Student injured after encounter with homeless person during outdoor gym class School investigates allegations of provocation
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/09/2025 (388 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A St. Vital high school has paused some outdoor gym classes and is investigating after a student was hurt following an encounter with a homeless person living in Dakota Forest.
A Grade 9 student at Collège Jeanne-Sauvé was injured Tuesday after an incident with a homeless man during gym class.
The class was participating in forest exploration at about 9:15 a.m. when students walked by a tent set up in Dakota Forest.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
A trail in Dakota Forest, where a student was injured in an incident involving a homeless person Tuesday.
A homeless person came out of the tent and chased after the group, catching up with one of the students, Collège Jeanne-Sauvé principal Sharad Srivastava said in a notice sent to parents.
Louis Riel School Division superintendent Christian Michalik said the student suffered from some scratches, but did not require medical attention. He did not elaborate on the altercation between the man and the student.
Michalik said he’s aware of allegations the students provoked the man by throwing sticks at his tent and calling him names. The school is investigating.
“If it’s determined that indeed, some students have engaged in name-calling, throwing objects at the individual living in the tent, there will be consequences,” Michalik said Wednesday. “It isn’t at all in keeping with our values in LRSD.”
The superintendent said those allegations came to light after Tuesday’s incident.
Police were called and went to the scene. Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said in an email Wednesday that officers “carried out a full investigation of the incident and determined there were insufficient grounds to charge the involved male.”
“If it’s determined that indeed, some students have engaged in name-calling, throwing objects at the individual living in the tent, there will be consequences.”
Police gave the man resources to social services and advised him to move his tent from the forest, Chancy said.
Michalik said classes involving the forest were paused temporarily and students and staff were advised to avoid the wooded area.
The incident comes on the heels of Coun. Cindy Gilroy’s amended motion to establish “no-go” zones for homeless encampments, including spaces designed for children and families.
If approved by council, the city would prohibit camps near playgrounds, pools, splash pads, community gardens, rail lines, transit shelters, bridges and on a median or traffic island.
The Dakota Forest has several walking trails and a splash pad, fieldhouse and community centre beside it.
“We do have to put some parameters on where we’re going to allow encampments and where we’re not going to allow encampments for this very reason.”
Gilroy said the incident underscores the need for these no-go zones.
“We do have to put some parameters on where we’re going to allow encampments and where we’re not going to allow encampments for this very reason,” she said. “We are experiencing some scary incidences with the drug crisis that is out there. I want people to understand that it’s not necessarily about homelessness, this is about addiction and mental health issues that go with it.”
While enforcement would be carried out by bylaw officers, Gilroy said the public service could recommend social workers attend encampments to provide resources for the inhabitants.
The motion will move to council’s executive policy committee before a final vote. If approved, the public service must report back to council with a formal encampment policy within 60 days.
Michalik said the incident calls for a broader response to homelessness involving the city and province.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
A large forested area at the back of the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé property and Dakota Fieldhouse where a student was hurt. Grade 9 students walked by a tent set up in Dakota Forest during a forest exploration exercise.
“To ensure everyone’s safety and dignity,” he said.
nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca
Nicole Buffie
Multimedia producer
Nicole Buffie is a reporter for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College’s Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom as a multimedia producer in 2023. Read more about Nicole.
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