Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 20, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2025 VOL 154 NO 284 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2025 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. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at www.mediacouncil.ca and fill out the form or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information. ADVERTISING Classified (Mon-Fri): 204-697-7100 wfpclass@freepress.mb.ca Obituaries (Mon-Fri): 204-697-7384 Display Advertising : 204-697-7122 FP.Advertising@freepress.mb.ca EDITORIAL Newsroom/tips: 204-697-7292 Fax: 204-697-7412 Photo desk: 204-697-7304 Sports desk: 204-697-7285 Business news: 204-697-7292 Photo REPRINTS: libraryservices@winnipegfreepress.com City desk / City.desk@freepress.mb.ca CANADA POST SALES AGREEMENT NO. 0563595 Recycled newsprint is used in the production of the newspaper. PLEASE RECYCLE. INSIDE Arts and Life D1 Business B4 Classifieds B6 Comics D4 Diversions D5,6 Horoscope D2 Miss Lonelyhearts D2 Opinion A6,7 Sports C1 Television D2 Weather C8 COLUMNISTS: Brent Bellamy A7 Aaron Epp B2 Joshua Frey-Sam C2 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 W HAT would it be like to live in a perpetual state of trauma? Trauma, according to numerous psychiatrists, doctors and scientists, is like memory. Caused by singular or multiple events of pain and suffering, trauma is something people carry for their en- tire lives, resulting in health problems, shorter life expectancies and serious, chronic and expensive challenges in nearly every institution in society. Trauma causes diabetes, obesity, suicide, and is the cause for many to interact negatively with systems like health care, justice and child welfare — and many more. Dealing with trauma takes time, pa- tience, support and resources, not just from the individual who experienced the traumatizing event, but everyone he or she engages with. What if the trauma is constantly different and never ends? Last week, leaders from Nisicha- wayasihk Cree Nation (NCN, also known as Nelson House) declared a state of emergency after a snowstorm knocked out heat and electricity to most of the community’s 3,000 citizens. For over 100 NCN members, this meant evacuation to Thompson, around an hour bus ride to the east. This meant there was no Thanksgiving in NCN. It’s hard to have family time, visiting and turkey with all the fixings in a hotel lobby. By Tuesday night, power was mostly restored and many had returned home. One wonders whether any NCN citizen should really take the time to unpack. This is the community’s fourth state of emergency this year. On May 22, the chief and council declared a state of emergency due to the high rate of crime, violence and property damage occurring because of the sale and use of alcohol and illegal drugs. This resulted in limited hours and amounts of alcohol entering the community, the banning of certain weapons, and youth curfews. On July 6, NCN leadership declared a state of emergency due to three wild- fires threatening the community. This resulted in around 600 citizens being evacuated, with most returning home by the end of the month. On Aug. 2, however, out-of-control wildfires prompted another state of emergency declaration, causing the entire community to be evacuated. Most ended up holding bags of their possessions at the Winnipeg convention centre waiting for hotel rooms. Some were even sent to stay in southern On- tario when the hotel rooms ran out. By Aug. 20, much of NCN had re- turned home — only to face last week- end’s snowstorm, power outage, and yet another evacuation. “We had to evacuate our whole community twice this summer,” NCN deputy chief Marcel Moody told media during the latest evacuation. “It seems there is always something happening… in northern Manitoba lately.” Could you live in such a perpetual state of fear, uncertainty and worry? Would you ever feel safe, comfort- able or calm? Could you be an effective employee, parent or human being if you were constantly worrying about what crisis is going to hit you next? Virtually every month there are so many states of emergencies in First Nations in this province it’s hard to keep track. This past summer, for example, 17 wildfire-related states of emergency — mostly on northern First Nations — were declared, resulting in the unprecedented evacuation of around 17,500 Indigenous citizens. At virtually the same time, on Aug. 19 Pimicikamak Cree Nation (evacuat- ed twice due to wildfires) also declared a state of emergency due to a lack of clean water. Meanwhile, in July, local officials announced that the ferry connecting Tataskweyak (also known as Split Lake) Cree Nation and Kischewaskahegan (also known as York Landing) had to cease operations due to a lack of rain and low water levels. I could keep going, but you get the point. Living in a perpetual state of emergency is a traumatizing reality for many First Nations citizens in this country. According to a 2022 federal report on emergency measures and First Nations communities for Indigenous Services Canada: “On average, First Nation communities experience 54 flood emer- gencies, 32 wildland fires and 36 other emergencies, including public health emergencies, annually.” That’s 118 — or 18 per cent — of First Nations in Canada. Another way to think about it: that’s nearly 200,000 citizens losing their pos- sessions, homes and livelihoods every year, living in states of crisis that most will never understand. I could explain all of this in terms of Canada’s historical and ongoing mis- treatment of First Nations, but if you have read any of my columns over the past decade, you know this. What this column is pointing out is that, for many First Nations, the trau- ma never stops. There is no time to recover, access therapy, health care and resources. There is no time to unpack. Whether it be a wildfire, flood, storm, drought, drugs, alcohol, racism or a hateful politician, police officer or person, for many First Nations, life consists of trauma. A little patience, support and under- standing go a long way. niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca Never-ending trauma takes toll on First Nations NIIGAAN SINCLAIR OPINION She said the school and division have followed policies related to standard of behaviour, and worked in co-operation with police. The mother said her daughter’s accent and appearance were mocked during the Oct. 2 assault. The family previously shared a cell- phone video — recorded by a student who was in a closed washroom stall — in which girls accused the victim of saying negative things about them, which she denied, moments before she was assault- ed. The family has since shared a vid- eo, which they say was recorded by a member of the group, that showed an unobstructed view of the assault. The footage showed the woman’s daughter leaning against a bathroom wall as she was punched in the head by a girl, grabbed by the hair and thrown to the floor. The victim’s upper body and head were then stomped on four times, and she was punched in the back four times by the same girl. The victim was heard crying while, in a seated position, she was kicked in the face. Her head bounced against a wash- room stall from the impact of the kick. As she held her arms over her head to protect herself, a voice was heard saying: “OK, that was fun.” The mother said the voice was that of the girl who punched and kicked her daughter in the footage. She was thankful her daughter, who suffered bruises and scratches, did not have serious injuries. The mother was distraught after viewing the videos. She said her daughter was upset after learning the video of the assault was circulated among her peers. “If (the girls involved) are sharing the video of my daughter being assaulted, that means they are feeling so proud of what they were doing,” the mother said. She said her daughter has returned to school after feeling unsafe, but continues to feel anxious. “I was really under stress the last two weeks. I didn’t sleep too well the last two weeks thinking, ‘How can I help my daughter? How can I protect her?’” the woman said. Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Claude Chancy confirmed an assault involving a different complainant was reported. “Arrests were made regarding this incident, and the victim appears to also be a of Ukrainian background,” he wrote in an email. The motive for the assaults has not been determined, Chancy said. The mother of the girl who was assault- ed Oct. 2 said she hopes, by speaking out, that everyone involved will be supported, including the students who were arrest- ed or disciplined, and that the situation helps to prevent bullying or assaults at Oak Park. She hopes the girls who were arrested or disciplined learn lessons from the incidents. “I understand the three (who were arrested) are kids, and we have to find opportunities to help them,” the mother said. “I hope that the two (suspended) girls who will come back to school soon, (the school) will be able to work with them to change them.” After the Free Press published a report about the Oct. 2 assault, Oak Park’s prin- cipal sent a letter to parents and guard- ians to acknowledge the incident, and assure them it was being addressed. The Ukrainian newcomer’s mother said she hopes the letter encourages parents and guardians of all students to talk to their children about kindness and respect for others. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Arrests have been made in a second assault at Oak Park High School. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Finance Minister Adrien Sala says the changes are a reflection of a ‘more consistent application of the fees’ through a recent centralization. ASSAULT ● FROM A1 “There’s some good work happening in that area to invest in training and staffing up, and I think we’re going to work our way through some of those timing delays in the near future,” Finance Minister Adrien Sala said in an interview. The higher fees are partly a re- sult of that centralization, which has resulted in more standard- ized fee assessments, Sala added. There is no upfront fee to submit a freedom of information request in Manitoba, and each application gets two hours of free staff time to search and process records. Beyond that two hours, applicants are charged $15 for every half-hour of staff time. The hourly rate has not changed in recent memory. “So perhaps in the previous (years), in some departments, they would decide not to charge someone for a (request) that may require over two hours of work,” Sala said. “I think we’re seeing a more consistent application of the fees through that centralization.” The money collected last year was also driven up partly by requests that involved a large volume of records related to a proposed silica sand mine and the search of a landfill for the remains of murdered Indigenous women, Sala added. Some applications this year have been met with fee estimates of hundreds or thousands of dollars each. A recent application by The Canadian Press for records of communication between the pre- mier’s office and representatives of the United States regarding the shooting death of conserva- tive activist Charlie Kirk, over a three-day period, was met with a fee estimate of $840. The Opposition Progressive Conservatives applied in the summer for all records related to the province’s public housing stock, on topics including repairs and vacancies, over a 15-month period and were met with a fee estimate of $15,190, documents provided by the Tory caucus show. The extra time and higher fee collection comes despite a long- term trend that has seen fewer freedom of information requests filed with the government. The number of applications varies from year to year, and there was an increase of 277 requests — or 17 per cent — last year over the year before. But even last year’s total was 1,000 less than the number filed in 2021, and several hundred below the number filed in 2022. Almost half of the requests filed in the last fiscal year came from individuals, while the bulk of the rest came from media outlets and political parties, the report said. — The Canadian Press INFORMATION ● FROM A1 ;