Advocates, families call for coroner's inquest into deaths of Indigenous women, girl
WARNING: This story includes allegations of violence against Indigenous women and girls and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone who has.
The families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered across Metro Vancouver in disturbing circumstances are calling for B.C.'s minister of public safety and solicitor general to direct a coroner's inquest into their deaths.
Groups including Justice for Girls and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs delivered the call to Garry Begg Monday morning, announcing that an independent forensic pathologist review is disputing the B.C. Coroners Service's findings related to Tatyanna Harrison's cause of death.
The deaths of Harrison, Noelle O'Soup and Chelsea Poorman rattled Metro Vancouver in the spring of 2022.
In all three cases, family members raised concerns about the quality of the police investigations, sounding the alarm about lengthy delays in initiating searches and, in two of the three cases, quick determinations that the deaths were non-criminal in nature.
A recent CBC News investigation revealed the Vancouver Police Department responses to the three deaths are now being investigated by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the civilian, independent office that oversees complaints into police forces in B.C.
The minister of public safety and the B.C. Coroners Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cause of death disputed
Harrison's body was found on a dry dock in Richmond on May 2, 2022, though she wasn't identified until August.
Police quickly deemed Harrison's death non-suspicious, telling her mother Natasha Harrison that the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity.
But the coroner's report later concluded the 20-year-old died of sepsis, a blood infection that can be fatal if left untreated.
At a Monday press conference, lawyer Sue Brown with Justice for Girls said an independent forensic analysis and review found Harrison's cause of death should be ruled "undetermined."
The review, which relied on information provided by the B.C. Coroners Service, states "there appears to be no compelling evidence to suggest that the cause of death would have been sepsis, as has been proposed by the B.C. Coroners Service autopsy pathologist and the reporting coroner."
Natasha Harrison raised other concerns about the investigation, questioning why a rape kit exam wasn't performed on her daughter despite her being naked from the waist down when she was found.
She also said there was a 20-day delay in starting the search, as the file was passed between jurisdictions.
Chelsea Poorman
Twenty-four-year-old Chelsea Poorman first disappeared in September 2020. Her body was found 18 months later in the yard of a mansion in Vancouver's Shaughnessy nieghbourhood.
Her death was quickly deemed to be not criminal in nature.
Her mother, Sheila Poorman, said it took over a week for police to issue a missing person report. She told the media that her daughter's body was missing fingers and a section of her cranium when her remains were found.
The New Westminster Police Department is investigating the conduct of several Vancouver police officers in relation to Poorman's disappearance.
Vancouver police said in a statement that there is no evidence Chelsea's death was the result of a crime, though they continue to investigate how she travelled to the location where she died, given that she had difficulty walking.
Noelle O'Soup
Of the three cases, Noelle O'Soup's is the only one that remains an ongoing criminal investigation.
O'Soup was in the custody of B.C.'s Ministry of Child and Family Development in 2021. She fled a Port Coquitlam group home in May 2021 when she was 13.
Her body was found in May 2022 in a one-room apartment on Heatley Avenue alongside the body of a woman. The apartment also contained the body of its tenant, a 46-year-old man named Van Chung Pham.
When police initially searched the room, they found only Pham's body. The two other bodies in the small room would only be found months later, leaving the families confounded.
A police officer is being investigated for alleged neglect of duty under the Police Act in connection with the discovery of the bodies.
A CBC News investigation revealed more disturbing details in the case. Canadian immigration officials had deemed Pham a danger to vulnerable women in Vancouver and had sought to have him deported back to his home country of Vietnam. When the attempt at deportation stalled, they released him back into the community.
Pham was also linked to the deaths of and assaults on other women.
Another unknown woman had died of an overdose while in his hotel room at the Canada Hotel.
