Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 19, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 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 RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FEATHER IN HER CAP Veterinary technology student Parker Kosoric smiles as she attends the RRC Polytech convocation with hundreds of other graduates at the convention centre on Tuesday. Close to 700 graduates crossed the stage at the fall convocation ceremony, with many of them, including Kosoric, wearing newly designed stoles that reflect the voices, teachings and stories of Indigenous people. Dispute over investment in Pennyloaf bakery leads to lawsuit From tie-dye to tied up… in court: Foster sued THE co-owner of a Corydon bakery that closed its doors amid accusations of mismanagement is now suing tie-dye maven and former business partner Pepper Foster for nearly $200,000. Pennyloaf Bakery, known for its sourdough bread, opened its doors at 858 Corydon Ave., in 2015, and was pur- chased by Foster and accountant James Fiebelkorn in June 2022, both owning 50 per cent of the business. But issues rose quicker than dough with baker’s yeast; staff told the Free Press they had quit in response to con- cerns about Foster and his wife Vanessa Foster’s management of the business, and the shop closed in December 2022. A lawsuit filed last month alleges that Fiebelkorn contributed over $193,000 to the business’ account with the agree- ment that Foster would contribute an equal amount, but said he has “neg- lected, failed or refused to make any contributions to service the debt on the loan.” Fiebelkorn said even with a new bakery renting the building, he’s pay- ing $10,000 a month to keep up the mortgage and other costs. “It’s a significant ask every month, and I’ve been paying it because I’m the one that signed for it,” he said Tuesday. “It’s just an unfortunate situation.” Fiebelkorn, represented by Trippier Law, is suing for the cost of the invest- ment, along with “other special dam- ages in an amount to be proven at trial.” Foster did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. MALAK ABAS ● PEPPER, CONTINUED ON B2 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Pepper Foster made a splash in 2023 when he announced he and his brother, Chip, were taking over KUB Bread. That deal hangs in the balance, too. Restaurant worker feared for her safety during fight Trial continues for accused killer of Cork and Flame owner DEAN PRITCHARD A WOMAN who confronted accused killer Curtis Dalebozik moments after a violent street fight that left restau- rant owner Kyriakos Vogiatzakis dead or dying on the ground said Dalebozik threatened to do the same to her before running away, a trial heard Tuesday. Dalebozik, 40, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of manslaughter and uttering threats in connection to the fatal Jan. 24, 2024, altercation outside the Cork and Flame restaurant on Por- tage Avenue. Shanise Powell told court she was tending bar when a customer walked into the restaurant and told staff about a fight in the parking lot. “I went outside and noticed it was two men in an altercation, and one was lay- ing down, so I went back to get (the line cook) to help me,” Powell testified. Powell said she recognized the stand- ing man as someone staff had nick- named Jesus due to his long hair and beard, and who on a number of occa- sions had been seen “loitering” around the restaurant entrance, asking cus- tomers for spare change or looking for cigarette butts. “I walked up to him and said, ‘What’s going on? What happened?’” Powell said. “He said, ‘He pulled my f—king hair, so I laid him down.’’’ When Powell told the man he could have just killed someone, he said: “Shut the f—k up, I know where you work and I’ll lay you down, too.” “At that point he just ran away,” she said. Powell said Dalebozik’s comments made her fear for her safety. “I had just seen what he was capable of,” she said. “I thought he could come back.” She said Dalebozik “seemed very scattered, angry and not all there.” Powell said she turned Vogiatzakis over, checked his neck for a pulse and didn’t find one. She told another staff member to call 911 while she adminis- tered chest compressions until police arrived. The beating was captured on res- taurant security video that was played for court. The video shows Vogiatzakis initiated the physical confrontation, but was ultimately overpowered by Dalebozik, who is expected to argue he was acting in self-defence. When interviewed by police, Powell told investigators Vogiatzakis “had a past of having issues with people and not replying the best.” When questioned by defence lawyer Steven Brennan about the comment, Powell said Vogiatzakis could be “hot- headed when it came to business.” “He was very protective of it… just like anyone else would be concerned about his business, and he showed it,” she said. “So, if something threatened his busi- ness, he was quick to anger?” Brennan asked Powell. “I never said quick to anger,” Powell said. “I wouldn’t say he was an unneces- sarily angry person… I have never seen him physical with someone. Sometimes he would not respond the best when it came to a heated situation, but that’s about all.” The trial continues today. dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca FACEBOOK PHOTO Kyriakos Vogiatzakis, Cork and Flame owner, was protective of his business, staff says. Ban on encampments takes effect O NE day after the city started en- forcing its new ban on homeless encampments in many areas, including at schools and playgrounds, the city said two small sites had been removed. On Tuesday, city officials said they found housing for about three to four people, which enabled them to move out of homeless camps at 395 Pacific Ave. and a property behind 655 Empress St. “It’s meaningful, I think, particularly for the neighbours. I have a great deal of empathy for folks who are living in encampments. These are people who are surviving. But, at the same time, we have to balance that with our respons- ibility to the public to maintain these important public spaces,” said Greg MacPherson, the city’s acting manager of community development. “Seeing the difference in those two sites (Monday) was quite remarkable.” While the number of people staying at each site had fluctuated, one per- son was believed to regularly stay at the Empress location, and two or three were at the Pacific Avenue one before the city stepped in, said MacPherson. He did not know the exact type of housing provided in each case, which was up to outreach service providers who helped the city enforce the rules. “I’m confident in saying that … where they’ve ended up is much safer and a much better situation for them than where they were,” said MacPherson. New housing options could include transitional units, while people could be moved to shelter spaces in emergency scenarios, he said. He said loads of garbage was re- moved from the sites. “There was a substantial amount of material on site and that’s after people took their personal belongings with them,” he said. One of the sites shut down by the city appeared to be in disarray Tuesday afternoon. Behind 655 Empress St., the remnants of a makeshift living area were visible — discarded clothing, a stroller, children’s toys, broken glass, empty naloxone kits and assorted deb- ris was scattered across a wide stretch of ground tucked against a fence sep- arating the site from nearby railroad tracks. A city spokeswoman later clarified the property was a “complex site” that required additional work to clear. “We completed 90 per cent of the cleanup at the Empress site (Monday). Crews were expected to return (Tues- day) to complete the remainder of re- mediation,” wrote Julie Dooley, in an email late Tuesday afternoon. At 395 Pacific Ave., in clear view of a playground on Ellen Street, the only remaining sign of an encampment was a large orange tarp and a few scattered items along the western fence backing onto Ellen. Nearby, a woman’s dress was on the ground. Housing found for a few people living in pair of camps cleared by city staff JOYANNE PURSAGA ● HOMELESS, CONTINUED ON B2 JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS A substantial amount of garbage was left on site, scattered across the ground, the city’s acting community development manager, Greg MacPherson, says. ;