News briefs for Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Manitoba Liberal leader to vie for River Heights

4:02 PM

Manitoba Liberal leader Willard Reaves will make a run at River Heights in the next election.

He and co-leaders Cindy Lamoureux and Jasbir Singh will be nominated as party candidates during the Liberals’ kick-off nominations Wednesday evening.

Reaves unsuccessfully ran for Fort Whyte in a 2022 by-election and the 2023 provincial election. He lost in both turns to Obby Khan, now head of the Progressive Conservatives.

River Heights was once a Liberal stronghold: Jon Gerrard held the seat for nearly two and a half decades, beginning in 1999 and ending in 2023. New Democrat Mike Moroz took the spot.

Cindy Lamoureux, co-deputy leader of the Manitoba Liberals — and the only sitting MLA for the party — will run again in Tyndall Park. Fellow co-deputy leader Jasbir Singh will put his name forward for Seine River.

The next provincial election must be held by Oct. 5, 2027.

Foster dad faces new assault charge

2:16 PM

A 26-year-old foster parent accused of failing to take an injured child to hospital in a timely manner is facing new charges.

The man was rearrested on Nov. 24 and accused of assaulting another child in his care, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Wednesday. He was charged with assault with a weapon and failing to comply with an undertaking.

The man has been detained in custody.

He was originally arrested Sept. 19 when police were sent to a home in the north end of the city after a report of a child suffering from a serious injury. The child was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Three additional children in the home were taken to hospital; one showed signs of being assaulted.

A child abuse unit investigation determined a child was critically injured on Sept. 17 and did not receive immediate medical attention.

The man was charged at the time with fail to provide the necessaries of life.

A 25-year-old female also faces charges of aggravated assault, assault and fail to provide necessaries of life in the September incident.

The female was detained in custody at the time while the male was released on an undertaking.

RCMP investigating hotel bar break-ins in Glenboro, Baldur

12:33 PM

Blue Hills RCMP are investigating break-ins at hotel bars in Glenboro and Baldur that police believe may be connected.

On Jan. 10 at about 5 a.m., officers were called to a hotel bar in Glenboro, about 170 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, where liquor and cigarettes were stolen.

Surveillance video shows two males dressed in black and partially disguised breaking in and stealing bottles of alcohol, about $2,000 worth of cigarettes and several cases of alcoholic cooler beverages. The suspects fled in a dark-coloured, four-door SUV with a dual sunroof.

RCMP say the incident may be linked to a Dec. 30 break-and-enter at a business in Baldur, which is about 26 kilometres south of Glenboro, where two similarly dressed suspects stole multiple cases of alcoholic cooler beverages.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Blue Hills RCMP at 204-834-2905 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

Suspect in ‘prolific’ shoplifting spree behind bars: WPS

10:39 AM

Winnipeg police have arrested another “prolific” shoplifter, after investigators linked a suspect to more than two dozen thefts spanning roughly six months and totalling more than $5,000 in losses for Winnipeg retailers.

The Winnipeg Police Service announced the arrest in a news release Wednesday, saying officers launched an investigation in November in response to a string of retail thefts.

Police say the thefts occurred on the following dates and locations:

• Between Aug. 30 and Dec. 8, 2025: A man entered a retail store on the 600 block of Osborne Street two times and stole items valued at $260.
• Between Sept. 13, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2026: A man entered a retail store on the 1600 block of Ness Avenue 12 times and stole items valued at $3,400.
• Between Nov. 25, 2025 and Jan. 15, 2026: A man entered a retail store on the 500 block of Mountain Avenue seven times and stole items valued at $1,000.
• On Jan. 2, 2026: A man entered a retail store on the 1400 block of Henderson Highway and stole items valued at $200.
• On Jan. 10, 2026: A man entered a retail store on the 500 block of Mountain Avenue and stole a number of items of an undetermined value before physically assaulting a staff member and fleeing the area. The staff member was uninjured.

The spree ended on Jan. 19, when a man entered a retailer on the 2100 block of McPhillips Street and attempted to steal about $160 worth of goods. Special duty officers were working at the business at the time, and placed the suspect under arrest, WPS said.

All of the incidents were captured on security cameras and reported to police. Charles Frederick Moar, 46, was charged with robbery and 26 counts of theft under $5,000.

Moar has a record of convictions that dates back to 2001, when he was found guilty of a robbery committed in 2000, court records show. He’s also been convicted of more than a dozen court order breaches, assaults, obstructing a peace officer and thefts.

Suspect arrested after car crashed into home

10:24 AM

A man is facing multiple charges after a vehicle crashed into a house in St. Boniface early Tuesday.

Police officers were patrolling in the neighbourhood around 2 a.m.  when they spotted a white Honda Pilot missing its front licence plate, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Wednesday.

The vehicle pulled into a parking lot on the 300 block of Provencher Boulevard where officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, heading west down Provencher, and nearly striking two officers, police said.

Shortly after, residents of a house on the 200 block of Dollard Boulevard called police to say a vehicle had crashed into it.

The residents were not injured.

Police said a suspect was arrested around 3 a.m. at St. Boniface Hospital, where he was being treated for injuries consistent with being in a motor vehicle collision.

A 41-year-old man has been charged with assaulting a peace officer, dangerous operation of a vehicle, mischief, possession of property obtained by crime and failing to comply with a release order. He was detained in custody.