Winnipeg police lay charges in two separate arsons
A file image of the Winnipeg Police Service taken on Dec. 24, 2019. (Source: CTV News Winnipeg)
The Winnipeg Police Service has charged two people following two separate, unrelated fires.
One of the fires occurred Monday night in the 200 block of King Street, while the second occurred in June 2021.Both fires are considered arson.
According to Winnipeg Police, a man was in a parking lot in the 200 block of King Street and stole a jerrycan of gasoline from the box of a parked truck. The man allegedly poured gasoline over the outside of the truck, and then went to a nearby business where he poured gas onto the building and a garbage dumpster on the loading dock. Police said the man went back to the truck and stole from it, before returning to the dumpster and setting it on fire.
A person living nearby witnessed the incident and called police. A K9 Unit and AIR1 were called in, and a man was arrested in the 500 block of Main Street.
The fire in the dumpster was extinguished.
Thirty-five-year-old Darren William Alexander Perchak of Winnipeg has been charged arson causing property damage, theft under $5,000, and mischief under $5,000/obstructing enjoyment.
He was detained in custody. The charges against him have not been proven in court.
BOYD AVENUE ARSON
A 34-year-old woman from Winnipeg was arrested and charged Monday in connection with a fire at a home on Boyd Avenue last June.
The fire occurred in the 500 block of Boyd on June 2, and was considered suspicious. The police service’s Major Crime Unit started investigating the fire, and made an arrest in the William Whyte neighbourhood Monday morning.
Officers allege the suspect intentionally set fire to a multi-family home where her partner was residing. Two of the building’s residents were inside at the time of the fire, which caused approximately $60,000 in damage.
Deidre Carmel Bittern was charged with one count of arson with disregard for human life and was detained in custody. The charge has not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
School police chief receives blame in Texas shooting response
The police official blamed for not sending officers in more quickly to stop the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is the chief of the school system's small police force, a unit dedicated ordinarily to building relationships with students and responding to the occasional fight.
Fact check: NRA speakers distort gun and crime statistics
Speakers at the National Rifle Association annual meeting assailed a Chicago gun ban that doesn't exist, ignored security upgrades at the Texas school where children were slaughtered and roundly distorted national gun and crime statistics as they pushed back against any tightening of gun laws.
'Mom, you gotta carry on': 58-year-old Winnipegger inspired to graduate high school by late son
Fifty-eight-year-old Vivian Ketchum is set to receive her high school diploma at a graduation ceremony at the University of Winnipeg next month. It is a moment that is decades in the making.
Truth tracker: Does the World Economic Forum influence governments like Canada’s?
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos was met with justifiable criticisms and unfounded conspiracy theories.
She smeared blood on herself and played dead: 11-year-old reveals chilling details of the massacre
An 11-year-old survivor of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, feared the gunman would come back for her so she smeared herself in her friend's blood and played dead.
Girl told 911 'send the police now' as cops waited 48 minutes, official says
Students trapped inside a classroom with a gunman repeatedly called 911 during this week's attack on a Texas elementary school, including one who pleaded, 'Please send the police now,' as officers waited more than an hour to breach the classroom after following the gunman into the building, authorities said Friday.
Broken comet could trigger visible meteor shower Monday
Fragments of a comet broken nearly 30 years ago could potentially light up the night sky Monday as experts predict an 'all or nothing' spectacle.
Three Canadian cities rank among the world's best for work-life balance
A new report says Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto rank among the top 20 cities around the world when it comes to work-life balance.
Feds aiming to address airport 'bottlenecks' in time for summer travel season
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the federal government is working with groups on the ground to resolve air travel 'bottlenecks' in time for a busy summer.
Regina
-
Regina Public Schools remain offline, cyber attack confirmed
Cyber security attacks happen every day, and as Regina Public Schools division discovered this week, no one is safe.
-
'Very upset': Senior housing residents plead for Sask. Housing Corporation to rebuild after winter fire
Former residents of a Carievale seniors housing complex want the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) to reconsider its decision to demolish the home.
-
Western Premiers' Conference focuses on healthcare funding from Ottawa
Premiers from western Canada met to discuss healthcare in their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years in Regina on Friday at the 2022 Western Premiers' Conference.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatoon man says three dogs ‘tried to kill his dog’ at off-leash dog park
Barrett Ross says his dog Indy suffered a punctured bowel, lost a tooth and had his stomach injured when he was attacked by three other dogs.
-
Saskatoon's temporary downtown shelter granted extension
The Saskatoon Tribal Council's (STC) temporary downtown shelter has been granted an extension to operate at its present location until April 2023 — but Tribal Chief Mark Arcand hopes to relocate well before then.
-
Prince Albert police lay murder charge after pedestrian fatally injured by vehicle
A pedestrian injured by a vehicle in Prince Albert has died.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury’s Bell Excellence Award winners survived during difficult times
Thursday evening, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce hosted the 25th annual Bell Business Excellence Awards.
-
Walking in Sudbury to mark the discovery of unmarked graves in B.C.
On Friday, there was a walk in Sudbury to remember the remains of 215 residential schoolchildren found in Kamloops, B.C., a year ago May 27.
-
Sault Métis Centre excited for grand opening
Staff at the new Sault Metis Centre are getting set for the grand opening Saturday.
Edmonton
-
UCP accused of sending warning to Edmonton councillors as EPS funding decision delayed
A hotly-controversial decision on whether or not to freeze base funding for police in Edmonton was delayed Friday as fallout from a dispute between the mayor and the provincial justice minister continued to rattle political circles.
