News briefs for Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Woman ‘in distress’ climbed bridge’s girders

9:07 AM

The Harry Lazerenko Bridge was closed for about an hour on Monday after a woman “in distress” climbed onto its steel girders.

The incident started at about 4:45 p.m. Monday, the Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday after being asked why the bridge had been closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

“Officers engaged with the female, who subsequently indicated she wanted to descend,” the WPS said.

Members of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service’s technical rescue team helped the woman get down from what was formerly called the Redwood Bridge.

Fire in Dufferin Avenue building

9:09 AM

A commercial building on Dufferin Avenue was evacuated because of a fire on Monday night.

Crews were sent to the single-storey building at 10:04 p.m. and quickly extinguished the fire.

All employees at the facility were outside when firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said Tuesday morning.

“Observations suggest the fire was accidental, caused by overheating food-production equipment,” the WFPS said.

PCs pick candidate for Morden-Winkler

10:56 AM

The Progressive Conservative party has nominated Carrie Hiebert to run for the party in the Oct. 3 provincial election.

The co-owner of Winkler’s King’s Deli will run for the party in the seat formerly held by incumbent PC Cameron Friesen, who resigned as Manitoba’s finance minister and gave up his Morden-Winkler seat in a failed bid for the federal Conservative nomination in Portage-Lisgar.

Hiebert defeated three challengers to represent the PCs in Morden-Winkler. She’s been involved in politics for the past 12 years and has experience working for both Friesen and former MP Candice Bergen. The constituency has been held by the PCs since it was created during redistribution in 2008.

Bernier admits violating COVID-19 health orders

11:10 AM

The leader of the People’s Party of Canada has admitted to twice violating Manitoba’s COVID-19 public health orders in 2021.

Maxime Bernier, 60, admitted through his lawyer in provincial court Tuesday to gathering with 15 to 20 people during a campaign rally in Niverville on June 11 that year, then gathering with another 15 to 20 people in St. Pierre-Jolys an hour later.

Public gatherings were prohibited at the time.

The Crown is seeking a total of $3,300 in fines, while the defence is asking for a judicial reprimand from Judge Anne Krahn.

Three charged in theft of $30K worth of tools

11:50 AM

Three men are facing charges and a fourth suspect is being sought by Winnipeg police after $30,000 worth of construction tools was stolen from an enclosed trailer Saturday.

Police said the 39-year-old male victim was almost run over by the suspects’ vehicle when he interrupted the theft in the 400 block of Ferry Road at about 9:45 a.m.

Three suspects were arrested and some of the stolen property was recovered after police found the vehicle in the 100 block of Westgrove Way around noon.

Dauphin man killed in motorcycle crash

11:57 AM

A Dauphin man died after a motorcycle crash on a western Manitoba highway on Monday.

Russell RCMP were sent to the scene of the collision on Highway 482 — about 10 km west of Highway 83, near the Shellmouth Dam — at about 4:15 p.m.

Police said Tuesday that four motorcycle riders were headed east on Highway 482 when one of the bikes hit loose gravel and struck a guard rail.

The rider, a 49-year-old man, was thrown from his motorcycle. He was taken to hospital and died from his injuries.

Missing man might be driving Mazda

1:16 PM

Police said a missing man last heard from late last month might be driving a blue Mazda.

Robert Ramsay Hall, 30, was last in the Osborne Village area on April 30.

The Winnipeg Police Service said Tuesday that he might be driving a blue four-door 2011 Mazda 3 with Quebec licence plate P24XYB. Hall is 6 feet tall with a medium build, blond curly hair and blue eyes, Winnipeg police said previously.

Police are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to call WPS missing persons investigators are 204-986-6250.

Man pointed gun at girl after taking phone: RCMP

2:23 PM

A 20-year-old man is accused of pointing a makeshift gun at a teenage girl after physically assaulting her and taking her phone in Portage la Prairie last week.

RCMP said the 15-year-old victim suffered minor injuries when she was attacked while walking on 6th Street NE at about 11:45 p.m. on Friday.

Officers later arrested a suspect and seized the gun at a home on Yellowquill Trail, police said.

The man was also charged for his alleged involvement in a collision the same night.