News briefs for April 12, 2021

Connor McClennon scored twice and Conor Geekie added a single to power the Winnipeg Ice to a 3-1 win over the Regina Pats in WHL East Division hub action at the Brandt Centre.

Carl Stankowski made 22 stops in the Winnipeg net while Pats goaltender Roddy Ross had 30 saves. 

The Winnipeg Jets built an early 2-0 lead, only to surrender four straight goals en route to a 4-2 defeat to the Ottawa Senators Monday night.

Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers gave the visitors the strong start they were hoping for with first-period goals, but it was all downhill from there.

Brady Tkachuk and Connor Brown tied it later in the opening frame, and then Evgenii Dadonov and Tkachuk found the back of the net in the third period.

Ottawa snaps a four-game losing streak and improve to 14-25-4. Winnipeg has a three-game win streak halted and fall to 25-14-3.

The two teams meet again Wednesday night in the nation’s capital.

The Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators are tied 2-2 after one period in the nation’s capital.

Kyle Connor opened the scoring with his team-leading 19th goal of the season, and Nikolaj Ehlers quickly made it 2-0 with his 18th.

But Brady Tkachuk and Connor Brown responded for the home side before the opening frame was over.

Shots are 7-7, and each team went 1-for-1 on the power play.

Winnipeg is looking for a fourth straight victory, while Ottawa is looking to snap a four-game losing streak.

The two teams meet again on Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre.

Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after a man says his arm was fractured by Winnipeg police.

On Nov. 9, 2020, Winnipeg police officers responded to a request for service on Boyd Avenue. Upon arrival, police arrested a man. There was another man on scene who was not arrested, but later claimed to have been injured by police.

Police learned about the allegation on April 7 and informed the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba the same day. The IIU announced its investigation Monday. 

Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after a suspect was admitted to hospital with fractured ribs following an arrest by Winnipeg police. 

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba announced the investigation on Monday. The injury and arrest of the suspect took place Sunday in Winnipeg on Charles Street. 

The investigation continues.

The Winnipeg Jets have picked up some veteran defensive depth at the NHL’s trade deadline.

Jordie Benn, 33, was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Monday afternoon. The 6-2, 199-pound is currently playing in his 10th NHL season.

In exchange, the Jets send a sixth-round draft pick to Vancouver.

Benn has 24 goals and 102 assists in 548 regular-season games. He’s a left-shooting blue-liner who can play both sides of the ice.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says community health services including home-care services may be postponed or cancelled due to the stormy weather.

“Weather-related service delays or cancellations are possible for clients, due to the storm and its impact on transportation and access to clients,” the WRHA said in a statement. “Every effort will be made to maintain existing schedules. However, some weather-related delays or cancellations may be inevitable.” 

Clients will be contacted by phone and notified of the change if visits are cancelled or postponed and serviced will resume as usual once the storm has cleared, the WRHA said.

A 23-year-old man is facing weapons-related charges after RCMP officers found a machete on his person last week. 

Norway House RCMP responded to a report of a group of men with a machete “looking for a fight” at a residence on Mission Island in Norway House shortly after 11 a.m. on April 8, RCMP said in a release Monday. 

En route to the address, officers saw a pickup truck with three men in it pull into the driveway of another residence and stopped to speak to them. It was then they located a machete, which RCMP say the men did not use to injure anyone.

The man in possession of the machete was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, as well as breaching the conditions of his probation.

The other two vehicle occupants were also arrested and charged — a 24-year-old man with an intoxication-related charge, and a 28-year-old man with a mischief charge. The trio was released pending court dates.

Winnipeg police are investigating six violent incidents that took place within a seven-and-a-half-hour period overnight Sunday between 8:30 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Police responded to a report of shots heard behind a convenience store in the 700 block of Corydon Avenue around 8:30 p.m. A man in his 20s with gunshot wounds was taken to hospital.

Two hours later, officers responded to a shelter in the South Point Douglas area where a woman in her 40s had been found with a stab wound. She was taken to hospital in unstable condition.

Around 12:30 a.m. Monday, police responded to another report of shots fired in the 200 block of Young Street. A man in his 30s arrived at a hospital with gunshot wounds shortly after.

Officers then responded to report of a stabbing in the 300 block of Sherbrook Street around 1:40 a.m., police said, and located an injured man in his 40s who was taken to hospital in unstable condition. Police believe he was assaulted near the 500 block of Portage Avenue.

Just after 2 a.m. police responded to another stabbing call and located an injured teenaged girl in the 300 block of Pritchard Avenue, who was taken to hospital in unstable condition but later upgraded to stable. A woman in her 20s was arrested and taken into custody in relation to the incident, police said.

Finally, at 4 a.m. officers responded to shots fired in the 400 block of Furby Street. No injuries were reported, police said, but officers found gunshot damage at a nearby residence.

Officers are investigating all six incidents; it is unknown whether any are related.

Provincial health officials announced 114 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths in Manitoba Monday.

Public health officials have reported a total of 412 variant of concern cases in Manitoba including 364 cases of B.1.1.7, 20 cases of B.1.351, zero cases of P.1 and 28 uncategorized cases.

