News briefs for Tuesday, December 31, 2024

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Missing woman last seen in Crestview and Portage Avenue area

5:37 PM

Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 34-year-old woman.

Kaitlyn Kolden, who also goes by Kaitlyn Antell, was last seen Sunday at 2 p.m. in Winnipeg, in the Crestview and Portage Avenue area. She is described as 5’7″ with a thin build, brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen in a bright pink coat and dark tights.

Anyone with any information regarding Kolden’s whereabouts should contact the Winnipeg Police Service Missing Persons Unit at 204-986-6250.

Kaitlyn Kolden, who also goes by Kaitlyn Antell, was last seen Sunday at 2 p.m. in Winnipeg.

Thompson man shot by RCMP faces litany of charges

2:44 PM

A Thompson man shot and wounded by Mounties during a traffic stop in October is facing several charges after an investigation.

Troy McIvor, 39, has been charged with three counts of assault with a weapon and single counts of armed robbery, flight from police, forcible confinement, dangerous driving and uttering threats.

Gypsumville RCMP were searching for a stolen vehicle linked to a series of crimes when they found a suspect on Highway 6, south of Pinaymootang First Nation, at about noon on Oct. 24.

Police tried to stop the vehicle, but McIvor allegedly refused to pull over, leading officers on a short pursuit. The man then got out of the vehicle with a gun and tried to carjack a stopped vehicle. One of the officers shot the suspect, RCMP said previously.

McIvor was able to get into the stopped vehicle and drive a short distance before coming to a stop in a ditch, police said. He was given immediate medical attention before a STARS air ambulance took him to hospital with serious injuries.

No officers were injured. McIvor is in custody.

The investigation into the shooting remains under investigation by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.

Portion of popular river trail opens at The Forks

1:52 PM

The first portion of the popular Nestaweya River Trail opened on the final day of 2024.

Tuesday’s opening of the port rink section of the trail on the Assiniboine River marks only the fifth time since 2008 the trail has opened in December.

Once fully completed, the trail runs over six kilometres long and is open, on average, for 50-plus days each winter.

Visitors can access the trail using the steps of the port or the ramp just east of the rail bridge.

This year, the trail is being funded by financial support of winter enthusiasts through the Trail Together campaign in support of The Forks Foundation, with nearly 700 metres also “adopted.”

Additional sections of the river trail will be added as nature allows.

Police arrest four, suspend 33 during third week of checkstop program

12:22 PM

The number of impaired drivers caught during the Winnipeg Police Service’s annual checkstop program increased again in its third week.

City police charged four with criminal impaired driving and issued another 33 immediate roadside prohibitions, which come with a mandatory three-month driving ban for blowing over the legal limit.

The number of drunk drivers increased slightly from second-week figures, where police sounded the alarm after recording 35 incidents (six arrests, 29 suspensions). Five individuals failed cannabis screenings. Twenty-three tickets were issued for traffic-related offences.

Through three weeks of the monthlong program, police have arrested 12 motorists and suspended 71 others.

“Our message is simple — if you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs, don’t drive,” police said.

Gun, drugs seized in Selkirk traffic stop

12:13 PM

A man was arrested after a traffic stop in Selkirk resulted in the seizure of a homemade gun, drugs and suspected stolen property Saturday.

Selkirk RCMP conducted the traffic stop on Jemima Street at about 10:15 p.m. The sole occupant, a 55-year-old Selkirk man, was arrested after the officer spotted illegal tobacco in the car.

After searching the driver and the vehicle, police seized 27 grams of what is suspected to be cocaine, a homemade .22-calibre zip gun, knives, pills, money and property believed to be stolen.

The man faces charges of possession of property obtained by crime, possession of an unauthorized firearm, two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and other weapons-related charges.

Items seized after a traffic stop in Selkirk Saturday.
Homemade zip gun seized after a traffic stop in Selkirk Saturday.
Suspected cocaine seized after a traffic stop in Selkirk Saturday.

MLA wants heritage protection for Lemay Forest 

11:51 AM

An independent MLA is calling on Premier Wab Kinew to designate Lemay Forest as a heritage site.

In a Tuesday press release, MLA Mark Wasyliw said the forest is under threat of being destroyed, “jeopardizing its exceptional cultural, historical and environmental significance.”

Wasyliw said the site is sacred, playing host to sweat lodge ceremonies for more than 30 years.

The future of the privately owned land has triggered heated debate over the past year. Its owner wants to create a 5,000-bed, 2,500-unit assisted living facility at the site and resumed tree removal on Dec. 23.

While Tochal Development Group argues this project would provide desperately needed housing, a coalition of residents has fought to keep the forest and urged governments to buy the land to do so. City council has so far rejected the assisted living proposal, but the Manitoba Municipal Board will hear an appeal of that decision early next year.

Beausejour RCMP investigating armed robbery

10:17 AM

RCMP in Beausejour are searching for a suspect who held up a store at gunpoint Sunday night.

Police were sent to the store on Park Avenue at about 10:30 p.m.

A man entered the store with a white bandana over his face and demanded money while brandishing what was described as a black handgun. The employee was not hurt.

RCMP said the suspect might be in his mid-30s, tall, and about 200 pounds. He was wearing a red hoodie pulled up over his head, a blue plaid jacket, red sweat pants with a black spider graphic on the knee and grey-and-brown skateboard shoes.

He was last spotted walking north on Fifth Street. RCMP don’t yet know whether the suspect had any accomplices.

Mounties asked anyone with information that could identify the suspect to contact the Beausejour detachment at 204-268-2612, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

RCMP HANDOUT A Beausejour armed robbery suspect.
RCMP HANDOUT A Beausejour armed robbery suspect.

Firefighter injured in Aberdeen Avenue blaze

9:08 AM

A firefighter suffered a minor injury while Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews battled a blaze at a house on the 500 block of Aberdeen Avenue early Tuesday.

The home’s occupants got out of the building safely before firefighters arrived shortly after 5 a.m., the WFPS said in a news release.

The city’s emergency social services team provided temporary support to residents who were forced to flee the fire. The cause of the blaze, which firefighters declared under control after nearly an hour, is under investigation.

Residents should use caution in the area because water used to fight the fire has frozen and created slippery conditions, the release said.