Winnipeg residents hope new bylaw offences lead to fewer demolished, derelict buildings
People living in Winnipeg neighbourhoods plagued by burnt-out and partially demolished buildings hope a host of proposed new bylaw offences lead to the cleanup of more problem properties.
A report from the City of Winnipeg's property and development department recommends adding 37 new offences, under the Municipal By-law Enforcement Act — provincial legislation that allows the city to issue tickets for offences like neighbourhood liveability concerns.
The new recommended offences include failing to start or complete demolition projects on time.
Breaking one of the new rules could carry penalties up to $1,000.
That comes as good news to people like Cheryl Martens, who has documented derelict buildings in the Spence neighbourhood for years.
"I think $1,000 is not that much for somebody who owns property in the area, so I suppose if we were being critical, we could say it could be more," Martens said in an interview.
"But the fact that they're doing it feels like they listened, which is worth a lot."
The property and development committee delayed a vote on the proposal at its Wednesday meeting.
The Winnipeg Construction Association and the Manitoba Home Builders' Association made a joint submission asking the city committee to lay it over to its next meeting, to give them time to consult with their members.
That disappointed William Whyte Neighbourhood Association president Darrell Warren.
"I really would like the city to take a stance, and we need to go ahead and hit these guys where it hurts, and that's in their pocketbooks. And we need to be tough," Warren said.
Like Martens, the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association has asked the city to get tougher with derelict property owners, and recorded dozens of burned and demolished buildings, including a row of four vacant and boarded up houses at the corner of Powers Street and Aberdeen Avenue.
"There are property owners here that own their houses and they take care of their properties. It's not fair that we as homeowners have to take care of our properties … and yet this stands for years and years and years," Warren said.
If approved by council, other offences that would be added include failing to comply with a stop work order, and failing to leave a site or maintain it in a safe condition when work is suspended or terminated.
The property committee will debate adding the new fines at its meeting next month.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Prosecutor calls Michael McLeod the architect of Hockey Canada sexual assault
LONDON, Ont. – The prosecution described Michael McLeod as the 'architect' of the 'group sexual activity' at the center of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial and said he told 'outright lies' to portray the complainant as the aggressor in the sexual interactions of the night and advance a 'false narrative.' Advertisement Attorney Meaghan Cunningham provided Justice Maria Carroccia an outline of the Crown's argument, showing a power point in a closing submission on Wednesday that she said will demonstrate E.M. did not voluntarily agree to the charged sexual acts of the night. Cunningham began that presentation by telling Carroccia that she intended to prove E.M. did not want to engage in group sex and that McLeod repeatedly lied about his role as the orchestrator of the alleged incident. McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are all charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident in June 2018 in which a 20-year-old woman — known as E.M., whose identity is protected by a publication ban — has said she was sexually assaulted over the span of several hours in a London, Ont., hotel room. The players were in town for a Hockey Canada event celebrating their 2018 World Junior Championship victory. McLeod is also facing a second charge for 'being a party to the offense' for what the Crown has asserted was his role 'assisting and encouraging his teammates to engage sexually' with E.M. All five players have pleaded not guilty. Cunningham highlighted that a key factual difference between the Crown and defense cases is what prompted McLeod's teammates to come to his hotel room after he and E.M. had consensual sex. She said that the factual issue will 'shape how the evidence is viewed.' The defense has asserted E.M. encouraged McLeod to invite his teammates in seeking what McLeod's attorney David Humphrey described as a 'wild night.' E.M. said that she did not know McLeod was inviting others and was 'surprised' when other men showed up in the room. Cunningham said there was no evidence to suggest that E.M. encouraged McLeod to invite teammates back to his room and laid out five elements to demonstrate why Carroccia should accept E.M.'s version of events – that she did not want group sex and was surprised by men entering the room. She pointed to 1) McLeod's 2018 police interview, 2) the June 20 text exchange between McLeod and E.M., 3) E.M.'s testimony, 4) the witness testimony of Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, and 5) McLeod's actions in 'recruiting' others to his room. Advertisement Cunningham said that McLeod was well prepared for his November 2018 interview with London Police, which took place under negotiated terms in Toronto with his attorney in the room, and yet did not make any mention of E.M. encouraging him to text his teammates. He also did not disclose the text messages he sent to a 19-person group chat and to Raddysh in the early-morning hours of June 19, 2018. He texted the group chat 'Who wants a 3 way quick' with a follow-up message providing his hotel room number. He also texted Raddysh separately to ask if he wanted a 'gummer,' which is slang for oral sex. Cunningham asked why McLeod would omit these messages in his interview with Detective Steve Newton and why, if it was true that E.M. was the initiator, he wouldn't disclose that in the interview, considering that would bolster his narrative. 'There is no logical or plausible reason why he wouldn't if it was a true fact,' Cunningham said. 