Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 1, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba AUGUST 7 & 21 Enjoy a glass of wine, beer or a refreshing cocktail alongside fresh focaccia baked in a wood-fired oven surrounded by a lush garden. Nourishment for your body and soul! Buy tickets online at assiniboinepark.ca BEVVIES, BITES & HOT SUMMER NIGHTS in the Kitchen Garden at The Leaf SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2024 WEATHER SUNNY. HIGH 31 — LOW 18 COMMUNITY REVIEW YMCA-YWCA CELEBRATES 145 YEARS Mauled by a bear, hungry for revenge ASLEEP in a home on Shamattawa First Nation, Waylon Thomas was startled awake and then watched in horror as a bear clambered through the kitchen window — pausing for a moment before pouncing on him with its teeth bared. Thomas, who fled from the house before being chased down and mauled, is now recovering from the attack that left him with bite marks and slashes across his back last week. “What was I thinking? What can I think when that situation happened to me?” Thomas said. “My stepson was yelling for me, yelling, ‘Ahhhh! Ahhhh!’ and that bear turned around on him. That’s how I managed to escape. I used a board he ripped off from the kitchen win- dow and used it for shelter. I covered myself.” Thomas said he’s likely alive because of what his 19-year-old stepson did. He is believed to be the second per- son in Shamattawa attacked by a bear within the last week. On Monday, community members found the remains of a 60-year-old man, previously reported missing, in a wooded area near the remote First Nation located about 360 kilometres east of Thompson. While autopsy results have not yet confirmed the cause of death, Mani- toba RCMP said evidence at the scene suggests the man was attacked by a bear. Thomas identified the victim as his uncle, John Woods. The remains were found in an area behind a church. TYLER SEARLE Canadians advance in Paris as governing body blames Herdman Canada wins, former coach loses A S Canada’s women’s soccer team overcame a six-point penalty to finish with a perfect record and advance to the Olympics knockout round Wednesday, the crosshairs in the drone spying scan- dal landed squarely on its former coach. A ruling by the FIFA Appeals Com- mittee, which dismissed a Canadian appeal of FIFA’s sanctions imposed on the Canadian women’s team at the Paris Olympics for using a drone to spy on New Zealand, says Canada Soccer pointed the finger at former coach John Herdman on July 27. “Canada is investigating the histo- ry of this matter, but we suspect that the practice of using a drone stems back to John Herdman when he was the head coach of the women’s na- tional team. In other words, this was a practice started by one person — John Herdman — and continued by Bev Priestman,” Canada Soccer said according to the FIFA document. “It was not facilitated by the federation. New Canada Soccer administration is supporting a full independent investigation of this issue and has already taken steps to ensure that this scouting tactic does not happen again.” Priestman, since sent home from Paris in the wake of the scandal, was an assistant coach under Herdman. Still, the players under assistant Andy Spence ran their record to 3-0, starting with a 2-1 win over New Zealand, then upsetting host France by the same score before beating No. 22-ranked Colombia 1-0 Wednes- day. Despite the six-point deduction, Canada finished as the second seed in its pool. Herdman took over the women’s team in 2011 and switched to the Ca- nadian men in January 2018. He quit Canada Soccer last August to take over Toronto FC of Major League Soccer. The FIFA document, which was forwarded to The Canadian Press, was shown in its entirety Tuesday on its Inside.fifa.com website. On Wednesday, the document was redacted to remove the name of Herdman and others. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, a drawn-looking Herdman did not ad- dress the specifics contained in the FIFA document, citing the “integrity of the investigation.” “As part of that, I’ll be supporting with as much evidence as I can offer or support I can offer through that investigation,” he said. “Until that concludes, I won’t be able to com- ment on those matters specifically.” He said he would speak “on all those matters at the right time. I think the time is just not now.” Police officer details injuries as drunk driver sentenced to 35 months ‘I have lost so many things’ DEAN PRITCHARD A veteran police officer struggled to hold back tears Wednesday as he told a Winnipeg court of everything he has lost since suffering catastrophic inju- ries in a collision with a drunk driver described as a “ticking time bomb.” “Because of the offender’s choice, for which he is solely responsible, I was sentenced to spend 207 days in hospital, 207 days away from my home, away from my duties to this city and its people,” said 51-year-old Winnipeg Police Service Const. Dan Léveillé, who arrived at court in a motorized wheelchair. “I have lost so many things… I can no longer serve the citizens of Win- nipeg in my chosen career,” he said. “I have lost the prospect of future employment after my retirement from policing, whenever that comes. I can no longer walk my dog, I can no longer hunt, as I have all my life, nor can I enjoy my passion for riding my motorcycle.” Léveillé was behind the wheel of his motorcycle, on his way to work around 6 a.m. on June 14, 2023, when a minivan turned into his path at Talbot Avenue and Levis Street and struck him head on. Léveillé was thrown onto the min- ivan’s windshield and landed on the road several metres away. “I had no time to take evasive actions or manoeuvres or to protect myself,” he said. “I hit the windshield with such force my helmet was torn off my head.” Braedon Lee Gordon, 23, the driver of the minivan, was set to stand trial but instead pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of driving with a blood- alcohol level over .08 causing bodily harm. Court heard Gordon was pro- hibited from driving at the time of the collision and has three prior alcohol- related driving convictions. “Mr. Gordon’s record is nothing short of infuriating,” Crown attorney Nick Reeves told provincial court Judge Dave Mann. “He was a ticking time bomb on the streets. This sort of calamity was inevitable.” Mann sentenced Gordon to 35 months in prison, the same sentence recommended by Reeves and defence lawyer Michael Dyck, and prohibit- ed him from driving for eight years. Court heard Manitoba Public Insur- ance has already banned Gordon from driving for life. JULIO CORTEZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Canadian players celebrate a 1-0 win over Colombia, sending Canada to the knockout stage despite a hefty six-point penalty for drone spying. NEIL DAVIDSON Shamattawa man credits stepson’s intervention for saving his life; uncle’s remains found Monday ● OFFICER, CONTINUED ON A2 ● COACH, CONTINUED ON A2 ● BEAR, CONTINUED ON A2 ;