News briefs for Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Ehlers propels Jets to OT win over Caps

9:45 PM

Nikolaj Ehlers found an extra gear and it helped him deliver the overtime winner on Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals as the Winnipeg Jets clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

At the end of a shift in three-on-three that lasted a minute and 28 seconds, Ehlers took a pass from Dylan Samberg, built speed through the neutral zone and blasted his shot past Logan Thompson to seal a 3-2 victory.

Mason Appleton and Josh Morrissey also scored for the Jets, who improved to 49-19-4 and will face the New Jersey Devils on Friday as they continue a four-game homestand.

For the second time in as many meetings between the top two teams in the NHL, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tied the game late in the third period to send the game to overtime.

Ovechkin scored his 36th goal of the campaign and 889th of his illustrious career, leaving him five goals behind Wayne Gretzky for the NHL all-time record for goals.

In the chase for the Presidents’ Trophy for first overall, the Jets are one point behind the Capitals, who hold a game in hand.

Winnipeg police to give update on Buffalo Woman

2:47 PM

The Winnipeg Police Service will provide an update Wednesday on the investigation into Buffalo Woman, the lone unidentified victim of serial killer Jeremy Skibicki.

The WPS released no other information in a media advisory sent Tuesday afternoon.

The unknown woman was given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, by Indigenous elders after Skibicki’s arrest.

Skibicki was convicted in July of killing Buffalo Woman, 39-year-old Morgan Harris, 26-year-old Marcedes Myran and 24-year-old Rebecca Contois.
The women were killed between March and May 2022.
Partial remains of Contois were found in a garbage bin, and more were found at the Brady Road landfill.

Two sets of human remains were found at Prairie Green Landfill in late February during a long-awaited search. They were later confirmed to be those of Harris and Myran.

Nine sent to hospital in carbon monoxide scare

2:10 PM

Nine people were taken to hospital in unstable condition after a carbon monoxide incident in North Kildonan.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were sent to a home on Sharron Bay at 9:29 a.m. Tuesday after receiving calls for help.

The paramedics’ alarms alerted them to carbon monoxide in the home, the WFPS said in a news release. The readings measured 300 parts per million (PPM), and more WFPS units were sent to the home.

The federal government’s website says the maximum recommended PPM for carbon monoxide for one hour is about 25.

Firefighters ventilated the home, and Manitoba Hydro workers were sent there to investigate the cause of the carbon monoxide and ensure the home was safe.

Crews extinguish two overnight fires

1:59 PM

Crews extinguished two fires late Monday and early Tuesday.

One person was taken to hospital in stable condition after a fire in an apartment building on the 400 block of Henderson Highway. Crews were sent there at 11:05 p.m. Monday and declared the fire under control at 11:40 p.m.

Later, at 1:17 a.m. Tuesday, crews were sent to a fire in a two-storey residential building on the first 100 block of Gilbert Avenue and declared it under control at 2:08 am.

Inmate charged with killing cellmate

1:48 PM

An inmate has been charged with first-degree murder after his cellmate was fatally beaten in Brandon’s provincial jail late last year.

The Brandon Police Service said Tuesday that the charge was recently authorized after officers sent the file to Crown attorneys for review.

A 27-year-old man was arrested at Stony Mountain federal prison recently and was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. The BPS did not release his name.

Police were sent to the Brandon Correctional Centre after the assault at about 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 29. 

The 23-year-old victim was transported to hospital and died from his injuries. 

“The investigation revealed the victim was repeatedly punched and kicked by his cellmate,” police said in a news release.

Low to moderate flood risk

1:30 PM

The risk of spring flooding in most Manitoba rivers remains low to moderate.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre released its March outlook Tuesday and said there is a moderate risk for the Assiniboine River from Russell to Brandon, the Souris River, the Qu’Appelle River, and the Fisher and Icelandic rivers in the Interlake.

The flooding risk along Manitoba’s lakes is considered low.

The risk of flooding continues to depend on weather conditions until the spring melt. The province advised Manitobans to stay off waterways, rivers and retention ponds.

Cutting and breaking of ice have been completed on the Red and Icelandic rivers. The Fisher River will be targeted next.

Police justified in arrest, watchdog says

12:27 PM

The province’s police watchdog says officers used a reasonable amount of force when arresting a man who suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

Winnipeg Police Service officers, after spotting a stolen vehicle in the area of Logan Avenue and Sherman Street early on Feb. 24, 2024, chased a man on foot into a backyard on the 1900 block of McDermot Avenue. Officer used force when arresting the man, who complained of injuries and was taken to Health Sciences Centre.

A full report on the incident will not be released until the charges against the man have been resolved, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba said in a news release Tuesday.

Officer not at fault in fatal crash: IIU

11:52 AM

Toxicology results found “nothing of significance” in the blood of a driver who died after failing to pull over for RCMP and smashing into the back of a semi-truck while speeding.

