Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 13, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS TUESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2024 VOL 153 NO 230 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2024 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. 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INSIDE Around Town C8 Arts and Life C1 Business B5 Classifieds D7 Comics C5 Diversions C6-7 Horoscope C4 Miss Lonelyhearts C4 Obituaries D6 Opinion A6-7 Sports D1 Television C4 Weather B8 COLUMNISTS: Dan Lett A4 Rochelle Squires A7 Gwynne Dyer A7 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada He said he knows he’s not the only building owner waiting — he said Imrie Demolition, the contractor tasked with his permit, has more than 40 others sitting in limbo that the city has delayed or stalled on. “I emailed them on Saturday or Sunday, I said, ‘Can we expedite this one?’ Because obviously somebody’s got an in for that place, to have (four) fires in four months, that just doesn’t make sense,” he said. A manager at Imrie Demolition confirmed the firm has been waiting on the permit since May but declined to comment further. City of Winnipeg communications officer Kalen Qually said every vacant building dam- aged by fire is a unique situation. “When looking at the demolition of a vacant building that’s been damaged by a fire, time- lines can vary a great deal depending on a num- ber of factors and on the actions of the property owner,” he said in an email. While Qually did not refer to 362 Manitoba Ave. directly, he said factors include proper submission of the demolition application, co-or- dinating the demolition with all utilities and ensuring taxes owed on the property are paid. The landlord owns several properties in the North End. He previously owned a building on College Avenue but it burned down about three years ago. He said any kind of preventative measure implemented by the city could make a difference. “At least put up a fence around it,” he said. “That could be a start, all the buildings that are slated for demolition, at least put up a high fence around it.” Ten days before the March 27 fire, a man was found shot in the building and later died in hos- pital. A Winnipeg man was later arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The landlord said his building is part of a long line of systemic failures in Winnipeg that weren’t as prominent when he began developing properties in 1991. “Now, it’s worse than it’s ever been,” he said. Vacant building fires have become a burning issue in Winnipeg, particularly in the city’s core. The union representing city firefighters has said spikes in vacant building blazes have stretched resources thin and left psychological tolls on its members. Nearby residents have told the Free Press in the past the lots are dangerous eyesores that attract violence and gang activity. City council has turned its focus to streamlin- ing the process to take over derelict properties, including approving land acquisition programs to speed up the transfer of lots from owners looking to offload their properties to the city. Council has also proposed permitting lots to be sold for as little as $1 to non-profit housing providers. A motion passed in July will require stricter standards for boarding up homes. “This property that has now had four fires is one of the very reasons we’re taking this issue very, very seriously and it’s a priority for myself and council as well,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said at an unrelated news conference Monday. Gillingham said he would discuss how the city could provide support to the owner of 362 Manitoba Ave. with his staff this week. As of July, there were 695 properties moni- tored by the city through its vacant buildings bylaw. The William Whyte Neighbourhood Asso- ciation recently counted at least 42 burnt-out buildings in the area. President Darrell Warren said he’s waiting for government to commit dollars to cleaning up the persistent problem. “We’re working right now with the city, the province and the feds to go ahead and come up with money, because, unfortunately, demolition is a very costly process,” he said. Warren said he wants to see the damaged, boarded-up homes replaced with affordable infill housing. “There’s a lot of good people in the neighbour- hood, in the William Whyte area. Unfortunately, we’re going through a bad spell right now,” he said. “Once we can turn that around and get some houses on the lots, get families in there, it’s a win-win.” malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Human-rights commissioner resigns after probe into Israel comments OTTAWA — The recently appointed chief commission- er of the Canadian Human Rights Commission agreed to resign Monday after an investigation into his past comments related to Israel. The justice minister launched an external investiga- tion after Canadian Jewish organizations raised con- cerns about Birju Dattani’s past activities, including allegations of anti-Israel comments. The law firm that conducted the investigation did not find any indication that Dattani harboured or harbours antisemitic beliefs, or any evidence that he has uncon- scious or conscious biases toward Jews or Israelis. “In reviewing Mr. Dattani’s scholarly work, he has criticized Israel and, in particular, its treatment of Pal- estinians,” the law firm concluded in its report, which was shared publicly Monday. However, the investigation found he “deliberate- ly de-emphasized” those criticisms when he was questioned about them. “To be clear, it is our view that his involvement in advocacy and criticism does not necessarily result in the inference that Mr. Dattani could not perform the role of chief commissioner,” the report stated. “However, Mr. Dattani’s efforts to downplay the critical nature of his work was concerning and, cer- tainly, his failure to directly disclose this work de- prived the government of the opportunity to have a discussion with Mr. Dattani about what, if any, impact his scholarship and perspective would or could have if he were appointed to the role of chief commissioner.” The lengthy report detailed 14 allegations levied against Dattani, including comments he made on social media and elsewhere under the name Mujahid Dattani dating back more than 10 years. The investigating firm found that his explanation for not including the name Mujahid Dattani on his applica- tion and background check “lacks credibility.” Instead, he provided the name Birju Mujahid Dat- tani, despite appearing on several panels and on social media using only the name Mujahid Dattani. “On a balance of probabilities and based on the total- ity of evidence, we find that Mr. Dattani intentionally omitted the reference to ‘Mujahid Dattani’ on the back- ground check consent form (and elsewhere) and at no time in the application or interview process disclosed that, in the past, he had used the name ‘Mujahid Dat- tani,’” the investigative report states. After