Yet another woman had reported to police that he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Heatley Block apartment.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba's lack of effective police oversight sidesteps scrutiny of law enforcement, say advocates for change
Nearly a decade ago, the death of a 41-year-old Anishinaabe man named Stacy DeBungee ignited a reckoning in Thunder Bay around long-simmering suspicions that municipal police officers were not adequately investigating the deaths of Indigenous people. Within hours of DeBungee's body being pulled from the McIntyre River, the Thunder Bay Police Service had publicly stated his death appeared non-suspicious. There was no autopsy, no formal witness statements, no real investigation completed. A police officer suggested to his brother, Brad DeBungee, that Stacy had perhaps passed out, rolled into the river and drowned. In response, Brad and the then-chief of his community of Rainy River First Nations filed a complaint against the northwestern Ontario police service, requesting a systemic review of its investigative practices. Their complaint led to an investigation into the service's handling of the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous people and the release of a damning report that found systemic racism within the force. The 2018 report recommended that at least nine sudden deaths of Indigenous people be re-investigated due to substandard initial investigations. 'The failure to conduct adequate investigations and the premature conclusions drawn in these cases is, at least in part, attributable to racist attitudes and racial stereotyping.'–Gerry McNeilly, author of the Broken Trust report Yet in Manitoba, there isn't a dedicated avenue to make this kind of complaint. Of the province's police oversight agencies, none are empowered to investigate what are known as 'systemic complaints' — complaints that go beyond a single incident to allege patterns of behaviour from a police service around a particular issue. This is in contrast to Ontario, as well as British Columbia, and, as of later this year, Alberta, which have such avenues. The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, an independent agency separate from the national force, also has the power to initiate systemic investigations. There is a group trying to change that. In an October 2024 letter, the Coalition of Families Affected by Police Violence wrote to Premier Wab Kinew and Justice Minister Matt Wiebe, calling for the creation of a public complaint body with the power to investigate systemic complaints. The group would want to submit such a complaint alleging the presence of systemic racism in the Winnipeg Police Service, and in particular, in the context of the number of Indigenous people who've been fatally shot or otherwise died in an altercation with members of the service. And they're not the only group to raise the concern. In a 2021 survey by the Southern Chiefs Organization, 88 per cent of the roughly 750 First Nation respondents said they agreed with the statement that racism is a problem in policing in Manitoba. In March, meanwhile, the National Family and Survivors Circle, which was formed to guide action around the recommendations of the National Inquiry into MMIWG, called for an inquiry into how systemic racism may have shaped the Winnipeg Police Service's response to cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people. In a statement, Winnipeg police Chief Gene Bowers, who was sworn in earlier this year, said he wants the service to be a 'leader in reconciliation.' He cited several steps he's taking towards that goal, including: having discussions with Indigenous leaders and some family members impacted by the service's decision not to proceed with a landfill search for the bodies of women slain by a then suspected serial killer, as well as creating an Indigenous Advisory Circle and hiring a consultant on Indigenous relations and communications. Stacy DeBungee's death came at a tense time in Thunder Bay. A long-awaited inquest had just begun into the deaths of seven Indigenous youth, who had come to Thunder Bay from remote First Nations to attend high school. Like DeBungee, most of the students' bodies had been found in the city's waterways. After the discovery of DeBungee's body, on Oct. 19, 2015, his brother and their community's then-chief filed their complaint with what was then called the Office of the Independent Police Review Director. It culminated in the report, Broken Trust: Indigenous People and the Thunder Bay Police Service, under the leadership of then OIPRD director Gerry McNeilly. 