Winnipeg Free Press – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Jura McIlraith Matthew Frank Carol Sanders Taylor Allen Mike Sawatzky Aaron Epp Joshua Frey-Sam Maggie Macintosh Anja Karadeglija The Canadian Press
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
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Suspects sought after man stabbed on city bus in North End

Nicole Buffie 5 minute read

A passenger was stabbed aboard a packed Winnipeg Transit bus Tuesday afternoon, the latest violent incident driving some operators to resign.

Winnipeg Police Service officers were sent to a bus stop near Main Street and Selkirk Avenue at about 5 p.m. after a man in his 30s was stabbed on a bus. A man and woman suspected in the assault fled and remain at large.

“We want to encourage people to come on the bus, and in order to do that, we need to first and foremost make sure it’s safe,” said Chris Scott, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

The man was transported to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable. Passengers and nearby witnesses were able to provide information to investigators, Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said Wednesday.

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Stepping into Mary Poppins' shoes was in the stars for Winnipeg actress

Ben Waldman 5 minute read

Colleen Furlan’s played a London nanny on Rainbow Stage before, but not the umbrella-toting, sugar-spooning, toe-tapping one you’re picturing.

In 2013, Furlan made her Kildonan Park debut as Katie Nanna, the caretaker who quits and forces the Banks family to search for someone practically perfect in every way to take care of little Jane and Michael.

“I had my little debut scene and then played various other roles throughout the show, but it was pretty cool to have a feature in my first Rainbow show,” says Furlan, who has since played lead roles in The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Les Misérables for the country’s longest-running outdoor theatre company.

Furlan revelled in her first taste of the Rainbow, which brought her close to two childhood idols: Julie Andrews, who originated the Poppins role in the original film adaptation, and local actor Paula Potosky, who put her own spin on author P.L. Travers’ creation in that 2013 run.

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Accused in Exchange hotel confinement, sex assaults has record of crimes involving vulnerable women

Dean Pritchard 4 minute read

A high-risk offender arrested Saturday after allegedly holding two teen girls captive and sexually assaulting them has a history of violence targeting vulnerable women, court records show. Kelly Trent Schoffer’s extensive criminal history includes multiple convictions for robbery, assault, sexual assault and “all offences under the sun,” a prosecutor told a judge who sentenced Schoffer in March 2023 to the equivalent of 18 months in custody for breaching terms of a five-year long-term supervision order. “Victims of your violent offences have often been vulnerable women,” said a 2018 National Parole Board decision referenced at the sentencing hearing. “Your offending has […]

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Wheels stolen from bike memorial honouring hit-and-run victim

Jura McIlraith 2 minute read

The wheels from a bike memorial created to pay tribute to a Winnipeg cyclist killed in a hit and run have been stolen.

Rob Jenner, 61, was riding to work as a shipper and receiver at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights the morning of June 6 when he was hit by a vehicle travelling in the same direction. During a memorial ride for Jenner last month, a group of cyclists rode to the scene of the collision — the corner of Wellington Crescent and Cockburn Street — to install the “ghost bike.”

The bike, painted white, belonged to Jenner’s wife Wendy Van Loon. In addition to serving as a tribute, organizers hoped the ghost bike would serve as a reminder to drivers to slow down and be cautious of cyclists, said bicycle advocate Patty Wiens.

“(It’s) disappointing for sure, but not surprising,” said Wiens. “We know how it goes here in the city with bikes. Bike parts are currency in some circles.”

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Shark’s tale 83 million years in making

Matthew Frank 3 minute read

A landmark discovery of an 83-million-year-old shark tooth in southern Manitoba has uncovered fresh insights about what creatures swam through the province’s dried-up seas. “This tooth is really significant to science, not just to Morden, but to Manitoba and Canada, too,” said Bruno Costa, paleontologist and PhD student at the University of Manitoba. The 2.5-centimetre tooth was found June 21 by Winnipegger Elise Watchorn, who attended a paleontological dig near Miami, Man., run by the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre. Winnipegger Elise Watchorn dug up the 83-milllion-year-old shark tooth while prospecting on a tour with the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre. (Supplied) […]

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Jones finds home on Bombers’ D

Taylor Allen 6 minute read

There are no guarantees in the world of professional football. Just ask Tony Jones. After appearing in 18 games for the Edmonton Elks last season — four of those being starts at linebacker — the 29-year-old defender was made to believe his future would be with the green and gold and that a promotion was headed his way. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The Blue Bombers were quick to sign linebacker Tony Jones after he was released by the Edmonton Elks. “In our exit meetings, coach was telling me that I was the guy for them next year. We even […]

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Olympian Bruce Pirnie remembered for committment to coaching, dedication to athletes

Mike Sawatzky 6 minute read

In life, Bruce Pirnie was a big man with a personality to match.

An elite shot putter for Canada during a decorated career in the 1970s and ’80s, it could argued the transplanted American made an even bigger impact as a coach and administrator in his adopted country when his competitive throwing days were over.

He died on Aug. 8 after a battle with cancer.

Pirnie, who was survived by his daughters Jae, Elizabeth and Catherine, was 81.

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First Nation celebrates grand opening of welding shop

Aaron Epp 4 minute read

Sparks will fly in Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation.

The First Nation will celebrate the grand opening of a welding shop this afternoon. Community leaders say the shop will foster skills, create trade labour in the area and contribute to economic growth.

The 3,200-square-foot shop includes 14 welding booths, MIG welders, a plasma cutting table, two band saws and a milling machine. The shop is located near Isaac Beaulieu Memorial, the community’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 school, which will allow high school students to use the facility.

It’s a dream come true for Chief Trevor Prince, who started planning the shop when he was elected in 2020.

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Run it Back Alumni tourney renews red-hot hoops rivalries

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read

After a slam-dunk debut event, Calvin Diaz and Joseph Medrano are running it back.

And this time, ladies are invited.

The local hoopsters will return their popular Run It Back Alumni Basketball Tournament to the Duckworth Centre from Aug. 24-25.

The city-wide event successfully renewed some of the most storied high school rivalries on the hardwood last year, welcoming 13 teams — comprised of players who went on to play professionally, in university or recreationally — to the Sport for Life Centre.

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