Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 30, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba TUESDAY JULY 30, 2024 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM SECTION B CONNECT WITH WINNIPEG’S NO. 1 NEWS SOURCE ▼ CITY ● BUSINESS Retiree sues strip club, security guard for injuries suffered in ejection A Winnipeg retiree who alleges he was so badly assaulted by bouncers at Teas- ers Burlesque Palace in 2022 that he wound up in hospital with a fractured skull is suing the St. Boniface strip club for damages. Sadira Garfinkel and Jason Harvey, lawyers from Tapper Cuddy LLP, filed a statement of claim in Court of King’s Bench last week on behalf of John Kar- pluk, a retiree in his mid-60s. The lawsuit names Teasers, the num- bered corporation that owns the prop- erty it sits on at Marion and Archibald streets, and an unidentified member of its security personnel — referred to as John Doe — in the court filings as de- fendants. None have responded to the allega- tions in court. The strip club’s phone did not appear to be working Monday. Karpluk’s counsel did not return a message Monday. The long-standing strip club is on the same property as the Chalet Hotel at 611 Archibald St. Karpluk alleges that he and some friends and family members went to Teasers at about 1 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2022, where the group sat down at a table and ordered drinks. The plaintiff, who was 63 at the time, claims the John Doe security guard came over to the group’s table shortly after they ordered and demanded they leave the property. No further details of what may have led to the demand for the group to leave are included in the filings. “The parties asked if they could leave the property once they finished their beverages… John Doe refused their request and required that the parties leave the property,” Karpluk’s court fil- ings claim. As he and others were leaving, the court filing claims, the unidentified security guard grabbed Karpluk and threw him into a door frame. Karpluk hit his head and was knocked uncon- scious. The court papers claim it was an unprovoked and “unwarranted use of force.” Karpluk alleges he suffered further injuries at the hands of the unidentified guard or other security personnel while unconscious, including a fractured skull, a broken rib, a dislocated clavicle and a concussion. According to Karpluk’s claim, Winni- peg police and paramedics were called to the bar and he was taken to Health Sciences Centre where he was diag- nosed with two fractures to parts of the skull. Karpluk was not charged in the inci- dent, court records confirm. He was discharged from hospital the following day and advised he likely had a concussion. Further X-rays a few days later re- vealed that Karpluk had a fracture to his left clavicle and a broken rib. He had to keep his arm in a sling for about three weeks. He later required surgery for his clavicle fracture, the court filing claims. He required prescribed physio- therapy afterward. Karpluk said in the court papers that he needed help to perform tasks around the house after the injuries and con- tinues to suffer pain and has limited range of motion. No dollar figure is cited in the filings. erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca ERIK PINDERA Complaint filed over withholding of farm details AN animal-rights group launched a formal complaint with the province’s ombudsman after Manitoba Agricul- ture withheld “basic information” on the operation of mink farms. Animal Justice filed a freedom of information request May 3 for infor- mation including business names, loca- tions and the number of animals kept and killed on the farms. Manitoba Agriculture provided none of the requested information, claim- ing it is “an unreasonable invasion of a third party’s privacy,” the group said in a news release Monday. “Animal Justice has long-standing concerns about the welfare of mink and other animals farmed for fur in Can- ada,” director of legal advocacy Kaitlyn Mitchell said in the statement. The statement noted an increasing concern around infections passed from animal to human and said, “We believe it is particularly important to increase public awareness about this industry in provinces such as Manitoba, where mink continue to be farmed for fur, yet there is virtually no publicly available information about the industry.” Mink farming was banned in B.C. in 2021 because of the risks of disease. Mitchell said that as a Manitoban, she is “incredibly concerned” about the public-health risks. She added other provinces granted similar requests. The complaint claims the decision is not in accordance with Manitoba’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act’s goal of transparency. But the province said otherwise in a statement to the Free Press Monday, arguing that names and addresses are collected for specific purposes and “The personal information collected is protected under FIPPA.” jura.mcilraith@freepress.mb.ca JURA MCILRAITH NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS CARVING TIME Multimedia specialist Eric Santiago, 59, rides his skateboard at The Forks during his lunch break Monday. He’s been riding ‘since forever’ and says anyone of any age can learn as long as they’re determined. Autistic, severely anorexic 29-year-old woman to enter HSC eating-disorder program Mom hopeful about daughter’s treatment F OR the first time in months, Lor- raine Ramsey said she is finally feeling hopeful that her 29-year- old daughter will get the potentially life-saving health care she desperately needs. Weighing just 86 pounds, Karleigh has been diagnosed with anorexia. She isn’t getting nearly enough calories from eating. Since being admitted to Victoria Gen- eral Hospital in March, she has gained just 13 pounds on a daily intake of be- tween 600 and 800 calories, nowhere near the 5,000 to 6,000 her mother said she needs to get to a healthy weight. In a letter Health Sciences Centre eating-disorder program medical dir- ector Dr. Louis Ludwig wrote to an at- tending doctor at Victoria in June, he recommended Ramsey’s daughter re- ceive nourishment via a feeding tube, and cautioned that without it, she could die. But the mother said her daughter — who is autistic and cognitively disabled — has not been fed through a tube. “They said she was refusing treat- ments and they said they couldn’t force her to do anything,” Ramsey said. Following a Free Press report on the woman’s plight last week and her moth- er’s failed attempts to get her daughter the help she needs, HSC has agreed to admit her. “She’s likely, hopefully, going to get that feeding tube that she needs to start getting her health back,” Ramsey said Monday. Ramsey said Karleigh was midway through high school when she sudden- ly cut back on what she was eating and started consuming only liquids. Her daughter began to develop behav- ioural issues and was rejected by HSC’s eating disorders program as a result, Ramsey said. Ramsey next turned to St. Amant, which aids people with develop- mental disabilities, in hopes the agency could help with Karleigh’s autism and cognitive disabilities. She said she plans to pick Karleigh up Tuesday morning and drive her to HSC. Ramsey said her daughter is anxious about the move and what’s to come, in- cluding the possibility of missing out on nightly hot fudge sundaes with her mom. Manitoba’s Public Guardian and Trustee is appointed to make medical decisions for intellectually incapable adults but Ramsey has advocated tire- lessly for her daughter’s care. “It’s amazing what you have to go through in this day and age to get some- one to help,” she said. “It’s exhausting.” Before reaching out to the news- paper, Ramsey said she contacted hos- pital administrators, the province and politicians, to no avail. “It shows you that someone has to be an advocate to get any change,” the 69-year-old said, adding the Free Press story “sure brought attention” to the situation. Now she wants to know why things had to get to this point for HSC to ac- cept her daughter into their treatment program. In a written statement, Shared Health said it could not discuss specific pa- tients, citing privacy legislation. “While we cannot comment directly on this case, we can say, generally, that patients are regularly transferred from one site to another for a variety of rea- sons — including the ability to access specialized services that appropriately meet their care needs,” the statement said. Ramsey said she hasn’t spoken dir- ectly with Ludwig and doesn’t know what to expect in the coming days and weeks but is hoping her daughter final- ly gets the care she needs to restore her health. “It’s my daughter, it’s my baby, I don’t want her to die,” she said. “You try to do the best you can.” — with files from Kevin Rollason jordan.snobelen@freepress.mb.ca JORDAN SNOBELEN JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Karleigh Ramsey (left) with her mother Lorraine Ramsey. ;