-
Shooting near Rogers Place playoff party witnessed by EPS officers
A 19-year-old man is in police custody after a shooting near Rogers Place after an Edmonton Oilers viewing party ended Thursday evening.
-
Wetaskiwin temporary shelter to close ahead of schedule leaving some in a lurch
A shelter many expected to remain open until the end of June in Wetaskiwin, Alta., will close a month early.
Toronto
-
WATCH
WATCH | New video appears to show man carrying air rifle on Toronto streets before being killed by police
A man shot dead by police officers near a Toronto elementary school on Thursday afternoon appears to have been captured on home security footage carrying an air rifle moments before the incident.
-
Police investigating suspected hate-motivated incident involving armed man at Jewish school
A 21-year-old Toronto man is facing a slew of charges following a suspected hate-motivated incident at a Jewish school in North York.
-
Here's why you may notice unusual activity around Toronto Pearson Airport this weekend
Toronto Pearson International is warning travellers and Mississauga residents they may notice unusual activity at the airport this weekend.
Calgary
-
'Grave injustice': SCC ruling could change sentence for Alberta's multiple murderers
A southern Alberta man who killed three people, including a two-year-old girl, could have the ability to request a release from jail earlier than his original sentence intended, thanks to a landmark Supreme Court decision Friday.
-
'No way we're cheering for the Oilers': Flames fans react to Game 5 loss
Calgary Flames fans are still coming to terms with a playoff series loss to the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night in a game that saw both controversy and heartbreak following a Connor McDavid overtime goal.
-
Canada's premiers want to reform health-care system, asks Ottawa to pick up the phone
Western Canada's premiers want to reform their health-care systems by expanding services but they say Ottawa first needs to pick up the phone.
Montreal
-
Three things most likely to be legally challenged in Bill 96
Is it unconstitutional to make someone pay to get a legal document translated into French? One of Montreal's top lawyers thinks so, and pointed out two other things from Bill 96 that he thinks the courts would most easily find fault with.
-
Supreme Court rules Quebec City mosque killer to be eligible for parole in 25 years
Canada's highest court has ruled that Alexandre Bissonnette, who murdered six people at the Quebec City mosque in 2017, will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
-
Montreal begins monkeypox vaccine campaign, Quebec confirms 25 cases
Quebec says it is ready to vaccinate people who have come into close contact with monkeypox as soon as Friday.
Ottawa
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | Here's what we know about the storm cleanup in Ottawa today
Hydro Ottawa is not committing to a new deadline to restore power to thousands of customers, one week after a devastating storm with wind gusts of 190 km/h hit Ottawa.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | What you need to know about Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend
It's the first in-person Ottawa Race Weekend in Ottawa since 2019, after the 2020 and 2021 events were shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Hydro Ottawa 'will not meet' commitment to restore power to bulk of grid by Friday night
As of Friday evening, 26,000 Hydro Ottawa customers remain without power in all neighbourhoods of the city.
Atlantic
-
Cape Breton teen in hospital after falling nearly 40 feet over cliff in Glace Bay
A Cape Breton father is warning the public of the dangers in the area he lives after his teenager son fell nearly 40 feet over a cliff in Glace Bay.
-
More than 18 hours to find five N.S. mass shooting victims was 'deficient': lawyer
A lawyer for families of victims killed in the Nova Scotia mass shooting says an 18-hour delay in finding five bodies of those murdered is a sign of "deficient" policing.
-
Supreme Court decision could affect Justin Bourque’s sentence: Lawyer
The lawyer who represented a man who murdered three RCMP officers nearly eight years ago in Moncton, N.B., said a decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada Friday may potentially change his sentence.
Kitchener
-
Guelph high school volleyball referee facing multiple sex assault charges
A man, who was a referee at high school volleyball games in Guelph for more than 30 years, is facing sex assault-related charges.
-
Region says high safety risk at Kitchener encampment, residents will have to move
The Region of Waterloo says there's a high safety risk at a Kitchener encampment and they are working with residents to prepare them for their eventual move.
-
Swoop says it can't offer flights from Region of Waterloo airport due to deal with Flair
Two low-cost airlines are butting heads over an agreement at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. Swoop wants to offer flights but the airport already has an exclusivity deal with rival Flair Airlines
Vancouver
-
After years waiting for surgery, B.C. woman considering medically assisted death
A B.C. mom with a rare, debilitating illness has spent years trying to get the help she needs. Now she's considering medical assistance in dying.
-
Interior, Island and North led B.C.'s decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations this week
The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals hit its lowest point in more than a month this week, and the decline was driven largely by regions outside the Lower Mainland.
-
Small Vancouver startup believes it's created the solution to plastic pollution
Researchers working in partnership with UBC believe an eco-friendly material could help solve the world’s plastic pollution problem.
Vancouver Island
-
B.C. speedboat driver arrested with 650kg of meth 'feared for his family's safety,' he told U.S. investigators
New details are emerging after a 51-year-old Alberta man was arrested aboard a speedboat that U.S. authorities say was carrying 650 kilograms of methamphetamine between Washington state and British Columbia.
-
Vancouver Island hospital suddenly shuts down ER due to staff shortage
The emergency department at Port McNeill Hospital unexpectedly shut down on Friday evening due to a staffing shortage.
-
Mill Bay mall fire closes Trans-Canada Highway
At least one building was destroyed Friday afternoon as firefighters rushed to a large fire at the vacant Pioneer Square Mall in Mill Bay, B.C.