Report recommends province establish multiple supervised consumption sites, offer safer drugs

A new report from the organization running Manitoba’s only overdose prevention site recommends the government establish multiple supervised consumption sites throughout the province where safer supply drugs are offered.

The 91-page report, prepared by Winnipeg consulting firm LAHRK Consulting for Sunshine House, which runs the Mobile Overdose Prevention Site — an RV where people can consume drugs under supervision — evaluated MOPS’ first year of operations.

The report declares MOPS a success, with more than 26,000 visits from November 2022 to October 2023, just 20 overdoses and no deaths.

At an event to release the report Thursday, consultant Kerniel Aasland noted 445 Manitobans died in 2023 due to suspected drug overdoses.

Longtime St. B eatery Mrs. Mikes reopens after 2023 closure

No rain, sleet or snow would keep diehard fans from witnessing a St. Boniface institution’s resurgence — or from grabbing a burger.

“Nothing stops me. Not from Mrs. Mikes,” Patricia Manaigre said, as she waited outside the Tache Avenue burger joint.

Manaigre joined a handful of people gathered around the red-and-white shack, prepared to order lunch during the eatery’s first minutes open in 2024.

Last year, a co-owner of Mrs. Mikes announced the 54-year-old business would close; he planned to retire.

Bylaw under scrutiny amid rash of vacant building fires

Blaring sirens have become a sound all too familiar for Almario and Maria Sambo.

Maria was at the couple’s North End home early Tuesday evening when she heard the recognizable wailing again. Fire trucks had sped to the area to extinguish a fire in the basement of a vacant home next door.

“It’s been notorious,” Maria said about the increase in vacant building fires in the neighbourhood.

The fire next door was the second crews have fought there in the last three months. It had been boarded up after a fire tore through it and the home beside it in early February.

Tories accuse immigration minister of threatening desperate protesters with process delays

The Progressive Conservatives called on Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino to resign Thursday, accusing her of threatening protesters desperate to stay in Canada.

“We have heard credible and troubling fears from the international community, who have requested that we protect their identity to save them from retribution,” said interim Tory leader Wayne Ewasko, who led the party’s assault during question period.

PC immigration critic Jodie Byram (Agassiz) tabled a heavily redacted letter she received Wednesday accusing Marcelino of suspending some Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program draws for both skilled workers and the international education stream “due to protests.”

The program conducts regular monthly draws to invite candidates in several different categories, who entered Canada on temporary work permits or to attend post-secondary institutions, to submit full applications for permanent residence status.

Manitoba still only province not to provide overdose death data

Despite last year’s promise, the Manitoba government has yet to fulfill its commitment of releasing overdose death data in a more timely manner.

City installs four-way stop at crash intersection as ‘miseryversary’ looms for family of drunk driver’s victim

City workers installed a four-way stop Thursday at a Transcona intersection where a speeding drunk driver killed a young woman in a crash nearly two years ago.

Designated driver Jordyn Reimer, 24, was on her way to pick up a friend when her SUV was hit by a pickup truck at Kildare Avenue West and Bond Street shortly after 2 a.m. on May 1, 2022.

The driver of the truck — Tyler Scott Goodman — blew a stop sign while travelling 108 km/h in a 50-km/h zone on Bond, and then fled with his passengers, taking beer with them.

Reimer had the right of way, as there was no stop sign for east-west traffic on Kildare at that time.

Randy Bachman set to sell more than 200 six-strings

Randy Bachman is selling more than 200 guitars from his collection, including the axe he used to create the famous riff on American Woman.

The 80-year-old former Winnipegger, who is a co-founder of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has teamed up with Julien’s Auctions of Beverly Hills, Calif., for the sale, which will take place May 29 and 30 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York.

Online bidding will also take place at juliensauctions.com, which will begin in early May.

“I have so many guitars I can’t play them (all) anymore,” Bachman says from his home near Victoria. “The last couple of years I had a couple of health issues where I thought I wasn’t going to be on this Earth very much longer and I said to my kids, ‘Who wants a guitar”’ and they said ‘We have enough guitars.’”

Man dies after early morning assault in North End

A man is dead after he was assaulted near a North End intersection early Thursday.

Winnipeg police said the homicide victim was discovered near Selkirk Avenue and McKenzie Street after officers responded to a report of a seriously injured man shortly before 3:20 a.m.

Officers provided emergency medical care before the victim was taken to hospital in critical condition. He later died of his injuries.

The man’s name and age were not released; police said next-of-kin notifications are pending.