A report by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba released Tuesday found there is nothing to suggest the officer contributed to the crash, which happened on the outskirts of Winnipeg on July 31.

The report said the driver of a Honda Civic sped past an unmarked RCMP vehicle, going 107 km/h in a 70 km/h zone, on CentrePort Canada Way at about 4:40 p.m. The officer in the vehicle activated his emergency lights and began following the Civic, which sped up, driving in the centre of both westbound lanes.

The driver briefly tapped on her brakes before going through a red light at the intersection with Sturgeon Road, veering towards the shoulder and smashing into a semi-truck and trailer that was merging into traffic, the report said.

The Civic’s driver, 26, was pronounced dead in hospital. The driver of the Bison Transport semi told police he was “sore” but otherwise OK.

Striking CFS workers take to picket line

11:20 AM

Workers with the Métis and Michif CFS agencies went on strike Tuesday after they say demands for wage parity with their provincial counterparts were not met in negotiations.

About 100 workers carried signs outside the Métis Child, Family and Community Services building at 2000 Portage Ave. on Tuesday morning.

Southeast Child and Family Services, which was also part of negotiations, reached a tentative deal Monday.

The workers at all three agencies are represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union.

The MGEU said non-essential services, including visits with families and support work, will be reduced during the strike.

The union previously said 170 Southeast workers have been without a contract since March 31, 2022, and that 220 and 110 workers at the Métis and Michif agencies have been without contracts since Jan. 31, 2023.

Woman, girl held against will and assaulted for days

11:04 AM

A Long Plain First Nation man is facing a dozen charges after a woman and a girl were held against their will and assaulted over a period of several days.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service received a complaint Sunday about an assault at a home on Yellow Quill Trail in the First Nation.

Police arrested a 37-year-old man and, after getting a search warrant for the home, seized about nine grams of what officers suspect is methamphetamine, cash and “numerous” imitation guns.

Police did not release his name to protect the identity of the victims because the incident was a case of intimate partner violence, the MFNPS said in a news release Tuesday.

He’s charged with two counts each of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of weapons contrary to an order, and single counts of  forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, assault, pointing a firearm, discharging an air gun or air pistol with intent to wound,  uttering threats, possession of methamphetamine and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.

Stolen car smashes into parking lot pole

10:22 AM

A teenage boy is facing charges after a car was stolen and used to make doughnuts in a parking lot before smashing into a pole.

Police were called about an erratic driver in the lot on the 900 block of Kimberley Avenue at about 6:45 p.m. Monday and found a heavily damaged 2021 Kia Forte. The car was later confirmed to have been stolen from a home on the 100 block of Whitley Drive on March 18.

Investigators learned the driver was screeching tires and doing doughnuts around poles for a short time before losing control and hitting a pole, causing extensive damage to the Forte.

All four males inside got out and fled the area.

Officers, including a canine unit, tracked males hiding in the rear of a home on the first 100 block of Green Valley Bay and arrested all three.

A fourth youth was arrested in the area of Louelda Street and Green Valley Bay a short time later.

A 15-year-old boy is facing a charge of mischief over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. He was released on an undertaking.

Three boys, one 14 and two 15, were released and are not facing charges.

Daudrich seeking PC nomination for byelection

9:25 AM

Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Wally Daudrich has announced his intention to run in a looming byelection after the MLA for Spruce Woods resigned to run for federal office.

Daudrich took to social media shortly after Grant Jackson revealed he is mounting a Conservative campaign in the riding of Brandon-Souris. Former MP Larry Maguire is not seeking re-election, citing a personal health matter.

“(D)isappointed to lose @LarryMaguireMP, a great MP, but confident that Grant Jackson will do a great job. I will be a candidate in the by-election #manitoba #mbpoli #conservative,” Daudrich wrote in a post on X.

Manitoba legislation states a byelection must be held within 180 days of a seat being declared vacant.

Murder suspect believed to be driving dark-coloured SUV in northern Manitoba

8:51 AM

A third suspect sought in the death of an Ontario man killed in Winnipeg in September is believed to be driving a dark-coloured SUV, city police said Tuesday.

The Winnipeg Police Service is again asking for the public’s help  in finding 24-year-old Chad Dandan. He is wanted for first-degree murder, kidnapping and extortion in the killing of Zeyad Vifan Shammo, 22.

Police still believe he could be in northern Manitoba.

Shammo was found dead in a home on the 100 block of Bristol Avenue early on Sept. 13. Police were sent to the 300 block of Bridge Lake Drive at about 7:45 p.m. on Sept. 10 about a report of a missing man who had been abducted the previous evening.

Sonny Balemba, 26, and Robert James Chaykowski, 26, were arrested in September and charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and extortion. Chaykowski was also charged with four counts of failing to comply with a release order. Both men were detained in custody.

Dandan, whose warrant was issued last month, is described as Asian, about 5-6 in height, 140 pounds, with a medium build.

Police said he could be armed and should not be approached.