Winnipeg Free Press

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HIGH 12 — LOW 8 SPORTS TOEWS QUICKLY SHOWS QUALITY / D1 T HE RCMP has started prioritiz- ing front-line officer applicants from Manitoba in a new bid to chip away at the national police ser- vice’s highest vacancy rate outside the territories. Assistant Commissioner Scott McMurchy, the commanding officer for Manitoba RCMP, said the vacancy rate for provincial contract policing was slightly less than 15 per cent in October. “In the last few years, Manitoba has been lagging, I would say, in terms of its human resources,” McMurchy said Tuesday. “With the commitment of the national program, and all the commanding officers across the coun- try, we’ve seen an uptick here with Manitoba being prioritized in terms of its applicants.” Manitoba RCMP’s rate of unfilled positions is slightly higher than Sas- katchewan’s amid a nationwide staff shortage. Some provinces are between five and 10 per cent. Manitoba RCMP’s vacancy rate climbed from six per cent in April 2021, the highest in Canada at the time, to about 15 per cent in January, when officers from other provinces were asked to temporarily fill gaps, mainly in northern Manitoba. Manitoba RCMP has an internal relief program in which officers are temporarily reassigned to shorthanded detachments. Specialty units can be called upon when required. ERIK PINDERA WINNIPEG police have warned the public to be wary when buying and selling goods via online adver- tisements, after a man was shot and robbed on Saturday when he met with a stranger to sell him an expensive electronic. Police officers rushed to Maryland Street near Wellington Avenue at about 2 p.m., where they found the victim, who’s in his 30s, suffering from a gun- shot wound. Paramedics took the man to hospi- tal in critical condition. He has since been upgraded to stable condition, but Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said his injuries are “life-altering.” The suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous, said McKinnon. “These situations can potentially be dangerous,” said McKinnon about buy- ing or selling items online. “Of course, this is a tragic incident, and this isn’t the first time we’ve seen (robberies) like this.” Further troubling, she said, is that the victim was shot rather than simply robbed. “This is serious stuff. This is com- pletely random,” said McKinnon. Police released two images of the alleged shooter, a tall Black man with braided hair, who was wearing all black clothing. The surveillance pic- tures show him wearing a black hoodie with a logo on the chest, black shoes and white socks. “We need to find out who this sus- pect is, he needs to be identified, and that’s going to happen through the public,” said McKinnon. “This was just such a tragic, violent, unfortunate ending to this situation.” Police say anyone with information that might help investigators locate the suspect should call major crimes detectives at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477 (TIPS). If the suspect is spotted, said McKinnon, the public should call 911. She would not delve into details about the shooting, citing the fact the suspect has not yet been identified. Maryland Street resident Jonathan Green said he noticed police in the area when he arrived home Saturday afternoon. “A forensics truck, police tape, a police car — I couldn’t tell what had happened,” said the 41-year-old, who has lived on Maryland for about five years. The Free Press confirmed the shoot- ing took place near the victim’s home. McKinnon said she hopes the public will heed the potential risks of online sales and how to stay safe when buying or selling goods, particularly expen- sive items such as electronics. Lagging behind: largest shortage of front-line RCMP officers among provinces Mounties prioritize Manitoba applications CHRIS KITCHING JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS BADGE OF NURSING HONOUR Ifunanya Nwannemelu (right) celebrates with her aunt Jacintha Anyadike after receiving her graduation pin during the RRC Polytech bachelor of nursing graduates’ pinning ceremony Tuesday at the Victoria Inn. A total of 161 nurses were officially welcomed into the profession during the annual event. Graduates completed the 32-month bachelor of nursing program, including a 450-hour practicum. The pin is worn by nurses to identify their graduating school. Man shot, robbed at online sale meetup on Maryland ● MOUNTIES, CONTINUED ON A2 ● SALE, CONTINUED ON A2 THE City of Winnipeg is close to an agreement that would reduce its tab for the next round of the Main Street sewage treatment plant upgrades by hundreds of millions of dollars. During a finance committee meeting Tuesday, officials said the province, city and federal government are ex- pected to cover roughly one-third each of the $1.035-billion price to complete the second biosolids facility phase of the mega-project. The combined cost estimate for all three phases of plant upgrades is $3.043 billion. While a deal hasn’t been finalized, the latest cost-sharing agreement would see the city pay about $332 million, the province provide $336 million and Otta- wa cover $367 million for the biosolids work. Without a deal, the city expected to pay $637 million for the biosolids phase, largely through debt, as the federal gov- ernment had formally committed $201 million and the province had officially signed off on $197 million. “It’s new information but we’re still in final stages of getting an agreement. We’re confident that we’re going to receive this (additional) funding. We’ve hit all the requirements of the (Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund) appli- cation,” said Tracy Graham, the city’s chief financial officer. To qualify for the added federal fund- ing, city council was required to create bylaws that allow four housing units to be built on a single residential lot to streamline new housing construction, which is now in place. Securing the federal funding increase also required the province to increase its contribution to the project, Graham noted. The new rates will provide relief for Winnipeg water and sewer ratepayers, since the city had expected steep hikes to raise revenue if senior government funding didn’t budge, said council’s finance chairman. Province, Ottawa expected to pony up more cash for sewage mega-project JOYANNE PURSAGA ● SEWAGE, CONTINUED ON A3 ;