News briefs for Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Arborg gets cash for baseball, soccer fields

4:31 PM

Arborg is getting $1.2 million from the province to construct new baseball diamonds and soccer fields.

The project, funded by the Manitoba Growth, Renewal and Opportunities program, is to ensure continued access to high quality recreational facilities, Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard said in a news release Tuesday.

Aging facilities in the town, located about 100 kilometres north of Winnipeg, are undersized will be replaced with a modern, inclusive and sustainable outdoor sports complex designed to serve residents of all ages and abilities, the release said.

The Arborg-Bifrost Outdoor Sports Complex was envisioned by the Town of Arborg, the Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton, community volunteers and local groups to strengthen recreational opportunities throughout the region and serve residents and visitors, Arborg Mayor Peter Dueck said.

It will be designed to meet or exceed Manitoba Accessibility Act standards and will incorporate sustainable, low maintenance features, such as LED lighting, naturalized landscaping and long lasting playing surfaces — without requiring the closure or consolidation of facilities in either community, the release said.

Brandon police officer charged with assault after arrest of youth

11:19 AM

A Brandon Police Service officer has been charged with assault over his alleged conduct while arresting a teenage boy last summer.

Brandon police were called to a local high school at about 1:15 p.m. on June 10, 2025 over a report of a teen armed with a bladed weapon acting “out of control,” the Independent Investigation Unit said on Tuesday.

The police oversight agency said the boy was arrested after an officer or officers used a Taser, before a second, unspecified “use-of-force encounter” between the teen and police. The teen was taken to the Brandon hospital for treatment and released back to police afterward.

The IIU began investigating the circumstances of the arrest on July 11 last year.

The IIU announced on Tuesday one officer, Const. Darren Shewchuk, was charged with assault.

Employee struck, injured by ATV after liquor theft: RCMP

10:40 AM

Mounties are searching for a man who disappeared Saturday night after he allegedly fled from police on an ATV, following a liquor theft at a rural business that left one man seriously injured.

RCMP responded to a store at the intersection of Highway 59 and Highway 11, in the R.M. of Alexander, shortly before 7 p.m. Investigators learned an employee had attempted to stop a man from driving away on an ATV, after he saw him steal alcohol, RCMP said in a news release Tuesday.

The employee clung to the man as he rode the vehicle, and then they fell into a ditch. The man then ran over the employee and drove away, RCMP said.

The employee, a 40-year-old man from the R.M. of Victoria Beach, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said. He was taken to the hospital and remains in stable condition.

Mounties spotted the ATV on Highway 11, near Sagkeeng Junior High School, and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect refused to pull over. He then fled into a wooded area behind Turtle Lodge, toward the townsite, RCMP said.

Police deployed a drone and canine unit, but did not locate the suspect. He has not been seen or heard from since, and has been reported missing by his family, RCMP said.

Police recovered a knife, stolen liquor and a jacket belonging to the suspect from the ditch area near the store.

Kevin Courchene, 27, has been charged with aggravated assault, robbery, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police and several other charges.

He is wanted on a warrant. Police ask anybody with information about his whereabouts to call investigators at 204-367-2222, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.