Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 6, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM H UNDREDS of Peguis First Nation residents were forced to flee in the dead of night due to wildfires breaking out in and around the com- munity on the weekend. More than 300 people evacuated after the Interlake community — the largest First Nations in the province popula- tion-wise — declared a state of emer- gency on Sunday at about 4 p.m. At least one house was destroyed, as were several garages and outbuildings, the band’s leadership stated in a Face- book post Monday morning. “The flames were right along the road when we were leaving,” said Pe- guis resident Marshall Williams, who drove one of the school buses to a Win- nipeg hotel filled with families who were evacuated. “The grass and ditches were on fire. The kids were oohing and aahing, but their parents weren’t. Then the kids were crying all the way in to Winnipeg. “But I got everybody here safely.” Another bus driver, Janice Stevenson, said she was warned by her manager to be on standby to help people evacuate. Five minutes later, she was told to get to her bus because the order had come. “We could see the flames — they were right in the community itself,” she said. Stevenson said she had been told at least four houses had been destroyed and some people have lost pets. “It came up really fast. It was so shocking that it was so fast,” she said. “There was so much smoke around while I was driving. I tried not to open the windows on the bus.” Stevenson said she started driving the bus about 1:30 a.m. and arrived in Winnipeg about 3:30 a.m. “We’ve had no update about when we can return,” she said. Peguis said 217 evacuees were regis- tered in Winnipeg while another 123 went to Selkirk. High winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions threatened homes across the community, and power outages were widespread because of downed power lines. “The losses our community has faced are heartbreaking,” Chief Stan Bird said in a news release issued by the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council on Monday. “We are mobilizing all available re- sources and working hand in hand with emergency services to protect lives and property.” The main wildfire was under control Monday morning, but small bush fires continued to burn, Peguis said on social media. Damage is still being assessed. Fire crews from several other First Nations helped in the effort, Peguis said. The First Nation previously said it had temporarily banned the use of off- road vehicles in the community to re- duce the risk of more fires. Community members were asked to stay away from roads leading to areas affected by fire. The tribal council, a partnership composed of Peguis and six other First Nations, said two other Interlake communities — Kinonjeoshtegon (also known as Jackhead) and Pinaymootang (also known as Fairford) — are also af- fected by the fires. “Tragically, homes in both Fairford and Peguis have already been lost to the flames,” the council said. Two wildfires on each side of the road into Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation are rapidly approaching, and the com- munity has begun evacuation efforts, the tribal council said. An emergency command centre is being set up at a Winnipeg hotel to co-ordinate local, provincial and feder- al agencies. It added ground crews and aerial sup- port are fighting the fires while ensur- ing the safety of residents. “We are in a critical situation that re- quires immediate action and support. Our thoughts are with those who have lost their homes, and we are committed to providing all necessary resources to safeguard our communities,” tribal council chairman Chief Cornell Mc- Lean said in the release. Manitoba RCMP and the Canadian Red Cross confirmed they helped with evacuation efforts in Peguis. The cause of the fire is being investi- gated, police said. Further north, Opaskwayak Cree Nation said Sunday that a mandatory wildfire evacuation order for residents of the Bracken Dam area remains in ef- fect. Residents of the Big Eddy and Car- rot River areas, who were also evacu- ated Sunday, were allowed to return home but told to remain on high alert. Two schools and a child-care centre on OCN, which is located near The Pas, were closed Monday because of the situation. There are nine active fires in Mani- toba. — with files from The Canadian Press kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca NEWS I LOCAL TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2025 CRIME ● FROM B1 Marcelino has also set up an anonym- ous phone tip line for the Notre Dame area, she said. The service allows residents to utilize the Safer Neigh- bourhoods and Communities Act and report properties suspected of selling drugs. Those tips can later be investi- gated by police. Since late 2021, community tips have resulted in the closure of about 16 prop- erties, Marcelino said. To boost recreational opportunities, Marcelino said her office has prepared a proposal to transform inactive rail lines into active transportation paths, calling the project the West Lands Greenway. The proposal is currently in the hands of former federal cabinet minis- ter Lloyd Axworthy, who was retained by the NDP government in October to complete a two-year study into the relocation of rail lines and yards that currently occupy high-value property in Winnipeg’s core. It will be subject to a public consulta- tion on May 23, Marcelino said. Ravi Ramberran — who owns sev- eral Winnipeg restaurants, including Four Crowns Restaurant and Hotel on McPhillips Street — said retail crimes must be taken seriously by politicians and justice officials before more people are injured or killed. He said he has been threatened with guns and knives, and was once attacked with bear spray at work. His staff have suffered similar abuse, Ramberran said. “For us, it’s a daily occurrence and it’s very frustrating. The people that commit these crimes have an entitle- ment that they’re allowed to behave the way they want to,” he said. The restaurateur was among those who attended Monday’s conference. He called for stricter penalties for repeat offenders. He said there is a misconception that people committing crimes are home- less and vulnerable, arguing instead many incidents are perpetrated by or- ganized criminals with little fear of the law. Paille agreed. “Yes, we have a homeless problem, but they are not the ones stealing or breaking into places. If