'I said loudly what the Indigenous community in Thunder Bay and other areas have been saying for decades,' recalled McNeilly, a longtime lawyer who served as the OIPRD's inaugural director from 2008-19 and had previously been the executive director of Legal Aid Manitoba. FRED LUM / THE GLOBE AND MAIL FILES Gerry McNeilly, who oversaw a damning review of the Thunder Bay Police Service, says a mechanism that allows for systemic reviews is needed in Manitoba, given its demographic makeup. FRED LUM / THE GLOBE AND MAIL FILES Gerry McNeilly, who oversaw a damning review of the Thunder Bay Police Service, says a mechanism that allows for systemic reviews is needed in Manitoba, given its demographic makeup. In addition to his probe of the Thunder Bay Police Service, McNeilly also conducted systemic reviews of other issues and services, including into the use of strip searches by police across Ontario; into the broad canvassing of DNA samples from migrant workers by the Ontario Provincial Police; and into the response of police to the G20 protests in Toronto in 2010. Reflecting on this work, McNeilly encouraged Premier Kinew to make legislative changes to create an avenue for systemic reviews to be undertaken around policing in Manitoba. 'Manitoba could, in fact, be a leader,' he said. 'I highly recommend and encourage them to pursue setting up a systemic review complaint process.' He said the province could take the legislation behind Ontario's Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA, formerly OIPRD) and the newly formed Inspectorate of Policing to augment Manitoba's own Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA) — and 'give it some teeth.' 'It's needed in a place like Manitoba, given the makeup of the population, it's absolutely needed to make the police more effective and efficient,' McNeilly said. McNeilly said the ability to conduct systemic reviews is something every province and territory should have the ability to do. Having a police commission — 'that doesn't do much or rubber stamp(s) things' — does not erase the need for a systemic review process, he said. Julian Falconer, a lawyer in Ontario who represented Brad DeBungee and Rainy River First Nations in the complaint process and has long worked on cases surrounding police accountability, including the Seven Youth inquest, recalled giving a speech earlier this year at training day for LECA's employees. 'I had the Broken Trust report sitting on the table,' Falconer said. 'I told them that their single most important tool in attempting to create credibility and confidence in any investigations they did for Indigenous people is that Broken Trust report.' He added: 'In my view, what Broken Trust represents is a very damning finding of systemic racism in respect of an entire police service, and it represents the first such finding in Canadian history that I'm familiar with — and I've been at this for 34 years.' The 'level of embracing' of the final report and of McNeilly by Indigenous people in Thunder Bay remains embedded in his mind, he said. But seven years later, the report's harsh criticism of the police remains relevant. 'Time has completely stood still since December 2018,' Falconer said. 'The Thunder Bay police have literally stumbled, stuttered and utterly dodged accountability — and it is an exercise in what I would call the 'war of attrition,' where they simply seek to outlast their critics.' In 2024, Falconer worked with the families of Corey Belesky and Jenna Ostberg to file complaints against the Thunder Bay police with Ontario's Inspectorate of Policing, which was created that year, alleging failures to properly investigate their deaths. Falconer said systemic complaints are a tool for telling the truth. 'If you're unable to access any tool whatsoever for dealing with systemic issues, then obviously you've doomed these police interactions with Indigenous people to keep repeating themselves,' he said. 'You have an Indigenous premier in the province of Manitoba. I mean, isn't this the time to expect an actual sense of response? If Ontario can do it, why can't Manitoba?' The Coalition of Families Affected by Police Violence — and its call for change — came out of the death of James Wood, a 35-year-old man from O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in early 2024, following an interaction with members of the Winnipeg Police Service. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is still investigating the incident. After Wood's death, his family began building the coalition and reached out to the Public Interest Law Centre seeking opinions on how to address what they saw as systemic racism in the Winnipeg Police Service. The law centre, which is a division of Manitoba Legal Aid, in turn, hired Meaghan Daniel, a Montreal-based lawyer who focuses on police accountability and inquests. ANDREJ IVANOV / FREE PRESS FILES Lawyer Meaghan Daniel says the oversight structure in Manitoba focuses solely on the actions of individuals and avoids broader scrutiny. ANDREJ IVANOV / FREE PRESS FILES Lawyer Meaghan Daniel says the oversight structure in Manitoba focuses solely on the actions of individuals and avoids broader scrutiny. In researching possible legal strategies, Manitoba's lack of an avenue for filing a systemic complaint quickly caught her attention. Daniel, who worked as an associate with Falconer's law firm on the complaint against Thunder Bay police, knew that in this case, a systemic complaint is exactly what she'd want to suggest as a course of action. She cited two reasons: without a systemic scope complaint, the remedy will also fail to be systemic. And second, systemic complaints are a way to amass information about the functioning of a police service, leading to the ability to make extremely tailored, detailed recommendations. 