Learning to live with COVID-19 requires permanent fixes to vulnerable settings

Fatal stabbing of Ukrainian newcomer left family shattered

A man who fatally stabbed a Ukrainian newcomer in “a random, unprovoked, and senseless act of violence” on the street has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Ethan Gladu, 22, was found guilty of manslaughter in February in the December 20, 2023 killing of Ivan Rubanik, a 46-year-old father of two who had fled to Canada for a better life with his family several months before.

Gladu, then 19, randomly stabbed Rubanik shortly before 8 a.m., near Talbot Avenue and Watt Street, as the victim was walking to work that morning. He died of blood loss soon after.

“The people of Winnipeg, or any community, should feel confident that they can go about their business, walk to work, support their family, and carry on with their lives without being attacked,” said Court of King’s Bench Justice Kenneth Champagne on Thursday afternoon as he sentenced the killer.

Low-income residents of 114-year-old downtown block staggered by proposed rent hikes

Marcel Blanchette’s life has not travelled down a smooth road.

In 2014, he was violently assaulted in his home, an unprovoked attack that left him with severe injuries, including permanent brain damage. He underwent months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. During that time, he learned his possessions had been sold off when the Office of The Public Guardian and Trustee took over his affairs.

Twelve years later, he finds himself in another fight. This time, it comes in the form of a proposal from the new owners of the Conway Court apartment block that would nearly double his monthly rent. While he’s been able to live in the Kennedy Street unit with the support of disability income assistance for nearly five years, the sudden spike, he said, could leave him homeless.

“To go through that, and now I’m going through this, it’s another obstacle,” Blanchette told the Free Press. “I fought the Public Guardian and Trustee, and I’ll fight this too, with whatever I have.”

Elders bless, open city’s first urban all-season sweat lodge

Indigenous Winnipeggers now have access to sweat lodge ceremonies all year long.

On Friday Ka Ni Kanichihk unveiled Winnipeg’s first urban, all-seasons sweat lodge. The organization will hold ceremonies throughout the year, giving people who live in the city equitable access to the sacred ritual.

“We’re now going to be able to offer ceremony for relatives that can’t access a sweat ceremony outside the city because of financial restraint or that kind of thing,” said Wally Chartrand, a cultural advisor for Ka Ni Kanichihk.

The sweat lodge itself is enclosed in a cedar-panelled building equipped with washrooms and benches. Outside the building is a fire pit enclosed with a seating area and plants which are used as traditional Indigenous medicine during the ceremonies.

Mole Mobile on move for your dermatological needs

This weekend, the Mole Mobile will set up shop at three Winnipeg Walmart locations. The mobile clinic will have certified dermatologists on site to screen suspicious-looking moles or lesions for skin cancer.

Fragile settings must be fixed now, Tam says

OTTAWA - Canada's chief public health officer warned Monday there is still a lot we don't know about the virus that causes COVID-19, but said stopping this pandemic or preventing a future one will require more than just physical distancing and handwashing.

Dr. Theresa Tam said we simply do not know yet whether someone who has had COVID-19 will be immune from getting it again, or how long that immunity will last. The World Health Organization warned last week it is premature to give the all-clear for resuming normal activities to people who have recovered from COVID-19, because there is some evidence that some patients have contracted the novel coronavirus a second time.

Tam said Monday these are critical questions the immunity task force she is part of seek to answer as Canada tries to make critical decisions about how to lift the extreme restrictions on public gatherings without throwing the door wide open for the virus to spread rapidly amongst the population.

But Tam said what she does know is that to stop COVID-19, and to prepare better for the next wave of this or another global virus, Canada has got to do something immediately to address the "social, cultural and economic" conditions she said contributed to allowing COVID-19 to disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and essential workers.

Province fogging in West St. Paul due to high counts of West Nile-carrying mosquitoes

Manitoba Health will conduct a third round of fogging in the RM of West St. Paul due to high counts of a West Nile virus-carrying mosquito and a high infection rate in the area.

The province said spraying of the DeltaGard 20EW insecticide is scheduled to happen this weekend, as long as weather conditions are suitable, to reduce the risk of human exposure, which remains high.

The RM of West St. Paul will notify residents when the date is confirmed. The date will be published on the Manitoba Health’s website.

Manitoba has reported one confirmed and three probable human cases of West Nile virus in 2026. The confirmed case was in Prairie Mountain Health region in western Manitoba. Two probable cases were in Interlake-Eastern and one was in Southern Health.