News briefs for Thursday, November 20, 2025

Hold-and-secure lifted after Oak Park High School threat

3:41 PM

A fake threat caused Oak Park High School staff members to initiate hold-and-secure protocol Thursday.

Pembina Trails School Division spokeswoman Radean Carter said the procedure was initiated in the morning after the school became aware of a “potential threat” and contacted Winnipeg police.

External doors were locked, classes continued, and students and staff were safe, Carter said.

She said the hold-and-secure was lifted shortly after 10:45 a.m. and that the threat “had no merit.”

Police seek men who robbed Opaskwayak VLT lounge 

3:15 PM

Police are searching for robbers who made off with cash from a VLT lounge last month.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service was sent to a business in Opaskwayak Cree Nation at about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 after men blasted bear spray towards staff and ran away. They were described as Indigenous, about 20 years old, wearing all black clothing and red bandanas around their faces.

Police released images from video of the robbers and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the men. They asked anyone with information about the robbery to call the MFNPS Sandy Bay First Nation detachment at 204-843-7705 or the tips line anonymously at 1-833-978-0048.

Man stabbed after selling phone

2:48 PM

A teen has been charged after a man was stabbed after selling a cellphone.

Police were sent to the area of McGregor Street and Carruthers Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday. Officers, with help from the canine unit, arrested a youth.

The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday that a 47-year old man arranged to sell the phone through a social-media platform. He sold the phone to a youth, who was with an adult. After the sale, the teen returned and stabbed the victim, the WPS said.

Officers found the victim on the 700 block of Aberdeen Avenue and gave him emergency medical care. He was taken to hospital in stable condition.

A 17-year-old female has been charged with assault with a weapon and two counts of failing to comply with a sentence. She was wanted on warrants for eight counts of failing to comply with conditions of a release order. She was detained in custody.

The adult who was with the teen is not facing charges.

Province warns of possible measles exposure site in Winkler

2:36 PM

The province notified the public Thursday about another location where people might have been exposed to measles.

Public health officials asked anyone who was at the Fawn and Cub Market at the Meridian Exhibition Centre in Winkler between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday to watch for any symptoms until Dec. 7.

They also asked anyone who was there during that time to check their immunization records and ensure they are up to date with measles vaccines.

Work on Carberry overpass to begin in 2027

1:39 PM

Construction of an overpass at the site of a bus crash that claimed the lives of 17 seniors will begin in 2027, the province announced Thursday.

The construction will take about two and a half years to complete, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in a news release.

“The people of Carberry spoke clearly and we adjusted course. With renewed design work and real community input, we are moving toward a safe solution,” Premier Wab Kinew said in the release Thursday.

He is expected to be in Carberry this afternoon to speak to reporters.

A tentative plan to construct a restricted crossing U-turn, or RCUT, at the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 was met with resistance from residents.

Seventeen seniors died on June 15, 2023 after the bus taking them from the Dauphin area to the Sand Hills Casino near Carberry was hit by a semi-truck.

Man sought in Thompson stabbing

1:10 PM

Mounties are searching for a man after a stabbing in Thompson.

RCMP were sent to a home on McGill Place at 8:45 p.m. on Nov. 11 and found an injured 27-year-old man. He was transported to hospital, where he later underwent surgery. He is reported to be in stable condition, police said in a news release Thursday.

Brayden Charlette, 22, has been charged with aggravated assault, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Mounties asked anyone with information about Charlette’s whereabouts to call the Thompson detachment at 204-677-6909 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Pistachio items recalled

10:59 AM

Eleven kinds of pistachio products distributed in Manitoba have been recalled because of salmonella.

The products were sold to hotels, restaurants, institutions, manufacturers and retail stores, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website states. Enayat Farms and SSJ are among the brands.

The recalls, issued Tuesday, include all lots from 3320 to 5070, with any subsequent letters.

The products were also distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Another pistachio-related recall involves Baklawa King products sold online.

More information about the food recalls is available online.

Six people, including three kids and a police officer, blasted with bear spray 

10:33 AM

Five people, including three children, were hit with bear spray blasted through an open window of a basement apartment suite late Tuesday night.

The incident happened on the 800 block of Beverley Street at about 10:30 p.m.

The people affected by the spray do not know the attacker, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday.

The attacker pried a door to the building open, went inside and pulled a fire alarm, the WPS said. A tenant chased her out of the building.

When officers confronted her, she sprayed an officer in the face, police said. The five people who were initially sprayed went to hospital for medical treatment, while the officer was examined at the scene.

A 27-year-old woman has been charged with six counts of assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, possession of a weapon, break-and-enter with intent and false alarm of fire. She was detained in custody.

Woman who works at St. Boniface Hospital sexually assaulted in site’s parkade

10:23 AM

A St. Boniface Hospital employee was sexually assaulted in the facility’s parkade earlier this month.

The incident happened at about 11 p.m. on Nov. 8. The woman had gotten out of her vehicle when a stranger confronted her and asked her for the time.

“She was trapped between two vehicles and sexually assaulted,” the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday.

The woman screamed, and the man ran away. The woman told security about the incident, and they contacted police.

The woman did not require medical attention, the WPS said.

Hospital security saw the man at about 3:30 a.m. the next day and detained him until police arrived.

Ermiyas Isaac Dangerfield, 27, was charged with sexual assault and detained in custody.

Man seriously hurt in random hatchet attack

9:45 AM

A man has been charged after a victim was hit in the head with a hatchet in a random attack Monday.

The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday that a man was walking east on Ellice Avenue when he passed by another man walking in the opposite direction shortly before 12:30 p.m.

Shortly after, the man headed east heard footsteps behind him and turned to see the stranger standing behind him, wielding a hatchet.

After being struck, the 26-year-old victim went to a nearby business. He was taken to hospital in stable condition, where he was treated for serious injuries.

The major crimes unit identified a suspect and arrested him outside an apartment complex on the 400 block of Beverley Street shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon and failing to comply with a probation order. He was detained in custody.

The man has prior convictions for violence. Court records show he pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count each of robbery and robbery with a weapon. He was sentenced to the equivalent of three years in prison and two years supervised probation.

In September 2023, the man pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and was sentenced to nine months in jail.