Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 16, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba STANDING POLICY COMMITTEE ON PROPERTY AND DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HEARING Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025 Time: 9:30 A.M. Location: City Hall To participate in the hearing, register online at winnipeg.ca/publichearings or by phoning 204-986-4228 by 12:00 noon the business day preceding the meeting. You may also participate in the process by submitting your comments in writing. THIS HEARING CAN BE VIEWED ON LINE AT: https://winnipeg.ca/council/video.asp City of Winnipeg NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS Under the authority of The City of Winnipeg Charter, the Community Committee listed below will conduct PUBLIC HEARINGS for the purpose of allowing interested persons to make submissions, ask questions or register objections in respect of the application(s) listed below. Information or documents concerning the applications and a description of the procedure to be followed at the public hearings are available for inspection by calling 204-986-2636 to make an appointment at Unit 15-30 Fort Street, or by visiting the City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding holidays; or on-line at http://www.winnipeg.ca OPENS TODAY! Fleurs de Villes ARTISTE features 15 fresh, vibrant, floral mannequins designed by local florists in collaboration with Manitoba arts and culture organizations. January 16-26 RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW AT assiniboinepark.ca MISERICORDIA HOSPITAL Make your donation now at misericordiafoundation.com or by calling 204.788.8458 You can help Misericordia deliver the future of care today! THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025 A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I TOP NEWS Ex-teacher jailed for sexually exploiting student KILLARNEY — A former Turtle Mountain School Division teacher has been sentenced to jail time after plead- ing guilty to sexual exploitation involv- ing a teenage student dating back to 2010. Troy Innes was sentenced by prov- incial associate chief Judge Donovan Dvorak on Tuesday to six months of jail time and 18 months of supervised probation. Innes pleaded guilty at an earlier date to one count of sexual ex- ploitation — defined as an act where a person in a position of authority or trust touches or invites a young person to touch them for a sexual purpose. RCMP began investigating a com- plaint about Innes in May 2021. The offences happened between January and December 2010. He was arrested on Dec. 22, 2021, and charged with two counts of sexual assault and single counts of luring and sexual exploita- tion. He was 39 when RCMP announced his arrest on Jan. 4, 2022. Turtle Mountain School Division is located in Killarney, where the senten- cing was held. A May 2012 Brandon Sun article stated Innes taught at Bois- sevain School, where he also coached the boys baseball team. The facts of the case were outlined during the sentencing. Dvorak point- ed out Innes was teaching Grade 9 to Grade 12 classes when the crime oc- curred and had taught the student and mentored her on a project. The teacher-student relationship turned inappropriate as the then-17- year-old student and adult man began to meet privately and kissed on several occasions. The student also sent Innes a sexually explicit picture of herself in underwear. At the time of the crime, the min- imum sentence for sexual exploitation was 45 days in jail. The current min- imum is one year. Dvorak sentenced Innes to six months after pointing out it is necessary to con- demn the behaviour and deter people from committing similar crimes. He added the court must send a message that children are not to be considered as potential sexual partners by people in a position of trust or authority. Dvorak said he also had to take into account that Innes had pleaded guilty and has not reoffended in the roughly 15 years since the crime happened. Innes was teaching at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School in Brandon when he was arrested. He was coach of the boys baseball team there for sever- al years. Innes was released from custody on conditions. He was placed on adminis- trative leave from his job pending the outcome of the legal proceedings, the Brandon School Division said at the time of his arrest. Along with the jail sentence and probation order, Innes was ordered to provide a DNA sample and to have no contact with the former student. A search of a provincial registry late Wednesday morning showed his teach- ing certificate was still in “good stand- ing.” — Brandon Sun CONNOR MCDOWELL Apology sought from Tory leadership hopeful O NE of the two candidates for the leadership of the Manitoba Pro- gressive Conservatives is under fire over a social media post that re- ferred to his opponent’s Muslim faith. Wally Daudrich’s campaign Face- book page recently reposted a message from a user named Vicki Poutine. Pou- tine’s post quoted a newsletter from the Daudrich campaign that condemned antisemitism and attacks on Jews. Pou- tine added to the end of the post: “We must stop Muslim Obby Khan from be- coming the Conservative leader.” Daudrich’s campaign manager says the message was reposted by a staff member who did not notice the wording at the end, and the post was taken down as soon as it was brought to the team’s attention. “This is nonsense. The reference to Mr. Khan’s Muslim faith was made at the end of a long post written by an individual not associated with our cam- paign,” Joseph Ben-Ami said in a writ- ten statement. “It was reposted by one of our staff who did not notice it. As soon as it was brought to our attention it was immedi- ately removed. This was an honest mis- take to which our campaign responded quickly and appropriately.” The National Council of Canadian Muslims called on Daudrich to publicly apologize. “Targeting (Khan) solely because of his Muslim faith, as implied in the (post), is a clear example of Islamo- phobia,” the group wrote on X, the plat- form formerly known as Twitter. Officials at the provincial Progres- sive Conservative party asked Daud- rich to clear the air. “The (committee) has no reason to be- lieve the post wasn’t inadvertent. How- ever, given the nature of Mr. Daudrich’s repost content, the (committee) has asked that Mr. Daudrich confirm his commitment to the principle that mem- bership and participation in the party is open to Manitobans regardless of their religion,” committee chair Brad Zander said in a written statement Wednesday. Khan said the Daudrich campaign’s explanation does not go far enough. “I think that an apology must be made and that that type of language must be disavowed and condemned,” Khan said in an interview. “If the post is done in accident, then an apology is still needed and that lan- guage still needs to be condemned.” The Tories, who are in Opposition after losing the 2023 election, are to choose a new leader April 26. Khan is a former pro football player, business owner and cabinet minister who represents the Fort Whyte area of Winnipeg in the legislature. Daudrich is a longtime Tory board member and hotel owner from the northern town of Churchill. — The Canadian Press STEVE LAMBERT SUPPLIED Wally Daudrich’s campaign manager said the offensive post originated outside the campaign and was killed as soon as it was noticed. FREE PRESS FILES Obby Khan says inadvertent or otherwise, the Islamophobic post requires an apology. Applications open for plastic health cards MANITOBANS can now apply for a plastic health card online. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz made the an- nouncement in a news release Tues- day. “Our government has been work- ing hard to move our health-card system into the modern era, and we’re thankful to Manitobans’ pa- tience as we take time to get this process right,” Asagwara said. “Over the next few months, we expect the popularity of this initia- tive to mean it may take some time for every Manitoban to receive an updated card, but we’re focused on finally getting this done.” Manitobans who apply for the card should expect it to be delivered in the coming months, Asagwara said. A digital option will also be available soon, the release said. Paper health cards remain valid. “I’m sure Manitobans are just as excited as we are to say goodbye to a fading paper card and replace it with a more durable option,” Moroz said in the release. Premier Wab Kinew said in his state of the province address on Dec. 3 that Manitobans would be able to order the new plastic card that month. He later told The Can- adian Press the rollout had been delayed until mid-January, partly because the Canada Post strike pre- vented new paper health cards from being sent out. The province is transitioning to individual cards for all Manitobans, including children, who are current- ly listed on a parent’s card. Asag- wara said that change aligns with other jurisdictions across Canada. The bilingual card includes a field that allows residents to indicate their language preference, English or French. Manitoba will be the second jurisdiction in Canada to of- fer the feature. To apply for or request a new Manitoba health card, go to manitoba.ca/health/mhsip/ fpcity@freepress.mb.ca ;