receiving the findings, Justice Minister Arif Virani told Dattani in a letter on July 31 that the results of the investigation raised serious concerns about his candour during the appointment process. Dattani, the first Muslim and racialized person to be appointed to the role, was due to start last Thursday but agreed to take a leave while Virani considered how he should respond. “The findings speak for themselves,” Virani said in a statement Monday. “I have accepted Mr. Dattani’s decision to step down as chief commissioner. As I have said, maintaining the confidence of all Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission remains my top priority.” In a letter to the minister, Dattani denied that his fail- ure to disclose the name Mujahid was intentional. He said he adopted the middle name in early 2001 when he became Muslim but was only asked for his given name on the application. He told the minister a cursory Google search of any of the names he provided would have provided all the information about Mujahid Dattani within seconds. Even the mild insinuation that he provided both his first and adopted middle name in an attempt to hide something is “gross overreach and simply false,” he wrote to the minister on Aug. 1. He said his initial interview for the job happened in June 2022, well before the significant rise in antisem- itism that followed the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and that it’s unreasonable to suggest he should have highlighted his academic work on the subject of Israel “as a result of concerns that were not foreseeable” at the time. “I remain a steadfast believer in the commission’s work, mandate and its importance to our democracy,” Dattani said in a statement Monday. Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman wel- comed the news of his resignation but called it overdue. “Dattani’s past writings were easily discoverable with a simple Google search,” Lantsman said in a post on X. “Either the political staff in the Trudeau government failed to do such a rudimentary search, or they found that material and viewed the comments as not prob- lematic.” She called for a “full, free, and fair investigation” into how the appointment happened in the first place. The process to appoint a new chief commissioner will begin “as soon as possible,” Virani said in a statement — The Canadian Press LAURA OSMAN FIRE ● FROM A1 NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS The William Whyte Neighbourhood Association counted at least 42 burnt-out buildings in the area. Ukrainian forces controlling front line of advance into Russia’s Kursk region: top general KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s top military com- mander said his forces now control 1,000 square kilometres of Russia’s neighbouring Kursk re- gion, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the light- ning incursion that has embarrassed the Krem- lin. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi made the statement in a video posted Monday to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel. In the video, he briefed the president on the front- line situation. “The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Syrskyi said. Russian forces are still scrambling to respond to the surprise Ukrainian attack after almost a week of fierce fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incursion, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and gain leverage in possible future peace talks. Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time that the Ukrainian military is operating inside the Kursk region. On Telegram, he praised his country’s soldiers and commanders “for their steadfast- ness and decisive actions.” He did not elaborate. Speaking Monday at a meeting with top sec- urity and defence officials, Putin said the attack that began Aug. 6 appeared to reflect Kyiv’s at- tempt to achieve a better negotiating position in possible future talks to end the war. He insisted Moscow’s army would prevail. Putin said Ukraine may have hoped that the at- tack would cause public unrest in Russia but that it has failed to achieve that goal and he claimed that the number of volunteers to join the Russian military has increased because of the assault. He said Russian forces will carry on with their of- fensive in eastern Ukraine regardless. “It’s obvious that the enemy will keep trying to destabilize the situation in the border zone to try to destabilize the domestic political situation in our country,” Putin said. Russia’s main task is “to squeeze out, drive the enemy out of our ter- ritories and, together with the border service, to ensure reliable cover of the state border.” Acting Kursk Gov. Alexei Smirnov reported to Putin that Ukrainian forces had pushed 12 kms into the Kursk region across a 40-km front and currently control 28 Russian settlements. Smirnov said 12 civilians have been killed and 121 others, including 10 children, have been wounded in the operation. The area has been evacuated of about 121,000 people who left the areas affected by fighting, he said. Tracking down all the Ukrainian units that are roaming the region and creating diversions is difficult, Smirnov said, noting that some are using fake Russian IDs. The governor of the Belgorod region adja- cent to Kursk also announced the evacuation of people from a district near the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian forces swiftly rolled into the town of Sudzha about 10 kilometres over the border after launching the attack. They reportedly still hold the western part of the town, which is the site of an important natural gas station. The Ukrainian operation is under tight se- crecy and its goals remain unclear. The stunning manoeuvre that caught the Kremlin’s forces off guard counters Russia’s unrelenting effort in recent months to punch through Ukrainian de- fenses at selected points along the front line in eastern Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the territory now controlled by Ukrainian forces was used to strike Ukraine’s Sumy region many times, adding that it is “ab- solutely fair to destroy Russian terrorists where they are.” “Russia brought war to others. Now it is com- ing home,” he said in a video posted on his Tele- gram channel. Russia has seen previous incursions into its territory during the nearly two-and-a-half year war but the foray into the Kursk region marked the largest attack on its soil since the Second World War, constituting a milestone in the hostil- ities. It is also the first time the Ukrainian army has spearheaded an incursion rather than pro- Ukraine Russian fighters. The advance delivered a blow to Putin’s efforts to pretend that life in Russia has been largely unaffected by the war. State propaganda tried to play down the attack, emphasizing the author- ities’ efforts to help residents of the region and seeking to distract attention from the military’s failure to prepare for the attack and quickly repel it. — The Associated Press SAMYA KULLAB ;