News briefs for Thursday, January 8, 2026

Province warns of another measles exposure site 

4:05 PM

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

Anyone who was at Lloyd Orchard Community Arena in Miami between 4 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on Jan. 2 should watch for symptoms until Jan. 24, the Manitoba government said in a news release.

Miami is a small community in southwest Manitoba, in the Rural Municipality of Thompson.

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

Lydia Street assault victim dies

3:47 PM

The homicide unit is investigating after a man assaulted last month died from his injuries.

Police were sent to an apartment complex on the 100 block of Lydia Street on Dec. 21 and found a man inside a home suffering from serious injuries. They gave the victim emergency medical care, and he was taken to hospital in critical condition.

A 27-year-old man was arrested for aggravated assault the next day and detained in custody.

Michael Allen Harrington, 42, died from his injuries on Dec. 24.

His death marks the 22nd homicide investigation of 2025, Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said Thursday. She did not yet know what additional charges, if any, the man arrested might face.

Loved ones described Harrington in an obituary as someone with a passion for adventure and an “amazing sense of (humour) but a pure gentle soul.”

A GoFundMe online fundraiser, set up by his family to help with expenses before his death, said he had been stabbed by the assailant.

The WPS asked anyone with information about the incident to call the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-877 (TIPS).

Northern Regional Health Authority’s CEO resigns

2:32 PM

The CEO of the Northern Regional Health Authority has resigned.

Raj Sewda, a registered nurse who had run the sprawling northern health region since 2023, led with “a focus on strengthening partnerships, advancing organizational priorities and supporting communities across the region,” the authority said on its website.

The health region faced challenges during Sewda’s tenure, including last summer’s wildfire evacuation at Flin Flon hospital and violent incidents at Thompson’s hospital. The Manitoba Nurses Union voted in December to “grey-list” Thompson General Hospital and warn potential job candidates about safety concerns and to avoid working there.

The authority’s board thanked Sewda for his service and commitment, and Sewda thanked staff members, community partners, and the region’s leadership team for their dedication and collaboration.

He was replaced by acting CEO Cam Ritzer and acting associate CEO Micheal Ellis on Friday.

Fire started in restaurant to skip out on bill: police

2:04 PM

Investigators are trying to identify a woman linked to a fire they think was set as a diversion so a group of people could avoid paying a restaurant bill.

The Winnipeg Police Service did not identify the restaurant on the first 100 block of St. Mary’s Road by name, but the only one in that area is Santa Lucia Pizza.

The fire started inside at about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, causing significant damage, when it was time for a group of three men and two women to pay their bill for food and alcoholic drinks.

The fire was extinguished before emergency crews arrived, and the five people left on foot.

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman described as Indigenous (possibly Métis), 20 to 30 years old, with a medium build and brown/red curly hair. She had a tattoo on her chest and was wearing a black tank top. The WPS released images of the woman taken from security video.

Police asked anyone with information about the woman to call the non-emergency line at 204-986-6222 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or Crime Stoppers.

Police seize $150K in stolen items

11:23 AM

RCMP found about $150,000 in items stolen from western Manitoba as long ago as 2021 after searching a property just outside of Brandon.

Police were told on Nov. 3 that construction equipment was stolen from an area off Provincial Road 270 and the Trans-Canada Highway, north of Brandon, between the evening of Oct. 31 and the morning of Nov. 1. The equipment included a skid steer and a cargo trailer.

Mounties found the stolen skid steer on a residential property near PR 270 and Road 87 West and arrested two people. Officers, including a canine unit, later searched the entire property and found a stolen snowmobile, a utility trailer, a boat and boat trailer, a dirt bike, a golf cart and construction signs.

Two Municipality of North-Cypress-Langford residents — a 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman — have been charged with 11 counts each of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. They were remanded into custody.

“Officers are working to return property back to their original owners,” RCMP said in a news release Thursday that includes photos of some of the items.

Two more arrests in Project Derry

10:40 AM

Two more people have been arrested as part of a months-long investigation into a drug-trafficking network in Bunibonibee Cree Nation.

Manitoba RCMP announced on Dec. 12 that they had seized $1.2 million in drugs through Project Derry, which was launched in June. An organized crime group funneled drugs — including cocaine, oxycodone, fentanyl and carfentanil — to Winnipeg and Thompson, police said previously.

A 22-year-old woman was arrested Dec. 28, and a 37-year-old man was arrested Saturday. Both are from Bunibonibee, RCMP said in a news release Thursday. They are charged with trafficking a controlled substance and conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance, while the woman is also facing a charge of unauthorized possession of a firearm.

A warrant for arrest had been issued for the woman. Both people remain in custody.

RCMP said Thursday that the total number of people charged remains 27, and that warrants have been issued for the arrest of two Bunibonibee women: Carly Beardy, 33, and Brittney Robinson, 34. Both face charges of trafficking a controlled substance and conspiracy to traffic a controlled substance.

Early morning fire shutters stretch of Archibald Street

8:56 AM

Fire crews have shuttered a stretch of Archibald Street as they work to contain a blaze in a St. Boniface industrial area.

Archibald is closed between Mission Street and Nairn Avenue due to a fire, the City of Winnipeg said on social media Thursday morning.

The closure is expected to last throughout the morning, and the city encouraged motorists to seek alternative routes and expect delays in the area.

According to the city’s Transportation Management Centre, WFPS received the fire call shortly after 3:30 a.m. By 9 a.m., 17 units had been dispatched to the scene.

Brad Mazer, acting district chief with WFPS, held a brief media scrum, saying crews were called to the scene around 3:30 a.m. by police who were already there.

WFPS crews will be dealing with the fire until close to the noon hour, he said.

There were reports of flammable liquids, and because the fire was well involved they decided to fight it defensively, according to Mazer.

There was significant damage to the building but no official damage estimate.

No one was inside the building.

More to come.