'The state's tactic to individualize things allows them to scapegoat a particular person and avoid the systemic scrutiny — the scrutiny of the policies and the procedures and the ways in which these structures are set up to benefit some of us and not others,' Daniel said. Last fall, members of the coalition met with the province to flesh out the requests made in their letter, which, in addition to creating a new oversight body, also asked the province to review legislation that determines how inquests function. The Free Press asked the province if the creation of a systemic complaints body is a policy option being considered. In a statement, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe did not answer that question but provided detail on other work his department is undertaking, including launching a strategy that will involve making police training more consistent across Manitoba and developing provincial standards for police services around certain operational matters, such as arrests, use of force and criminal investigations. He said he expects these new standards to be in place in the coming months and that compliance will be monitored by the Manitoba Police Commission. Ontario's Inspectorate of Policing, which launched in 2024, could serve as a model for Manitoba. With the inspectorate, the goal was to create an agency that would take a holistic look at the province's policing system — to ensure effective and transparent policing. And for its oversight to be proactive, not just reactive, once a critical incident has already happened. PHIL HOSSACK / FREE PRESS FILES There is a growing call for the creation of an oversight body with the power to conduct systemic reviews of Manitoba police forces. PHIL HOSSACK / FREE PRESS FILES There is a growing call for the creation of an oversight body with the power to conduct systemic reviews of Manitoba police forces. In an interview, Ryan Teschner, a lawyer serving as the inaugural Inspector General of Policing, who previously served as the executor director of the Toronto Police Service Board, explained that the body's mandate is to ensure police services, police service boards and special constable employers operate in compliance with the province's policing laws and regulations. The inspectorate independently monitors and assesses those entities and is empowered to provide both advice and support on governance and operational matters, he added. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. If the body finds a service or board isn't in compliance with Ontario's laws, Teschner noted, they are empowered to do something about it, whether it's issuing recommendations or directions, the latter of which carry a requirement to act. In extreme cases, if change still isn't made, steps such as the suspension of a police chief or a member of a police board, or even disbanding an entire service, are available. The body has the mandate examine issues that are specific to an entire service or that are thematic, cutting across the province. While the inspectorate accepts certain complaints from the public, its goal is also to identify issues proactively, including through a centre for data intelligence that focuses on collecting information from police services and boards, as well as from researchers studying emerging issues. Teschner said one of the inspectorate's unique features is this ability to pinpoint systems-based issues, looking at the 'entire landscape.' He added that 'the whole purpose' is to work towards minimizing individual cases coming up in the future. 'As we look at themes, we may realize that something going on in one corner of the province may well be going on in another quarter,' Teschner said. 'The ability to tie all of that together through our inspections (and) being able to make recommendations, or if necessary, directions that apply to the system as a whole — that improves the strength of Ontario's policing system.' Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) What: The IIU is mandated to investigate 'serious incidents' involving police officers in Manitoba, whether on- or off-duty. This means the agency investigates whenever a police officer has caused — or may have caused — a death or serious injury, or is alleged to have broken a law. The agency decides whether charges should follow. It has jurisdiction over all police services in the province, including the RCMP. The agency does not receive complaints from the public and instead, begins investigations after being notified by the relevant police service. Who: It is currently being led by acting civilian director Bruce Sychuk, who was previously a senior supervising attorney in the Crown prosecutions domestic violence unit. The results: Since the IIU's creation in 2015, it has completed 24 investigations into cases where police have fatally shot someone. Of those cases, one has led to criminal charges. Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA) What: LERA accepts complaints from the public about municipal police officers in Manitoba. (It does not have authority over RCMP officers). The agency looks into what are known as conduct complaints, such as an officer abusing their authority or making a false statement. It does not look into complaints that are criminal in nature. The majority of complaints to the agency involve Winnipeg police officers. Like the IIU, LERA does not have a mandate to conduct systemic reviews. Who: The current commissioner, Harmen Wouda, is a former Winnipeg police detective, which as CBC News reported last year, made Manitoba the only province to hire a former police officer in such a role. Wouda was appointed in 2024 by the current NDP government, drawing criticism from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. In an email, Wouda noted he retired from his role with the service more than six years ago. The results: According to LERA's latest annual report, which is for 2023, 97 per cent of complaints dealt with that year were either dismissed by the commissioner or abandoned/withdrawn by the complainant. Two per cent were resolved informally and one per cent — representing a single complaint — went before a judge at a public hearing. Disciplinary action can be meted out through a public hearing, or, if an officer willingly admits to a disciplinary default. Four public hearings or judicial reviews were held in 2024, Wouda said in his email. Manitoba Police Commission (MPC) What: The mission of the MPC, which was created in 2010, is to 'ensure effective civilian oversight and a high standard of policing in Manitoba,' according to its website. Its duties are to provide advice to the province's director of policing on law enforcement standards; consulting with the public; and developing policy and arranging trainings for police boards. In an email, its executive director, Andrew Minor, noted: 'The duties of the MPC are very concise and do not involve any direct link, responsibility or involvement with respect to the operations of the police officer conduct oversight system per se.'The MPC does not receive complaints from the public. Who: According to its website, the commission has seven commissioners. Lawyer David Asper is the chair. The results: The body has not published a report since 2019 and also has not issued a news release in six years. Asked about the commission's work over the past six years, Minor cited consultations around public safety and community wellbeing done in 2020, as well as development of the terms of reference for the Independent Review of the Manitoba Police Services Act, completed the same year. He said the commission has since assisted Manitoba Justice in implementing changes recommended by that report, in addition to its regular legislated duties. Professional Standards Units (PSUs) What: PSUs are a form of oversight that operates within a particular police service. In Manitoba, they investigate complaints that don't involve potential criminal wrongdoing. These types of bodies accept complaints from the public, as well as those that originate from within the service itself. results: According to City of Winnipeg regulations, disciplinary hearings for members of the Winnipeg Police Service must be held in camera, meaning that both the hearings — as well as the results — are not public. This is in contrast to practice in Ontario, where hearings are typically open to the public, as well as within the RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service. Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) What: The CRCC is an independent agency of the federal government — separate from the RCMP. It accepts complaints from the public, most of which are referred to the RCMP. It also reviews the handling of complaints that were initially dealt with by the service itself. Who: The CRCC's chairperson position is currently vacant. The results: The CRCC is able to conduct systemic reviews of RCMP activities. These reviews can be initiated by the commission itself, or at the request of the federal minister of public safety or a provincial minister responsible for policing. This has included an ongoing systemic review of the RCMP's controversial Community-Industry Response Group or C-IRG, known for its policing of resource extraction protests in B.C., as well as a review of the RCMP's handling of the complaint process in Nunavut. Police service boards Police boards in Manitoba don't handle complaints and cannot be involved in the discipline of individual members of a police service. They do, however, act as an oversight mechanism of a service's police chief, among other duties. Court inquests In Manitoba, deaths that come as a result of a police officer's actions are subject to a mandatory inquest, held before a provincial court judge. Inquests cannot lay blame or dispense any disciplinary measures. A judge can issue recommendations, but according to Free Press reporting, over the past two decades, in inquests