On August 18, 2026, at 6:54 am., Island Lake RCMP received a report of an assault that had occurred in the community of Garden Hill Anisininew Nation.

Officers attended to the local nursing station where the seriously injured male victim had already been brought and was receiving treatment.

The 22-year-old victim was suffering from a life-threatening stab wound and was later life-flighted to Winnipeg for additional treatment.

Further investigation led police to arrest Winston Flett, 27, from Garden Hill Anisininew Nation.

He has been charged with Aggravated assault and Assault with a weapon.

Flett was remanded until his court date in Winnipeg.

Island Lake RCMP continue to investigate.

With measles continuing to be an issue in Canada and around the world, the Northern Health Region is reminding residents about the importance of immunization.

Bruce Krentz with the northern health region says misinformation surrounding vaccines can contribute to mistrust, while vaccines continue to provide protection against potentially serious diseases.

Krentz says measles in particular shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Krentz says measles cases in Canada have fallen significantly because of successful immunization programs, but cases and deaths continue to occur internationally.

The Northern Health Region is rolling out a program aimed at helping people stay connected to their communities and access supports outside of traditional healthcare.

Social prescribing allows healthcare providers to connect people with community services that can support their overall health and help them continue living independently.

Northern Health Region’s Bruce Krentz says those connections can take several different forms.

Krentz says social prescribing is currently being rolled out in the region, and residents interested in learning more can ask their healthcare provider or visit the Northern Health Region’s Facebook page.

The Manitoba government says it has added more than 47-hundred net new health-care workers since October 2023, including doctors, nurses, health-care aides and allied health professionals.

The province says the additions are helping increase capacity as hospitals and emergency departments face continued pressure.

But the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals says significant gaps remain, pointing to shortages among MRI and CT technologists, respiratory therapists and rural paramedics.

On August 17, 2026, at 9:08 am., The Pas RCMP were notified of possible human remains that had been located outside an address in Umpherville.

Officers attended the scene and discovered the remains between two residences.

An autopsy was conducted August 19.

RCMP can confirm the remains are those of a newly born infant or fetus.

If anyone has any information they feel would be helpful to the investigation, they are asked to contact The Pas RCMP detachment at 204-627-6204.

Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services, The Pas RCMP, along with the Office of the Medical Examiner continue to investigate.

The Manitoba government is investing more than 97-thousand dollars to expand a healthy food initiative across northern Manitoba.

The funding will allow the Northern Association of Community Councils to expand its Northern Healthy Foods Initiative, which currently supports 23 communities.

The expansion will involve consultations with four to seven additional communities, with work focused on food security and food sovereignty.

A first phase of pilot programming is expected to begin in January 2027.

Thompson residents will have a chance to see exactly what happens to their recycling after it leaves the blue bin.

An open house at the Thompson Recycling Centre on Friday will take residents through the process, from sorting materials by hand to preparing them for shipment to Winnipeg.

Thompson Recycling Centre Manager Cheryl Mulrooney explains what happens once those materials arrive at the facility.

A single bale weighs roughly 520 kilograms, with 36 bales making up a full trailer load.

The open house runs August 21st from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 16 Severn Crescent and is open to all Thompson residents.

100 Women Who Care Thompson is looking for local charities to take part in its upcoming September meeting.

Nominations are now open, with community members encouraged to submit a charity for consideration as soon as possible.

If more than three organizations are nominated, a vote will be held to select three charities to present at the meeting.

The nomination deadline is Thursday, August 27th at 4 p.m., with the meeting scheduled for September 9th.

Indigenous entrepreneurs across northern Manitoba have less than two weeks to apply for a $25,000 business grant.

Canadian health and wellness company nomz is offering the funding to one Indigenous entrepreneur or Indigenous-owned business looking to launch or grow an existing operation.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of Indigenous community members and past grant recipients.

The deadline to apply is September 1, with the recipient set to be announced September 30.

Thompson homeowners should soon be receiving their 2026 property tax bills, and Mayor Colleen Smook says some may see a slight decrease compared with last year.

Smook says the city kept its mill rate increase to 1.16 per cent this year, while the provincial Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit increased to 16-hundred dollars and a 92-dollar special service levy expired.

