News briefs for Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Fourteen moved out of encampments: city

5:16 PM

The City of Winnipeg has now relocated people from 14 homeless encampment sites since a broad ban took effect in many public spaces.

The city’s ban on the camps at schools, playgrounds and other sites was implemented Nov. 17.

A total of 37 former encampment sites have been cleared of garbage, including 23 that became vacant without enforcement through the ban, said Greg MacPherson, the city’s acting manager of community development.

Through the ban, the city prohibits encampments from transit shelters, playgrounds, pools, spray pads, outdoor recreation facilities, schools, daycares, adult care facilities, medians, traffic islands, bridges, docks, piers, rail lines and rail crossings, as well as wherever the camps obstruct traffic or pose a “life safety issue.”

MacPherson noted winter weather has led many homeless people to seek shelter, which is also affecting the number of encampments in the city.

Mötley Crue headlines Rockin’ Thunder stadium show

10:33 AM

L.A. metal act Mötley Crüe will top the bill at the second annual Rockin’ Thunder at Princess Auto Stadium July 4.

Presented by True North Sports and Entertainment and the Winnipeg Football Club, the Saturday night rock show will also feature three openers: Ontario rock band Three Days Grace, American post-grunge act Halestorm and Canadian rock Juno winner JJ Wilde. Tickets are on sale Friday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.ca. Prices are TBA.

The two-day event kicks off Friday, July 3, with the previously announced Country Thunder, headlined by country chart-topper Kane Brown, multi-platinum act Bailey Zimmerman, and joined by chart topper Koe Wetzel and singer-songwriter Robyn Ottolini.

Online map shows near real-time progress on sidewalk, bike path snow plowing

10:18 AM

The City of Winnipeg has updated its snow-clearing operations map to allow pedestrians to see where sidewalks and paths have been plowed in near real time.

The city is now using automatic vehicle location technology built into its clearing equipment to update its online map every 15 minutes with the latest plowing progress on sidewalks, pathways and bike lanes, the municipal government said Tuesday.

Previously, staff entered the information manually for an entire area, typically at the end of a 12-hour snow-clearing shift.

“Winnipeggers want clear, timely information they can rely on,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham in a news release. “By using automatic vehicle location technology, we’re giving residents near real-time updates on snow-clearing progress so they can plan their trips safely and confidently.”

Burrows Avenue apartment fire displaces residents, crews save cat from Salter Street blaze

8:47 AM

Residents of a Burrows Avenue apartment block were temporarily displaced by a fire early Tuesday morning.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were called to the three-storey building on the 400 block of Burrows Avenue just after 4:30 a.m.

Firefighters found heavy smoke in the building when they arrived, but soon found the suite where the fire began and got the flames under control just before 5:30 a.m.

The fire department said residents evacuated on their own and none were hurt. The city’s emergency social services team was called in to help out the displaced residents temporarily.

On Monday, fire crews were called to a fire in a two-and-half-storey duplex on the 400 block of Salter Street at about 4:15 p.m. They managed to get the flames under control by just before 6 p.m.

The building’s residents evacuated on their own before crews arrived, but firefighters went in to rescue a cat that was trapped in the duplex.