involving a fatal shooting by police, judges have often opted not to do so. Manitoba Human Rights Commission The commission accepts complaints pertaining to discrimination under Manitoba's Human Rights Code, which includes both individual and systemic instances. Unlike some other provinces, it doesn't have the power to convene a public inquiry, which would include, for instance, the power to compel documents. Manitoba Ombudsman Municipal police services are covered under the mandate of the provincial ombudsman. An individual can make a complaint to the body under the Ombudsman Act if they feel an administrative policy, law or bylaw was not adhered to. The body also has the ability to conduct systemic investigations. Justice Minister Under the Police Services Act, if the justice minister determines that a police service has failed to provide 'adequate and effective' policing, they have substantial powers available, including suspending the service, in whole or in part; removing the police chief; or arranging for the RCMP to take over, if remediation is unsuccessful. Marsha McLeodInvestigative reporter Marsha is an investigative reporter. She joined the Free Press in 2023. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Beaten, bound woman left to die in frozen dumpster confronts ‘monster' in Winnipeg courtroom
Her limbs bound with zip ties and tape, her body stuffed into a duffel bag, the petite Indigenous woman was tossed into a large metal garbage dumpster on a cold Winnipeg winter night and left to die. The now-28-year-old woman survived her terrifying ordeal, but 18 months later, still grappling with the trauma that now consumes her life, she wishes she hadn't. 'I wish you had killed me so I don't have to keep living like this anymore, so I can put the pain away,' she told her attacker, Joey Audy, at a sentencing hearing Thursday. Court heard the woman, who was described as vulnerable, lives with pre-existing mental-health and cognitive challenges. She now fears being out in public and can no longer trust men, particularly if they are Indigenous. 'A man shouldn't put hands on our women,' she said. 'Real men don't hit women…. Clearly you are not a real man, at all. You have left me fighting for my life every single day since you brutally beat me and attempted (to) murder me. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The dumpsters behind a Manitoba Housing building at 24 Carlton Street, where a 27-year-old woman was assaulted and forcibly confined before being abandoned in a dumpster, while still restrained, in 2023. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The dumpsters behind a Manitoba Housing building at 24 Carlton Street, where a 27-year-old woman was assaulted and forcibly confined before being abandoned in a dumpster, while still restrained, in 2023. 'I look at my face and see the scars on my bottom lip where you kicked me in the face…. How could you do this to an innocent person? You are a f—king monster and you will always be one to me.' Audy, 36, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder for the unprovoked attack in December 2023. Audy, who has a long and violent criminal record, is the last of five people charged in the incident to be dealt with by the court. Prosecutors are recommending he be sentenced to 18 years in prison, saying his victim narrowly escaped being added to a growing list of Indigenous women in Manitoba who are murdered and discarded like garbage. 'Lest there be any doubt… this has been a life-altering experience,' Crown attorney Courtney St. Croix told provincial court Judge Rachel Rusen. 'She put on a brave face today, but it should not be lost on the court that she wishes he had killed her, that she is fighting for her life every single day because her trauma and emotional pain is unbearable.' 'I look at my face and see the scars on my bottom lip where you kicked me in the face…. How could you do this to an innocent person? You are a f—king monster and you will always be one to me.'–Victim's statement Details were laid out in an agreed statement of facts read out in court. The then-26-year-old victim was waiting for a bus at Sargent Avenue and Maryland Street at about 3:30 p.m. when a man she didn't know approached her and said, 'You're coming with me,' before pulling her onto a departing bus. He took the victim to a Manitoba Housing complex at 24 Carlton St. and led her to a suite where he said he would give her alcohol and she could use the Wi-Fi. In attendance were apartment residents Lorde Barrios and Misty Bird, as well as Audy, Romeo Miles and Evelyn Mckay. Audy and Miles were members of the same gang and had appeared uninvited, armed with a crowbar and knife for the purpose of 'recruiting' Barrios. The woman used the washroom after she entered the suite, during which time the man who took her there left. When she reappeared, Audy asked her who had taken her there and she mistakenly identified Barrios. 