News briefs for January 29, 2020

CALGARY – Mark Kastelic scored with 44 seconds left in the third period to lift the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-2 Western Hockey League win over the Winnipeg Ice Wednesday night.

Dakota Krebs and Conrad Mitchell also scored goals for the Hitmen.

Michal Teply and Ben Zloty replied with markers for Winnipeg, which takes on the Rebels in Red Deer Friday night.

RIVERS – It’s not often that a provincial women’s curling championship sees a big upset on day one, but with a tighter 12-team field and historic depth, the stunners came early in Rivers. 

Kerri Einarson, the second-ranked curler in Canada, suffered a loss to Team Abby Ackland in their group’s first draw of the round robin, falling 6-5 when her last hit missed its target.

Team Ackland is skipped this week by third Hailey Ryan, as Ackland is just days away from giving birth.  

The Manitoba Scotties runs through Sunday. 

Manitoba plans to examine neighbouring provinces’ practices to encourage school attendance. 

The province announced Wednesday it has issued a request for proposals to look at practices in other jurisdictions for improving and maintaining student attendance. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 3. 

The province said the move will address concerns raised by the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth. The independent office recommended the province examine attendance, suspension and expulsion policies to ensure vulnerable children are being supported at school.

School absenteeism can be linked to involvement in the justice system or mental illness and addictions, the release states.

A middle-years wing and stand-alone child care centre are among the newly-complete $16.4 million in provincial improvements to Neepawa Area Collegiate.

Additions to the facility, which is located in the Beautiful Plains School Division, include a new gymnasium, library and eight new classrooms with “communications connectivity,” the province said in a release Wednesday.

Construction of a 74-seat child care centre on the school’s grounds is also complete.

“I am excited that the students and families of Neepawa will have a better place to learn and play," Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen said in a release.

Klinic Community Health Centre reopened Wednesday after water was restored, following a broken water main nearby last Friday.

The health clinic made the announcement on Twitter Wednesday morning.

Many appointments at the clinic were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday after city crews shut off water to repair a water main break at Portage Avenue and Arlington Street.

The province unveiled a pilot project Wednesday that aims to help keep children from ending up in the child welfare system.

The $400,000 Granny’s House — or Kookum’s House — is located in Point Douglas and provides short-term, out-of-home respite for parents who need a break from their kids for a few hours for things like grocery shopping or doctor’s appointments. The house is being run by Gwekaanimad, a partnership of five North End organizations.

Blue Thunderbird Family Care Inc. will operate Granny’s House. Staff for the home will be hired from the community and include a full-time granny (housemother) and several aunties (support workers) to help in providing care for the children, as well as a case manager who will work with community partners and help connect families to other resources.  

An independent review of lead levels in soils in Winnipeg neighbourhoods confirms there is a low health risk to people, the provincial government says.

The review, conducted by Intrinsik Corp., was submitted in December and made public today.

The province said in a news release it intends to move ahead with several of the report’s recommendations, including making lead levels in blood in excess of established guidelines reportable under the Public Health Act.

Manitoba Junior Hockey League commissioner Kim Davis has announced he is retiring at the end of June.

Davis will be replaced by Kevin Saurette, who has served as the league’s director of operations for the past 3 1/2 years.

The league office will be doing some restructuring in coming months, which will include hiring a director of operations to replace Saurette and a new marketing director, Davis said.

The provincial government says it is investing $40 million over four years to support innovative ideas brought forward by health care workers,

The Idea Fund for Health is intended to support the government’s transformation of the health care system.

In the first phase of the project, announced today, the government’s focus is on ideas that streamline clinical practices, how best to manage chronic conditions, how to address the ongoing needs of patients leaving hospital, and preventive measures that will keep people out of hospital in the first place.

The fund can be used for renovations, equipment, staff training and clinical-practice changes.

A Winnipeg police officer was charged with unauthorized access to a police computer system, fraud and obstruction of justice, by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba. 

Patrol Sgt. Sean Cassidy, a veteran officer, is scheduled to make his first appearance in provincial court in Winnipeg on March 9.

He had previously been charged with assault and improper storage of a firearm. He’s also being sued by a man who says he was assaulted by Cassidy during an arrest.

Cassidy is accused of accessing a police computer system to circumvent a traffic ticket after he was captured speeding on photo radar cameras while driving a personal vehicle on Oct. 1, 2019.

Winnipeg police want to speak with two motorists who witnessed a vehicle collide with a pedestrian on Logan Avenue on Monday.

Police said a 43-year-old woman was struck in the 1800 block of Logan Avenue at about 8:40 p.m. She was taken to hospital in unstable condition, but has since been upgraded to stable.

Police say paramedics spoke to the occupants of two vehicles — a white panel van and a small dark-coloured car — but the motorists drove off without identifying themselves before officers arrived.

Officers would like the motorists — and anyone else who has information about the matter — to call the traffic division at 204-986-7085 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

A 28-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged in the slaying of a man outside the Windsor Hotel earlier this month.

Alrick Denon Banton has been charged with second-degree murder, attempt to commit murder, two counts of discharging a restricted firearm with intent, and unauthorized possession of a prohibited device or ammunition.

Banton has been detained in custody.

Yassin Abdu Ahmed, 20, died after being one of three men shot and taken to hospital on Jan. 12.

Winnipeg police said on Wednesday that Banton was carrying a firearm magazine with several rounds of ammunition in it when he was arrested on Jan. 28.