Tracing destructive trail
Graham James
‘Always the odd guy out’: The second part in our series on the legacy of sexual predator and former coach Graham James explores his early years and how someone who “didn’t have a mean bone in his body” became, as his lawyer once called him, “the most hated man in hockey.” The third instalment of sports reporter Jeff Hamilton’s series will be posted on our website at about noon today. READ MORE
Affidavit alleges abuse: A young hockey player Graham James recruited to play for the Winnipeg Warriors in the 1980s says in an affidavit filed in Ontario last week that he was placed in the home of a convicted sex offender as a billet. The unnamed player says the team’s general manager warned him he might lose his spot on the team when he asked to be placed in another home. Jeff Hamilton reports. READ MORE
Complaint filed with cops: Jay Macaulay, a former junior hockey player whose allegations of abuse by Graham James were reported by the Free Press days ago, has launched an official complaint with Winnipeg police. Jeff Hamilton reports. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: Periods of light snow with a high of -12 C, a daytime low of -16 C, wind chill as low as -24 and wind from the south at 15 km/h until mid-afternoon.
What’s happening today
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Adrienne Dudek, director of supportive and transitional housing, poses for a portrait at the Main Street Project’s newly renovated shelter and day drop in space, which will be opening up on Tuesday, at 637 Main Street in Winnipeg on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020.
Shelter space set to open: Main Street Project’s new emergency shelter and drop-in space in the former Mitchell Fabrics store on Main Street is opening its doors. “This building reflects everything that we have wanted to do and that we’ve believed we could do for a really long time,” Adrienne Dudek said. Nicole Brownlee reports. READ MORE
Winnipeg sailor missing at sea: The search continues for a master sailor from Winnipeg believed to have accidentally fallen overboard from a Canadian Navy vessel west of San Francisco on Monday. The ship turned back along its route after someone noticed Duane Earle was missing. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Committee considers budget: The City of Winnipeg’s executive policy committee is holding a special meeting to review the 2021 budget. City council as a whole will vote on the budget Wednesday. READ MORE
Reconciliation commission’s report: Five years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report was released, its three commissioners say they are worried about the pace of the progress being made. “We need to recognize that there is still some resistance on the part of some elements of Canadian society,” Manitoba Sen. Murray Sinclair, the commission’s chairman, said. A news conference will be held this morning to mark the anniversary. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Final witness in Toronto trial: The last witness in the trial of a man who admitted to killing 10 people by driving a van on a Toronto sidewalk is expected to finish testifying. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Scott Woodside said Alek Minassian knew his actions were morally wrong and was partly motivated by a desire for infamy. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
In case you missed it
RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESA memo with the subject line “Reminder: Only authorized spokespersons are permitted to speak to media” was circulated among some HSC staff recently.
Muzzled by memo: The Manitoba Nurses Union says a memo reminding some Health Sciences Centre staff members that only “authorized spokespersons” are permitted to speak to journalists sends the wrong message. “It has the effect of discouraging advocacy, and it has a negative impact on morale, as staff feel muzzled,” MNU president Darlene Jackson said. Carol Sanders reports. READ MORE
Big buy: People Corp., a Winnipeg-based group and retirement benefits and human resource services company, has been acquired by the private equity division of Goldman Sach for $1.13 billion. Martin Cash reports. READ MORE
On this date
On Dec. 15, 1927: The Manitoba Free Press reported that in Quebec City, scores of children died in a fire that spread from the basement of Hospice St. Charles throughout the rest of the building. U.S. aviator Charles Lindbergh landed in Mexico City in a non-stop, 2,100-mile flight from Washington; his late arrival, a cause of growing concern before he landed, was due to fog along the way. Great Britain was set to pay the U.S. $92,575,000 of its debt from the Great War. In Buffalo, N.Y., a man, his wife and their son were electrocuted by a home-made radio aerial; they were erecting it on a roof when it established contact with a high-tension wire.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE
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