'When Barrios denied knowing the victim, Audy accused the victim of being a 'narc' or a 'rat,'' St. Croix told court. Audy told McKay to search the victim for 'wires' and then had the woman place her backpack and jacket in the middle of the room before he punched her in the face, knocking her to to the floor. At Audy's instruction, McKay and Bird bound the victim with duct tape before Audy shoved her under a bed. Audy and Miles left the suite, telling Barros they would return later to 'collect' the victim. 'Barrios, Bird and McKay argued over whether to untie the victim but decided to keep her tied up because Audy was going to return and they were fearful of him,' St. Croix said. McKay left the apartment shortly before 7 p.m. Around 8, when Audy had not yet returned, Barrios and Bird untied the victim and took her with them to play VLTs. Barrios gave her $5 to play the machines. Barrios, Bird and the victim returned to the apartment at 8:40 p.m. Barrios and Bird started using methamphetamine. Audy returned a short time later with another man. 'The victim remained quiet for a short period of time and then started screaming and banging on the dumpster … She was trying to untie herself and panicking as she thought she was going to die.'–Crown attorney Courtney St. Croix 'Over the next three hours, the group was socializing, drinking and doing drugs together,' St. Croix said. 'Audy commented that he was going to toss the victim in the dumpster and light her up' and threatened to 'hang her by a hanger.' McKay returned to the suite shortly after midnight, and Audy told her to tie up the victim again. McKay 'hog-tied' her with zip ties. Duct tape was placed over her mouth. Audy stomped on the woman's head and she was blindfolded before Audy and McKay forced her into a hockey bag and zipped it up. Audy and McKay took the woman to an elevator, as Audy played music on a portable speaker to 'mute (the victim's) screams.' Once outside, they dragged the bag to a dumpster and Audy threw it inside and closed the lid. 'The victim remained quiet for a short period of time and then started screaming and banging on the dumpster,' St. Croix said. 'She was trying to untie herself and panicking as she thought she was going to die.' About a half-hour later, Barrios went outside and heard the woman screaming. He opened the dumpster lid and told the woman he would be right back. He returned an hour later with Bird and the two took her out of the bag and removed her restraints. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Housing building at 24 Carlton Street, where a 27-year-old woman was assaulted and forcibly confined before being abandoned in a dumpster, while still restrained, in 2023. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Housing building at 24 Carlton Street, where a 27-year-old woman was assaulted and forcibly confined before being abandoned in a dumpster, while still restrained, in 2023. She was taken back to the suite, where she was provided a shower, clothing and food. The next morning, Bird helped her board a bus for the Health Sciences Centre, where staff contacted police. Audy's criminal record includes convictions for theft, weapon offences and crimes of violence, frequently targeting women. He 'has shown a clear propensity for violence, often in a manner that is unprovoked and targeted at victims who are vulnerable,' St. Croix said. 'His actions are those of someone who has made a choice to live a violent and criminal lifestyle.' Defence lawyer Mike Cook urged Rusen to impose an eight-year sentence, arguing a life of poverty, addictions and family dysfunction set Audy — who was born to a drug-addicted mother who years later died of an overdose — on a violent path. 'He was born suffering drug withdrawal,' Cook said. 'I can't conceive of a more difficult start in life.' Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. He was seized by child-welfare authorities when he was five days old and spent all of his teen years in abusive foster homes before being left to fend for himself at 19 with no supports or friends, Cook said, adding Audy spent years on the street. Cook said it is suspected Audy lives with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Drug and alcohol addictions have been an issue since he was a teen. 'He's had one of the worst upbringings I've ever seen… I don't think I've (represented) a more tragic figure,' he told Rusen. Audy also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of robbery, for which both the Crown and defence agreed he should be sentenced to an additional two years in prison. Rusen will sentence Audy at a later date. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Safety remains a concern for those affected by Manitoba wildfires