'McLeod lies repeatedly to Detective Newton in that interview but it's the Crown's position that he's doing that in furtherance of a false narrative about what happened. The false narrative that Mr. McLeod is trying to craft is that he and his friends are completely innocent and that (E.M) was the instigator and the one demanding sexual activity.' In the interview, McLeod initially told Newton he didn't know why guys 'kept showing up in his room.' When asked directly whether he texted teammates, McLeod acknowledged he texted teammates he was ordering food and had a girl in his room. Cunningham said that if E.M. was the instigator of the group sexual activity, McLeod also would not have expressed the surprise and shock he conveyed to Newton in his interview about what he said was her sexually aggressive nature. 'It's not just that he forgot, it's not just that he didn't mention that he sent those texts. He outright lies to Detective Newton,' Cunningham said. 'He lies to Detective Newton repeatedly but in particular he lies to Detective Newton about the text message he sent or didn't send that night.' Advertisement Cunningham showed Carroccia the text exchange between McLeod and E.M. from June 20, 2018. In that exchange, in which McLeod asks E.M. if she went to the police, E.M. tells him she was OK going home with him but that she didn't expect others to come to the hotel room. She said she felt the players were making fun of and taking advantage of her. McLeod responded, Cunningham said, by re-framing what she said and responding that he was 'sorry that she was embarrassed' but warned about the serious 'implications' if the police matter moved forward. Cunningham said that if E.M. wasn't the instigator, as multiple players had testified, McLeod should have expressed surprise that she was upset about the other players joining them in the hotel room. Cunningham said E.M. was pressed repeatedly on the suggestion that she had prompted McLeod to invite others back to the hotel in pursuit of a 'wild night' but 'never wavered' in her testimony that she was surprised when players arrived in the room. 'Time and again she is pushed on this very same issue and her evidence is always the same, that she was surprised when other people started coming into the room and she does not think she would have ever asked for him to invite other people,' Cunningham said. Cunningham said that Raddysh and Katchouk both testified about E.M.'s behavior that was consistent with the Crown's assertion that E.M. was not seeking group sex. Both players said that they observed E.M. in bed, with the covers up to her shoulders and neck, and that she did not participate in any conversation beyond asking Katchouk for a bite of pizza. She said this was behavior consistent with someone who felt uncomfortable, not someone who was looking to engage others sexually. She said that if the defense theory was true that she was asking McLeod to ask his teammates to come over for group sex — and wanting to engage in group sex — Raddysh and Katchouk's testimony defies logic. Advertisement 'It would make no sense she would make absolutely no effort to engage or attempt to engage with Mr. Katchouk or Mr. Raddysh, not a single offer,' Cunningham said. Cunningham also pointed out that the testimony of both Raddysh and Katchouk differed significantly from other witnesses about E.M.'s behavior that night. Crown witnesses Tyler Steenbergen, Brett Howden and defense witness Carter Hart all testified that E.M. was the aggressor, asking players to have sex with her and insulting them when they declined. When Carroccia pointed out this divergence in stories, Cunningham replied: 'I agree these things are irreconcilable and someone's not telling the truth,' Cunningham said. She noted that Raddysh and Katchouk's description 'is completely at odds' with the testimony of the players who were on the June 26, 2018, group chat. In that group chat, players strategized how to handle the impending Hockey Canada investigation and discussed what to tell investigators. Cunningham said that they were the only two players who saw E.M. in Room 209 that night who were not on that June 26, 2018, group text chain. Cunningham pointed to McLeod's actions from the night to make the case that he was the instigator instead, and facilitated a group sexual encounter unbeknownst to E.M. Cunningham used a visual display of the '3 way quick' and 'gummer' text messages, sent at 2:10 and 2:15 a.m. respectively. She said McLeod made no efforts to vet who came to the room or took any efforts to get people to leave, but instead was 'trying to drum up more business' and 'recruit more people.' Cunningham cited McLeod's phone call to Hart, his recruitment of Katchouk from the hallway and his knocking on Raddysh's door as evidence of this. '(E.M.) was doing nothing either verbally or through her actions to communicate that she was at all interested in engaging in sexual activity with them,' Cunningham said. 'But the evidence does establish that someone was offering sex to Mr. McLeod's teammates in Room 209 and it wasn't (E.M.).' Advertisement Cunningham ended with the fact that by McLeod's own admissions, he said he was consistently checking in on her throughout the night, telling Detective Newton in his 2018 interview that he and his teammates had a 'no phones' policy and that at one point he 'calmed her down' because he said she was upset no one was having sex with her. Cunningham said McLeod was intervening to 'take some responsibility for managing the room' while all the events were unfolding. 'The reason he is doing that is because this was his idea to begin with,' Cunningham said. 'He set this up.' Earlier in the day, the defense teams finished their closing arguments. Julianna Greenspan, who represents Foote, said that her client performed the splits over E.M. as a 'party trick' that was both 'non-threatening,' not sexual and a 'momentary interaction.' Foote is accused of doing the splits over E.M. while she was lying on her back, grazing his genitals over her face. Greenspan said that E.M. was seeking sexual encounters and attention and that Hart's testimony that she was laughing was 'consistent with her performative behavior in the room generally.' 