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Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours 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.
CBC
16-03-2025
- CBC
Family calls for justice after First Nations mother victim of hit-and-run
Social Sharing The family of a young woman from Buffalo Point First Nation is calling for justice after the mother of two was hit by a white van and left to die on a Winnipeg road. At least 20 people gathered outside Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre Saturday afternoon, drumming and chanting to demand accountability for 25-year-old Margaret Cobiness Jr., or Macey to her family and friends. Ernest Cobiness Sr., Macey's father, said his daughter was walking just south of Osborne Village on Friday night when two men driving a white van began following her. Macey told her father the vehicle pulled up to her, then drove toward her and knocked her to the ground before running her over and driving away. "She's my youngest one. She's always been my little girl," Ernest Cobiness said. "She was underneath the car and she thought she was gonna die." The family believes Macey was the victim of an attempted kidnapping. A spokesperson for Winnipeg Police said a 25-year-old pedestrian was taken to hospital after officers were called to the 400 block of Mulvey Avenue East, just south of Osborne Station, at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday for reports of a collision. Ernest Cobiness Sr. said his daughter was in critical condition, and the family was expecting her to undergo surgery on Saturday evening after the hit and run left her with several broken bones, including in her pelvis, shoulder and ribs. "It's hard to see my little girl laying there like that in pain and crying," he said. "[But] she wanted to make sure that her voice was heard … her story was heard." "The worst thing we can do is be silent about stuff like this," he said, arguing that not speaking up is staying complacent with crimes against Indigenous women. Members of Morgan's Warriors were among those gathered outside the Health Sciences Centre on Saturday afternoon. The outreach group, named for Morgan Harris and led by members of her family and community, supports women and works to ensure they're not preyed upon. A report from Statistics Canada shows Indigenous women and girls experienced violence rates higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Between 2009 and 2021, 490 of Canada's homicide victims were Indigenous women and girls. Macey's hit and run comes weeks after one of her friends was fatally run over in a similar incident, Ernest Cobiness Sr. said. "She thought she was going to be the next one," he said. 'I wish that was me' Macey has been living in Winnipeg, but she and her family are from Buffalo Point First Nation, a community beside the Manitoba-U.S. border about 170 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg. The mother of two was described by her family as a staunch supporter of women's rights. "I never thought my little sister or anybody in my family would get hurt like that," said Kari Cobiness, Macey's older sister, adding she believed the incident was an attempting kidnapping. "Maybe she was gonna be the next Indigenous girl in the landfill," she said. Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization — which represents 32 First Nations in southern Manitoba — said there have been multiple reports over social media of young First Nations women being chased and targeted by men in Winnipeg. While addressing Macey's case on a Facebook post, SCO said it is "clear there are ongoing threats against our citizens," while adding urgent action is needed to address MMIWG2S cases, which has been referred to by the organization as a national emergency. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs referred to Saturday's events on social media as a "horrifying attack," while demanding "real steps" in addressing the violence faced by First Nation women, girls and two-spirit people. "Enough is enough. Our women deserve to be safe," the social media post said. The family received an incident number from Winnipeg police, who told CBC that they continue to investigate the crash. But Ernest Cobiness Sr. said his daughter has little faith the police system will bring justice to her case. "Our people have always been and felt that way, that our women and our people don't mean anything to the justice system or court system … I think that's why a lot of people think they can get away with [what] they're doing," he said. For him, it is important to see his community and supporters, including other men, show up, spread awareness and stand together for justice for women. "I'm thankful that she's alive and she's capable of going to be with us … some other families are not that fortunate and I could never understand how they felt," he said. Macey's mother Margaret Cobiness, who was also at Saturday's rally, said cases like her daughter's happen all too often in Winnipeg. And while Macey survived, she said there was a chance she could have never come back home after Saturday. "I am so sick and tired of the treatment we get here as Indigenous people because it has been going on for so long, too long," she said through tears. "They expect us to walk away from this, I would never walk away from this." "I hope this never happens to anybody, not my kids, not anybody … I wish that was me in there," Margaret Cobiness said.
CBC
06-03-2025
- CBC
Mother searches for closure in daughter's homicide, fights for her to not be forgotten
Social Sharing Four years after Jana Williams' remains were found outside a Winnipeg building, there is still little known about her death — a homicide that has no arrests and her family searching for answers. "I want some peace and I want some closure," Charlene Williams, Jana's mother told CBC News. "I want justice for my daughter." Jana's family and friends gathered for a vigil Wednesday evening on what would have been her 33rd birthday, to remember and mourn the mother whose remains were discovered March 4, 2021, in the city's North Point Douglas neighbourhood. Dozens walked south along Main Street from Inkster Boulevard, taking over the left lane of traffic. Some in the crowd held posters with Jana's picture and the words "never forgotten." Among dozens in the walk were members of Morgan's Warriors, who stood at the back of the group, some drumming and singing. The crowd crossed Main and continued down Alfred Avenue, where Williams said police found part of Jana's body inside a suitcase against the wall of a building near the Red River. "She was an outgoing person, she helped everyone," Williams said. "She just loved life and loved her children and loved her family." Though Jana was raised in Winnipeg, her family is from Hollow Water First Nation. She had two daughters and one son, who are now 15, 13 and 8 years old, Williams said. Jana was also six months pregnant when she died, Williams said. Her fourth child, now known as hummingbird, was also remembered at Wednesday's vigil. A teddy bear, flowers and tea lights were placed on a bench painted with hummingbirds, set underneath a tree with bird feeders erected in Jana and her baby's memory. While her daughter is present in her memory every day, Williams feels Jana has been forgotten by police, who declared her death a homicide in March 2021 but who have said little about their investigation since. The last time she spoke with police about her daughter's death was two to three years ago, when an officer told her they were going to find who was behind Jana's death, Williams said. "I haven't heard [anything] yet," she said. CBC News reached out to police for comment but hasn't received a response. "She's been forgotten," Williams said. "It's tough. It's really tough right now. "When I'm laying in bed, I close my eyes, and I can picture my daughter fighting for her life … she was a pretty tough girl." At the vigil, Kristine Johnston, president of the SOS Sisterhood community group, said that even years after Jana's death, little is known about what happened to her. "It's unfortunately being swept under the rug," Johnston said, adding, "it's not just Miss Williams, it's so many others that have gone missing and are murdered and still unsolved today. "It's tragic and it has to stop." A report from Statistics Canada shows Indigenous women and girls experienced violence rates higher than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Between 2009 and 2021, 490 of Canada's homicide victims were Indigenous women and girls. "We're not going to stand for this anymore," Johnston said. "There's so many monsters that walk among us that this is why we get together." Williams said she can't begin healing until she puts her daughter's soul to rest by getting justice in her death. Until then, "I'm going to keep doing this every year."
