News briefs for Monday, May 1, 2023

Car fire spreads to grassy area

9:03 AM

A fire near the Perimeter Highway and Centreport Canada Way spread from a vehicle to grass and hay bales on Sunday.

City firefighters were sent to the area at 4:04 p.m. and found the fire had spread rapidly because of high winds, covering an area roughly the size of two football fields.

More firefighters were sent to the scene, and tankers were used to transport water there. Crews used special equipment to extinguish the blaze, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release late Sunday night.

Vacant Roy Avenue home burns

9:58 AM

Winnipeg firefighters extinguished a blaze in a vacant home in the Weston neighbourhood late Sunday.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were called to the one-and-a-half-storey home on the 1400 block of Roy Avenue just after 11 p.m.

WFPS said crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the house and went inside, but had to retreat outside to fight the fire from the exterior, as conditions deteriorated.

Firefighters managed to get back inside and finished dousing the flames, declaring it under control at 12:52 a.m. No one was found inside and no one was reported hurt.

Friesen loses nomination bid to Leslie

10:49 AM

After resigning as Manitoba’s finance minister and his provincial seat in the legislature to to run for the federal Conservative nomination in Portage-Lisgar, Cameron Friesen has lost the nomination to Branden Leslie.

“Our campaign message was about experience, results and deep roots in the riding,” Friesen said in a post after losing the nomination Saturday.

He resigned as the MLA for Morden-Winkler in February to seek the federal Conservative nomination in the seat vacated by Candice Bergen, the former interim federal Conservative party leader, who is now the provincial Progressive Conservative party’s election campaign co-chair.

Friesen lost to Leslie, Bergen’s former campaign manager and Grain Growers of Canada manager of policy and government relations. Leslie has billed himself as the “right Conservative” for the socially conservative rural riding.

Friesen did not say what he plans to do next.

“We ran a campaign about ideas and looking forward instead of back, a campaign about moving beyond the divisions that linger in our communities. I am incredibly proud of the campaign team and volunteers who worked so hard, proud of the message we delivered, and humbled by the many supporters who rallied around us,” Friesen said.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served my constituents as MLA these past 11 years.”

Woman found dead near road on Sandy Bay First Nation

12:11 PM

Manitoba First Nations Police Services are investigating after a woman was found lying dead on the ground near a road in the Sandy Bay First Nation on Saturday.

The MFNPS said on Monday the body was found in the afternoon and until autopsy results come in it is not known how the woman died.

Anyone who has any information is asked to call the MFNPS at 204-843-7701 or send in a tip to 1-833-978-0048 or Tios@mfnp.ca

Province to beef up supervision of people on bail, probation

1:06 PM

The province is beefing up supervision of people on bail and probation, Manitoba’s justice minister said today.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said the justice department will add more probation officers, community corrections workers and a full-time psychologist to the criminal organization high-risk offender unit, meaning an additional 100 people will be supervised on top of the existing capacity. That program focuses on people who justice officials have deemed a very high risk to re-offend while out on probation.

The province is also launching a bail management pilot program with 25 men and 25 women, increasing the amount of supervision the people, out on bail on serious charges, are given.

Goertzen also said the government will issue a request for proposals for an electronic monitoring program, which would track certain accused peoples’ movements electronically.

The minister did not provide hard numbers for the amount the new programs will cost, but noted the electronic monitoring program will likely cost around $500,000.

Ray LaMontagne to play Burton Cummings Theatre Oct. 3

1:07 PM

Ray LaMontagne is passing through Winnipeg this fall as part of a 29-city tour across North America.

The American singer-songwriter and his trio will stop at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 3 as part of the Just Passing Through tour, which will feature a set list curated by LaMontagne’s fans.

Since 1999 LaMontagne has released eight albums including 2010’s Grammy-winning God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise, which won best folk album. His most recent release was 2020’s Monovision.

An artist presale starts Tuesday, with tickets going on sale to the public on Friday via Ticketmaster or via raylamontagne.com, where fans can also sign up for the artist presale and make song requests.

Police investigating after teen girls robbed, assaulted at carnival

1:44 PM

Winnipeg police are investigating after a pair of teenage girls were attacked twice at a carnival in a Regent Avenue West parking lot Friday night.

Police said the teens reported the incident on Sunday. The two girls were at the carnival at about 11 p.m., standing in line at a concession stand, when a woman they didn’t know assaulted them from behind. One of the victims, police said, was pulled to the ground and hit further until a security guard stepped in, but the suspect grabbed one of the girl’s purses and ran.

Later, as the victims were leaving the fair, a group of teens threatened and chased them in an apparent continuation of the first attack. The girls were again assaulted until guards stepped in and got the stolen purse back. One of the girls went to hospital for treatment, while the other’s injuries were minor.

Police have released descriptions of two of the suspects. One is an Indigenous woman, about 5-4 with a medium build and a long black ponytail. The other is a tall Indigenous teen boy who wore a white hoody and black or grey jeans. Police ask anyone with information to call major crimes at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

Child, 5, killed after being ejected from vehicle

2:25 PM

A five-year-old child is dead after being ejected from a pickup truck which left a highway and rolled near Duck Bay.

Winnipegosis RCMP said on Monday the child was not properly restrained in the vehicle.

RCMP said the pickup truck was driving on Provincial Road 272, about six kilometres south of Duck Bay, when it went off the road into a ditch, collided with a row of trees and then rolled on April 28 at about 4:25 p.m.

The child was ejected and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 38-year-old driver and 32-year-old passenger, both from Pine Creek First Nation, were uninjured.

RCMP are continuing to investigate.