News briefs for Friday, October 3, 2025

Former Mountie charged with theft

2:41 PM

An RCMP officer who resigned after allegedly stealing cash during a traffic stop in Portage la Prairie  is facing criminal charges.

Portage RCMP received a complaint about the incident in late November. The complainant said about $300 was taken from his vehicle on Nov. 19.
Mounties investigated the complaint and interviewed Mounties. The officer being investigated — Const. Ben Harder — resigned during the process, Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Friday.

The evidence was given to the Crown, and Harder was served with a summons by Norfolk County Ontario Provincial Police on Thursday.

He is being charged with theft under $5,000 and breach of trust.

“The Independent Investigation Unit took on a monitoring role during this investigation and reviewed the full investigation upon its completion,” RCMP said of Manitoba’s police watchdog.

Harder is slated to appear in Portage court on Oct. 21.

‘Unverified threat’ to Vincent Massey High School in Brandon

2:22 PM

Brandon police were investigating “an unverified threat” involving Vincent Massey High School on Friday.

The school was placed in a hold-and-secure safety protocol, and students were sent home early. Police responded to a report of an email threat at about 11 a.m., the Brandon School Division said.

Brandon Police Service officers stood guard at the school’s entrance, and parents were asked to pick their children up early. Most students had left the grounds by 1 p.m.

“While no immediate risk was identified, every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” the BPS posted on X.

A tipster told the Brandon Sun the threat was related to a bomb, and three students outside Vincent Massey said the same. The BPS would not confirm whether or not the threat was about a bomb.

— Brandon Sun

Tender to be issued soon for Victoria Hospital ER

12:33 PM

A tender to build a new emergency department at Victoria Hospital is set to be awarded next month.

Construction is slated to start in 2026, Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a news release handed out at an announcement Friday afternoon.

The province earmarked $3.5 million in the 2025-26 budget to begin design work for the emergency department and a mature women’s health centre, both of which were closed under the previous Progressive Conservative government.

“Our commitment has always been to staff up the health-care system first and then move forward with a new emergency department for Victoria Hospital,” Kinew said in the release.

“Today, two years after being given the honour of forming government, we are proud to say we’ve kept our word to Manitobans.”

The new emergency department will replace Victoria’s existing urgent care centre. Public consultations with hospital staff members and south Winnipeg residents “helped to inform a design that meets the needs of the growing community,” Asagwara said in the release.

Woman charged in South Indian Lake slaying

12:26 PM

A woman arrested after a fatal stabbing in South Indian Lake has since been charged with manslaughter.

Wanda Moose, 53, of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, was arrested Wednesday.

A 54-year-old man who was stabbed that day died in hospital.

Two charged in Hodgson attacks

12:22 PM

Five people were injured when two males tried kicking in doors in Hodgson.

Peguis RCMP were called about three such incidents in one neighbourhood at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

The men got into two houses and assaulted people inside but were not able to get into the third home. Two victims, a 43-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The other three people suffered minor injuries, RCMP said in a news release Friday.

The men also caused serious property damage inside and outside the homes — to furniture, house windows and parked vehicles.

Two 27-year-old Peguis First Nation men were charged with offences related to assault, breaking-and-entering and mischief. One was also charged with failing to comply with conditions of a release order. They were remanded in custody.

Nurse fined for falsifying vaccination records

11:01 AM

A Winnipeg nurse who falsified vaccination records for herself and two others has been fined and disciplined by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba after pleading guilty to professional misconduct.

Charmaine Delaronde was a public health nurse with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the lead public health nurse at the Ma Mawi Indigenous COVID-19 vaccination centre at the time. She was fined $7,000, ordered to pay $3,500 in costs to the college, reprimanded and ordered to take courses in medical ethics and professionalism within four months of Aug. 28.

The college said the nurse changed the records to make it appear the three had been vaccinated when they had not.

Delaronde worked for the WRHA from December 2005 to January 2023 and was assigned to the vaccination centre from April 2021 to April 2022.

Man wanted for May slaying on Cumberland Avenue

10:10 AM

Police have publicly identified a man they are searching for after a homicide in May.

The Winnipeg Police Service said Friday that Paul Xavier Bonnick, 33, is wanted for second-degree murder and that a Canada-wide warrant has been issued for his arrest. They believe he might have fled to Ontario.

Bonnick is wanted for the killing of Ralph Moise. Moise, 39, was shot on the 300 block of Cumberland Avenue at about 1 a.m. on May 23. He died in hospital.

Police said Bonnick should be considered armed and dangerous and that people should not approach him.The WPS asked anyone with information about Bonnick’s whereabouts to contact its homicide unit at 204-986-6508, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online, or 911.

Missing man, 20, last seen Wednesday morning

10:01 AM

The Winnipeg Police Service is asking for the public’s help in finding a missing man.

Pegui Yamakoua, 20, was last seen on the 300 block of Magnus Avenue at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday. He is described as 5-8 in height, 130 pounds, with a thin build, black hair and brown eyes.

The WPS asked anyone with information regarding Yamakoua’s whereabouts to call its missing persons unit at 204-986-6250 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Maxime’s restaurant to close permanently next month

9:49 AM

A St. Vital restaurant announced Thursday it will soon be closing after 41 years in business.

Maxime’s Restaurant and Lounge said in a Facebook post that the owners have decided to retire “after much deliberation” and have sold the land and building.

The Bekios family is planning to close the business —  located at 1131 St Mary’s Rd., just north of Abinojii Mikanah — in the third week of November.

“We have enjoyed so many years of success, and our family’s journey has been one of extreme love and labour. We love the restaurant and our Winnipeg community and all that you have represented in our lives all these years,” the family said in the statement.

“We are deeply grateful to our incredible and talented staff, and all our guests for the loyalty and support you have all shown in making our business a success over the last four decades. We have loved being a part of your many celebrations, memories and happy milestones.”