'In plain language, Mr. Hart's evidence was, this was in a playful manner, this was a playful trick, and (E.M.) was absolutely in on it,' Greenspan said. Greenspan spent significant time returning to the issue of E.M. referring to the players as 'men' throughout her testimony, painting the decision as intentional. Greenspan hammered this point repeatedly in cross-examination, but reinforced on Wednesday that E.M. had 'an axe to grind.' Greenspan undermined the credibility of Crown witnesses Brett Howden and Tyler Steenbergen, both of whom said Foote asked in a phone call to leave his name out of what happened in the hotel room prior to the players' participation in the Hockey Canada investigation. Advertisement Greenspan said Howden was in 'protect Howden mode' and suggested that Steenbergen was influenced by Henein Hutchison investigator Danielle Robitaille in his 2022 interview with Hockey Canada; she described that as 'an investigation intended to support and corroborate the complainant's civil lawsuit, one that Hockey Canada had just settled.' Greenspan ended her closing argument by suggesting that the intense level of publicity and interest in the case has compromised the presumption of innocence and subjected the players, their families and their legal teams to unfair treatment, such as bullying and taunting. Lisa Carnelos, attorney for Dubé, finished her closing submissions on Wednesday by arguing that her client did not engage in any collusion via the group chat he participated in with teammates on June 26, 2018 — 'This is the most lame attempt at collusion I've ever seen in my life,' she said — or in either of the phone calls he had with Tyler Steenbergen and Brett Howden. She explained the group chat as 'the banter of young men' who were 'confused' and 'expressing nervousness and shock.' Carnelos described the phone calls Dube had with both Howden and Steenbergen prior to the Hockey Canada investigation — asking them to leave his name out of interviews with Hockey Canada about the incident — as 'innocuous,' and 'context specific.' (Steenbergen testified that Dube asked him not to mention what Dube did in the room to investigators, adding that he wanted to speak for himself. Howden previously told investigators that Dube made the same request of him.) Carnelos suggested it was 'reasonable' that the call was about Dubé's desire to call Hockey Canada staff member Shawn Bullock to tell Bullock himself about what happened. Carnelos also suggested that the Hockey Canada and London Police reopened their investigations as a result of a 'media frenzy' and described the situation as a 'political hot potato.' — The Athletic's Dan Robson contributed reporting remotely from Toronto. (Courtroom sketch of Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham and Justice Maria Carroccia from earlier in the trial by Alexandra Newbould / The Canadian Press via AP)
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man knocked out in random beating at The Forks Market in Winnipeg
Winnipeg police have released a photo of a man wanted in connection with a random assault at The Forks that left another man unconscious. Around 11:15 p.m. on June 6, a 30-year-old man was inside The Forks Market when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground, then beaten even after he lost consciousness, police said in a news release on Tuesday. The attacker took an item from the victim before walking away. The victim was sent to hospital by ambulance in stable condition. Police believe the attacker later threw the stolen item at a woman walking a dog near the river path. Investigators are hoping to locate and speak to the woman, as she may have information that could help them. The attacker was last seen in the area of Bonnycastle Park, near Assiniboine Avenue and Garry Street. He is described as 25-35 years old with a medium to heavy build. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, a black New York Yankees baseball cap and black shoes. Anyone with information about that man or anyone who was at The Forks and may have witnessed the assault is asked to call the police service's major crimes unit at 204-986-6219. Anonymous tips can also be left with Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or online through the website.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man accused of ISIS-inspired terror plot targeting Jewish people in New York City to face court
The U.S. has extradited a Pakistani national it accuses of plotting an ISIS-inspired terror attack against Jewish people in New York City. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, has been extradited from Canada and is expected to make his first appearance in a U.S. court on Wednesday in New York, the Justice Department announced. 'He planned to use automatic weapons to kill as many members of our Jewish community as possible, all in support of ISIS,' U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement on Tuesday. 'Khan's deadly, antisemitic plan was thwarted by the diligent work of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors in this office who are committed to rooting out antisemitism and stopping terror.' Khan, also known as Shahzeb Jadoon, is charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terror group, and attempting to commit an international act of terror. He could face up to life in prison if convicted. The 20-year-old was arrested in September last year near Ormstown, Canada, approximately 12 miles from the border with the U.S., as he sought to put his plot in motion, authorities said. Beginning in November 2023, Khan allegedly began posting on social media and using an encrypted messaging app to express his support for ISIS. Around this time, he began communicating with undercover law enforcement officers about his interest in committing a terror attack in the U.S. in solidarity with the group, prosecutors said. He and a U.S.-based associate allegedly wanted to use AR-style assault rifles to attack 'Israeli Jewish' Chabad religious centers in an unnamed city, before deciding around August 2024 to target a well-known religious center in New York City for its large Jewish population. 'Even if we dont attack a[n] Event[,] we could rack up easily a lot of jews,' Khan allegedly told undercover officers about the plot, which was set to take place around the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. 'If we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack on US soil since 9/11,' the 20-year-old allegedly told the undercover officers. Tuesday's announcement comes little over a week after Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, was charged with a federal hate crime and 16 counts of attempted murder for an alleged attempt to kill Jewish activists at an event in Boulder, Colorado, focused on freeing Israeli hostages of Hamas. Antisemitic violence and harassment has spiked in the U.S. following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, according to officials and advocates.
