News briefs for Sunday, March 9, 2025

Hurricanes handle Jets with relentless pressure

6:43 PM

RALEIGH – Never mind the departure of Mikko Rantanen, the Carolina Hurricanes remain a threat in the Eastern Conference.

The Winnipeg Jets got a first-hand look at that on Sunday, falling 4-2 to the Hurricanes, who were relentless in all three zones and got three goals from deadline-day acquisitions, including two from Mark Jankowski and another from Logan Stankoven.

Winnipegger Seth Jarvis added an empty-netter for the Hurricanes in a game where he was extremely effective all over the ice.

Alex Iafallo and Adam Lowry scored for the Jets, who fall to 44-17-4 on the season and return home to face the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Jets centre Vladislav Namestnikov left the game in the third period after taking a high hit from Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, who was given an interference minor on the play.

Man, 28, stabbed on Portage Avenue Sunday morning

3:11 PM

Police are investigating after a 28-year-old man was stabbed along the 600 block of Portage Avenue in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

A group of suspects approached the victim in the 600 block of Portage and stabbed him. The victim was transported to hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery, the Winnipeg Police Service stated in a news release Sunday.

The police investigation led officers to an apartment complex on Young Street, following up on the report of a male stabbed. Police are asking anyone with information to contact investigators in the Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219, anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org.

Suspect arrested after string of robberies, attempted carjacking

2:44 PM

A 43-year-old male suspect has been arrested and charged in a string of armed robberies that allegedly included  a dine-and-dash and an attempted carjacking.

The incidents occurred between Jan. 27 and March 8 in and around Henderson Highway and along Main Street. The attempted carjacking involved the suspect getting into a woman’s passenger seat while she was entering her car. She fled when she saw the man in the passenger seat, and he tried to start the car but was unsuccessful and ran away on foot. It happened in the 1100 block of Henderson Highway on Feb. 21, at about 7:10 p.m., right after the suspect went into a nearby business and demanded money from staff but left without any money or merchandise.

The suspect was arrested on March 8 after brandishing a knife and robbing a business in the 1300 block of Main Street.

The 43-year-old man, whose name hasn’t been released by police, is charged with seven counts of robbery, theft under $5,000, two counts of failure to comply with a release order and had a warrant out for possession of property over $5,000 under federal drug legislation.

23-year-old man stabbed, police investigation continues

2:30 PM

Police are investigating a Friday night stabbing that injured a 23-year-old man inside a West End business.

It happened at about 8:30 p.m. March 7 at a business in the 700 block of Maryland Street. The victim had multiple stab wounds and was taken to hospital in unstable condition, where he underwent surgery and was upgraded to stable condition. Police are still looking for suspects and are asking anyone with information to contact the Winnipeg Police Service Major Crimes Unit at 204-986-6219 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-8477 or winnipegcrimestoppers.org.

Cocaine trafficking charges laid after police visit downtown apartment

2:22 PM

Two men are charged with drug-trafficking offences after a wellbeing check in downtown Winnipeg led police to a suspected cocaine-dealing operation.

Police were called to an apartment complex in the sub-100 block of Kennedy Street at about 10 p.m. March 8 for a wellbeing check on a young woman. After determining she was safe, police found two adult men hiding in the apartment suite “in close proximity” to a black satchel that contained about 248 grams of cocaine worth about $24,600, along with $400 in cash, the Winnipeg Police Service stated in a news release Sunday.

A 38-year-old man is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000. A 41-year-old is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000, and had warrants out for failing to comply with a release order and careless storage of a firearm. Both men were detained in custody.

Suspect arrested after being spotted in stolen vehicle, without required ankle monitor

2:09 PM

A 58-year-old Winnipeg man has been arrested after police saw him sitting in a stolen vehicle without his required ankle monitor.

The vehicle — a Chevrolet Silverado later determined to have been stolen from the area of Tecumseh Street and William Avenue on March 3 — was parked in the 100 block of Linden Avenue at about 8:30 p.m. March 8 when patrolling officers spotted the suspect. The suspect tried to run away but was apprehended by police, at which point they noticed he wasn’t wearing the ankle monitor he was supposed to be wearing as a condition of a prior release order. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, is now charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, mischief under $5,000, in addition to several breach charges. He was detained in custody.

Man stabbed in south Winnipeg convenience store

2:02 PM

Two males have been criminally charged following a reported convenience-store stabbing that left a 36-year-old man with a serious upper-body injury.

It happened Friday night, March 7 at about 9:35 p.m. at a store along the 500 block of Dale Boulevard in south Winnipeg. Police responded to a report that an adult male had been assaulted, and officers provided the victim with emergency medical care. He was taken to hospital and underwent surgery. The suspects fled before police arrived, the Winnipeg Police Service stated in a news release Sunday.

Later, at about 10:20 p.m., officers stopped a suspect vehicle along Norlorne Drive and arrested four people, seizing an air gun and a machete that police believed was used in the convenience-store assault. Police stated they learned through their investigation the victim and the suspects had gotten into an argument in the store, and the suspects left, only to return armed with a machete.

A 15-year-old male from Winnipeg is charged with aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a weapon, two counts of failure to comply with a sentence and two counts of failure to comply with an undertaking. He was detained in custody. A 20-year-old man from Garson, Man., was charged with two counts of possession of a weapon and was released on an undertaking.

No other charges were announced by police.

Emergency demolition scheduled for vacant Elmwood home

10:51 AM

Fire crews responded to a blaze in a vacant, boarded-up house in the Elmwood area this morning.

It happened at about 6:57 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of William Newton Avenue. Firefighters determined it was unsafe to enter the building, and attacked the blaze from outside with help from a drone. They declared the fire under control at 8:30 a.m. and protected neighbouring houses from damage.

An emergency demolition is being arranged because of structural concerns, so there will be road closures in the area until the work is complete. Crews previously responded to fires at the same location in August and September 2024.

J.J. Harper to be remembered at 37th anniversary memorial

10:35 AM

Thirty-seven years after J.J. Harper was shot and killed by Winnipeg police, a memorial in honour of the late Wasagamack First Nation leader is set to take place at Stanley Knowles Park this afternoon.

The memorial is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today, March 9, at 1235 Logan Ave.

Harper was also involved in the Island Lake Tribal Council, now known as Anisininew Okimawin, and his family is joining with the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO), the Southern Chiefs Organization (SCO), and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) to hold the memorial.

Harper was 36 years old when he was shot and killed by a Winnipeg Police Service constable on March 9, 1988 near the park. His death prompted Manitoba’s Aboriginal Justice Inquiry.

River trail closed for the season

9:51 AM

After a 68-day season, the Nestaweya River Trail is closed.

The Forks announced the closure Sunday, advising people to stay off the rivers. The ice is no longer being monitored or maintained. The trail, which stretched over six kilometres at its longest, remained open longer than average this year. The average season is 56 days long, and last year’s river trail lasted a “dismal nine days,” The Forks pointed out in a news release.

The longest season on record was in 2019, at 76 days.