Province issues reminder about free birth control policy

‘Frustrated’ Selkirk nurses plead for help

The province must take immediate action to increase low staffing levels that are putting Selkirk emergency room nurses at risk, a letter sent to the premier and health minister says.

The letter, sent by the Manitoba Nurses Union and signed by 35 ER nurses, detailed multiple recent incidents at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre. In one case, a nurse was stabbed with a pen by a patient who had been waiting 24 hours for care. In another case, a nurse was bitten by a patient.

“Nurses in that emergency department are extremely frustrated,” said Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson. “This is not something that happened in the last month — or overnight — these are problems that have been growing.”

The five-page letter was sent Tuesday to Premier Wab Kinew, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and leaders of the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. It contained 10 requests to improve safety inside the emergency department, including establishing safer nurse-to-patient staffing levels, eliminating the practice of “single physician coverage” in the emergency department and implementing an institutional safety officer around the clock.

Man pleads guilty to shotgun slaying

A WINNIPEG drug dealer has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a March 2025 killing that saw the body of a 30-year-old man dumped in a garbage bin and dragged to a West End alleyway.

Frederick Francis Mathias Baker, who was 28 upon his arrest early last year, shot Bronson Emery Dale Kequahtooway once in the thigh with a sawed-off shotgun and left him with a fatal wound, Crown prosecutor Matt Armstrong told Court of King’s Bench Justice Brian Bowman on Wednesday.

A split second after Baker shot Kequahtooway in the thigh, the victim was shot in the head with a sawed-off .22 rifle. The man accused of being armed with the rifle, Eric Matthew Morrissette, remains before the court on a second-degree murder charge.

“Either wound would have been fatal on its own,” said Armstrong.

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.”

Province issues reminder about free birth control policy

After learning that a pharmacy in the province was still charging for prescription birth control recently, the government reminded Manitobans they have been eligible to receive it free for the past 18 months.

Mole Mobile on move for your dermatological needs

After soaking up the summer sun, there’s no better time to get a skin checkup.

This weekend, the Mole Mobile will set up shop at three Winnipeg Walmart locations. The mobile clinic, which receives support from the Canadian Dermatology Association, will have certified dermatologists on site to screen suspicious-looking moles or lesions for skin cancer on a first-come, first-served basis.

First launched in 2023 in Ontario, the Mole Mobile is intended to promote prevention and early detection of skin cancer. Last weekend, the clinic visited Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Selkirk, a first for Manitoba.

“We saw a number of patients who had spots that they weren’t sure if they were normal or not,” says Dr. Alexis Botkin, a local dermatologist working the Manitoba Mole Mobile stops. “It was wonderful to provide that skin screening for people who were on a wait list (to see a specialist), as well as those who don’t have a primary care provider.”