Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 8, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba ManitobaMuseum.ca OPEN 10am - 5pm 7 days a week KEEP COOL THIS SUMMER WITH FAMILY FUN! @ The Manitoba Museum SUMMER SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2024 WEATHER LIGHT RAIN. HIGH 17 — LOW 11 COMMUNITY REVIEW FOLKLORAMA IS UP AND RUNNING! Putin decries ‘large-scale provocation’ SAMYA KULLAB KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday de- scribed a Ukrainian incursion into the country’s southwestern Kursk region as a “large-scale provocation” as his officials asserted that they were fight- ing off cross-border raids for a second day. Ukrainian officials remained silent about the scope of the operation. Putin met with his top defence and security officials to discuss what he called the “indiscriminate shelling of civilian buildings, residential houses, ambulances with different types of weapons.” He instructed the cabinet to co-ordinate assistance to the Kursk region. The fighting is about 500 kilo- metres from Moscow. Army chief of staff Valery Gera- simov told Putin at the meeting via video link that about 100 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the battle and more than 200 wounded, Russian news agencies reported. The Ukrainian shelling, meanwhile, killed at least two people — a para- medic and an ambulance driver — and injured 24, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement. It was not possible to independently verify the Russian claims. Disinfor- mation and propaganda have played a central role in the war, now in its third year. John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, declined to comment on the operation and said the Biden administration has reached out to the Ukrainians to better under- stand what happened. The head of the region urged resi- dents to donate blood due to the intense fighting. “In the last 24 hours, our region has been heroically resisting attacks” by Ukrainian fighters, acting Gov. Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram, adding that all emergency services were on high alert. Smirnov said authorities had evacu- ated more than 200 people from areas under shelling, while several thousand others left in their own vehicles. Prospect of Walz in White House has premier dancing MANITOBA’S premier likes the idea of having a close neighbour in the White House. Presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her vice-president running mate Tues- day morning. “If there were a vice-president from Minnesota, I think it would be great to have somebody in the White House who not only knows where Manitoba is on the map, but knows about our hydroelectricity and knows about our ag industry,” Premier Wab Kinew told the Free Press Wednesday. “That would be a real asset because the trade relationship with the next administration in the U.S. is going to be very important for our economy.” Walz, a former teacher, football coach and dad with rural roots and Midwestern ways — recently made headlines when he tagged the Donald Trump-JD Vance Republican ticket as “weird.” Walz made a positive impression on Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, who met with the governor in March at the Minnesota state capital in St. Paul. “I got the impression he’s a friendly and open person who really understood the importance of the Canada-U.S. trading relationship,” said Duguid. Duguid, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said he was part of a “Team Cana- da mission” ahead of the November U.S. presidential election “to reach across the border to talk to people of influence to ensure our relationship remains strong.” The mission was non-partisan, he said. “I was very careful not to wade into American politics. We have enough on our own plate right now with our own pre-electoral preoccupation here,” Duguid said, referring to a federal election in Canada on or before Oct. 20, 2025. Kinew was careful not to pick sides, either. No matter who wins the election south of the border, Manitoba stands to benefit from the relationship it has with its neighbours, said Kinew, adding he’s never spoken with Walz, but has talked to North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican. “If Trump forms the next govern- ment in the U.S., many observers are saying Gov. Burgum could have a cabinet appointment,” Kinew said. “Just a month ago, we were hearing about Doug Burgum potentially being a VP pick,” Kinew said. The former president ultimately chose Vance, an Ohio senator. “(Burgum) was very helpful to us when we were going through the pipe- line shutdown,” Kinew said. CAROL SANDERS Shared Health says help is on the way Psych assessment delays jam up courts D EFENCE lawyers say Mani- toba has failed to knock down months-long waits for psychiat- ric assessments of people accused of crimes, which ties up court time and is a “flagrant disregard”of guidelines set out in the Criminal Code. “Our province lacks the infrastruc- ture to meet the needs of mentally ill accused persons engaged in the criminal justice process,” Winnipeg lawyer Ethan Pollock said. The shortage of forensic psychia- trists has plagued court proceedings for years and has made it impossible to receive assessments in a timely manner to determine whether a client can be deemed criminally responsi- ble. Despite legal professionals raising concerns as far back as 2013, Pollock said “nothing has changed” since he started practising law eight years ago. “There is, in particular, a consider- able shortage of forensic psychiatrists capable of diagnosing and treating offenders who may be less morally blameworthy by virtue of underlying conditions such as schizophrenia.” The Criminal Code requires that court-ordered assessments to deter- mine criminal responsibility be com- pleted within 30 days, with a possible 30-day extension. Several lawyers told the Free Press it can take months longer to have an assessment completed. Defence lawyer Carley Mahoney described the wait as “unacceptable” and a “flagrant disregard” of the Criminal Code. In one case, she said she was told in March that a client was on a three- month waiting list, but that it would likely take longer. “That’s before they can start seeing the person. A report would take a significantly longer period than that, that’s just basically starting the pro- cess,” she said. Another lawyer, Caleigh Glawson, said she has to wait nine months “on average” to receive an assessment. The delay directly affects how jus- tice is served, Pollock said. “If (the client is) not assessed at an early opportunity, it’s harder for us to gather what type of state he may have been in when he had allegedly offend- ed,” he said. “So the longer you wait, the harder it is to sort of ascertain what was going through their mind at the time of an alleged offence.” It may even prevent lawyers and their clients from pursuing an assess- ment, said Mahoney. MALAK ABAS Minnesota governor’s knowledge of Manitoba helpful: Kinew MATTHIAS SCHRADER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS VAULTING INTO HISTORY Alysha Newman of Delaware, Ont., wins the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Canadian woman, and first Canadian in more than a century, to land on the podium for pole vault. Her 4.85-metre jump Wednesday achieved what only two other Canadians have. Edward Archibald won bronze in the 1908 Olympics and William Halpenny followed four years later. Olympic coverage on pages D1,2 Ukraine strikes back with attack on Russia ● UKRAINE, CONTINUED ON A2 ● WALZ, CONTINUED ON A2 ● PSYCH, CONTINUED ON A2 ;