Canada’s annual inflation rate climbed to three per cent in July, according to new figures released Monday by Statistics Canada.

That’s up from 2.8 per cent in June, with higher gasoline prices playing a major role in the increase.

Gas prices were up 25.7 per cent compared with July of last year, while grocery price growth slowed, with food purchased from stores rising 3.1 per cent year-over-year.

The three-per-cent inflation rate now sits at the upper end of the Bank of Canada’s target range.

That should land right around your 30-second Tuesday morning read. StatsCan is the primary source for the numbers. 

A new child-care centre in Winnipeg is set to create 152 licensed spaces for families.

The federal and Manitoba governments are providing a four-point-five-million-dollar capital grant toward the new Gray Family Centre at the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre.

The facility will offer infant, preschool, nursery and school-aged care, along with community and wellness spaces.

Construction is expected to begin this fall, with completion targeted for summer 2028.

On August 13, 2026, Thompson RCMP's General Investigative Section and Crime Suppression Unit - along with the Manitoba RCMP Emergency Response Team and Police Dog Services - executed several search warrants at residences located on Queens Bay and Juniper Drive in the city as part of an ongoing drug investigation.

A targeted traffic stop was also conducted on Juniper Drive in relation to this investigation.

After the subsequent search of the property and vehicle, officers located and seized approximately 100 grams of cocaine, 746 grams of a cutting agent, a large amount of Canadian currency, and other drug-related paraphernalia.

Police also seized a loaded .357 magnum revolver which had previously been reported stolen out of Winnipeg, a 12-gauge pump action shotgun, and ammunition.

Louis Saindon, 49, of Thompson, is facing eleven related firearm offences in addition to the following charges:

• Possession for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of property obtained by crime; and

Michael Naylor, 41, of Thompson, is facing nine related firearm offences, in addition to the following charges:

• Possession for the purpose of trafficking; and
• Possession of property obtained by crime

Mohamed Aman-Shekow, 21, of Calgary, was wanted on a warrant out of Yellowknife. He is charged with the following:

• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking;
• Obstruction X 2;
• Identity Fraud; and
• Failure to Comply with Release Order X 2

All three were remanded into custody.

Two Flin Flon females – ages 17 and 21 – were also arrested in relation to this investigation and released on undertakings.

Thompson RCMP continue to investigate.

The School District of Mystery Lake says preparations are going well as families across Thompson get ready for students to return to class September 10.

Westwood School students will continue attending classes out of Juniper and Burntwood schools, while maintenance crews have spent the summer getting buildings across the district ready.

Danny Morris with the School District of Mystery Lake says crews have been busy since classes wrapped up in June.

Families can hear more from Danny about registration, Westwood School and preparations for the new school year on Thompson Today, at 12:40 and 5:10.

Preparations are underway for this year’s Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation activities in Thompson.

The September 30th event is being planned in partnership with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and the Keewatin Tribal Council, with growing attendance leading organizers to expand beyond the TRCC gymnasium into other spaces at the facility and the Boreal Discovery Centre.

Mayor Colleen Smook says that growth reflects the partnerships being built through reconciliation in Thompson.

Smook says a full itinerary for this year’s activities has not yet been released, but planning is underway for September 30th.

The Manitoba government and Opaskwayak Cree Nation have signed an agreement to establish a new community court in OCN.

The court will incorporate Cree legal traditions and restorative justice, including land-based healing, Elder guidance and community involvement.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe says the agreement marks another step toward reconciliation.

OCN Chief Michael Constant says the initiative will give the community greater control over its justice system while helping community members heal.

On August 11, 2026, at 3 :55 pm., The Pas RCMP received a report of a missing 20-year-old female.

Rasheeda Faith-Joyce Eninew was last seen in the community on August 10, riding an electric scooter and carrying a guitar.

Despite an extensive search for Rasheeda, she has not been located and may be headed to Flin Flon.

Her family and RCMP are concerned for her wellbeing.

Rasheeda is described as 5’5” tall with a heavy build. There is no known description of the clothing she was last seen wearing.

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Rasheeda, they are asked to contact The Pas RCMP detachment at 204-627-6204.

On August 11, 2026, at approximately 3:00 am., Norway House RCMP were dispatched to a residence on Paupanekis Point for a report of a severely injured male.

