Fire destroys building on Balmoral
8:50 PM
Downtown traffic is being rerouted as fire crews battle a blaze on Balmoral Avenue.
Winnipeg police say a fire broke out the house at 564 Balmoral Ave. at Sargent Avenue just after 7 p.m.
At 8:30 p.m. firefighters were still dousing the home, which appeared to have extensive damage.
Traffic is being rerouted down Cumberland Avenue.
No other details were made available.
Negotiation game a ‘rollercoaster’: Oliveira
12:25 PM
After weeks of media speculating about his future and fear from fans that their hometown star might be on the move, Brady Oliveira took centre stage Wednesday to say he was simply playing the game.
Not the one the Blue Bombers running back is used to and is now set to be paid handsomely for, after signing a two-year contract with Winnipeg that pays him a combined $470,000 — making the 26-year-old the highest-paid tailback in the CFL. It was the negotiation game Oliveira was referring to, which he claimed helped pave the way to finding some middle ground and keeping him in the River City through the 2025 season.
“It definitely was stressful, I’ll say that. It was a rollercoaster,” Oliveira said. “But I knew at the end of the day where I wanted to be, obviously, and now here we are. With the number I put out there, us athletes, we’ve got to play the game, too. I’m not going to come in with a lowball number. I got to go in with a high number and that was kind of a tactic on our end, and we got what we wanted.”
The Winnipeg native is coming off a breakout season, where he registered 2,016 scrimmage yards, including a league-high 1,534 rushing yards to go with 13 total touchdowns, another league-high. Oliveira was named the most outstanding Canadian and was runner-up to Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly for most outstanding player.
With his success, Oliveira hoped to reset the running back market in the CFL, asking for around $250,000 per season. He ended up taking a tad less — earning $230,000 in 2024 and $240,000 in 2025 — while turning down higher offers from other clubs.
Woman found dead outside stuck vehicle
12:01 PM
Gypsumville RCMP and provincial medical examiners are investigating after a woman was found dead outside near her vehicle last Friday afternoon.
Mounties were called to the scene on Loop Road in Little Saskatchewan First Nation at about 2:20 p.m., where they found the 40-year-old woman’s body.
RCMP think the woman got her vehicle stuck in the snow-filled ditch sometime overnight and then was outside her car for an “extended period of time” before she was found.
RCMP say the woman’s autopsy has been scheduled.
Dillon to have hearing with NHL player safety
10:33 AM
The NHL’s department of player safety has come calling for Winnipeg Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon.
He’ll have a phone hearing this afternoon after being tossed out of Tuesday night’s game in Pittsburgh for an illegal hit to the head of Penguins forward Noel Acciari, who was injured on the play.
Dillon was given a five-minute match penalty, during which the Penguins scored twice to take control of a game they won 3-0.
He faces a maximum suspension of five games. If the league wanted to go longer, an in-person hearing would have been offered.
The Jets expect to hear a decision by this evening. They’re practising in Philadelphia this afternoon to prepare for Thursday night’s game against the Flyers.
Logan Stanley is the only extra defenceman on Winnipeg’s roster right now and would likely draw in should Dillon be sidelined.
Police seeking suspect in 2021 attempted murder
10:08 AM
Police are asking for the public’s help to track down a suspect wanted in connection with a 2021 attempted murder on Furby Street.
Investigators are trying to locate Yusuf Abdulquadir Ali, 28, who is charged with two counts of attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent and multiple gun-related charges. The male victims, a 29-year-old and 35-year-old man, had life-threatening gunshot wounds but recovered from their injuries. The incident happened in the 100 block of Furby Street on Nov. 25, 2021.
Police say Ali is gang-affiliated and is considered armed and dangerous, so he shouldn’t be approached. He’s described as 6-3 tall and 235 pounds with a medium build.
Police are asking anyone with information on Ali’s whereabouts to contact Major Crimes investigators at 204-986-6219, Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477, or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org, or call 911.
