Winnipeg Humane Society CEO steps down
4:13 PM
The Winnipeg Humane Society’s chief executive officer has stepped down effective immediately, the organization said Friday afternoon.
The society thanked Jessica Miller for her years of service as a volunteer, board member and CEO.
Melissa Rogers, the organization’s chief administrative officer, has been appointed interim CEO. She has been with the WHS for 15 years.
On-duty CN police officer arrested for impaired driving in his cruiser
2:27 PM
A CN police officer was arrested for allegedly driving drunk in his marked police SUV while on duty outside of Brandon last week.
RCMP said a caller advised the Blue Hills detachment that a cruiser was driving erratically on the Trans-Canada Highway east of Brandon at about 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 6.
The caller told Mounties he was concerned about the driver and followed the vehicle until losing sight of it on the highway.
RCMP confirmed it was a CN Police Service vehicle — the railway has a private police force — while officers tried to locate it.
Mounties found the SUV at a home in Brandon, where the driver, a 42-year-old officer, was arrested for impaired driving. A breath sample was tested at the Blue Hills detachment, where Mounties determined he was at twice the legal limit.
The officer has not yet been formally charged. He is slated to appear in court in Brandon on Jan. 2. RCMP said they will release his name once charges are laid.
The Independent Investigation Unit, which probes allegations of police wrongdoing, is monitoring the investigation, RCMP said.
High-speed internet expanded to more remote communities
1:50 PM
Fourteen more First Nations and remote communities will start getting much better high-speed internet connections thanks to the federal government’s Universal Broadband Fund.
Four separate projects in rural Manitoba received a total of $38 million from the fund that will allow large communities like Norway House and Pimicikamak (Cross Lake) to transition from dial-up and microwave to high-speed fibre.
Manitoba projects have received close to $300 million from the fund since 2020. But whereas 95 per cent of Canadian households have access to high-speed internet today only 85 per cent of households in Manitoba have access to the technology.
Some of the funding in this latest round is going to First Nation-owned internet service providers and infrastructure companies.
Man flown to hospital after Ebb and Flow assault
1:17 PM
A man was transported to hospital by helicopter after he was assaulted and left in a ditch in Ebb and Flow First Nation.
RCMP were called after the man was found at 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 7. The victim, 25, suffered serious injuries. He was transported to hospital by STARS ambulance helicopter, where he was upgraded to stable condition.
Officers were provided security video of the area where the victim was found, and RCMP identified a suspect who lives at a nearby home. A 16-year-old boy was arrested and faces a charge of aggravated assault.
Additional arrests are likely, RCMP said in a news release Friday.
Infant dropped multiple times, woman charged
12:18 PM
A Thompson woman has been charged after she allegedly dropped a five five-month-old infant on the floor multiple times.
RCMP were sent to a home on Ashberry Place at about 3:45 a.m. on Nov. 2. Officers learned two women, ages 26 and 41, were arguing after the younger woman dropped the infant.
Officers located the child hidden in an entertainment unit. Emergency crews were called and transported the infant to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The infant was released into the care of a relative after being released from hospital.
The 26-year-old woman was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
She was later released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in court in Thompson on Jan. 28.
Employee attacked with box-cutter in bar
10:39 AM
An employee was attacked with a box-cutter after he asked someone to leave a hotel bar Thursday night.
Police were sent to the Viscount Gort at 1670 Portage Ave. at 10:12 p.m.
A 27-year-old man suffered minor wounds to his upper body. He was treated and released at the scene, the Winnipeg Police Service said Friday.
A preliminary investigation determined a man who had been asked to leave Average Joe’s Sports Lounge, located inside the hotel, pulled out a box-cutter and attacked the employee. The men did not know each, police said.
The man fled. Officers arrested a suspect a short distance away. A 27-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon and failing to comply with conditions of a release order.
Man shot on McMillan Avenue
10:33 AM
A man was rushed to hospital in critical condition after he was shot on McMillan Avenue on Wednesday night.
Police were sent to the area at about 9:30 p.m. after receiving numerous reports about the sound of gunshots.
Officers found a man with serious gunshot injuries on the 700 block of McMillan and gave him emergency medical care. The man, in his 20s, was transported to hospital and upgraded to stable condition after treatment.
A firearm was found in the area. The shooting does not appear to be a random incident, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Friday.
The WPS asked anyone with information about the incident to contact its major crimes unit at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.
WCB names permanent CEO
9:53 AM
The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba has appointed its acting president and CEO to the position permanently.
Catherine Skinner was appointed to the acting role in March. At the time, the board’s then-chairman refused to elaborate on the departure of Richard Deacon, who had been CEO of the independent organization responsible for workplace injury and disability insurance.
“Since taking on the role of acting president and CEO, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership, successfully guiding the WCB through a time of change and positioning the organization for long-term success,” new chairman Colin Robinson said in a news release Friday.
Skinner, a lawyer, has worked with the WCB for 10 years. She served as vice-president of legal, compliance and corporate services for five years before becoming acting CEO.
Steinbach Credit Union hit with phone line incident
9:38 AM
People who called Steinbach Credit Union’s contact centre Tuesday were redirected to an unauthorized third party outside of the organization, the credit union shared Friday.
SCU pointed to an issue with the telephone service provider. It said the service provider has since fixed the error and re-secured SCU’s phone system.
As a result, SCU has mobilized its incident response team and is “proactively enhancing internal processes” to mitigate risk to members, it said in a news release.
Members’ names, phone numbers and call dates are the only information possibly disclosed because of the incident, according to current investigation results, SCU said.
The credit union is continuing to investigate details with their service provider and will provide updates as they become available.
“We take this incident very seriously,” Glenn Friesen, SCU’s chief executive, said in the news release.
Man arrested for October slaying
8:44 AM
A Winnipegger has been arrested in connection with the slaying of a Peguis First Nation man.
Karl Earl Settee, 31, was arrested near Higgins Avenue and King Street at about noon Thursday.
Settee, who was arrested on a warrant for manslaughter, has been detained in custody.
Police were contacted about an unresponsive man on the 800 block of College Avenue at about 5:35 p.m. on Oct. 18.
The man — later identified as 33-year-old Peguis band member Shawn Douglas Thomas, who was living in Winnipeg — was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.
