An extreme cold warning that had been in effect for Winnipeg and much of Manitoba since Feb. 5 ended Tuesday.
The provincial government announced this morning that all its winter roads will be open this week, with one exception.
John Longhurst, a longtime faith writer for the Free Press, was given the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Advancement of Interreligious Understanding in a virtual ceremony last night.
— Adam Treusch, assignment editor
Fatal fire
Firefighters investigate at the scene of a fatal fire in a homeless encampment off Higgins Avenue on Tuesday. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)
Victim of ‘apathy’: In his latest column, Niigaan Sinclair says the person killed in a fire at a homeless camp Tuesday “was a victim of this city’s apathy, neglect and refusal to address its myriad poverty, housing and health issues.”
Weather
Your forecast: Sunny with a high of -17 C, wind chill as low as -39 this morning and wind from the south at 10 km/h.
What’s happening today
An injection kit at a supervised drug-consumption site in Surrey, B.C. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press files)
At city hall: The City of Winnipeg’s executive policy committee might hear a motion calling for the city to explore creating a supervised drug-consumption site. The committee would first have to suspend an order prohibiting items received fewer than four business days before the meeting from being considered. The committee will also discuss a report calling for amendments to city policy that would make permanent residents of Canada eligible for appointments to boards and commissions.
New COVID-19 numbers: Health officials will release Manitoba’s latest COVID-19 numbers this afternoon. The province announced four deaths and 167 new cases Tuesday after not releasing data on Louis Riel Day. One possible case of the U.K. variant on a northern First Nation has yet to be confirmed, while seven suspected cases of the variant on Pauingassi First Nation were ruled out Tuesday. Danielle Da Silva and Dylan Robertson report.
Set for sentencing: A sentencing hearing is slated for Brayden Bushby — who was found guilty of manslaughter for throwing a trailer hitch at Barbara Kentner, an Indigenous woman, from a passing vehicle — in Thunder Bay.
Road trip continues: The Winnipeg Jets face the Oilers in Edmonton for the second consecutive game. The teams face off at 9 p.m. CT. Meanwhile, Mike McIntyre has a column on how trading away Jacob Trouba has worked out well for the Jets.
Students abducted from school: Gunmen have killed at least one pupil and abducted more than 40 people, including about 26 students, from a school in Nigeria. The Associated Press reports.
In case you missed it
Insp. Max Waddell of the Winnipeg Police Service shows off some of the seized weapons last October. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)
Guilty plea for guns: A Windsor Park man pleaded guilty to six weapon-related charges Tuesday after police found dozens of guns in his home, including an AK-47 assault rifle. Dean Pritchard reports.
On this date
On Feb. 17, 1991: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that, barring an Iraqi surrender or diplomatic deal in the next three days, the United States was planning to unleash a massive ground, air and sea assault on Iraqi troops in Kuwait and southern Iraq. In Manitoba, a man who watched his friend die under falling rock in a Flin Flon mining accident couldn't believe he had escaped unharmed; the cave-in took place at the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting mine in Trout Lake. Manitoba schools were caught between rising costs and scarce resources; a Free Press series looked at the challenges facing the education system in the province.
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