Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 16, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba <s> ■e- C MBK O- PAGE A1 tj011 spa gift cards, available anytime 24/7 :enspa.ca Shocking return Century-old moniker wires restaurant for success in midst of Main Street block's changing fortunes / Cl WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2020 M A MB FOUNDED IN 1872 ■ Winnipeg tree Press' ► CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: & & & SCATTERED & & & FLURRIES. & & & HIGH & & & -4 & & & — & & & LOW & & & -12 _ "’¡¡fs"' & & & _ Ex-fashion czar charged with racketeering, sex-trafficking in New York, appears at extradition hearing Nygard shackled, dishevelled in court RYAN THORPE AND DEAN PRITCHARD LED into a Winnipeg courtroom in shackles, Peter Nygard walked slowly, surrounded by sheriffs and dressed in the grey sweatshirt and track pants of a remand centre inmate. A mask covered his face, his long grey hair was tied into a messy bun, and he sat in the prisoner’s box looking dishevelled and dismayed. His frail body did not resemble the coiffed and muscled image that for years was plastered on billboards across Win- nipeg and emblazoned on signs at his retail shops in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles and the Bahamas. Nygard’s brief court appearance Tuesday marked the latest chapter in his remarkable life: from his birth in Finland, to his humble upbringing in Deloraine, to the forging of his fashion empire in Winnipeg, and his eventual downfall amid mounting rape allegations in the #MeToo era. Nygard, 79, was arrested Monday by RCMP investigators — acting at the behest of U.S. authorities seeking his extradition — at a south Winnipeg residence. Tuesday morning, a nine-count indictment for racketeering, sex-trafficking and related offences was unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On Tuesday afternoon, after he had spent the night in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre, Nygard appeared before Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Sheldon Lanchberry at an extradition hearing. The unsealed indictment is similar to the claims more than 50 women and their lawyers have made since Feb. 13, when a class-action lawsuit alleging a decades-long reign of terror and abuse was filed in a Manhattan court. From 1995 to 2020, Nygard — along with business associates and coconspirators — engaged in a “pattern of criminal conduct involving at least dozens of victims in the United States, the Bahamas, and Canada, among other locations,” the indictment says. He’s accused of raping and trafficking women and young girls, often from “disadvantaged economic backgrounds” with a “history of abuse.” • NYGARD, CONTINUED ON A4 • FLIGHT RISK / A4 Peter Nygard: in custody A STAIN ON OUR GAME ■S&ÍL-. S"'Cr-¡f StattS-KBta* & & & N ,,r ** ii, & & & *** & & & nuJT,. Graham James was not the only Silver Heights Collegiate educator who preyed on teen boys. Part 3 of a Free Press investigation uncovers decades-old secrets of abuse / D3-6 COVID-19 vaccinations begin today for some Manitoba health-care workers 'Long awaited day of hope' DANIELLE DA SILVA WITH the first 900 doses of COVID-19 vaccine having arrived safely in Manitoba and ready to be plunged into the arms of health-care workers, the province will begin the “monumental” task of immunizing at-risk residents. “This is a monumental challenge — a historic challenge,” Premier Brian Pallister said during a media briefing Tuesday. “I ask all Manitobans for their patience and understanding as we gradually roll out our program as more vaccine becomes available.” On Tuesday morning, a cargo plane carrying the province’s initial shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, stored in ultra-cold freezers, touched down in Winnipeg. The vials were transported to a COVID-19 immunization clinic at the Health Sciences Centre campus in Winnipeg. Over the next three days, 900 health-care workers are scheduled to receive their first of two required shots at the clinic. “This is a long-awaited day of hope for Manitobans,” Pallister said. “I want to express, first off, my gratitude and — I know for many Manitobans — a little bit of envy for those folks who are going to be able to get their vaccines. We say: thank you and congratulations to you. We know our front-line workers have been stepping up in this pandemic, and we know that stepping up now and protecting them is the right thing to do.” As for other Manitobans eager to be immunized against COVID-19, Pallister said the province will be upfront and transparent about who it prioritizes for the vaccine, and when they might expect to receive the shot, as the campaign rolls out. “This is a real scary time for a lot of people and they really would like to get the vaccine,” Pallister said. “I think it’s important that that transparency continue and be extended to Manitobans, so they can see where they line up. “And then, of course, we’ll have to all of us be patient and wait our turn.” By the end of March, the province hopes to have possession of enough Pfizer and Moderna (which has yet to be approved by Health Canada) vaccine doses to immunize more than 100,000 people. • VACCINATIONS, CONTINUED ON A2 INSIDE MISSING SAILOR NURSES ALARMED Forces searching for HMCS Winnipeg sailor believed & & & Intensive care unit nurses denounce to have gone overboard off California coast / A5 & & & removal of one-on-one patient care / A6 BANKING ON IT SkipTheDishes founders try their luck at banking, aim to hire in Winnipeg / B4 HILL TO FLY ON Some Manitoba ski hills prepare for season, others make tough decisions / B2 -e- -e- A_01_Dec-16-20_FP_01.indd A1 2020-12-15 10:58 PM ;