News briefs for Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Fire spreads to three other buildings

8:16 AM

A garage fire spread to two neighbouring homes and an apartment building in the West End on Tuesday night.

Fire crews were sent to the garage in the 400 block of Agnes Street at about 8:25 p.m. and found the fire had spread to a two-storey single-family home, a vacant two-storey house on Agnes and a four-storey apartment building on Victor Street.

Fires at the apartment building and the vacant house were quickly knocked down. All the fires were declared under control by 9:10 p.m.

Residents in the occupied Agnes Street home got out before firefighters arrived, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said late Tuesday night. The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team helped displaced residents find temporary accommodations.

Pedestrian killed in crash at St. Vital intersection

8:28 AM

A pedestrian was killed in a collision at the intersection of St. Mary’s Road and Fermor Avenue on Tuesday night.

The person killed was a woman, but police have not released her age.

The incident happened between 8:35 and 8:40 p.m. The area had reopened to traffic by about 6 a.m. Wednesday, the Winnipeg Police Service posted on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“We have an individual in custody,” WPS spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said, adding police believe speed was a factor in the collision.

The Winnipeg Police Service said it will be releasing more information about the incident later Wednesday.

Manitoba-born author finalist for $60K fiction prize

9:09 AM

Red River Métis author Michelle Porter is one of five finalists for the $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

The Newfoundland and Labrador-based Porter’s debut novel, A Grandmother Begins the Story, landed on the prize’s short list, announced Wednesday morning, alongside Emma Donoghue’s Learned By Heart, Amanda Peters’ The Berry Pickers, Kai Thomas’ In the Upper Country and Thomas Wharton’s The Book of Rain.

Jurors for this year’s Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize were francesca ekwuyasi, Alix Hawley and M.G. Vassanji. The winner will be announced on Nov. 21; each of the finalists will receive $5,000.

Manitoba doctors endorse Kinew, admonish PC party

11:21 AM

A panel of Manitoba doctors offered endorsements of Wab Kinew and his New Democratic Party Wednesday, while also offering scathing rebukes of the Progressive Conservative government’s management of the provincial health care.

“I am frankly appalled and embarrassed by the state of the health-care system in this province. I’ve seen, under this current government, a dramatic deterioration in the last seven years,” said Dr. Eric Jacobsohn, medical director of research at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. “It does not need to be like this.”

Jacobsohn was joined by several decorated Manitoba doctors — including a former president of CancerCare Manitoba and a former president of the Winnipeg Reginal Health Authority — in voicing support for the NDP in the upcoming provincial election.

Kinew, flanked by the doctors at a morning press event near Niakwa Park, outlined a plan to hire 400 doctors, 300 nurses, 200 paramedics and 100 home-care workers within five years in government.

The NDP promises also include increasing health-care capacity, reopening three Winnipeg emergency rooms and restoring birthing services to rural and northern communities — contingent on meeting the hiring targets.

Springsteen’s Winnipeg show postponed to 2024

11:32 AM

Bruce Springsteen has postponed his remaining concert dates for 2023, including the Nov. 10 show at the Canada Life Centre, while he recovers from a peptic ulcer.

A statement from the Born to Run singer this morning says rescheduled dates will be announced next week.

Tickets for the postponed concerts will be valid for the new dates. Those unable to attend shows on the new 2024 dates will have 30 days to request a refund.

Comicon adds Raimi brothers to lineup

12:51 PM

Legendary director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man trilogy) and his brother, character actor Ted Raimi, have been added to the roster of guests at Winnipeg Comicon this fall. The filmmaking family members will be signing autographs and posing for photos at the event, which also announced Terminator 2 star Robert Patrick and actor Amber Midthunder (Prey, Roswell) as guests on Wednesday.

Other celebrities already confirmed for the convention include Michael Rooker (Slither, The Walking Dead), Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), as well as a number of comic-book artists.

The event offers more than 50 panels and workshops over three days, on topics from comics and cosplay to sci-fi and horror.

Comicon runs Oct. 27-29. Ticket are available here.

Man killed in hit-and-run highway crash

1:40 PM

A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision on Highway 6 early Tuesday.

The man was killed on Highway 6 near Highway 373, about 10 km south of Wabowden.

RCMP were sent to the scene at about 3:35 a.m. after the driver of a semi-truck came across debris on the roadway, along with a possible body.

Officers found a body in a ditch. RCMP said it’s believed the man was walking along the highway when he was hit by a vehicle.

The man has been identified as a 34-year-old originally from Manto Sipi Cree Nation.

RCMP said the man was in a vehicle with several other people headed north on Highway 6 when he was dropped off on the side of the road south of Wabowden between about 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. It is believed the collision occurred shortly after that, RCMP said.

Mounties are asking anyone with information about the incident to call Wabowden RCMP at 204-689-2685 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Tories pledge support for domestic violence victims, survivors

2:54 PM

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative party is pledging $10 million in support to victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Half of the one-time capital investment would be dedicated to expanding domestic violence and sexual assault counseling services, while the rest would go to women’s shelters throughout the province.

Tory MLA Kevin Klein announced the funding Wednesday from his Kirkfield Park constituency office alongside Winnipeg Police Service officer and PC Fort Rouge candidate Réjeanne Caron.

“My mother tragically lost her life to her partner’s violence, and I hold a strong conviction that no woman should endure such suffering in silence,” Klein said.

The Tories previously committed $4.1 million toward women’s centres and domestic violence supports in the 2023 provincial budget.

Suspect sought for indecent act outside school

6:55 PM

Winnipeg police are seeking a man seen Tuesday morning committing an indecent act on the grounds of Varennes Elementary School.

At approximately 9 a.m., staff at the Glenlawn neighbourhood school reported the man outside of an exit door area, police said Wednesday evening. The suspect fled before officers arrived.

There were no assaults or injuries to students or staff, police said.

The suspect was described as a white male in his 20s, with an unkempt appearance, thin build and was wearing loose-fitting pants and a sweater.