News briefs for Friday, July 3, 2026

Folk fest tickets nearly sold out

5:32 PM

The Winnipeg Folk Festival has sold out of single-day tickets for Friday and Saturday. A limited number of day and weekend passes are available for the remainder of the festival.

Tickets are not sold at the gate and must be purchased in advance online at winnipegfolkfestival.ca or in-person at the festival’s office at 203-211 Bannatyne Ave. In-person purchases are available until 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Tories choose biz leader to succeed Wharton

3:23 PM

A prominent voice in the business community will try to hang onto the Progressive Conservative seat in Red River North in next year’s provincial election.

Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association CEO Shaun Jeffrey has been picked to run in the constituency, which includes the rural municipalities of East St. Paul and St. Clements, and the communities of East Selkirk, Libau, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and Grand Beach. The incumbent, PC Jeff Wharton, is not seeking re-election.

The PCs also announced Friday that Mark Custance will carry their banner in Turtle Mountain, as incumbent PC MLA Doyle Piwniuk will not run again. Custance, a councillor for the Municipality of Two Borders, was acclaimed after the PC executive disqualified his only rival for the nomination, Wally Daudrich. Daudrich has since quit the party and announced he will run for the Keystone Party in The Pas-Kameesak byelection on July 21.

The Manitoba general election will be held no later than Oct. 5, 2027.

Missing 28-year-old man found dead

2:22 PM

A 28-year-old man missing since Tuesday has been found dead, RCMP said Friday.

Ridley Constant was last seen in the community of Umpherville, just outside The Pas, where he had been visiting his grandmother. He had not been heard from since, said an RCMP news release Thursday. 

RCMP did not release information on the cause of death.

Measles cases drop in June

2:04 PM

The number of measles cases detected in Manitoba in June dropped significantly, marking the lowest monthly number of cases so far this year.

Just seven confirmed cases and no probable cases were detected in June, numbers from the provincial health department show.

That’s compared to 49 confirmed and six probable cases found in May, which was the previous lowest monthly number.

The total number of confirmed cases of measles this year is 605. There have been 78 probable cases detected.

The true number of infections is believed to be higher.

Bloodsuckers beware: spraying to begin

12:40 PM

The city will start spraying for mosquitoes Saturday.

With trap counts on the rise, the adult nuisance mosquito control program will kick off at 9:30 p.m., weather permitting, the city said in a news release Friday. It will target 14 ‘insect management areas’ in the city.

The decision to fog is based on several criteria. The citywide average trap count must be a minimum of 25 female mosquitoes for two consecutive nights and one or more quadrants of the city must report at least 100 female adult mosquitoes. Those conditions were satisfied in the past 24 hours, the city said, noting its citywide trap count is 84.

The city uses an insecticide, called DeltaGard, that has been approved by Health Canada.

Residents may apply for a 90-metre buffer zone near their property. Applications can be submitted on the city’s website, by fax to 311, in writing to the Insect Control Branch or in person at 1539 Waverley St.

The insect management areas set to be sprayed include:

– IMA 13 (Alpine Place, Elm Park, Lavalee, St. George, Varennes, Worthington)

– IMA 14 (Kingston Crescent, Minnetonka, Norberry, Pulberry, Victoria Crescent)

– IMA 17 (Dakota Crossing, Meadowood)

– IMA 18 (Maple Grove Park, Normand Park, River Park South, St. Vital Centre, Vista)

– IMA 21 (Agassiz, Cloutier Drive, Fort Richmond, Montcalm, University)

– IMA 23 (Tuxedo Industrial, West Perimeter South, Whyte Ridge, Wilkes South)

– IMA 24 (Brockville, Buffalo, Chevrier, Linden Ridge, Lindenwoods, Pembina Strip, West Fort Garry Industrial)

– IMA 25 (Beaumont, Crescent Park, Maybank, Parker, Point Road, Wildwood)

– IMA 26 (Betsworth, Ridgewood South, River West Park, Roblin Park, Southboine, Westdale)

– IMA 27 (Elmhurst, Eric Coy, Marlton, Ridgedale, Varsity View, Vialoux)

– IMA 28 (Assiniboine Park)

– IMA 29 (Edgeland, Old Tuxedo, South Tuxedo, Tuxedo)

– IMA 30 (Central River Heights, J.B. Mitchell, Mathers, Sir John Franklin, South River Heights)

– IMA 31 (Crescentwood, North River Heights, Wellington Crescent)

Armed man made threats: police

11:51 AM

A man has been charged with uttering threats and multiple gun offences after entering a home in Crane River First Nation last month.

Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP received a report at 5:30 p.m. on June 28 that an armed man entered a house in the community and was threatening the father of someone who lived there.

The man eventually left the home in an older red SUV.

As officers were investigating, they were told the suspect had gone to a different home. They spotted the red SUV and saw the suspect enter.

RCMP surrounded the home and ordered the man to surrender. When he didn’t, officers called for backup.

The man, 18, left the house at 11:20 p.m. without incident. Multiple weapons were seized, police said. He was charged with seven offences, including uttering threats and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Teulon man, 86, dies in highway crash

11:13 AM

An 86-year-old man from Teulon died in a collision in the Rural Municipality of Gimli on Thursday afternoon.

Gimli RCMP, along with local firefighters and paramedics, were called to the crash at the intersection of Highway 8 and Komarno Road at about 2:40 p.m.

The first responders found the Teulon man’s heavily damaged sedan in the southwest ditch, while a pickup truck with a badly damaged front end was on the highway.

RCMP say the sedan was headed west on Komarno Road when it collided with the pickup truck that was headed south on Highway 8.

The Teulon man was pronounced dead at the scene. The pickup driver, a 48-year-old man from Niverville, was taken to hospital with minor injuries and later released.

Vacant building fire in West Broadway extinguished

10:28 AM

No one was hurt in a vacant building fire that was extinguished Friday morning.

Fire crews went to the home on the 600 block of Broadway around 5:21 a.m. The fire was declared under control at 6:31 a.m.

The fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available.

MPI reopens Dauphin and Swan River centres

9:36 AM

Manitoba Public insurance has resumed some of its Parkland region operations after flood conditions improved in the area.

The Dauphin Service Centre and Swan River Claims Centre will be open for front counter services from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a closure from noon to 1 p.m. Appointments at both locations will continue as scheduled.

Mobile appointments in the Dauphin area, including estimating and driving tests, remain cancelled until further notice. MPI is contacting impacted customers and will rebook appointments as road conditions allow.

Customers with vehicle damage due to the flooding conditions are encouraged to open a claim with MPI as soon as they are safely able to do so. Customers whose vehicles cannot be driven should call MPI’s Contact Centre at 204-985-7000, toll-free at 1-800-665-2410 or online at openclaim.mpi.mb.ca