News briefs for Friday, January 17, 2025

Book of condolences for late education minister Altomare

4:02 PM

A book of condolences is in place to honour late education and early childhood learning minister Nello Altomare.

The book was made available at the grand staircase in the Manitoba Legislative Building on Friday. It will remain there, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Wednesday.

Flags at the building will remain at half-mast until that day.

Altomare died Tuesday at age 61. The Transcona MLA had been in remission from blood cancer and had been living with complications from chemotherapy. He was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma shortly after he was first elected in 2019.

Fishing lodge fined for worker injury

3:52 PM

A Manitoba fishing lodge has been fined for an incident in 2022 that resulted in a worker losing their thumb.

The worker was using a table saw without a safeguard at Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge on July 20, 2022, when they were cut by the blade, the province said in a news release Friday. Amputation was required.

The lodge was charged under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2024 to contravening a regulation stating machines must have safeguards. The business was fined $18,000 on Jan. 14 and ordered to pay $2,000 for education purposes.

Winnipeg Police Service projects surplus 

1:54 PM

The Winnipeg Police Service now expects to complete 2024 with a roughly $2.5-million surplus.

Interim WPS chief Art Stannard announced the improvement during a finance committee meeting at City Hall on Friday.

The service initially requested an extra $2.2 million to cover an overrun for last year. By early December, however, Stannard predicted the service would at least balance its books by the end of the year.

He has credited improved finances to $500,000 in rent payment savings for the new north district station after staff moved in later than expected. He also credited a boost in record-check and special-duty policing revenue, savings from some unplanned hiring delays and decreased overtime costs.

The WPS budget was set at $333 million in 2024.

Woman arrested dies in hospital

1:14 PM

The province’s police watchdog is investigating after a woman under arrest became unresponsive and died in hospital.

RCMP were sent to a home in Vogar at about 8 p.m. Wednesday after someone called 911 and hung up. Officers arrested a woman after determining she was under the influence of drugs and had tried to use a weapon on someone.

The woman became unresponsive while police were driving her to Lakeshore General Hospital in Ashern for an assessment. Police pulled over, contacted emergency medical services and gave the woman emergency care, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said in a news release Friday.

The woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance and later transported to St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. Police were told Thursday that she had died in hospital.

Police seek help in finding missing Dauphin teen

12:17 PM

RCMP are searching for a missing Dauphin teen.

Darnelle Racette, 16, was last seen in Dauphin on Dec. 28 but is believed to be in the Portage la Prairie, Long Plain First Nation or Sandy Bay First Nation areas. He was reported missing to RCMP on Jan. 10.

Darnelle is described as 6 feet in height and 200 pounds, with brown eyes and short black hair. He has a “Racette” tattoo over one eyebrow. Police did not have a description of the clothing he was wearing when he was last seen.

RCMP asked anyone with information on Darnelle’s whereabouts to contact the Portage la Prairie detachment at 204-857-4445, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.

Dauphin business again robbed at knifepoint

9:57 AM

RCMP continue to search for a suspect after a Dauphin business was robbed of cash at knifepoint on consecutive nights.

The latest incident at the Main Street business happened at about 9 p.m. Thursday. The employee gave police the same description of the robber as in the Wednesday incident and said the culprit had again fled on foot in the same direction.

The robber again threatened the employee, who was not hurt in either incident, with a hunting knife. The culprit was described as 5-7 in height and was wearing all black clothing, including a balaclava.

The first incident happened at about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday. RCMP used a police dog and a drone to search for a suspect after both robberies.

RCMP asked anyone with information about the robberies to contact their Dauphin detachment at 204-622-5020, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online.

Pierre named head coach of U of M Bisons football program

9:40 AM

Stan Pierre was always a good bet to be the next head coach of University of Manitoba Bisons football, and now it has come to fruition for the longtime defensive co-ordinator.

After 27 years as an assistant coach, Pierre was the chosen successor to Brian Dobie, who retired at the end of the 2024 season after 29 years at the helm. He beat out three other finalists for the job.

A Canada West conference All-Star as a linebacker with the Bisons in 1991, Pierre returned to coach the position in 1998. He was promoted to defensive co-ordinator after one season and added the assistant head coach tag in 2005.

Pierre has helped 23 players graduate to the Canadian Football League (the seventh-most of any defensive co-ordinator in U Sports history) and has guided two players to careers in the National Football League (Israel Idonije, David Onyemata).

He takes over a program that went 7-1 during the regular season but lost in the first round of the CanWest playoffs in 2024.

Man killed in crash at Perimeter and McGillivray

9:20 AM

A man is dead after his vehicle collided with a semi-truck in the area of the south Perimeter Highway and McGillivray Boulevard on Thursday night.

Winnipeg police were sent to the area at about 7:15 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday.

Emergency crews found a 42-year-old man had suffered serious injuries and pronounced him dead at the scene. The 27-year-old driver of the semi-truck remained at the scene to speak with police.

The crash is under investigation. No charges have been laid.

Police asked anyone with information or video related to the collision to contact investigators at 204-986-7085, or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.

Storm closes schools and highways

8:34 AM

Blizzard conditions expected across southern Manitoba Friday have closed schools and highways and sparked possible delays in health services.

Multiple school divisions have cancelled classes Friday including Prairie Rose School Division, Turtle Mountain School Division and Lord Selkirk School Division.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is warning clients that home-care services may be affected due to the weather.

Clients whose visits are postponed or cancelled can expect to be contacted by phone and notified of the change, the WRHA said.

Many Manitoba highways are also closed due to poor winter driving conditions and visibility. Drivers are being advised to stay off the roads when possible.

The wintery conditions sparked the cancellation of a homicide sentencing slated for Friday morning in Winnipeg’s Court of King’s Bench, after transportation from the Women’s Correctional Centre, which is just outside the city in Headingley, was halted.