Police investigating fire at Fontaine’s constituency office

The owners of a building leased by a Manitoba cabinet minister say two vandalism incidents in as many weeks are enough, and they want it to stop.

“We’re pretty upset about it,” Linda Orsulak told the Free Press. “We’re private citizens who own the building. This has nothing to do with politics, but they’re politicizing it.”

Linda and her husband, Richard Orsulak, own the 1,000-square-foot property that houses Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine’s constituency office at 1763 Main Street.

Winnipeg police said Tuesday their major crimes unit is investigating a fire after crews were called to the building around 5 a.m. The blaze was brought under control about 40 minutes later, according to a media release.

The minister’s office had its windows smashed just over one week ago. NDP cabinet minister and Point Douglas MLA Bernadette Smith’s North End constituency office has also been hit by fire four times, starting in early August.

“This is a serious matter that is currently under police investigation, so we will not be commenting further at this time,” a spokesperson for Fontaine told the Free Press.

Premier Wab Kinew addressed the incident during a speech at the Oodena Circle at The Forks, as part of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s annual Orange Shirt Healing Walk.

“I just want everyone here to make a ton of noise and send support to Nahanni Fontaine,” Kinew said. “We’ve got your back and everyone deserves to be safe when they go to work.”

Kinew told the crowd that in a time of rising division in the country, Manitobans need to keep the peace and keep calm, pointing to residential school survivors, who he said changed Canada for the better in an “entirely peaceful and compassionate way.”

On Tuesday, a sign hung on the front door that read: “Nahanni does not own building. Quit damaging it.” It was signed by Richard Orsulak.

Matthew Slobodzian, who owns Pizzaland next door to Fontaine’s office, said trouble began in early summer when Fontaine’s back door was kicked in.

“Then about a week and a half ago someone tried to smash out the front windows and tried to torch it from the front,” Slobodzian said. “As we know now, someone tried the same thing from the back and was able to ignite it successfully.”

Smoke stains above a boarded-up window were visible from the back of the building as two police cruisers guarded the property on Tuesday afternoon.

Slobodzian said he understands what kind of message the perpetrators are trying to send, but said it’s only affecting those in the community.

“It’s pretty unfortunate because she doesn’t own the building, so I’m sure she doesn’t care too much what happens to it,” Slobodzian said. “The neighbours and the tenants here have to live with all the chaos going on, and that’s kind of unfortunate because we want to keep the community as peaceful as possible.”

Fontaine came under fire earlier this month after an Instagram post that was critical of controversial Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, shortly after he was assassinated at a Utah college.

The post claimed that Kirk was a “racist, xenophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic” individual who “stood for nothing but hate.” It went on to say, “I extend absolutely no empathy for people like that.”

Fontaine later deleted the post and apologized.

“I apologize for sharing a post yesterday on the murder of Charlie Kirk. Violence has no place in our democracy. Political debate is achieved with words and discussion. In a world too often divided, we should strive to show empathy to everyone, even those we don’t agree with,” Fontaine’s written statement said.

Kinew stood by the minister, saying it would be “too easy” to fire her.

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“It would be too easy to show her the door,” Kinew said, adding he doesn’t believe in cancel culture. “People need to be brought along and shown … we need to be showing empathy and compassion to people even when we don’t agree with them.”

The premier said he would help Fontaine understand the need to “bring people together and not to divide people at this time.”

Kinew wouldn’t go into detail about their conversation, but hinted it touched on thinking twice before posting on social media.

He said he’s concerned about the threat faced by people in the public eye, such as himself and he understands the need to de-escalate issues and foster constructive conversations over hot-button topics.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.