Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 24, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba MONDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2025 ● 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 Man accused of slew of attacks on sex workers New trial ordered on robbery, choking charges T HE province’s highest court has ordered a new trial on charges of robbery and choking against a man accused of a slew of attacks on sex workers. The man, whose name can’t be print- ed due to a publication ban meant to protect his victims, was charged by Winnipeg police in attacks against eight women in December 2020 and January 2021. He was found guilty of offences against three victims who testified dur- ing his trial in Court of King’s Bench in 2023. King’s Bench Justice Ken Cham- pagne sentenced him to 12 years in prison for three counts of robbery, three counts of choking to overcome re- sistance and one count of assault caus- ing bodily harm, saying, “these were planned attacks that targeted vulner- able women.” Other charges were stayed or dis- missed during the three-week trial in early 2023. The man, now in his late 30s, was acquitted of the robbery and choking to overcome resistance charges in re- lation to one woman who was unable to travel to Manitoba to testify after her passport was stolen from her home in Ontario, because no evidence was of- fered in court. Crown prosecutor Ami Kotler filed an appeal, which was heard last Sep- tember. In a written decision issued last week, Court of Appeal Justice Karen Simon- sen said she and two other judges on the court found Champagne made errors in how he interpreted the law when dis- missing an application for the woman to testify from elsewhere. Simonsen set aside the acquittals and ordered a new trial on those charges. “The trial judge’s error clearly had a material bearing on the acquittals,” she wrote. Crown prosecutors had applied to al- low the woman to testify — providing evidence about the similarity of the attack against her compared to the at- tacks against the other sex trade work- ers — via a remote video link, as she was unable to fly without her passport and wasn’t prepared to travel via a mo- tor vehicle. Champagne dismissed the applica- tion, in part because it was filed too late before the trial. He also dismissed a Crown application to have the woman’s video statement to police be used as evi- dence. Champagne said it would be prob- lematic for the woman to testify via video link from her home, as there was no way to assure she wouldn’t access information to assist her during testi- mony. Champagne further said it would be inappropriate for her to testify from a secure room at a local police station, as it could have an impact on the sub- stance of her testimony and it would diminish judicial independence and the appearance of impartiality. The trial was told Winnipeg police began investigating reports that escort workers were being robbed beginning in December 2020, and determined they had been committed by the same person. In the attacks he was convicted of, the man arranged to meet two women in their hotel room and the third at her home after contacting them on a web- site used by sex workers. The case against the man ultimately sparked a lawsuit against Champagne, after one of the testifying victims’ names was mistakenly included in a court decision posted online. She alleged in the lawsuit that she was harassed and abused as a result, but King’s Bench Justice Shawn Green- berg dismissed the suit in December, saying the claim against Champagne and the provincial government was so lacking in detail it was doomed to fail. erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca ERIK PINDERA MIKE SUDOMA / FREE PRESS SKATING DOWN THE TRAIL TOWARD SPRING The Nestaweya River Trail saw a lot of action Sunday afternoon as temperatures rose to a high of 3 C, a stark contrast to the frigid temperatures during the previous week. The warmer weather will con- tinue today with another high of 3 C, as well as a low of -6 C. Female suspects sought after teen girl stabbed POLICE are investigating after a 14-year-old girl was stabbed in the Nor- wood area Saturday night in a violent attack that is prompting plans for a new neighbourhood watch group. The girl was walking to meet some- one near Niverville Avenue and Cham- plain Street at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday when she was confronted by a group of females she didn’t know, the Winnipeg Police Service investigation revealed. The victim was assaulted and stabbed and the unidentified suspects fled. Someone in the area saw the injured girl and called 911. The victim was taken to hospital in unstable condition and was later up- graded to stable. The WPS Major Crimes Unit is in- vestigating, asking anyone with infor- mation to call major crimes at 204- 986-6219 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 