Manitoba

The Manitoba government says it's not responsible for the convictions of two First Nations men who were later exonerated in a 1973 killing and have launched lawsuits related to their convictions.

The prosecution of Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse was based on false confessions provided by Winnipeg police, and Crown prosecutors were not at fault, according to statements of defence filed on Tuesday by the province and Manitoba's attorney general.

There have been at least six fires at vacant buildings in Winnipeg so far in the new year, all of which were properties that have previously burned before.

"In 2024 we faced an average of 20 vacant building fires per month, that's an increase of 20 times over the last decade and the trend is obviously continuing to increase into 2025.

There were 182 fires in vacant buildings between January and September of 2024, which is more than any other year since 2018.

Back in the fall, a city report said billing owners of vacant Winnipeg buildings for fire responses may have backfired.

Police officers' response to an agitated man being held in a Long Plain cell was reasonable, even though their actions caused a facial fracture, the Manitoba Independent Investigation Unit says.

The Manitoba police watchdog has closed its investigation into in-custody use of force on Jan. 24, 2024, in Long Plain First Nation, about 100 kilometres west of Winnipeg, the unit said in a news release Wednesday.

Winnipeg's Children's Hospital is seeing a surge in the number of patients with respiratory illnesses, and one doctor says they're bracing for cases to keep growing in the coming weeks.

Dr. Karen Gripp, a pediatric emergency physician and director of the hospital's emergency room, said they have treated around 160 patients every day over the last few weeks, up from an average of around 120 patients in early December.

However, prevention is still the "single thing that can make the biggest difference" in helping with rising numbers, Gripp said, including getting flu shots, washing your hands carefully and staying home when you're sick.

A truck and a house with an attached garage were damaged in one of three fires that Winnipeg crews responded to on Saturday that all involved a block heater.

Preliminary investigations suggest each of the three fires were accidental and involved a plugged-in block heater.

Fire crews are reminding people not to plug in vehicles while parked inside garages because flames can quickly spread to other structures in the event of a fire.

Firefighters also suggest people check their block heaters for any frayed cords or replace the extension cord if it's accidentally been driven away with it still plugged into an outlet.

Firth House was a designated Provincial Heritage Site.