The Wrap: McCreary killings, free birth control, U of M lawsuit, SkipTheDishes layoffs

The man linked to the killings of three people in a shocking suspected murder-suicide in a small Manitoba community last week was hit with a restraining order in 2023 by his estranged common-law wife — believed to be the daughter of two of the homicide victims.

Erik Pindera reports on what’s known about the suspect and those he killed.

Free prescription contraceptives will be available to Manitobans starting Oct. 1.

The province has a plan to roll out free prescription contraceptives even to the many Manitobans who don’t have a family doctor to prescribe them, the health minister told the Free Press today.

The plan is expected to cover hormonal pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants, but not condoms or the “morning-after pill” which are both available without a prescription.

Carol Sanders reports from the legislature.

The University of Manitoba is suing an ex-law dean to recover hundreds of thousands of public dollars he spent on upgrading his resumé with U.S. Ivy League courses, joining members-only clubs and covering personal bills.

Jonathan Black-Branch’s five-year deanship at Robson Hall was cut short in 2020 when an internal investigation found he had mismanaged and misused both operating and endowment funds.

A new lawsuit is accusing Black-Branch of misspending $660,944.60 and scheming to evade oversight.

SkipTheDishes is drastically reducing its Canadian workforce, announcing Tuesday morning that 100 corporate employees and 700 operations employees will be let go.

It is expected a significant number of the layoffs will be from its Winnipeg workforce.

Officials with the delivery service app would not agree to interviews, but the Free Press was assured its Winnipeg office (and Toronto and Calgary offices) would remain open and its Canadian headquarters would remain in Winnipeg.

Martin Cash reports for our business section.