News briefs for Friday, October 2, 2026

Early voting begins Monday

10:58 AM

Advance voting for civic and school board elections begins next week.

Voters can cast early ballots for the Oct. 28 election in certain locations from Monday through Oct. 23.

Eligible voters can use their address to search for the most convenient location.

Early votes can be cast at the council building at City Hall at 510 Main St. every day, except weekends and Thanksgiving, from Monday to Oct. 23.

Votes can also be cast at the Canada Life Centre at 300 Portage Ave. from Oct. 6 to 8.

Voters can place their ballots at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre, Garden City Shopping Centre and at IKEA from Oct. 9 to 11.

From Oct. 16-18, voters can attend Grant Parking Shopping Centre, CF Polo Park and St. Vital Centre.

Elections staff will also visit hospitals, care homes, post-secondary schools and other locations during the early voting period to help people vote.

All voters must bring valid identification, such as an up-to-date driver’s licence, that shows their name and current address. Elections staff will also accept two documents that show the voter’s name and current address.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca

Suspect arrested after alleged arson

10:47 AM

A suspect was arrested and charged with arson soon after a Dublin Avenue business owner was alerted by his property’s surveillance system on Thursday night.

At about 11:30 p.m., Winnipeg Police Service officers were called to the business on the 1400 block of Dublin Avenue. The owner received an alert from the property’s security system and watched a person set fire to wooden pallets on the property via a live video feed, then called police.

Patrol officers arrived to find the pallets stacked against the building and ablaze. Police contained the fire until Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service personnel arrived to extinguish it.

Officers found a suspect nearby and seized a matchbox, lighter and torch.

Shawn Andrew Grisdale, 41, has been charged with arson, possessing incendiary material and failing to comply with a release order. He was held in custody.

Suspect arrested after numerous shoplifting incidents

9:58 AM

A 42-year-old man accused of a string of recent shoplifting incidents was arrested Thursday afternoon after security personnel at a Portage Avenue store called police.

Winnipeg Police Service property crime investigators believe Roger Franklin Sinclair, 42, is linked to nine thefts at stores on Leila and Portage avenues between Sept. 4 and Oct. 1. Clothing was pilfered in all of the thefts.

On Thursday, at about 2 p.m., police believe Sinclair selected about $162 worth of clothes from a store on the 1400 block of Portage Avenue and left without paying, but security called for police.

Officers found Sinclair nearby and arrested him. Property crime investigators, using surveillance footage from the stores, linked him to all of the thefts. Nearly $3,300 worth of goods were stolen in total.

He’s been charged with 10 counts of theft under $5,000 and one of robbery. He was held in custody ahead of court proceedings.

Crashes lead to highway closures; Highway 75 reopens

9:35 AM

Collisions closed sections of two highways on Friday morning.

Provincial infrastructure officials say Highway 75 at Highway 201, south of Morris, which was closed earlier, has now been reopened.

Highway 8, between highways 27 and 230, near St. Andrews, was also closed.

Both closures are due to collisions between vehicles. Officials have not said how many vehicles were involved or whether anyone was injured in either collision.

Fire doused in high-rise suite on Hendon Avenue

9:16 AM

A fire broke out in a suite in a highrise apartment on Hendon Avenue on Thursday evening.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were alerted by a fire alarm in the building on the 100 block of Hendon at about 6:40 p.m. and found a fire in one of the suites.

Firefighters got the fire, which was contained to the suite in which it started, under control by 7:15 p.m.

Some residents left the building, while others sheltered in place. No one was hurt.

Firefighters ventilated smoke from the building and most residents were able to return to their homes.

Firefighters called to Thursday gas leak on Munroe Avenue

9:15 AM

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews were called to a gas leak on Munroe Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to the 600 block of Munroe just before 4 p.m., where they found a damaged natural gas line that appeared to have been struck during construction work.

Fire crews evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution while Manitoba Hydro workers stopped the leak before moving on to repairs. Firefighters remained on scene while the repairs were completed.

Police search for vulnerable 57-year-old man

8:52 AM

Winnipeg police are searching for a vulnerable man who went missing Thursday evening.

Russell Weenusk, 57, was last seen near Talbot Avenue and Keenleyside Street at about 6 p.m. on Thursday.

He’s about 5-5 tall with a thin build and short black hair and brown eyes. He was last wearing a dark blue and black Winnipeg Jets baseball cap, a dark blue puffer jacket, blue jeans and black Hoka running shoes.

The Winnipeg Police Service said Weenusk is considered vulnerable. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call missing persons investigators at 204-986-6250.