or winni- pegcrimestoppers.org. Asked whether this appears to be a random act of violence involving youth suspects, a Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson said the investigation continues and a more specific descrip- tion of the suspects is not yet available. The violent attack happened right near the Champlain Community Cen- tre, which runs recreational programs for youth and adults. The centre was closed when the Saturday night stab- bing happened, and the victim wasn’t coming from the facility when she was attacked. But area residents are under- standably concerned, said Nathan Du- rupt, president of the Champlain Com- munity Centre. “It’s a horrible thing to happen in our community and it can’t go un- answered,” Durupt said Sunday. He said while there’s been a slight uptick in reports of thefts in the area, it’s “ex- tremely rare” for the neighbourhood to be the site of such a violent incident. “Violence is extremely rare, so for something to happen like this, espe- cially to someone so young, is pretty jarring.” This stabbing was not connected to the community centre, but in response to it, residents and those involved with the centre are talking about setting up a neighbourhood-watch-type of group in hopes of discouraging future vio- lence. “We’re trying to co-ordinate resour- ces right now and see what’s the best course of action,” Durupt said. — staff Siloam Mission creating complex on Furby Street SILOAM Mission is increasingly taking on the job of landlord — and it hopes to expand that role amid an affordable housing shortage. The charity — which oversees Win- nipeg’s largest homeless shelter — is in the midst of creating a 26-unit complex on Furby Street in the city’s West End. Leadership aims to accept tenants next month. The development was teased during Siloam Mission’s annual community report. More details will be announced in the coming weeks, interim CEO Ju- lianne Aitken said after the Saturday event. Meanwhile, the charity is also work- ing on a 32-bed transitional housing fa- cility for people who’ve left a hospital without a home to return to. “Acute care hospital beds across Winnipeg, as well as emergency rooms, have become a place of last resort for folks,” Aitken said in a speech. “Hospitals are not the best place — or equipped — to look after, beyond their medical needs, the folks that we serve.” The beds should be ready by year- end, Aitken said. Siloam Mission re- ceived upwards of $660,000 in cash and tax increment financing through the City of Winnipeg for the project. The development follows a housing strategy unveiled in 2024 by the char- ity. The goal: create 700 to 1,000 hous- ing units within a decade for people experiencing homelessness. “We’re really, very optimistic,” said Darren Nodrick, Siloam Mission’s director of development. He’s seen in- coming offers to collaborate with or- ganizations, and potential construction subsidies, piling up. It’s tough to know how many units Siloam Mission can commit to annually. However, it’s not unreasonable to think that as momentum builds, there could be five projects on the go at a time, Nod- rick projected. “The wonderful thing is government, the private sector and individuals … are coming together,” he said, adding government resources have hastened Siloam Mission’s pace. The City of Winnipeg is dispersing millions of dollars for homes through Ottawa’s housing accelerator fund. The two governments announced $58.5 mil- lion for new housing earlier this month. Provincially, the New Democrats have pledged to end chronic homeless- ness in two terms. They released a strategy to tackle the perennial issue last month. Siloam Mission’s former chief exec- utive was tapped to become the prov- ince’s senior adviser on homelessness. Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud left the char- ity earlier this winter for the govern- ment position. GABRIELLE PICHÉ ● SILOAM ON B3 Plastic health card replacements on the way, province says MORE than 200,000 Manitobans have so far applied for a new plastic health card to replace the decades-old paper version, the province said Friday. “Applicants should begin to receive new health cards in the coming days,” a government spokesman said in an email Friday. Paper health cards continue to be valid and accepted at health-care facili- ties. For years, there have been com- plaints about the flimsy, faded and dog- eared wallet-size documents. In last year’s provincial budget, the NDP government promised to intro- duce plastic replacements. In the fall, Premier Wab Kinew posted a social media video saying the cards would be ready in December. The Nov. 19 provincial throne speech said, “this December, you can apply for a new, plastic health card illuminated by the winning design, (the) northern lights.” Manitobans were invited to apply for a replacement online on Jan. 15. CAROL SANDERS ● HEALTH CARDS ON B3 ;