News briefs for Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Man dead in Pukatawagan stabbing

1:38 PM

A 45-year-old man is dead after a stabbing in Pukatawagan on Friday night.

RCMP were advised just before 8:30 p.m. on Friday that a man was being treated at the remote northern community’s health centre after an apparent assault. When Mounties arrived at the centre, they were told of another possible victim at a home in the community.

Officers left immediately to check and found an injured man outside the house. The 45-year-old, whose name has not been made public, was taken to the health centre in stable condition, but his condition worsened and he was airlifted to The Pas, where he later died of a stab wound.

Major crime investigators flew to the community to investigate along with officers from the local detachment.

On Sunday, officers arrested Gabriel Bighetty, 41. He’s been charged with manslaughter without firearm and assault with a weapon. He remains in custody.

Brandon man dead after rollover near Neepawa

1:23 PM

A 24-year-old man from Brandon died after his truck rolled off a gravel road southeast of Neepawa on Friday night.

Spruce Plains RCMP were called to the scene, on Provincial Road 352 between roads 80 and 81 North, just after 9:30 p.m., along with local firefighters and paramedics.

Mounties learned the truck had been headed north on PR 352 when it went off the road into the east ditch and adjacent field, where it rolled.

The driver was ejected from the truck and died of his injuries at the scene. There were no passengers in the vehicle at the time, RCMP say.

Police are still investigating the circumstances of the collision.

House under construction damaged in Archibald Street fire

12:11 PM

A fire Tuesday morning has levelled a housing unit under development in St. Boniface.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was notified at 4:50 a.m. that a house under construction on the 800 block of Archibald Street was on fire, a city spokesperson said in an email.

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters had the blaze under control by about 6:15 a.m. after using an aerial ladder to tackle the fire from above and protect nearby homes, the spokesperson said.

Neighbouring homes had burned fences and singed shingles. Ash and fire-retardant foam littered area lawns.

One firefighter said the structure was a two-storey property, but the top floor collapsed during the blaze.

The building is slated for emergency demolition because it’s structurally comprised, the spokesperson said.

The Lobster Trap wins 2026 Dafoe Book Prize

8:59 AM

Greg Mercer’s The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink has won the 2026 J.W. Dafoe Book Prize.

The $12,000 award, named after John Wesley Dafoe, the former editor of the Manitoba Free Press and Winnipeg Free Press, is presented annually to the best book on topics including “Canada, the West, and Canadians, as well as the Canadian nation in international affairs.”

Published by McClelland & Stewart in August 2025, The Lobster Trap examines the multibillion-dollar lobster industry and the impacts of climate change, trade wars and overfishing. The Lobster Trap is Mercer’s first book.

The award will be presented at an event later this fall.