First wave of eligible students snap up more than 18,000 free annual Winnipeg Transit passes

More than 18,000 free Winnipeg Transit passes have been handed out to Grade 11 and 12 students so far as part of a provincial pilot program, the NDP government announced Thursday.

Schools started distributing annual youth passes (valid until Aug. 31, 2027) to those students this week, with children in grades 6 to 10 next in line as part of a staggered rollout.

“This youth pass can be used to get to school, to get to work, to visit your friends and, really, anything that you want to do,” Education Minister Tracy Schmidt told reporters at Grant Park High School Thursday.

City of Winnipeg spokesman David Driedger said 60,000 passes have been sent to schools. Winnipeg Transit initially planned for about 30,000 passes.

Bombers rookies embracing rivalry in lead up to Banjo Bowl

Dante Daniels has been doing his homework on the Battle of the Prairies.

The rookie tight end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers recently went back and studied Labour Day Classics and Banjo Bowl games from previous years to better understand what the annual back-to-back series means to people around these parts.

“I want to know why it’s so important to the fans and why it’s so important in Winnipeg and I want to be a part of that,” Daniels told the Free Press after Thursday’s closed practice.

“I don’t want to be a person that comes in here and goes, ‘OK this is just another game.’ I want to be someone who embraces the rivalry.”

Paranoid and high, man kills dad, takes photos of body, calls 911

Paranoid and sleep-deprived after a night of smoking crack, Donato Pellettieri stabbed his 64-year-old father 27 times, called 911 and waited outside their Maryland Avenue residence until police arrived minutes later and arrested him for murder, court was told Thursday.

“Paranoia led him to believe this was a kill-or-be-killed situation,” Crown attorney Joel Refvik told Court of King’s Bench Justice Ken Champagne. “This is an individual who, but for his drug use and paranoia, likely would not have killed his father.”

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the July 2021 killing of Salvatore Pellettieri and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.

The resolution of his case was delayed by long periods in which he was mentally unfit to stand trial, and changed lawyers and awaited reports to determine whether he should be found not criminally responsible for his actions.

Transparency paramount after cyberattacks to prevent future breaches: tech expert

After a ransomware attack, no news isn’t always good news, a tech expert warns.

Little public information has emerged since a cybersecurity breach last month affected door access and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning at Health Sciences Centre.

“It’s critical for all of us to ask for greater levels of communication after events like this so that we can minimize the potential for these events to recur,” said Ontario tech analyst Carmi Levy.

During a ransomware attack, cybercriminals use malicious software to encrypt, steal or delete data, then demand payment to restore it.

Union applauds city’s first step to full safety shields for Transit drivers

The union for Winnipeg Transit workers is thrilled the city has taken a step toward installing full enclosures to protect drivers from being attacked.

“This will give closure to what the union has been fighting for for over two years, just to get these enclosures to be put in,” said James Van Gerwen, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505. “When I read this, I was ecstatic.”

He had just spoken at a public works committee meeting in which councillors passed a motion that calls for the city to spend $2.75 million on full-shield dividers.

Currently, buses are equipped with partial shields that do not fully protect operators. For example, on Aug. 20, a passenger armed with a hatchet was able to reach around the half-shield and threaten the driver after she became agitated with the slow rate of speed at which the bus was travelling, the union said at the time.

Ottawa to spend $5M on HIV self-testing kits

Manitoba, which has the country’s highest HIV rate, will receive a significant share of $5 million in federal funding for HIV testing and supports.

The province declared a public health emergency over rising HIV rates in May. Manitoba’s HIV rate is more than three times the national average. In 2024, the province had 19.5 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 5.5 nationally.

Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada’s chief public health officer, said Thursday at the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network in Winnipeg, said one in 10 Canadians who have HIV do not know their status.

“Knowing one’s HIV status enables access to prevention options, or for those who test positive, early treatment to improve outcomes and prevent transmission,” Reimer said.

‘We feel lucky — and a bit traumatized’

Tanner Lemieux wasn’t surprised to learn the violent winds that tore through River Heights and reached their peak near his home Sunday night have been classified as a tornado.

While driving back to his Lindsay Street home from a shopping trip with his wife Sunday, it became clear they were not in the middle of an ordinary thunderstorm when rain and wind started coming from every direction and hit every side of their truck.

The forceful wind made it impossible for him to open his door after they had parked. He climbed through the window, over the top of his vehicle, and the couple struggled to fight the whipping winds to make it into the house.

“As we were running in, the wind started pulling me backwards out of the door,” he told the Free Press while cleaning debris from his yard Thursday.

Tenant charged with arson at housing complex

A 41-year-old tenant has been charged with deliberately setting fire to a suite in a subsidized housing complex in North Kildonan this summer.

The Winnipeg Police Service said Wednesday the man had been arrested Tuesday in connection with the July 15 blaze that caused $200,00 damage to an apartment block at 355 Sutton Ave.

No injuries were reported from the fire that forced the building to be evacuated.

The major crimes unit took over the investigation and identified a suspect.

Leadership turnover at Hydro not a concern: Kinew

Premier Wab Kinew addressed the recent departure of Manitoba Hydro CEO Allan Danroth for the first time Wednesday, saying he’s not worried about turnover at the top of the province’s Crown jewel.

“I wish Mr. Danroth well,” Kinew said when asked about the resignation of the CEO hired just two years ago.

“I guess this is my first time addressing his departure, so I do want to thank him for his time with the Crown utility,” the premier said at an unrelated event. Danroth, who quit for personal reasons, replaced Jay Grewal, who was fired after the NDP formed government.

Kinew was asked if he has concerns about having a steady hand at the wheel of the province’s power company.

Word test

TESTING

Premier Wab Kinew is an imported Manitoban, born in Kenora and raised on Onigaming First Nation in Treaty Three (in northwestern Ontario) before his family moved to Winnipeg. He’s the son of well-known Anishinaabe leader and traditional knowledge keeper Tobasonakwut Kinew and Kathi Kinew.

These are the words we provided feedback on: Boniface, Cockburn, Dauphin, Dene, Hellebuyck, Iafallo, Íslendingadagurinn, Kinew, Kildonan, Malak Abas, Métis, Newfoundland, Orlikow, Pembina, Portage la Prairie, Premier, Regina, St. Vital, Samyn, Schiefele, vínarterta, Wiebe, Generation Z.

Missed opportunity could come back to bite Bombers

Three yards.

That’s all the Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed to leave Sunday’s Labour Day Classic in Regina with a victory.

But instead of attempting a two-point conversion for the win, head coach Mike O’Shea played it safe. He trotted out kicker Sergio Castillo for an extra point to force overtime after rookie receiver Dorian Singer caught a five-yard touchdown with zero seconds left on the clock.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) dusted themselves off and hit pay dirt in extra time to escape with a 32-26 win in front of a record crowd of 34,352 — the most since the new Mosaic Stadium opened in 2017.