Donated tuques for homeless are warm-hearted, handmade therapy for woman who makes them

Manitoba teen’s assault conviction overturned

A six-year-old girl’s account of being sexually assaulted by a teenage boy at a park was enough to convince a Manitoba provincial court judge to convict the teen. But the judge’s comments about playground sand were enough for the province’s top court to overturn the conviction.

In a decision that shows how difficult it can be to secure a conviction in sexual-assault cases involving child victims, the Manitoba Court of Appeal has reversed the guilty verdict and ordered a new trial for the then-17-year-old male, who had been convicted and sentenced to probation for sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching.

Two out of three judges on the appeal panel decided there was a “miscarriage of justice” because the provincial court judge made legal errors in his analysis of the evidence — namely, whether the accused was telling the truth when he talked about the consistency of sand in the park where the girl was playing.

A third judge disagreed, writing in a dissenting judgment released earlier this month that the teen’s conviction should have been upheld. 

Bombers top B.C. Lions 34-10 to earn playoff spot

Dru Brown saved the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season.

They were a trainwreck for the opening 40-plus minutes in Vancouver on Friday night before Brown provided the ultimate spark, accounting for 31 consecutive points in a 34-10 victory over the B.C. Lions to clinch a playoff berth.

The Lions — who had nothing to play for and rested a long list of key starters — somehow led 10-3 late in the third quarter when Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was forced to leave the game. Lions defensive tackle Nathan Cherry was flagged for roughing the passer after driving Collaros into the turf, and the 38-year-old pivot was ruled out shortly thereafter.

And then Brown’s brilliance began.

Province chips in $15M to bring Pantages Playhouse back to life

A string quartet performed at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre Tuesday in celebration of a $15-million contribution from the province to raise the curtain at the historic landmark again.

The musicians provided the backdrop to Premier Wab Kinew’s announcement of the cash injection to “help bring the Pantages Playhouse back to life.”

The theatre — which opened in 1914 and was once a hub for vaudeville performers, including Charlie Chaplin — has been closed for eight years.

“This is a tremendous project to advance arts and culture in Winnipeg and across Manitoba, but it’s also a big investment in our downtown,” Kinew said.

Election results: School trustees

Below you’ll find live 2022 election results for school trustees in Winnipeg divisions.

We can display results only for wards in which Winnipeg voters cast a ballot; we do not have access to live results reporting for school boards outside of Winnipeg.

Feds to suspend COVID-19 vaccine mandates

OTTAWA - The Canadian government will "suspend" COVID-19 vaccine mandates for domestic and outbound international travellers and federally regulated workers, ministers announced Tuesday.

The new rules will come into effect on June 20, though the requirements for foreign nationals coming to Canada will not change.

Several ministers lauded Canada's high vaccination rate at a news conference to announce the changes, but Intergovernmental affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc warned the government is prepared to "bring back" necessary policies if there's a resurgence of the virus in the fall.

Travel industry groups have blamed federal public health measures and mandates for slowdowns at airport customs that have contributed to long waits for passengers and forced flight delays and cancellations.