News briefs for Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Sea Bears open upper bowl for Friday’s playoff game

8:57 AM

Due to popular demand, the Winnipeg Sea Bears have opened several sections in the upper bowl at the Canada Life Centre for Friday’s playoff game against the Edmonton Stingers.

The club said in a release Wednesday they will expand further if needed.

The Sea Bears already own the records for six most attended games in CEBL history in just their first season after establishing a new all-time high of 8,230 on Saturday, July 29. This decision sets the stage for an even larger record. Before the Sea Bears entered the league, the CEBL record was 4,404, set by the Vancouver Bandits in 2022.

After finishing second in the Western Conference after the regular season, the Sea Bears are set to play in the team’s first-ever playoff game when they host the third-ranked Stingers. The winner will fly to Calgary to take on the Surge for the CEBL quarterfinals Sunday at 8 p.m. CT. The semifinals and championship final are slated for Aug. 11-13 in Langley, B.C. The Bandits, as the hosts, earned an automatic bye.

Missing boy, 14, found

9:17 AM

A 14-year-old boy has been found after he was missing from the Centennial neighbourhood for nearly a week.

The Winnipeg Police Service said late Tuesday night that Dustin Norman had been “safely located.”

Norman had last been seen on the afternoon of July 26 in the area of Lydia Street and McDermot Avenue, police said Monday.

Comicon to host Breaking Bad, Lord of the Rings stars

10:53 AM

This year’s Winnipeg Comicon promises to be a star-studded affair with guest appearances by several Hollywood celebrities.

On Wednesday, organizers announced scheduled appearances by Giancarlo Esposito, best known as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who played Appa in Kim’s Convenience. 

Sean Astin, a.k.a. Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is also set to attend.

Tickets are available at comicconwinnipeg.com for the annual event scheduled for Oct. 27 to 29 at the RBC Convention Centre.

Cyclists injured during World Police and Fire Games event

11:19 AM

As many as 10 cyclists are being treated by paramedics this morning after a crash during a World Police and Fire Games event at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

The crash occurred shortly after the 10 a.m. start as a part of the men’s 55+ and all-women’s heat in the 55-kilometre road race.

Cyclists were travelling upwards of 55km/hr when the crash happened.

Paramedics from STARS helicopter and several ambulances are treating the injured. At least two cyclists were given neck and arm braces,

The Free Press is on the scene and will provide updates.

NDP call out longer ER wait times

11:38 AM

The Manitoba NDP called out growing ER wait times and criticized the Progressive Conservative government’s health-care cuts Wednesday.

Union Station MLA and NDP health care critic Uzoma Asagwara pointed to Winnipeg Regional Health Authority data that shows wait times at the Health Sciences Emergency Room reached 10.8 hours for the 90th percentile of patients in June. Approximately one in three patients waiting in the ER left without being seen by a doctor.

Asagwara didn’t commit to reversing any government cuts if the NDP is elected, saying more details on their party’s health platform are coming during the writ period.

They said the government is “more and more desperate to change the channel from their cuts.”

Blumenort man held in RCMP custody after 27-year-old dies in his home

11:59 AM

Steinbach RCMP are investigating after a man died of a gunshot wound in a home in Blumenort Tuesday evening.

Mounties said Wednesday that officers went to the home after the Steinbach detachment received a report of a gun going off at about 7:45 p.m.

RCMP and paramedics found a 27-year-old man suffering from “critical injuries,” who was then pronounced dead at the scene. RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre confirmed the man had been shot, adding the victim knew the home’s residents.

A 43-year-old man, who lives at the home and wasn’t hurt, was arrested at the scene and remains in custody, Mounties say, but has not been charged. His name hasn’t been released.

Steinbach RCMP, along with major crimes and forensics officers, are investigating the death as suspicious.

Jets sign newcomer Kupari to two-year deal

2:06 PM

Rasmus Kupari has inked a new two-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets.

The restricted free agent has a deal that carries a $1 million salary cap hit. The 23-year-old forward, acquired as part of a package for centre Pierre-Luc Dubois earlier this summer, will still be under Jets control when the deal expires.

Kupari played 66 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23 and recorded 15 points (3G, 12A). He also suited up for all six playoff games.