Officers, along with First Nation Safety Officers, arrived at the scene and were advised by EMS that the male was deceased as a result of a possible stabbing.

Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services took carriage of the investigation and Forensic Identification Services attended the scene to assist.

The investigation determined there was a confrontation inside the house between the 36-year-old victim and another male who had fled the scene.

The victim and the suspect were known to each other.

Officers were able to locate and arrest the suspect without incident.

The 33-year-old male, from Norway House, is now in custody and faces a charge of second-degree murder.

Manitoba RCMP MCS continues to investigate.

On August 10, 2026, at 4:09 pm, an unknown male attended the Swan River RCMP detachment to report an assault that occurred on August 5, 2026.

The 21-year-old male advised police that after going on a drive with a male that was known to him, he was assaulted, robbed, threatened with a firearm, and left stranded on a back road outside of Bowsman.

A description of the suspect and his vehicle was provided to officers.

Patrols began immediately for the suspect and a vehicle matching the description was located in Swan River. A traffic stop was initiated, and a 24-year-old male was arrested without incident.

A search warrant was executed on the suspect’s residence and officers located BB guns, along with a firearm that matched the description of the one that was used in the robbery.

The 24-year-old male was remanded into custody and faces the following charges:

• Using firearm in the commission of an offence;
• Unsafe storage of firearms;
• Robbery – with firearm;
• Assault;
• Unauthorized possession of a firearm;
• Robbery with restricted firearm;
• Uttering threats;
• Assault with a weapon

Swan River RCMP continue to investigate.

Concerns are being raised about road conditions on several Thompson streets outside of the city’s larger construction projects.

A resident recently wrote to council about potholes and deteriorating conditions on Elm Street, Basswood Street, Birch Avenue and other areas, saying some problems have persisted for years.

Mayor Colleen Smook says the city recognizes the concerns, but Public Works crews are balancing pothole repairs with several other seasonal responsibilities.

Dynacare laboratory employees in Manitoba have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.

The Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals says 99.7 per cent of participating members voted in favour.

The union represents nearly 350 Dynacare laboratory technicians and technologists working at 22 laboratory and health service centres in Winnipeg, Brandon and surrounding communities.

Canada Post has released a new series of stamps celebrating wolves and their importance to ecosystems across the country.

The collection features four wolves found in different parts of Canada: the grey wolf, eastern wolf, Arctic grey wolf and coastal grey wolf.

Canada Post says wolves are considered a keystone species because of the role they play in maintaining healthy and diverse ecosystems.

The animals also hold an important place in many Indigenous cultures.

The new stamps and related collectibles are available beginning today at select postal outlets and through Canada Post.

On August 12, 2026, at 1:45 p.m., Island Lake RCMP received a report of two children who had been brought to the Garden Hill Anisininew Nation nursing station.

Officers attended and were advised that two toddlers had been found in the lake by a family member and brought to the nursing station by First Nation Safety Officers.

The two boys, aged one and two, were pronounced deceased at the nursing station.

It is believed the boys were able to leave their residence and enter the nearby lake. Foul play is not suspected.

“This is devastating for the family and the entire community. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic incident,” said Sergeant Chris Hipolito of the Island Lake RCMP detachment.

Island Lake RCMP continue to investigate.

Access to veterinary care continues to be a major challenge in Thompson, with no full-time veterinarian currently serving the community.

The Thompson Regional Humane Society has expanded its role in recent years as limited access to animal healthcare affects both pet owners and the shelter itself.

Oswald Sawh with the Humane Society says some families are now facing incredibly difficult situations just to access basic care.

Sawh says the Humane Society considers regular, affordable veterinary care an essential service and has been lobbying the province for more support to address the immediate need.

Hear more from Oswald about the challenges surrounding veterinary care in Thompson on Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 on 102.9 CHTM.

The Northern Health Region is highlighting a community-led program aimed at supporting suicide prevention and promoting mental well-being across the North.

Roots of Hope brings local committees together to develop initiatives based on the needs of their communities, including awareness events and activities surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.

Mental Health Promotion Specialist Sandesh says the program gives communities a direct role in deciding how that support looks.
 

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed each year on September 10, with communities able to organize their own activities ranging from awareness walks and information booths to music, barbecues and other gatherings.