The provincial government has taken over security at an emergency shelter amid persistent safety concerns for evacuees fleeing wildfires far from home. A new security strategy was implemented over the weekend at the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North complex on Leila Avenue. It includes on-site Manitoba Justice and Emergency Social Services staff, along with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, First Nation safety officers and community safety officers, a provincial spokesman said Wednesday. Off-duty members of the Ste. Anne's Police Service and staff from Main Street Project and emergency assistance organization Turtle Team will also be included. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Ronald Kerr, a senior member with Morgan's Warriors, said evacuees at Billy Mosienko Arena could go to them if they had safety concerns but did not feel like they could approach police or security. 'Overall, the goal is to provide a trauma-informed and supportive security response to facilitate a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for evacuees during the evacuation,' the provincial spokesman said in an email. The province has brought in a new private security firm, the spokesman said, but it will work with the other groups as opposed to taking a leading role. He did not name the previous or current security firm involved. The province did not give a reason for the shift in leadership, but community safety has been a point of concern for evacuees, law enforcement and organizations. The Leila soccer complex opened its doors to wildfire evacuees late last month. The province did not say if security measures at other emergency shelters, such as Winnipeg's Century and Eric Coy arenas, have been altered. The RCMP, Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service and Manitoba First Nation Police Service have produced a pamphlet handed out at evacuation centres on how people can keep themselves safe. The WPS said last week it is sending officers to hold 'proactive, pre-emptive patrols' at shelters and several hotels following discussions with service providers and community leaders. When asked if police had made any arrests or intervened in safety issues at evacuee centres, a police spokesperson said in an email 'calls for service have not increased' and did not elaborate further. One Indigenous-led organization providing front-line support to evacuees says safety remains an issue. 'Overall, the goal is to provide a trauma-informed and supportive security response to facilitate a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for evacuees during the evacuation.'–Spokesman Volunteer-run Morgan's Warriors has held regular community walks and needle cleanups, handed out hundreds of hot meals, and organized weekly searches for missing Manitobans since it was founded in 2024. The group was named after Morgan Harris, one of four Indigenous women killed by convicted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki, and is co-chaired by Harris's sister and cousin. When thousands of evacuees, many of them from First Nations communities, took shelter across Manitoba, the group moved quickly: with the support of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Morgan's Warriors helped co-ordinate a donation drive, and provided transportation, clothing, food and other necessities. When the evacuations began, Morgan's Warriors acted as a security resource at shelters around the city, including Billy Mosienko Arena. Ronald Kerr, a senior member with the group, said evacuees could go to them if they had safety concerns but did not feel like they could approach police or security. 'We were providing security within the centres, making sure that our relatives are safe when they're here, because there have been instances already where there are potentially predatory people that are going after our young girls and women,' said Kerr. 'We are watching for our relatives, and we are watching who is watching them, in a sense,' he said. Kerr said that Morgan's Warriors knew not every incident would be reported, because of what he describes as 'fear within the Indigenous community of non-support' from the police. There was also concerns, Kerr said, from evacuees about private security staff. 'There is always that concern that some of the security companies that are out there, and I'm not going to name names or anything, but there seems to be an insensitive approach to this … maybe there's no intent to create harm, but it's felt that way, so people don't feel safe with that, so that's a concern for us,' he said. Morgan's Warriors is no longer providing security as more evacuees have transitioned into staying at hotels, and is now focusing on other efforts to support evacuees as they wait to return home. 'We're doing things with love and compassion for our community,' he said. 'Our slogan is, 'Helping is healing.' And we really try and live up to that.' 'We are watching for our relatives, and we are watching who is watching them, in a sense.'–Ronald Kerr George McLeod, who is staying at a Winnipeg hotel with his seven-year-old daughter after evacuating their home community of Cross Lake nearly two weeks ago, said he'd like to see culturally informed security stationed at hotels. He said he and his daughter have experienced some conflict with private security staff at the hotel they were staying at and said he's heard similar concerns from some staying at the Leila soccer complex. 'To me, I'm always worried, because I'm a parent,' he said. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
