News briefs for Thursday, October 22, 2026

Jets lose to Stars 3-2 in OT

9:57 PM

DALLAS – The Winnipeg Jets let a point slip away in Dallas, falling 3-2 in overtime Thursday night.

Roope Hintz tied the game with two minutes left in regulation, then scored the winner during the three-on-three extra time session.

Gabe Vilardi and Kyle Connor scored for the visitors while goaltender Stuart Skinner stopped 35 of 38 shots he faced.

The Jets are now 4-3-3 on the year but have just one win over the last six games (1-3-2).

They return to action on Sunday when they face the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic at Princess Auto Stadium.

Suspects sought in Lake Ridge Road home invasion

2:04 PM

Several suspects forced their way into a home on Lake Ridge Road in Winnipeg’s west suburbs late on Monday, terrorizing the elderly residents as they robbed the place.

Winnipeg Police Service major crimes investigators are searching for the suspects.

Officers were called to the home on the 300 block of Lake Ridge at about 11:50 p.m. on Monday, where they spoke with the four elderly residents.

The residents told police about four suspects, wearing masks and carrying various weapons, who busted in the house’s rear door and searched the house for valuables for about 10 minutes.

During the robbery, one of the suspects entered a bedroom and dragged an elderly woman from her bed to the floor, leaving her with minor injuries. A purse was stolen.

Investigators believe the suspects walked up to the residence from the area of Lakeridge Park.

Police ask anyone with information on the robbery or who might have potentially relevant dashcam, security or cell phone video from around the time of the incident to call investigators at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Fire crews battle two blazes Wednesday

2:00 PM

Firefighters were kept busy in Winnipeg Wednesday evening, responding to two separate house fires.

According to a Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service news release, at 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday crews responded to a fire in a house on the 100 block of Braemar Avenue.

Once on scene, they found smoke and flames coming from the house. Firefighters attacked the fire and it was declared under control by 9:51 p.m. Everyone in the home got out before crews arrived and no injuries were reported.

The fire is now under investigation, and no damage estimates are available.

Then, at 10:47 p.m. on Wednesday, WFPS crews responded to reports of a fire in a house on the 500 block of Pritchard Avenue.

When they arrived, crews found smoke coming from the house. They attacked the fire and it was declared under control by 11:28 p.m. Paramedics transported one person to the hospital in stable condition.

That fire is also under investigation, and no damage estimates are available.

Police stop sex assault in progress

1:18 PM

Police officers stopped a sexual assault in progress on Stanley Street on Wednesday evening.

A member of the public called 911 after they spotted a suspect assaulting a woman shortly after 7 p.m. on the 300 block of Stanley, the Winnipeg Police Service said.

Patrol officers responded almost immediately and found a suspect in the process of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman just after 7:10 p.m.

Police took the suspect into custody, while paramedics took the woman to hospital in stable condition.

Harley Aaron Okemow, 34, is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm.

He’s a high-risk sex offender who was under monitoring by the Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offenders Unit, a joint force of city police and RCMP.

WAG-Qaumajuq appoints first Indigenous director and CEO

1:16 PM

WAG-Qaumajuq has appointed its first Indigenous director and CEO.

John Mahli Lawa’ Hampton has been selected to take the helm of Canada’s oldest civic art gallery, WAG-Qaumajuq announced Thursday. 

A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, Hampton — who most recently served as executive director and CEO of the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina — was appointed following a national and international search.

Bill Elliott, WAG-Qaumajuq’s deputy director and chief financial officer, has been serving in the role on an interim basis after longtime director and CEO Stephen Borys departed the gallery in 2025 after 17 years.

Hampton will begin in the role on Dec. 10.

RCMP renew call for leads in 2021 slaying of Nisichawayasihk man

1:16 PM

RCMP are still investigating the homicide of a 22-year-old man from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Manitoba’s north, five years since he went missing. 

Rico Linklater was last seen in the community, also known as Nelson House, early in the morning on Oct. 21, 2021, and was reported missing two days later. The case was deemed a homicide in 2022.

Despite extensive investigation and searches over the years, including by RCMP specialists, his remains have not been found and no one has been charged in his death.

“Each time our team of investigators travels to the community, we continue to conduct interviews and follow up on any leads that come in,” said RCMP major crime Sgt. Brian White. “This was a 22-year-old young man that did not return home to his family, and tragically, was the victim of a homicide.”

White encouraged anyone with information to contact the Nisichawayasihk RCMP detachment at 204-484-2837.

“Any little piece of information may assist us in being able to provide answers to Rico’s family,” said the Mountie.

Major crimes investigators intend to return to the community in the near future to work on the case.

Police probe motorcycle crash

1:07 PM

A motorcyclist was taken to hospital after colliding with a building Wednesday evening.

Officers sent to the scene, on the 600 block of Archibald Street, learned a 24-year-old man was driving westbound on Marion Street at Archibald when he lost control and hit a building shortly after 6 p.m., a Winnipeg Police Service news release stated.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition and has since been upgraded to stable.

Police asked anyone with dashcam, security or cellphone video of the incident to contact the traffic unit at 204-986-7085 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.

Inglis bridge destroyed by rain to reopen in December 

11:32 AM

An Inglis-area bridge that closed in June following heavy rainfall is expected to reopen in December.

Work has begun on the Shell River Bridge on Provincial Trunk Highway 83, the province said in a news release Thursday. That includes the installation of steel supports and the demolition of the damaged south abutment, which provides vertical support for the span.

A detour remains in place via Provincial Road 482 through Shellmouth and Dropmore.

Work to construct a new foundation and abutment is up next, followed by the rebuilding of the riverbank and roadway approaches.

The project is expected to be complete by summer.

Inglis is near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, about 110 kilometres southwest of Dauphin.

Man arrested in Dauphin road rage incidents

11:19 AM

A 30-year-old man accused of two apparent road rage incidents in Dauphin on Tuesday has been arrested.

RCMP responded to the incidents at about 6:20 p.m.

The first occurred near 9th Avenue and 2nd Street South. A 31-year-old driver was waiting at the four-way stop at the intersection when an SUV pulled up to him, then pulled out a knife and made gestures that he was going to open his door. The victim drove off.

A short time later, RCMP say, the same SUV was involved in another incident on the 1400 block of Main Street South in Dauphin. Officers were told a man got out of the SUV and “acted erratically” toward the occupants of another vehicle. The suspect then got back in the SUV and drove toward a nearby hotel.

At about 7 p.m., Mounties found the SUV in the hotel parking lot and their suspect inside the hotel, where they arrested him.

A 30-year-old man of Valley River First Nation is charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.