News briefs for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

One dead in Kennedy apartment fire

4:29 PM

A person has died after a fire in a Manitoba Housing complex downtown.

Police said Tuesday a person was found dead inside a suite after Monday’s blaze at a highrise at 444 Kennedy St. No further details about the person were released.

Residents of the building were evacuated after explosions blew out a window on the eighth floor.

The cause of the fire is unknown and the investigation continues, a Winnipeg Police Service news release said.

Police asked anyone with information to call 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-TIPS (8447).

Two vehicles damaged after Highway 59 crash

4:10 PM

RCMP said a 22-year-old was charged and two vehicles suffered severe damage after a high-speed crash on Highway 59 Monday afternoon.

St. Pierre-Jolys RCMP were called to the crash at around 4 p.m. after it was reported two vehicles collided at the intersection of Highway 59 and Road 34 North near the Otterburne turnoff, said an RCMP release Tuesday.

Emergency crews responded immediately. On scene, RCMP said they found one of the vehicles in the ditch after it flew through the air from the force of the collision and the other damaged as a result of the crash.

Mounties say the crash happened when the vehicle travelling east on Road 34 North crossed Highway 59 at a high-rate of speed, crashing with the southbound vehicle.

Two men from St. Malo were in the southbound vehicle, a 51-year-old driver and a 28-year-old passenger, RCMP said. The 51-year-old was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the passenger was not injured.

The 22-year-old-driver in the eastbound vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries and did not require medical attention. He was ticketed for driving carelessly and proceeding before it was safe to do so.

Measles exposures logged on Winnipeg buses, school

2:50 PM

Manitoba Health is warning the public about four new measles exposure sites in Winnipeg, including a pair on city buses.

Taking place on Thursday, the first was on Winnipeg transit route D16, the Academy – Notre Dame bus from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. As well as the F7 route, the St. Anne’s – Provencher bus, on the same day from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Exposures also took place at Victor Wyatt School on Meadowood Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the Teen Stop Jeunesse on St. Annes Road from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

People exposed who have not been vaccinated may be eligible for preventative treatment within six days. As of April 11, there have been 474 confirmed cases of measles in the province and 68 probable cases.

Man charged after knife held to throat at Henderson restaurant

2:34 PM

A man has been charged and another person suffered minor injuries after police say a suspect held a knife to the throat of a fellow restaurant patron at a Henderson Highway eatery earlier this month.

Police were called to the restaurant, located on the 1400 block of Henderson Highway, for a report of an assault on April 4 at around 11:30 p.m. a Winnipeg Police Service release said on Tuesday.

When they arrived, investigators found out the suspect had arrived earlier in the evening, with a dispute taking place between the man and another person while settling a tab.

Police said the man then produced the knife and held it to the victim’s throat.

He was then pushed away and escorted out of the venue by one of the man’s friends, said the release. The patron suffered minor injuries, but police said they did not require medical attention.

At that point, the major crimes unit took over the investigation and on Sunday afternoon the man was arrested by patrol officers in the 500 block of Sargent Avenue.

The 31-year-old man is now facing charges of assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was released on an undertaking.

Pukatawagan in lockdown during home invasion suspect search

2:11 PM

A First Nation is in lockdown while RCMP search for a man wanted in connection with a home invasion on Friday.

A community-wide mandatory lockdown is in effect in Pukatawagan due to the “ongoing safety issue,” said a band councillor in a social media post.

The Facebook post told people to “remain at home and not go out walking or visiting.”

All public places in the remote, fly-in reserve about 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg have been closed, including stores, the band office and the school.

RCMP said Sunday a Winnipeg man, 23-year-old Creedan Bighetty, is wanted in connection with the armed home invasion.

Mounties allege he and two teens busted into a home in the First Nation at about 11 p.m. on Friday while armed with guns.

The two teenage boys were arrested and charged with firearms offences and breaking and entering.

Man arrested after threatening, racist letters sent to MLA

10:28 AM

Winnipeg police have arrested a 72-year-old man accused of sending several racist and threatening letters to a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba last year.

The MLA — it’s unclear who the victim is or to which party they belong — received “multiple” letters between July and September last year from a stranger that included racist comments and “a threat of violence,” the Winnipeg Police Service said on Tuesday.

Major crimes investigators took on the case and obtained a warrant to search a house in the city’s northwest on April 18, where they arrested the 72-year-old. He’s been charged with criminal harassment and uttering threats.

The senior was let out on an undertaking.

Police said investigators are still probing the incident and have asked anyone who wants to speak with major crimes to call their office at 204-986-6219.

Caregivers charged in 2024 death of six-year-old from The Pas

9:51 AM

A woman from The Pas has been charged with manslaughter in the 2024 death of a child in her care, while her partner has been charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.

The Pas RCMP were called about a six-year-old girl “serious injuries and bruises” who had been brought into the local hospital on Oct. 29, 2024 by a caregiver, Mounties said on Tuesday. Officials were initially told the little girl had fallen from her bed.

Health officials had the girl airlifted to Winnipeg for medical treatment, but she died on Nov. 3 that year of a traumatic head injury.

RCMP major crime investigators determined that the girl had been assaulted the day before she was brought to the hospital.

Earlier this month, RCMP say, prosecutors authorized charges against two caregivers who were responsible for the girl’s health and wellbeing. The couple were arrested on April 14.

Ashley Morach, 39, is charged with manslaughter, failing to provide the necessities of life and two counts of obstructing justice. Joel Morach, 35, has been charged with failing to provide the necessities of life.

RCMP continue search for Portage la Prairie man after disappearance four years ago

8:42 AM

RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating a man who disappeared in Portage la Prairie four years ago.

Shawn Roy Miness was last seen at his residence on Tupper Street on April 21, 2022. He was reported missing two days later when family members were unable to reach him, according to a Tuesday RCMP release.

Mounties said they have continued efforts to locate Miness, following up on tips and new information without success.

Officers and Miness’s family believe somebody may have the necessary detail to help locate him and may not realize it. They are urging anyone who may have information about what happened to him to come forward.

Miness was 42 when he was first reported missing. He is six feet tall, with brown eyes and balding brown hair.

Investigations are asking anyone who may have reached out before or who may have new information in relation to his disappearance to contact Portage la Prairie RCMP at 204-857-4445, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or provide a secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.