‘I don’t want to tempt fate twice’: Manitoban Ukraine war vet embarks on fundraising trek

After sticking his foot through the massive steel border wall separating the U.S. and Mexico on Sunday, Peter Derksen turned to face north — taking his first steps on the Pacific Crest Trail and officially embarking on a more than 4,000-kilometre trek through the American wilderness in support of Ukrainian soldiers.

If all goes according to plan, the retired Winnipeg Police Service officer and a veteran of the Ukraine war will spend up to six months traversing deserts, mountains and deep forests before crossing back into Canada.

Derksen, 59, spent roughly one year inside embattled Ukraine, beginning in September 2022. His journey included months on the front lines, where he fought Russian forces alongside Ukrainian soldiers.

“I’m very lucky I survived that, and I don’t want to tempt fate twice, but the plight of freedom for the Ukrainians needs to be in people’s minds,” Derksen said, speaking by phone from a campground near Campo, Calif., close to the trail’s southern terminus.

Veteran sports broadcaster Scott Oake to retire later this month

Veteran sports journalist and acclaimed Winnipegger Scott Oake has announced his retirement from broadcasting, marking the end of a more than 50-year career during which he spent decades as a mainstay on Hockey Night in Canada.

Oake, who is in his early 70s, made the announcement Saturday after hosting Sportsnet’s After Hours program following a game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL.

“I would like you to know that the decision to retire is mine. I’m going out on my own terms and I greatly appreciate the opportunity because not everybody in this business gets it,” Oake said as he bid farewell.

“Rogers, Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada would have had me continue, but as I’ve said to more than a few people, 50-plus years in this business is more than anyone should have to take of me, and frankly, ladies and gentlemen, it’s just about all I can take of myself — and so it’s time.”

No link found between deaths, plasma donations: Health Canada

Health Canada says it has found no linkage between the plasma donation process and the deaths of two Manitoba donors.

The federal regulator began its assessment following the deaths on Oct. 25 and Jan. 30 at two Grifols Plasma Donation Centres. The Spain-based company operates two for-profit paid plasma centres in Winnipeg on Taylor Avenue and Innovation Drive.

Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson says it visited the Winnipeg locations and identified areas of “non-compliance” in accordance with federal regulations. Grifols was required to provide a “corrective and preventative action plan” which Johnson says is currently under review.

Plasma centres in Calgary (December) and Regina (January), and Grifols’s head office in Oakville, Ont., (January) were also inspected.

Tom Wilson never stopped giving to the game of hockey

Tom Wilson was never a big hockey star on the ice, but you would be hard pressed to find anyone more committed to helping build the game in this province.

Wilson grew up on Garfield Street in the West End and strapped on his first pair of skates as a child. As a youngster, he played minor hockey at Isaac Brock Community Centre and later at Orioles Community Centre, where he won a city championship in 1955.

By his late teens he had hung up his blades as a player, but it wasn’t long before he was drawn back into the game. In 1971 he began refereeing and a short time later started coaching community club hockey, including his son Jeffrey’s team. He was also recruited to pitch in with everything from timekeeping to refereeing to overseeing disciplinary hearings for players.

Where Wilson really left his mark was behind the scenes. He served three terms as the president of Hockey Manitoba, the official governing body for amateur hockey in the province, where he also contributed as treasurer. Twice he was presented the Hockey Manitoba Volunteer of the Year Award (2000 and 2008). He was also a recipient of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association’s Meritorious Service Award.

In photos: Winnipeg bakers prepare for Easter

The bakers at Harvest Bakery have been busy this week in preparation of the Holy weekend. The staff made more than 2,000 hot cross buns on Wednesday to get ready for the Easter demand.

Bank says $343-K error was city law firm’s, asks court to dismiss lawsuit

One of Canada’s major banks has asked a Manitoba court to toss a lawsuit in which it was accused of breaching its duty of care, after nearly $350,000 was transferred into the wrong account and then never recovered.

The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was named in a lawsuit by Taylor McCaffrey LLP and the Law Society of Manitoba — the legal profession’s provincial regulator — in February. The law firm said it was acting for a client who had purchased a home when it requisitioned $343,335 from the mortgagee, the Royal Bank of Canada, on July 31, 2024.

The funds were intended to be deposited into a CIBC trust account held by the firm, but never arrived.

In a statement of defence filed in Court of King’s Bench on March 24, CIBC said the money was deposited into the wrong account “due to the incorrect transit number provided by the firm.”