News briefs for Friday, October 31, 2025

Two new measles cases announced 

3:21 PM

The provincial government announced two new confirmed cases of measles Friday, for a total of 240 since February.

The number of probable cases remains 15. The latest numbers are accurate as of Saturday.

Sixteen people have been hospitalized with measles this year, including 13 under age 10. Two of those 16 people were in the intensive care unit.

All 16 were either not immunized, or their vaccination status was unknown.

Drugs seized at Stony Mountain prison

2:36 PM

Corrections officers seized contraband drugs with a prison value of more than $62,000 at Stony Mountain Institution last week.

The items, seized Saturday, included methamphetamine and THC concentrate, the Correctional Service of Canada said in a news release Friday.

Police were notified. The correctional service is also investigating.

Man killed in grain truck crash in RM of Victoria

2:31 PM

A driver was killed when his grain truck rolled over in the Rural Municipality of Victoria on Thursday.

Treherne RCMP were sent to the crash site on Road 40 North near Road 71 West shortly after 4 p.m.

The 47-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

An investigation determined the truck began to drift into the right-side ditch, and the driver over-corrected as he tried to keep the vehicle on the road, RCMP said in a news release Friday.

The truck did not have seatbelts.

City unveils new parking and mobility strategy

11:23 AM

The City of Winnipeg is looking to implement a five-year strategy for how it manages curbside space, parking, and mobility services.

The parking and mobility strategy would:

• add paid parking spaces across the city,
• pilot electric vehicle charging stations on downtown streets,
• develop an app to provide real-time information on on-street parking availability, parking rates, loading zones, accessible parking spaces and residential permit zones, and
• update accessibility signs for drivers with disabilities.

“This is about helping drivers by making parking easier to find, improving access for deliveries and people with mobility challenges, and making sure curbside space is managed fairly and efficiently as our city continues to grow,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a news release.  Read the full report (PDF).

If adopted by council, the city would phase in the $270,000 strategy over five years. More money could be allocated to the strategy in future budgets, the plan states.

Libraries to lend out radon kits

11:20 AM

Winnipeggers can now borrow radon-screening kits from public libraries.

The kits are available through a partnership between the Winnipeg Public Library and the Manitoba Lung Association.

The kits will be available to borrow from Nov. 1 until April 30 each year. They will not be available during warmer months because readings are less accurate when people have windows and doors open more often.

Residents can request to borrow a kit online by searching “radon” on the library system’s website or going to a branch.

Radon — a naturally occurring, radioactive, invisible and odourless gas — is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking.

Province warns of five more possible measles exposure sites

11:07 AM

​​The provincial government is notifying the public of five more locations, including three in Winkler, where people might have been exposed to measles.

The locations are:

• Grunthal Auction Service in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 20, 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 21 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 22
• Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler, from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23
• Northlands Parkway Collegiate in Winkler, from the same times on Oct. 22
• Dairy Queen in Winkler, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 24, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday
• The emergency department at Boundary Trails Health Centre in the RM of Stanley, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Public health officials asked anyone who was in those locations during those times to check their immunization records and ensure they are up to date with measles vaccines.

Man arrested for woman’s abduction

10:10 AM

A man wanted by RCMP after a woman was abducted, held captive and assaulted over 48 hours was arrested in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Riley Champagne, 36, was remanded into custody, Manitoba RCMP said in a news release Friday. He is charged with kidnapping with a firearm, forcible confinement, and offences related to assault and weapons. A warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Earlier this month, police said a 25-year-old woman from Bunibonibee Cree Nation called RCMP on the morning of Sept. 29 and told them about an incident that began when she met a couple in a bar in Thompson. She awoke in a vehicle being driven to Gillam, then was taken into a home and held against her will, police said previously.

She told RCMP she escaped from a vehicle when all three people drove to a grocery store.

Champagne has convictions for drug offences, unauthorized possession of a weapon and mischief to property. Crystal Nepitabo, 41, was arrested Oct. 7 and remanded into custody.

Two inmates escape federal healing lodge in Crane River 

9:49 AM

Police are searching for two men who escaped a federal, minimum-security healing lodge Thursday.

Staff members at O-chi-chak-ko-sipi Healing Lodge in Crane River discovered the men were missing at about 7 p.m.

Clifford Lamirande, 33, is 5-11 in height about 230 pounds. He has a medium complexion, brown eyes and brown hair. He has tattoos on his right hand, left hand, neck and right calf, the Correctional Service of Canada said in a news release Friday.

He is serving a nearly seven-year sentence for sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, assault with intentional use of force and uttering threats.

Cory Everett, 39, is 5-6 in height and about 150 pounds, with a medium complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He has tattoos on his right forearm and hand, left forearm and hand, chest, back and left ring finger.

He is serving a sentence of more than five years for possession of a controlled substance, possession of property obtained by crime (trafficking) under $5,000, escape or being at large without excuse and flight from a peace officer.

The correctional service is investigating the escape. It asked anyone with information on the whereabouts of either man to contact police.

Demski listed as GTD for Saturday

9:08 AM

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have listed star receiver Nic Demski as a game-time decision for Saturday’s East Division semifinal in Montreal.

The Winnipegger has been out with a hamstring injury since Oct. 11.

If Demski can’t go, fellow Manitoba Bisons product Gavin Cobb will take over his spot.

Demski led the Bombers in receiving this season with 67 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns.