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MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The Mental Health Crisis Response Centre at 817 Bannatyne Avenue.

Crisis at the Crisis Response Centre

Burned-out employees sound alarm on ‘short-staffed’ mental health centre where patients often go AWOL

Chris Kitching 6 minute read Yesterday at 6:35 PM CDT

New

HSC nurses reject tentative deal; all others approve it

2 minute read Preview

HSC nurses reject tentative deal; all others approve it

2 minute read Yesterday at 7:42 PM CDT

Nurses who work at Health Sciences Centre are so disgruntled with the health care system, they have rejected a tentative contract.

The 3,400 nurses, who are employed by Shared Health, are the only group to reject the four-year deal; their colleagues at Manitoba’s five other health authorities approved it.

The Manitoba Nurses Union announced the results of the two-day contract vote late Friday.

“This tentative agreement was accepted by five out of six regions, with only Shared Health voting by a slight majority to reject the offer,” said president Darlene Jackson.

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Yesterday at 7:42 PM CDT

Health Sciences Centre (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)

SUPPLIED
Photo of Jeremy Skibicki released by courts

High-stakes justice balancing act

Winnipeg serial killer's defence team argues he should be declared not criminally responsible; critics contend it’s a way to avoid accountability, but others say public safety and compassion are priorities

Kevin Rollason 9 minute read Yesterday at 3:21 PM CDT

RUTH BONNEVILE / FREE PRESS MP Terry Duguid, inside the present Environment Canada space that will also be sharing its space with the Canada Water Agency this fall, located in CityPlace.

Downtown advocates expect new federal water agency at Cityplace to help ease worker drought conditions in area

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:52 PM CDT

Gosling-napper runs afowl of migratory bird law

Kevin Rollason 3 minute read Preview

Gosling-napper runs afowl of migratory bird law

Kevin Rollason 3 minute read Yesterday at 5:42 PM CDT

What happened to the goslings gave a group of Winnipeggers goose bumps.

Workers at a shoe store and Liquor Mart on Regent Avenue were stunned last week when they saw two goslings get snatched up from the pavement, put in a shopping bag and into a vehicle. The driver took off while the mother goose watched nearby as she sat on her nest keeping two eggs warm.

“I saw it happen and I just yelled at the woman,” said Nicole Greening.

“She had a shopping bag and I yelled ‘what are you doing?’ Then another woman came over, picked up each of the goslings, and just tossed them into the bag before walking away.

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Yesterday at 5:42 PM CDT

SUPPLIED

Mother goose with goslings before they were abducted.

Two Food Fare employees hurt in attack back at work, third recovering, owner says

Malak Abas 5 minute read Preview

Two Food Fare employees hurt in attack back at work, third recovering, owner says

Malak Abas 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 11:49 PM CDT

Three Food Fare employees assaulted on the job are out of hospital, as police continue to search for suspects in the attack at the West End store, the site of several high-profile, violent incidents involving staff.

Co-owner Munther Zeid told the Free Press Friday that the employees, who were punched by an individual wielding brass knuckles at the Portage Avenue and Burnell Street Food Fare Tuesday, were on the mend.

“They’re recovering well,” he said. “A couple are back to work (and) one should be back next week. We gave him a little bit of extra time off. They’re doing well.”

A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with assault and weapons possession Tuesday. At the time, police said additional arrests were anticipated.

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Updated: Yesterday at 11:49 PM CDT

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Co-owner Munther Zeid told the Free Press Friday the three employees, who were punched by an individual wielding brass knuckles at the Portage Avenue and Burnell Street Food Fare Tuesday, were on the mend.

Opinion

Trudeau in it to win it, denies it’s time for an exit strategy Dan Lett 5 minute read Yesterday at 6:14 PM CDT
NFL player graduates to viral public misogynist Jen Zoratti 4 minute read Yesterday at 5:53 PM CDT
Getting to the meat of grocery-store violence, racism accusations Niigaan Sinclair 4 minute read Thursday, May. 16, 2024

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NEENA LUNDIE PHOTO

Lundie drove through smoke along Hwy 10 from Flin Flon to her home in Cranberry Portage.

Manitoba wildfire photos
Saturday, May 11, 2024

Another spring amid the smoke

Despite somewhat positive wildfire forecast, accelerant of climate change still smoulders

Drew Anderson and Matt Simmons 8 minute read Yesterday at 12:25 PM CDT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's excellent pan-Canadian adventure

Niigaan and the Lone Ranger Podcast 1 minute read Preview

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's excellent pan-Canadian adventure

Niigaan and the Lone Ranger Podcast 1 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:54 PM CDT

During his recent visit to Winnipeg, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks about competing visions for the future of Canada and why he's too busy to think about retiring.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:54 PM CDT

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS files
Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn: we have the team members who have the creativity to try and make something special.”

Sky’s the limit at Assiniboia Downs

No limit on what Winnipeg horse track can achieve

Mike McIntyre 4 minute read Yesterday at 5:33 PM CDT

Bombers gearing up for early pre-season test in Regina

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Bombers gearing up for early pre-season test in Regina

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Yesterday at 4:25 PM CDT

Mike O’Shea has never been big on hypotheticals.

The head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prefers to deal with absolutes.

So, when the topic of Monday’s pre-season game in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders came up this week, O’Shea wasn’t ready to suggest there are benefits to some early action when it comes to the evaluation process.

“I don’t know. If you were to ask me to put down a calendar and plunk in exactly the dates that I would want to make everything perfect, I don’t know that I would be able to do that right now,” said O’Shea. “There’s the schedule, let’s work (with) it and do the best that we can.”

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Yesterday at 4:25 PM CDT

FRANK GUNN / CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Mike O’Shea said his approach to the first of two pre-season tilts was still a work in progress, though he expected roughly 80 players to make the road trip.

Come hail and foul water

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Preview

Come hail and foul water

Joyanne Pursaga 5 minute read Yesterday at 5:52 PM CDT

A storm that blanketed parts of the city and surrounding area in hail Thursday damaged more than a thousand vehicles and caused a significant sewage spill.

A Winnipeg water and waste report notes heavy rainfall overwhelmed the wastewater outfall at 3100 Abinojii Mikanah (formerly Bishop Grandin Boulevard) just before 8 p.m. Thursday, leading about 5.5 million litres of diluted sewage to be diverted directly into the Red River.

“(This wastewater) dumps into a major river so it does get diluted,” said Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the water and waste committee.

”But, at some point, these repeated instances are still a major pollutant going into the river. There’s no getting around that.”

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Yesterday at 5:52 PM CDT

FIONA ODLUM PHOTO
St. James resident Fiona Odlum said her entire property was covered by hail the size of peas and nickels.

Witness’s medical emergency forces Skibicki trial adjournment

Free Press staff 1 minute read Preview

Witness’s medical emergency forces Skibicki trial adjournment

Free Press staff 1 minute read Yesterday at 12:14 PM CDT

A trial for confessed serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was adjourned Friday morning after one of two expected witnesses suffered a medical emergency.

The trial will resume Tuesday with police testimony about what was found on Skibicki’s computer following his arrest, court heard. The witnesses set to testify Friday will be rescheduled.

Skibicki, 37, has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in the 2022 slayings of three Indigenous women – Rebecca Contois, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — as well as a fourth still-unidentified woman given the name Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe (Buffalo Woman) by Indigenous leaders.

Skibicki admits to killing the women but is arguing he should be found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder.

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Yesterday at 12:14 PM CDT

James Culleton illustration
The murder trial for confessed serial killer Jeremy Skibicki was adjourned Friday morning.

Ottawa chips in to Manitoba’s school nutrition program

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

Ottawa chips in to Manitoba’s school nutrition program

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Yesterday at 4:36 PM CDT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added a little gravy to the Manitoba government’s universal school nutrition program set to roll out this fall by announcing a five-year, $1-billion national program.

Manitoba’s per capita share is expected to be more $3 million a year, on top of the $30 million the province has budgeted for its nutrition program.

“It’s great to partner with a progressive government here in Manitoba to make sure kids can eat well and reach their full potential,” Trudeau said at a news conference Friday at Elwick Community School in Winnipeg.

“We can get great things done as we work together,” said the prime minister, who was flanked by children, Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare, Liberal MPs and First Nations leaders.

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Yesterday at 4:36 PM CDT