There are 1,370 active cases in Manitoba, with 135 people in hospital, 33 of them in intensive care.

The five-day test positivity rate is 6.2 in Manitoba, and 5.6 in Winnipeg.

Of the new cases announced Monday, 62 are in the Winnipeg health region, 4 in Southern Health; 3 in Interlake–Eastern; 9 in Prairie Mountain; and 36 in Northern Health.

Winnipeg police are investigating three incidents that took place on Saturday involving women being pulled into vehicles.

In a release Monday police said the first incident occurred at 10:00 p.m., when a caller to 911 reported she had heard screaming and saw a woman possibly being dragged into a mid-size white Land Rover-style SUV near the 100 block of Clarke Street by two men. The woman may have fled, police said. 

The driver was described as a white or Middle Eastern man with a short stalky build, wearing a toque. The passenger was described as a Black man, about 25 years old, 6’3” in height with a thin build and may have been wearing a khaki-coloured jacket.

At approximately 11:24 p.m., police said a woman in her 40s reported she was walking near the area of Portage Avenue and Arlington Street when she was pulled into a white Dodge Journey SUV and assaulted. She was later able to flee from the vehicle and suffered minor physical injuries, police said.

Two men in the vehicle were described as East Indian and the third was described as Indigenous.

In a 911 call just before midnight, police said a woman reported seeing two men assault a woman in the area of Alexander Avenue and Gunnell Street. The men fled in a white Dodge Journey or a Jeep Cherokee soon after, police said. Officers located the woman who said she had been assaulted by a family member and did not want police assistance; she was taken to hospital in stable condition.
 
Investigators are working to determine if the incidents are related, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

A total of 284,643 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been given to people in Manitoba as of Sunday night, an increase of 5,498 from the day prior. 

According to data from the Manitoba government, 216,275 first doses and 68,368 second doses of vaccine have been administered in the province since mid-December. 

As of Monday, age eligibility criteria for immunization is 60 years old or older for members of the general public and 40 years old and older for First Nations people. People between the age of 55 and 64 with select health conditions can also book an appointment for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through their local pharmacist or medical clinic.

Anyone who is unable to attend a COVID-19 immunization over the coming days due to poor driving conditions or weather can reschedule online at ProtectMB.ca or by calling the provincial call centre at 1-844-626-8222.

This week, the province expects to receive 77,340 more doses of vaccine.

Winnipeg Police’s major crimes unit is looking to speak with victims of a shooting in the area of Logan Avenue and Beacon Street late last month.

Police said they believe a man and woman were shot at after attending a nearby residence on Mar. 27 and fled soon after.

The victims remain unidentified.

Police said anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Melanie MacKinnon, a key member of the COVID-19 pandemic response team in Manitoba, have been named co-recipients of the NHL’s first star of the week. 

The league is recognizing the efforts of health professionals during the crisis across Canada and the U.S.

Hellebuyck, 27, backstopped the Jets to three victories, including a shutout Saturday in Montreal. He posted a .938 save percentage and 1.67 goals-against average last week. 

MacKinnon serves as the executive director of the University of Manitoba’s Ongomiizwin – Health Services (OHS) team.

She has been coordinating Manitoba’s First Nations pandemic rapid response teams, a network of doctors, nurses and rehabilitation specialists who respond to urgent situations in remote and isolated communities across the province. 

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries closed two of its Liquor Mart locations for cleaning over the weekend after two staff members became sick with COVID-19. 

In a statement, MLL said Spring Meadow Liquor Mart on Plessis Road and St. Anne’s Liquor Mart Express were closed and thoroughly sanitized with a commercial-grade disinfectant before reopening to the public. 

The corporation was notified over the weekend that a staff member at each location had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

According to MLL, the Spring Meadow Liquor Mart employee last worked on Tue., April 6 between 4 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. They were not experiencing symptoms at the time.

The St. Anne’s Liquor Mart Express employee last worked on Tue., April 6 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. They were not experiencing symptoms during their shift but developed them the next day, the corporation said.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service took over policing of Opaskwayak Cree Nation from the RCMP this morning.

The change took effect at 8 a.m.

RCMP will continue to investigate active files if the case is expected to be concluded within a “short timeframe,” a news release states. The files for longer-term investigations will be shared or handed over to the MFNPS.

OCN residents can reach the local MFNPS detachment for non-emergency matters, such as criminal record and vulnerable sector checks or checking on an investigation, at 204-623-8201. The emergency number is 911 or 204-623-8200.

The First Nation is near The Pas. The town of The Pas will remain policed by the RCMP.

OTTAWA — Some 58 per cent of Manitobans feel the province has done a bad job distributing COVID-19 vaccines, according to an Angus-Reid poll released Monday.

With the margin of error, that amounts to a tie with Ontario, where 58 per cent of residents feel their province botched the rollout, a sentiment that Canadians overall put at 44 per cent.

That’s according to an Angus-Reid online poll of 1,577 Canadians, including 125 Manitobans.

Approval for the rollout has risen or on fallen slightly in most provinces over the course of the year, but Manitobans specifically reported a jump in approval from January to March, with 53 per cent saying the rollout was going well in early March; that number dropped to 34 per cent last week.