you watch the cameras, the people doing it have cars, they have vans. They are not doing it because they are hungry.” tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca DEAN PRITCHARD A Manitoba woman convicted of sex- ually abusing a young teen boy was pregnant with his child when she was arrested by police, a court has heard. The now-24-year-old woman was found guilty Monday of one count of sexual interference after a judge ruled she had been having sex with the boy for more than a year-and-a-half, start- ing in January 2021 when he was 13 years old. A second count of sexual assault was stayed. The woman contested the charges at trial, arguing a statement she provided to police in December 2022 wasn’t vol- untary. When provincial court Judge Curtis Briscoe ruled in February the statement was admissible at trial, the woman argued the court had no juris- diction to prosecute her, claiming it had not been proven the offences occurred in the community police alleged they did. This defence, too, was rejected by Briscoe. “There is no air of reality to any al- ternative explanation based on the evi- dence before the court that the entirety of the situation and offences involving the accused and the victim took place outside their home community,” Bris- coe said. The woman’s lawyer “acknowledged … that there is no defence of consent,” Briscoe said. Court heard the woman told police in a December 2022 interview she was four months pregnant with the vic- tim’s child, that it was a “planned preg- nancy” and that she had suffered three previous miscarriages since they start- ed “hooking up” in 2021. The woman told police she met the victim — a distant cousin — at a party and they started “dating.” She claimed the boy told her he was 17 and it was only months later that she learned his real age. The woman is expected to be sen- tenced in the summer following the completion of court-ordered reports looking into her background. She re- mains free on bail. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca Woman convicted of sexually abusing teen was pregnant with his child when she was arrested The last time 284 William Ave. had a tenant was 2007, when it fell into dis- repair, said Champagne. Bedford said the property was a “money pit” and made more financial sense to leave it empty than fix it. “Common sense and experience tells us that the condition of vacant build- ings is not static. Without proper atten- tion, they will continue to deteriorate over time,” said Champagne. The two buildings share a common west wall and Champagne described the properties as “joined at the hip.” “284 William is a 100-year-old build- ing that had significant structural issues,” said the judge. “Bedford knew structural issues at 284 William could and did impact the structure and safety of 288 William.” The City of Winnipeg issued an order in December 2014, saying Bedford was violating the vacant building bylaw be- cause of a leaky roof and a mud floor in the basement of 284 William. It’s unclear whether the landlord fully complied, though there may have been some work on the roof. The city again inspected 284 William in January 2018 and found combustible materials piled in the building and ex- tensive cracks in the west wall shared with 288 William Ave. Municipal officials issued an order to fix the problems — but Bedford never addressed the structural issues with the wall, which Champagne called “be- yond negligent” and “wilful miscon- duct.” 288 William Ave. also began having issues in early 2018, including a roof leak and structural problems. Little was done to address the issues, though Bedford had discussions with contractors and engineers, with an en- gineer warning of potential catastroph- ic failure in December 2020. The city issued its third compliance order to mitigate the unsafe conditions — and the order to vacate the property on Jan. 22, 2021, said Champagne. Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Garry-Fort Rouge), a former chair of the property and development committee, said the court decision highlights the difficul- ties the city faces in dealing with Win- nipeg’s scourge of derelict and vacant buildings. She said, speaking generally, land- lords will sometimes engage various departments to avoid following through on orders to fix buildings. “One vacant and derelict building is multiple files on your desk — and this case does highlight the complexities and resistance that I and the city face as policy actors, and where individuals have to go when they’ve raised con- cerns,” she said. erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca LANDLORD ● FROM B1 RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS A Winnipeg landlord failed to fix problems with 284 and 288 William Ave., which remain vacant. Sho Coffee & Bar at 290 William Ave. is open. Ban on open fires, use of fire pits, fireworks in Winnipeg A ban prohibiting open fires and even the use of some barbecues has been or- dered for Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Ser- vice said it issued the ban because of current conditions. The fire ban will be in effect from 6 p.m. Monday until the same time on May 19. The ban prohibits open fires, fireworks and the use of fire pits outside homes and in city parks. It also forbids the use of “solid fuel-burning appliances,” in- cluding charcoal and wood-burning bar- becues, the WFPS said in a news release. Violators are subject to a $500 fine under a city bylaw. The use of propane and other gas barbecues, and fire tables, are allowed. Such items should be used with caution, the WFPS said. Any permits that might have already been issued are suspended and no new permits will be issued during the ban. More information is available at wfp.to/ fireban. Fire crews extinguished two grass fires in Winnipeg on Sunday. Crews were sent to the 300 block of McPhillips Street at 8:08 p.m. and declared the fire under control by 8:55 p.m. At 8:29 p.m., crews were sent to a blaze in the green space behind Dakota Community Centre at 1188 Dakota St. The fire was about the size of four foot- ball fields and was threatening nearby structures. Fire crews had that blaze under control at 9:57 p.m. fpcity@freepress.mb.ca PEGUIS FIRST NATION Smoke from wildfires is seen as an emergency truck passes other vehicles in an image taken from a video posted Sunday on Facebook by Peguis First Nation. Hundreds of Peguis First Nation residents bused to Winnipeg after wildfire evacuation KEVIN ROLLASON ;