“Dumpster fire” added to dictionary

Frustration, not fear, as Exchange swells after drug crackdown

Natassia Brazeau says she doesn’t feel unsafe living and working in Winnipeg’s Exchange District — instead, she feels heartbreak.

She said that feeling intensified last week during the Winnipeg Police Service’s controversial 10-day crackdown on open drug use and drug trafficking which pushed people away from the Main Street strip.

Brazeau, who owns a business in the area, said she has never seen so many people head to the Exchange District at once.

“I’m absolutely enraged at the police response last week,” Brazeau said. “Not only was that incredibly short-sighted and doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t assist anyone that are already in incredibly vulnerable situations.”

Convicted arsonist accused in Walmart blaze, caused $10M in damage

A convicted arsonist on probation is accused of setting a blaze inside the Walmart at St. Vital Centre on Monday that’s believed to have caused more than $10 million in damage.

“A fire was set in the middle of a busy place,” said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Claude Chancy.

“It’s a pretty rare incident. We don’t know what the motives were for the suspect committing this act, but (it’s) very lucky that no one was injured or hurt.”

Ronald Marmito Amigo, 47, was arrested by police bail compliance officers on the 300 block of Furby Street on Thursday. He had a small amount of methamphetamine and a lighter on him, police said.

Mayor flip-flops on cutting tree-planting budget after intense criticism

Public opposition has prompted Mayor Scott Gillingham to change his mind about chopping $1.2 million from the city’s tree-planting program.

‘Difficult day’ as man pleads guilty to impaired driving in bride-to-be’s death near Portage

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — Driving a stolen truck with meth in his system, James Lorne Hilton lost control on a highway near Portage la Prairie last winter and caused a crash that killed a beloved bride-to-be, court heard Thursday.

Hilton, 25, appeared in the Court of King’s Bench and pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and failing to remain at the scene of the Jan. 15, 2025, collision that killed 28-year-old Kellie Verwey.

“This is a difficult day,” Crown prosecutor Mike Himmelman said as the proceedings began, addressing more than a dozen of Verwey’s family, friends and supporters who gathered in court to hear Hilton admit to his crimes.

Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Himmelman described how Hilton was driving westbound on Highway 26 on the morning of the collision when he veered into the opposing lane and caused another pickup truck to lose control.

Colourful folk festival campground a hive of creative activity

The 51st annual Winnipeg Folk Festival had yet to commence, but festivities in the campground were already in full swing.

The festival campground opened early Wednesday morning and provides a temporary home to more than 6,000 residents during the four-day music festival at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

By Thursday afternoon, the area had been transformed into a sea of colourful tents and trailers. A steady stream of campers could be seen hauling wagons from the parking lot loaded with essentials: coolers and tarps, sleeping bags and sunscreen.

Others brought a little more than the basics.

Steinbach to be Jersey Mike’s local launch pad

Steinbach will be the ‘roll model’ for future local expansion when U.S. submarine sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s opens its first Manitoba location next week.

The grand opening for the restaurant at 17 Market Blvd. is July 15. Redberry Restaurants, the Mississauga, Ont.-based franchisee firm that’s brought the chain to Canada, plans to open “a couple” Jersey Mike’s shops in Winnipeg next year, a company executive said.

“As we hire more people — more managers, more staff members — Steinbach will become our centre for training and helping us grow in the province of Manitoba,” said Paul Pascal, vice-president of Jersey Mike’s Canada.

Founded in 1956 in the New Jersey borough of Point Pleasant under the name Mike’s Giant Submarine Shop, Jersey Mike’s now counts more than 3,200 restaurants around the world.