The product of Kotka, Finland also featured in 11 games for the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season, posting nine points (5G, 4A).

Kupari, was a first-round pick (20th overall) pick of the Kings in the 2018 NHL Draft.

RCMP search for The Pas man missing since June

2:16 PM

RCMP in The Pas are searching for a man who has been missing since mid-June.

Family reported Arthur Ducharme, 32, missing on July 28. They hadn’t seen him since June 15, RCMP say. Mounties believe he went to Swan River to work, but hasn’t been in contact with family members since, which RCMP say is out of character for him. He was supposed to be back in The Pas on July 20.

RCMP say he is 5-10 and 157 lbs with short black hair and amber green eyes. He has a large scar on the right side of his face and several tattoos, including the names “Colby” and “Arthur” on his forearm.

Mounties ask anyone with information on his whereabouts to call The Pas detachment at 204-627-6204 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Firefighters douse three accidental residential fires overnight

2:27 PM

Winnipeg firefighters were called to three accidental fires in homes Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said crews were called to a three-storey apartment building on the 500 block of Corydon Avenue just before 10 p.m., where they saw heavy smoke coming from the building. Firefighters got the blaze, likely caused by cooking, under control by 10:26 p.m., WFPS said. Paramedics assessed one resident, who didn’t need to go to hospital.

Then at 1:15 a.m., crews were called to a house on the 0-100 block of Miravista Drive, where they found black smoke billowing from the home. Firefighters got inside and doused the fire in about 15 minutes. The blaze was also likely sparked by cooking.

At 5:20 a.m., crews were called to a two-storey complex on the 0-100 block of Hastings Boulevard, where it took about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire, which was likely sparked by a cigarette butt.

Manitoba mom accused of parental abduction found in southern Ontario

2:49 PM

Police in Waterloo, Ont. have arrested a Manitoba woman accused of abducting her daughter amid a custody dispute with the toddler’s dad.

RCMP in St-Pierre-Jolys announced a search for the mother, 35-year-old Holly Malleck, last Friday. Waterloo Regional Police Service officers found the three-year-old, Amelia Deonaraine, unharmed on Tuesday.

Mounties say the southern Ontario police force had gotten a tip from the public and found Malleck at a home in Waterloo on Tuesday, where the child was also found. The kid is in the care of another family member, according to RCMP.

Malleck has been remanded into custody and will be taken back to Winnipeg, where she will be charged with parental abduction.

IIU probing collision that injured three following attempted traffic stop

3:50 PM

The province’s police oversight agency is investigating after three people were injured in a collision that followed a Mountie’s attempt to pull over a vehicle on Inkster Boulevard in Winnipeg.

The Independent Investigation Unit said the collision happened in the intersection of Inkster Boulevard and Keewatin Street at about 1:25 a.m. Tuesday morning.

An RCMP officer conducting traffic enforcement on Inkster, tried to pull over a vehicle, but it drove east into the city. The Mountie observed as the vehicle collided with another at the intersection with Keewatin Street, the IIU said.

The male driver of the vehicle RCMP attempted to pull over and the two occupants of the other vehicle were taken to the Health Sciences Centre for examination, the IIU said. Their injuries are considered serious enough to mandate an investigation by the civilian oversight agency.

The IIU has asked anyone with information, or who has video footage, to call the unit at 1-844-667-6060.

All Liquor Mart Express outlets to close Thursday until further notice

3:55 PM

Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries is closing all six Liquor Mart Express stores starting Thursday morning until further notice, citing the need to mitigate inventory as strike action heats up.

Liquor Mart Express stores are located inside grocery stores. Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union members, who are on strike seeking wage increases, have been directed to refuse receiving and stocking duties, which does not “allow (MLL) to maintain the level of service Manitobans expect from our stores,” a statement from the Crown Corporation said.

“(MLL) is taking these measured and proportional steps to ensure we can continue providing retail liquor service to Manitobans,” president and CEO of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Gerry Sul said in a statement.

The following Liquor Mart Express locations will be closed:

• Bison Drive
• Brandon West End
• Gateway
• Reenders
• Sargent Avenue
• St. Anne’s.