News briefs for Thursday, August 27, 2026

Expect construction delays around Leila and McPhillips intersection this weekend

4:26 PM

Construction crews will be paving roads in and around the intersection of Leila Avenue and McPhillips Street over the weekend.

The city says drivers should use alternate routes and anticipate delays in the area from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday.

No east-west vehicle traffic will be allowed on Leila through the intersection. Westbound vehicles must turn right onto northbound McPhillips, while eastbound traffic will be closed at Watson Street.

There will also be no left turn from northbound McPhillips onto Leila.

Southbound McPhillips will be cut to one lane and no turns will be allowed in either direction from southbound McPhillips onto Leila.

Man who cut off ankle monitor found in homeless camp

3:53 PM

Winnipeg Police Service bail compliance officers picked up a man wanted on several warrants on Wednesday who had cut off his electronic ankle monitoring device.

Three arrest warrants had been issued for Michael Bruce Garson, 43, between April and July, after he cut off his ankle monitor while out on bail. Police learned that he often spent time in the area of Higgins Avenue and Main Street.

On Wednesday, while canvassing the area, officers located Garson hiding in a tent in a homeless camp on the 100 block of Henry Avenue. Police also seized methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine, as well as Canadian and American cash. He’s been charged with several drug offences and with possessing the proceeds of crime under $5,000.

A Crime Stoppers notice from earlier this year indicates Garson was charged with trafficking cocaine and meth in October last year, then released on bail with an ankle monitor. He cut off the monitor on April 29, according to the notice.

Founder of Canad Inns remembered with street name

3:53 PM

The founder of Canad Inns will be remembered through an honourary street name.

On Thursday, the city installed a new sign to mark “Leo Ledohowski Way” on Jefferson Avenue between McPhillips and Watson streets.

Ledohowski died last year at the age of 81, after starting the Canad Inns hotel chain in the 1970s.

At an event to unveil the new name, he was described as an entrepreneur and hospitality leader, as well as a cheerleader for both Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Man accused in summer shoplifting spree arrested

1:41 PM

Winnipeg police have charged a man accused in a spree of shoplifting incidents this summer, who was detained by store security after allegedly attempting to leave a shop with merchandise on Wednesday evening.

A suspect selected $795 worth of clothes from a store in Grant Park Shopping Centre and only paid for a pair of socks before he tried to leave. Security guards held him and called for police.

Winnipeg Police Service patrol officers arrested the suspect and turned him over to property crime detectives, who linked the suspect to seven prior thefts from stores in July and August, police said on Thursday. The thefts were all caught on store surveillance cameras and reported to police.

The suspect is accused of stealing around $6,800 worth of goods throughout the spree, from stores on Empress Street, Kenaston Boulevard, Pembina Highway and Portage Avenue. The thief mostly stole clothing, but also shoes in one incident and perfume in another.

A 42-year-old man has been charged with several counts of theft under $5,000 and has been held in custody ahead of court.

Police warn of sex offender’s release from jail

11:22 AM

Law enforcement officials are warning that a convicted sex offender released from Milner Ridge jail on Thursday is expected to live in Winnipeg.

The Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit, a joint force unit of Winnipeg police and the RCMP, says Desmond Jared Shane Catcheway, 37, is considered a high risk to re-offend in a sexual or sexually violent way against women and girls.

He was let out of jail Thursday after serving a roughly six-month sentence for failing to comply with a prohibition order and a breach of recognizance.

Catcheway has been convicted of several sex offences, dating back to a sex assault on a sleeping woman he did not know in 2013, and has a history of breaching court orders.

He has refused to participate in sex offender programming while serving time, police say.

Catcheway is subject to various conditions, including that he stay away from public places where children can be reasonably expected to be present.

Arrest made in Dollarama stabbing

10:09 AM

A suspect has been arrested after a security guard was stabbed in a St. James Dollarama Tuesday.

Police said the security guard confronted a suspected shoplifter before being stabbed Tuesday afternoon. The suspect fled and the security guard was hospitalized in stable condition.

Nelson Preston Sumner, 29, was arrested at Portage Avenue and Strathmillan Road Wednesday morning. He has been charged with aggravated assault, robbery and failing to comply with a probation order. He remains in custody.

No injuries after Aberdeen Avenue fire

8:32 AM

Firefighters were called to a fire at a two-storey multi-family home in the 300 block of Aberdeen Avenue early Thursday.

The fire was first reported by Winnipeg Police Service’s AIR1 helicopter. Firefighters arrived at 1:15 a.m. and the fire was declared under control by 1:58 a.m.

Everyone in the home escaped before the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service arrived and no injuries were reported. City emergency social services were called to support residents displaced by the fire. The cause is being investigated.