brainer. You could not pay me enough to take on the role and yet, in theory, it should be a good job, providing an essential service for many.

What’s up: Deep Purple, Sarper Güven, and Taste of Manitoba, Maryland Music, Must Be Nice Indigenous Comedy and Corn and Apple fests

Must Be Nice Indigenous Comedy FestivalDevil May Care Brewing Company, 155-A Fort St.Friday & Saturday, 7 p.m.Tickets $23 at EventbriteTreaty 1 comedians Jeff Gobeil and Kaitlynn Brightnose have had big, busy summers.

Gobeil, a member of Poplar River First Nation, is fresh off performing The Crown Witness Is a Stand-Up Comedian? at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. The hour-long solo show, which earned four stars from the Free Press, details how he reported his childhood sexual abuser to police and served as the Crown witness during the man’s trial, “with Gobeil striking a breathtaking balance between his harrowing life story and the comedic observations that have resulted,” according to our review.

He and Brightnose, who grew up between Pukatawagan and Cranberry Portage and is a regular at the Bannock Bums showcases at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, also performed at the Indigenous Comedy Showcase before headliner Jim Gaffigan’s set at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in July, along with fellow comedian Noah Robinson.

On Friday, they’ll headline the first night of Must Be Nice Indigenous Comedy Festival, a two-night showcase featuring Indigenous comedians from across Treaty territories. Robinson will also perform at the fest, along with a slate of other comics including Stephan Meechas, Sherry McKay, Issa Kixen and others. Single-night and weekend passes are available at Eventbrite.

Security guard, 22, stabbed by shoplifter at Dollarama store

A security guard was stabbed as he tried to stop a shoplifter at a Dollarama store in Winnipeg Tuesday, the latest in a string of violent incidents at the discount chain.

Winnipeg police were called to the outlet in the Courts of St. James, at 2727 Portage Ave., around 4 p.m.

Police said the guard, who is employed by Impact Security, had confronted a man suspected of shoplifting and directed him to leave the store. The suspect pulled out a sharp-edged weapon and stabbed the guard in the upper body before fleeing with stolen merchandise.

The guard, 22, was seriously injured and was taken to hospital in unstable condition. He was later upgraded to stable condition.

Motion seeks to remove longtime head of Southern Chiefs’ Organization due to ‘behaviour’ concerns

For the second time in a year, the leadership of Southern Chiefs’ Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels is being called into question.

A motion obtained by the Free Press calls “immediately” for a special summit of the 33 SCO chiefs to consider removing Daniels, who’s been at the helm since 2017.

The Aug. 17 motion, put forward by Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean and Bloodvein First Nation Chief Lisa Young, cites concerns about “governance, leadership, accountability, transparency, organizational decision-making and confidence of member Nations in the current leadership of the organization.”

McLean would not provide specific examples Wednesday but said the “behaviour” of Daniels is a concern.

Bombers give would-be boo birds their marching orders

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being criticized by some fans online for booking the University of North Dakota’s marching band for Friday’s game against Montreal.