News briefs for Thursday, May 16, 2024

City could revamp ‘Hope Alley’

3:20 PM

The City of Winnipeg is studying ways to spruce up a section of Henry Avenue known to attract vulnerable people.

While city staff aren’t recommending specific changes for the section of road with the honorary name ‘Hope Alley,’ a new report provides very rough cost ranges for potential features at the Main Street and Henry Avenue site.

Public consultations led the city to explore adding benches, a mural, an overhead archway, crosswalk changes, landscaping, shade protection canopies (potentially with heat sources and lighting) and an emergency call-box beacon for the site, with the mural and canopy deemed top priorities.

Since design details remain unknown, city staff warn the exact cost can’t be determined.

The report suggests the mural could cost from $25 to $80 per square foot, canopies could cost between $240,000 and $300,000, landscaping could run from $200,000 to $350,000 and an archway could cost $195,000 to $750,000.

Costs to adjust the crosswalk, perhaps by adding low-mounted flashing beacons to make it more visible, have yet to be determined.

To proceed with the changes, the report suggests council would need to assign the work to a city department and allocate funding for it.

Monument would honour students killed in plane crash

3:18 PM

A monument may soon honour students killed in a 1972 plane crash, who were headed home to Bunibonibee Cree Nation for summer break at the time of the tragedy.

A city report recommends a permanent marker be installed on the Yellow Ribbon Greenway Trail near Linwood Street and Silver Avenue to honour the group, pending city council approval.

The pilot also died in the crash, which took place at a vacant Linwood Street lot shortly after takeoff.

The committee of community members who make recommendations through the Welcoming Winnipeg: Reconciling our History process says the monument would help better represent Indigenous history.

“This project offers an educational opportunity and supports telling the complete history of Winnipeg: there is currently no memorial in the city that recognizes the accident and many residents know little, if anything, about this tragedy.

“Planes were often the primary means of transportation to some residential schools, especially in the north. In many Indigenous communities, the arrival of a plane signalled the tearing away of children from their families,” a report from the committee states.

Two of the eight students had attended Portage la Prairie residential school, while six attended Stonewall Collegiate Institute (which was not a residential school).

High school education was not available at Bunibonibee at the time of the crash.

Caterpillar spraying set to start Monday

12:24 PM

The City of Winnipeg will begin tackling caterpillars next week.

Spraying for tree pest caterpillars is expected to begin on Monday night in insect management areas 30 and 36, which includes parts of the River Heights, Silver Heights and Booth areas, according to a Thursday press release.

Daily spraying is expected to continue over four weeks, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting.

The city says the caterpillars are actively feeding on leaves. Spraying locations will be chosen through daily inspections, and treatment will focus on areas where leaf defoliation occurs.

More information is posted at winnipeg.ca.

Provincial, federal governments commit $38 million to boost wildfire response

12:06 PM

Manitoba is set to receive $19.2 million in federal funding to bolster the provincial capacity to respond to wildfires.

The province is matching the investment with its own funds, bringing the total to more than $38 million.

Harjit Sajjan, federal minister of emergency preparedness, announced the investment in Winnipeg Thursday, saying it “represents significant progress” in the efforts to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season.

“While wildfires have always occurred across Canada, what is new is their frequency and intensity,” he said.

The monies will be dedicated to purchasing equipment and adding personnel, and bolstering emergency preparedness measures. The news comes as more than 31,600 hectares of land continue to burn in northwestern Manitoba, forcing more than 500 people to evacuate from Cranberry Portage.

The funding is part of a larger federal commitment to distribute $256 million in wildfire funds throughout the nation over the next five years.

Man charged with luring teens on social media and sexually assaulting them

11:50 AM

A Winnipeg man has been charged with using social media to lure two young teenage girls to sexually assault them.

Winnipeg police said on Thursday the adult used social media between March and April to pose as a 17-year-old to gain the two victims’ trust and form a relationship before sexually assaulting them.

Police began investigating last month and arrested a man on Tuesday.

Kalib Naseeb Debusschere, 22, has been charged with two counts of sexual interference, two of luring a person under 16 years of age by telecommunication, and a charge of sexual assault. He has been released with an order not to be in contact with anyone under 18 years of age.

Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 204-986-6245 or through Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS.

Man dies after assault

8:54 AM

Winnipeg police are investigating a suspicious death after a victim of an assault died of his injuries.

Police said on Thursday the victim, 35-year-old Kyle Beardy, of St. Theresa Point First Nation, but living in Winnipeg, was rushed to hospital in critical condition from the 300 block of Princess Street on May 6.

Two days later, police were told the victim was in hospital after receiving serious injuries from an assault. Beardy later died. His death is considered suspicious.

Police said Beardy’s family has been notified and an autopsy is pending.