Winnipeg Free Press – Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
Aaron Epp Dean Pritchard Nicole Buffie Joyanne Pursaga Free Press staff Carol Sanders Joshua Frey-Sam The Canadian Press Steve Lambert Heather Hollingsworth
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
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Serial killer Skibicki a ‘heartless, evil monster,’ victim’s aunt tells court

Dean Pritchard 4 minute read

When a judge convicted Jeremy Skibicki of four counts of first-degree murder last month, the serial killer’s future was decided: an automatic life sentence, with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Skibicki, 37, returned to a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday morning to be formally sentenced and to hear what the families of his victims have endured in the wake of his horrifying crimes.

Families and supporters of the four Indigenous women killed by Skibicki addressed him for the first time during the sentencing hearing.

“You are a heartless, evil monster, and what you did to my niece is unforgivable,” Contois’s aunt Valerie Moar said.

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20-person Atlantic Canadian crew heading to Manitoba to battle wildfires

The Canadian Press 1 minute read

HALIFAX - A 20-person firefighting team from Atlantic Canada is heading to Manitoba to help battle out-of-control wildfires in the province.

Nova Scotia is sending 12 firefighters to Winnipeg on Thursday, who will team up with colleagues from New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources says fire conditions in the province make it safe to send the crew, but they could be brought home if things change.

The department says fire crews from the province also helped with wildfires in Jasper, Alta., earlier this year.

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Three homes damaged in Glenelm fire

Free Press staff 2 minute read

Two people, including a firefighter, needed medical attention after a blaze in the Glenelm area spread to two neighbouring homes and a garage Wednesday morning. Crews were sent to a two-storey house on Cobourg Avenue, between Beatrice Street and Glenwood Crescent and a few streets north of Elmwood Cemetery, at 6:40 a.m. Firefighters tried to fight the blaze from inside but had to exit because of the conditions. They later went inside to fully extinguish the fire. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews fire a fire on Cobourg Avenue on Wednesday morning. Crews went into the […]

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New gameplan for former Thistle rink

Aaron Epp 4 minute read

A St. Matthews neighbourhood building that once hosted bonspiels will soon house all kinds of deals.

Starting Sept. 1, a tenant called Royal Pacific Group is leasing Thistle Curling Club’s former headquarters at 280 Burnell St. The group plans to open a flea market and restaurant, according to real estate agents involved with the deal.

Royal Pacific Group has made a written offer to purchase the building when the lease expires at the end of April 2025.

The deal is welcome news for Thistle Curling Club Ltd., the six-person group of shareholders that owns the Burnell Street property.

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’Strong message must be sent’: massage therapist jailed after sex assault

Dean Pritchard 3 minute read

A former Winnipeg massage therapist who sexually groped a client and asked if he could suck her nipples has been sentenced to one year in jail.

Vivin Johnbursom, 36, was convicted of one count of sexual assault following a trial earlier this year.

Provincial court Judge Margaret Wiebe rejected a defence recommendation that Johnbursom, who has no prior criminal record, be allowed to serve a conditional sentence in the community.

“A strong message must be sent to Mr. Johnbursom and others who believe a person in a vulnerable position, particularly those in a treatment environment, can be objectified and sexually assaulted for the gratification of the assailant,” Wiebe said at a sentencing hearing last week.

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Eight-day phone outage at Osborne Village seniors complex causes havoc

Nicole Buffie 4 minute read

A residential seniors complex in Osborne Village has been without phone lines for eight days, leaving its elderly residents disconnected and the building in disarray.

Villa Cabrini resident Concetta Manfredi, whose daughter died days ago, hasn’t been able to speak with her family in Italy in a week.

“I’m mad every day,” she said Tuesday. “I have no phone, if something bad happens (to me) … I don’t know what will happen.”

The 123-unit independent living complex at 433 River Ave. lost access to its Bell MTS-operated phone lines last Monday, but staff didn’t notice until the front desk phone went out and triggered an internal alarm.

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Drone operator shares surprise footage with Canadian rockers

Free Press staff 2 minute read

The mystery of the Winnipeg drone at Friday’s Arkells concert has been solved after the machine’s operator reached out over social media and posted the footage online. Max Kerman, singer for Canadian alt-rock group the Arkells, said an unauthorized drone had flown around the performers Friday during their outdoor set at the Burt Block Party and that the band enjoyed engaging with it and were hoping to get the footage. The drone operator, who posted the footage on Instagram without audio under the username shotskyhigh, reached out to the Arkells through a voice message published by the band Monday. INSTAGRAM […]

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Same store robbed six times; retail theft announcement imminent: province

Carol Sanders 2 minute read

The future of a provincially funded crime-reduction campaign is unclear as retail theft remains a hot topic in Winnipeg after an inner-city 7-Eleven was robbed six times on Saturday. Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said there would be an announcement Thursday when asked if the province will extend funding for the Winnipeg Police Service to patrol crime hot spots in the city. “We might have some more things to say then,” Wiebe said Tuesday. The Manitoba government launched a pilot program in June, paying for police overtime to focus on retail and violent crime in the Exchange District, Osborne Village […]

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Winning ugly is still winning, but Bombers’ struggling offence knows there’s room for improvement

Joshua Frey-Sam 5 minute read

The late, great Al Davis coined the iconic phrase after the Los Angeles Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII in 1984: “Just win, baby.”

The phrase, which the Raiders’ owner thought of on the spot after feeling slighted by then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, has been the motto of the franchise ever since and is used whenever the team pulls off a gritty victory.

Perhaps it’s the perfect way to describe life lately for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The club has returned to 5-6 and is within striking distance of the top spot in the West Division, trailing only the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who they meet in the annual Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Sunday (6 p.m.).

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