Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson leaving politics after 23 years

WINNIPEG - Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson is resigning her legislature seat and leaving political life.

Stefanson was first elected as a legislature member in 2000 and became leader of the Progressive Conservatives and Manitoba's first female premier in 2021.

"Serving as (legislature member), minister and the first woman premier has been the honour of a lifetime," Stefanson, 53, said in the chamber Thursday.

"These roles allowed me to serve Manitobans and help pave the way for future generations of women in public service."

Arrest made in 2021 double homicide

RCMP have made an arrest in a double homicide that happened in a remote First Nations community in 2021.

The bodies of friends Brent Denechezhe, 31, and Leona Tssessaze, 24, were found after a fire in a home in Northlands Denesuline First Nation on Sept. 9, 2021.

Leon Paul Mercredi, 22, was arrested in Fond du Lac, Sask., on Monday and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Mounties said at a news conference Thursday that Mercredi is originally from Northlands Denesuline, a fly-in community northwest of Thompson also known as Lac Brochet.

Mounties said Mercredi left the community after the killings.

More fires in vacant houses

Crews extinguished fires in two vacant houses Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Firefighters were sent to a two-storey house on the 1200 block of Alexander Avenue, in the Weston area, at 9:12 a.m. Thursday. The blaze was declared under control at 9:55 a.m.

Emergency demolition was being arranged. The house sustained “severe” fire and water damage, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said.

The house was previously damaged by a fire on the morning of Oct. 6. A person lived there at the time. The WFPS said at the time that early observations suggested the fire was accidental, caused by an overheated battery.

Jury selected for accused serial killer’s murder trial

A jury has been selected in the trial of accused serial killer Jeremy Skibicki.

Skibicki, 37, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the 2022 killings of four Indigenous woman. One victim’s remains were discovered in a Winnipeg dumpster and, later, in the city’s landfill. Two others are believed to be in a private landfill north of Winnipeg.

Twenty-two prospective jurors appeared before Court of King’s Bench Justice Rick Saull over the course of 90 minutes, with 10 women and four men ultimately being selected for the trial, set to begin hearing evidence May 8. The 14 jurors include two alternates who will step in if any of the other 12 are unable to fulfil their duties.

Saull asked each potential juror seven questions agreed to by the Crown and defence to determine whether they can be unbiased in assessing the evidence.

Councillors vote against extending Whiteout parties to The Forks

A city councillor’s idea to extend the downtown Whiteout parties to The Forks has been denied by council.

Coun. Russ Wyatt introduced a motion to broaden the Winnipeg Jets playoff gatherings after the first two parties sold out in less than an hour.

“There’s so many fans who can’t afford to get in the arena or the parties are sold out, so let’s open it up,” Wyatt said prior to the vote Thursday.

The motion was referred for consideration at next month’s executive policy committee meeting.

Remembering legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole. Oh baby, what a life

Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90.

Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.

Born June 24, 1933, the St. John's native provided a distinctive soundtrack to Canada's game. He was known for his signature "Oh baby" call, an expression that was not restricted to hockey arenas.

“He’s been saying that around the house as long as I can remember," Megan said in Cole's 2016 autobiography "Now I’m Catching On. My Life On and Off the Air."

New local taste of Italy

Quietly, two chefs cook near a canal in Italy, olive oil at the ready.

If they could look out beyond the TV screen they occupied, they’d see Winnipeg’s version of Italy — or at least its newest market.

Part of the family behind De Luca’s gourmet grocery store has branched off and started its own venture: Vincenzo’s Mercato.

“My dream was to have my own location,” said company namesake Vincenzo De Luca, sitting with his wife and daughters at one of the patio-esque tables inside their new business, near the television.

Woman shaken after 90 pounds of untethered ‘pure muscle’ attacks her dog while owners watch

Suzanne Pothe’s heart skipped a beat Monday morning when she saw an uncontrolled, “90-pound dog that was pure muscle” bounding toward her German shepherd Sophie, sparking a frightening attack that has left her shaken.

The Fort Richmond resident was walking Sophie southbound on Dalhousie Drive when she noticed what looked like a Rottweiler-mix “dragging its leash along the ground” on the other side of the roadway.

The animal’s owners, a couple, were nearby, she said.

“I was already tensing up because I knew something could happen,” Pothe said.

Trustee’s remarks ‘racist and discriminatory,’ chief says

BRANDON — Manitoba Grand Chief Cathy Merrick has accused a school trustee of making “racist and discriminatory remarks” at a board meeting in Dauphin Monday night.

Merrick, of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, is demanding the removal of Ward 2 trustee Paul Coffey from the Mountain View School Division board of trustees.

“Paul Coffey’s remarks demonstrate a deep ignorance that is counterproductive to the goals of reconciliation,” Merrick said Wednesday in a news release. “Continuing to provide a platform for someone with such profoundly racist beliefs is as irresponsible as it is violent, and this rhetoric has no place in any public education system.”

Coffey’s comments were part of an almost-30 minute presentation he gave to the board called “Racism/Anti-Racism” and subtitled “Nice Until It Isn’t” that dealt primarily with Indigenous issues and was critical of many government policies.

Carey to take skipping reins from iconic Jones

Jennifer Jones’ old curling team has a new skip. Karlee Burgess, Emily Zacharias and Lauren Lenentine, who reached the last two Scotties Tournament of Hearts finals with Jones, are sticking together and announced Wednesday they’ve added veteran Chelsea Carey to the lineup.

Compensation board rife with its own workplace problems: source

The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba is struggling to process a mountain of outstanding claims as it grapples with a rising number of vacancies and a corresponding increase in workload for staff who remain, the Free Press has learned.

A source, who has decades of experience at the board, said the last 12 to 18 months have been some of the most difficult of his career due to the high level of turnover, problems with hiring and retaining case-management workers, and recent changes to policy that have resulted in more claims being accepted.

“The current workload levels are unmanageable and it’s taking a toll on employees in case management,” he said.

The board provides injury and disability insurance for workers and employers in the province.

MPI trims management in wake of scathing audit

Manitoba Public Insurance has eliminated 18 per cent of its management positions after an external audit criticized the Crown corporation for having too many bosses.

MPI cut 32 management positions — to 142 from 174 — following recommendations outlined by the audit, spokesperson Kristy Rydz confirmed to the Free Press Wednesday.

While the Crown corporation “parted ways” with a small number of leaders, Rydz said the majority of the reduction was done by maintaining vacancies and rightsizing roles.

“These changes respond to many of the recommendations put forward by (Ernst & Young) following last year’s organizational review and align with commitments made by MPI’s board of directors to revise our structure in support of our strategic direction,” Rydz said in an emailed statement.