Manitoba

The chief of the only First Nation to fully own a mining company in Manitoba says he wants the provincial and federal governments to recognize his community's role in boosting critical mineral exploration as a global race to secure those materials heats up.

Norway House Cree Nation Chief Larson Anderson says his community took full ownership of the Minago nickel project on the Thompson nickel belt in November. The mine could enter production within the next five years, he said.

Nickel — which is used to make things like stainless steel, solar panels and batteries — is not the only critical mineral at the site. Magnesium deposits were recently discovered and they're believed to be more abundant and valuable than nickel, Anderson said.

While Anderson has noticed the federal and provincial governments jointly announcing support for mining organizations and new mining companies across the country, he says that hasn't been the case for Norway House.

Four people have been arrested on drug trafficking charges, and an arrest warrant has been issued for another, after Winnipeg police began investigating fentanyl products pressed and packaged into colourful shapes similar to cut-out cookies, candles and soaps.

The Winnipeg Police Service said in a Saturday news release its guns and gangs unit began an investigation in January around drug trafficking in the West Alexander neighbourhood. The police service issued a warning earlier last month about the colourfully packaged opioids, pressed into shapes including flowers, hearts and honeycombs.

In addition to the four arrests, that investigation led to the seizure of roughly $225,000 worth of illicit drugs and about $53,000 in cash during a February traffic stop and searches at two residences, according to police.

A City of Brandon police officer is charged with assault and dangerous driving after a man was hit by a cruiser in 2023.

The charges against Const. Myran Hamm were recommended after an investigation by the province's police watchdog.

Police were responding on Sept. 24, 2023, about a man attempting to start something on fire.

The man ran as officers arrived and was hit by a cruiser right in front of Brandon Police Service headquarters, according to a news release from the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba on Thursday.

Children in the care of a Manitoba non-profit were sexually abused and forced to spend days in isolation, and one girl killed herself after major gaps in her care, according to new court documents filed as part of a proposed class action lawsuit against Marymound Inc.

First filed in 2023, the suit names Marymound, the Manitoba government and the Réseau Compassion Network. It alleges that for decades children in care of the social services organization faced widespread abuse that was ignored by the government and Marymound staff.

Several of the students said they were sexually assaulted by staff at Marymound. One former student alleged they lived in constant fear of being "beaten, tackled and restrained."

Another alleged that when she was 13 years old, she was sexually assaulted by a man who was visiting another resident.

The court filings documented the "callous" response by staff to the assault, who wrote in her file the 13-year-old "learned the hard way what the consequences can be with casual sexual activity."

They've changed the headline pretty drastically - original headline below.

2 Manitoba Health CEOs turfed as province releases financial audits