News briefs for Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Mayoral candidate Jenny Motkaluk wants the Winnipeg Police Board to fire Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth — then she wants the province to abolish the board.

Motkaluk made the call at a press conference in front of police headquarters Tuesday, where she criticized Smyth for his comments in July following a spate of assaults at The Forks. Smyth said the violence was alarming, but nothing new.

Motkaluk filed a complaint to the police board this week, asking for Smyth’s dismissal. The police service would not comment.

She also said she would lobby the province to amend legislation to abolish the board and replace it with a public safety committee made up of city councillors, spend $1 million on dedicated transit cops, increase collaboration between city police and RCMP, and build secure parking for police HQ.

Portage la Prairie RCMP have arrested a man accused of assaulting two Mounties after leading them on a chase in two stolen vehicles.

A man tailing a suspected stolen vehicle on Road 36 West outside Portage called RCMP at 7:10 a.m. Friday. Mounties located the stolen vehicle on patrol. When an officer tried to pull it over, the driver tried to ram the police cruiser, RCMP said.

The driver then got stuck on a nearby road, got out, and stole a second vehicle before fleeing, RCMP said.

Mounties found the second stolen vehicle near highways 2 and 13.

Police surrounded the vehicle after it got stuck in a ditch. The driver hit a cruiser as he tried to flee, Mounties said, before being arrested. One officer was injured, treated in hospital and released.

A 29-year-old man from the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie has been charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer with a weapon, among other charges.

Thefts of catalytic converters have dropped drastically in Winnipeg thanks to new enforcement efforts, Winnipeg police say.

In April, 353 catalytic converters were stolen, compared with 31 in August.

The valuable automotive part contains precious metals.

Police say the drop is due to new provincial legislation and a Crime Stoppers initiative called “Save Your Cat.” Vehicle owners can have their catalytic converter engraved with the vehicle serial number and painted with a high visibility paint. Both measures deter criminals.

In total, 1,552 catalytic converter thefts have been reported to police this year.

Winnipeg police are searching for a suspect accused of grabbing women’s rear ends while trying to kiss them on at least six city buses over the course of four-and-a-half hours Tuesday morning.

Police said they received multiple reports of the alleged assaults but have not yet spoken to the victims. The sex crimes unit is asking anyone with information to contact investigators at 204-986-6245 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

Multiple women told bus drivers that an unknown man had grabbed their buttocks before trying to kiss them, police said. Another victim said they had been spat on while the suspect left one of the buses.

The assaults occurred on the following buses and routes: Bus 737 – Route 47- 4 at approximately 7:00 a.m.; Bus 748 – Route 20-1 at approximately 9:30 a.m.; Bus 152 – Route 29-1 at approximately 10:20 a.m.; Bus 198 – Route 11-1 at approximately 10:30 a.m.; Bus 329 – Route 21-5 at approximately 11:00 a.m.; and Bus 737 – Route 47-4 at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Winnipeg police charged three people, including two adult men and a teenage boy, and seized homemade brass knuckles after a fight broke out outside Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate on Monday. 

In a release Tuesday, Winnipeg police said two boys who attend the school were involved in a physical altercation on Friday, which was not reported to authorities. Three days later, both parties once again became involved in a heated argument — and this time, so did two adults who were known to the youths — that resulted in an assault, according to police. 

When police arrived on the scene in response to a call about a fight involving several individuals around 12:45 p.m. Monday, they located a 13-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and an adult male suffering from the effects of what is believed to be bear spray. The 16-year-old had an upper-body injury, although neither he nor any of the other parties required medical assistance. Officers seized a homemade weapon from one of the adults but did not recover any bear spray. 

A 38-year-old man and 13-year-old boy were charged with a single count of assault. A 36-year-old man faces two charges related to unauthorized possession of a weapon. 

Civic ballots will be counted to determine Winnipeg’s next slate of leaders in more than a month, but two city councillors and four school trustees have already secured their seats.

Candidates in the Oct. 26 municipal election were required to both register and file their nomination papers before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Those who fail to do the above are disqualified, while approved contestants have an additional 24 hours to withdraw their names, should they change their minds. 

At deadline time, a quarter of registered mayoral hopefuls had not fulfilled the requirements to run in the upcoming race. 

Eleven of 15 contestants — including, Glen Murray, Chris Clacio, Kevin Klein, Scott Gillingham, Rana Bokhari, Jenny Motkaluk, Idris Adelakun, Rick Shone, Shaun Loney, Don Woodstock and Robert Falcon Ouellete — were listed on the municipal site, which updated in real-time as candidates filed paperwork.

Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert) were the sole candidates to cement their intention to run in their respective wards.

Incumbent trustee Colleen Carswell and Sheri Irwin will be acclaimed to the River East Transcona School Division’s board. Pamela Kolochuk, a seasoned trustee, and Chipalo Simunyola will automatically become elected officials in the Louis Riel School Division.