Councillor calls for permanent bike lanes on Wellington stretch

The chair of Winnipeg’s public works committee wants to scrap plans for temporary bike lanes on a one-kilometre stretch of Wellington Crescent and immediately proceed with a permanent protected route.

Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) said a city staff report released Wednesday reinforces why it’s time to install permanent lanes instead of a temporary approach, which would only marginally improve safety, significantly disrupt traffic and add to visual clutter.

The permanent lanes — between Stradbrook Avenue and Academy Road — would improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, maintain smooth traffic flow, improve the streetscape in a way that respects the character of Wellington Crescent, and provide long-term value for taxpayers, Lukes said in a news release.

She said she will move a motion at a March 4 committee meeting to ask staff to immediately proceed with the design and construction of permanent protected bike lanes, rather than a temporary design.

First Nations awaiting Hydro consults

With licences for two major Manitoba Hydro projects set to expire later this year, affected First Nations await consultation — and want to see change.

Licences for the Churchill River Diversion and Lake Winnipeg Regulation projects, first issued in the 1970s, expire Sept. 1 and Aug. 1, respectively.

The diversion directs water to five stations accounting for roughly 75 per cent of Manitoba’s power generation. The latter project allows Hydro to generate power by manipulating Lake Winnipeg’s water levels.

There is no timeline for the licence renewals, said Environment Minister Mike Moyes. He said that would be dependent on consultations with impacted First Nations.

Ex-teacher, retired priest named in separate lawsuits involving historical sex crime accusations

A former teacher and a retired priest, who both were previously brought before Manitoba criminal courts on sex crime charges, have been accused in separate lawsuits over historical sexual abuse allegations.

Retired Catholic priest Arthur Masse and former teacher Kenneth MacKinnon Mealey have been accused of sex assaults in lawsuits recently filed in the Court of King’s Bench by a Vancouver law firm that specializes in alleged sex abuse cases, Prezler Law.

Masse was acquitted in 2023 of a charge of indecent assault, which was alleged to have occurred on a schoolgirl more than 50 years ago at Fort Alexander Residential School. He was 93 at the time of his acquittal.

It’s unclear whether he’s still alive. The lawsuit names the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate — a religious order of which Masse was a member — and its administrative non-profit, OMI Lacombe, as defendants, but not Masse himself.

RCMP warn public about Mountie impersonation scam

Manitoba RCMP are warning the public of a new online scam in which fraudsters are impersonating Mounties.

RCMP say the scammers send a text or email to an individual that connects to a video conference call with someone claiming to be an officer.

If the person who receives the text or email clicks on the link, the fraudster then typically tries to convince their would-be victim they could be arrested unless they send gift cards or bitcoin, Mounties say.

In some cases, the fraudsters try to convince potential victims there’s a warrant out for their arrest that can be cancelled — if they send gift cards or bitcoin.

Travellers from ‘Peg excited to fly to Mexico despite recent violence

Federal government has advised travellers to Mexico to be cautious after flights resumed following the eruption of violence on the weekend.

Construction begins on Indigenous healing space a decade in the making

After more than a decade of fighting for reconciliation, a Métis doctor has led the charge to create a new cultural space for Indigenous kids seeking care at Children’s Hospital.

Police liaison on HQ project tells inquiry he had concerns about costs, took them to superiors

A police liaison on the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters project said he feared he was being kept in the dark on some financial details, especially as cost overruns emerged.

Randy Benoit, who served as the liaison on the project for 2 1/2 years, said he grew quite frustrated as he repeatedly heard about overruns from key contractor Caspian Projects, though he had little knowledge of the original budget.

“There’s something else going on around me that’s being kept from me, and I’m suspicious of that,” Benoit said Tuesday at the public inquiry into the project.

The comment came in response to a November 2011 email displayed at the hearing in which someone else referred to Benoit as being angry about the project.

Canada pledges $8 million in food aid for Cuba as U.S. fuel blockade continues

OTTAWA - Canada is sending $8 million in food aid to Cuba, where a U.S. oil blockade has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and MP Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, said Wednesday the funding is meant to address urgent needs.

The money will be delivered through United Nations agencies instead of the Cuban government.

"The humanitarian situation in Cuba is becoming quite grave," Sarai told reporters Wednesday.

Winnipeg doctor hit with interim suspension

A Winnipeg doctor who was sanctioned for professional misconduct in 2024 has been put on an interim suspension.

Dr. Daljit Singh Gill, who practises internal medicine, was issued the interim suspension by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba on Friday.

The reasons for the temporary suspension are unclear and no terms or conditions are attached to the interim suspension.

“Since the suspension is interim, we cannot disclose anything further at this time,” said Wendy Elias-Gagnon, a spokeswoman for the college.