News briefs for Friday, March 20, 2026

Feds provide $9M for housing, shelter units in Manitoba

5:18 PM

The federal government is providing $9 million to build or repair 86 affordable housing units and shelter spaces in three Manitoba communities.

Officials said a 14-bed women’s shelter will be built in Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake), and a five-unit transitional housing shelter will be constructed in Fisher River Cree Nation. Both facilities will receive operating funding.

Repairs will be made to 67 low-income housing units that are home to single parents and their children in Thompson, the federal government said.

Second man charged after woman slain

2:58 PM

A second man has been charged in the slaying of a 33-year-old woman in Keeseekoowenin First Nation last summer.

The woman was shot dead and a 26-year-old man was seriously injured on July 28, 2025, police previously stated.

Frank La Forge, 52, was arrested and charged in August with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

A second man was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, RCMP said in a Friday news release.

Darion Burns, 31, of Keeseekoowenin First Nation, was arrested after his vehicle was stopped by RCMP along Highway 45. He remains in custody.

Boy dead after stabbing in Berens River

1:48 PM

RCMP are asking the public for help after a 15-year-old boy was slain in Berens River First Nation.

Officers were sent to a residence in the community Friday at 9:07 a.m. after a report of a stabbing.

The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

RCMP asked anyone with information about the death to contact the Berens River detachment at 204-382-2436.

Teen in custody after cab driver assaulted

1:30 PM

A 17-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly assaulting a taxi driver early Friday.

Winnipeg police say the suspect was in the parking lot of a hotel on the 1300 block of Pembina Highway when he approached a parked taxi and began arguing with the driver.

After punching the driver through an open window, police say the victim got out of the vehicle and the suspect proceeded to chase and attempt to stab him with a large knife. The driver was unharmed, a Friday news release states.

Officers located and arrested the teen around 12:47 a.m. and seized a combat style knife.

The suspect is facing assault and weapons charges, and failure to comply with a probation order. He was wanted on two warrants for assault with a weapon, uttering threats and failure to comply with a sentence.

He was detained in custody.

RCMP probe suspicious death in Flin Flon

1:12 PM

RCMP are investigating after a woman was found dead inside a Flin Flon home.

Officers were sent to the house in the northern city on Monday at 11:55 a.m. after a report of an unresponsive woman, RCMP said in a Friday news release.

The 31-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and her death is considered suspicious, Mounties said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Flin Flon RCMP at 204-687-1422.

City police seize drugs, cash

9:52 AM

A drug trafficking investigation launched by city police netted a large amount of drugs and cash last week, leading to charges for three men.

The investigation began this month, and culminated with a search warrant on March 12, when police executed a search warrant at a home on the 500 block of St. Catherine Street, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday.

Officer seized 2,475 grams of cocaine, 99 Percocet pills, more than $19,000 in cash, and an assortment of other items, including a money counter, scales, packaging materials and electronic devices, WPS said.

Three men — ages 31, 32 and 27 — were taken into custody. All are charged with trafficking offences and possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

They were released on undertakings to appear in court, WPS said.

Industrial building spared from serious fire

9:45 AM

The automatic sprinkler system inside a Winnipeg industrial building helped to prevent a serious fire Friday morning, containing the flames to a single room and away from dangerous chemicals.

Fire crews received a fire call to the commercial structure on the 1700 block of Inkster Boulevard shortly after 4 a.m. When they arrived, they found the sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire to the same room where it started, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

The WFPS HazMat team also responded because industrial cleaning chemicals were stored in the building, but further assessment confirmed they were not involved in the fire. Fire crews extinguished the flames within one hour, WFPS said.

All staff evacuated before firefighters arrived and nobody was injured. The building was ventilated after the blaze was extinguished, and employees returned to work.

The fire remains under investigation, but it is believed to be accidental, WFPS said.