‘We heard a scream': encampment ODs highlight city's drug, homeless crisis
What began as a routine training session for homelessness outreach workers Wednesday turned into a life-or-death emergency when two youths were found overdosing in an encampment behind the Granite Curling Club.
Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, was showing her team a different part of the city — well known for its multiple encampments along the Assiniboine River — when the situation took a sudden turn.
'It was only by chance we ended up behind the Granite Curling Club, talking to some people who had small encampments there, when we heard a scream,' she said.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
The Wednesday afternoon incident in a riverbank encampment near the Granite Curling Club highlights the city's drug and homelessness crisis, Marion Willis said.
The cry led them to a tent, where they found two youths who she said had overdosed on fentanyl.
'It took a considerable amount of naloxone and chest compressions to get them breathing again and keep them breathing until paramedics arrived,' Willis said.
Emergency crews, including a fire engine and two ambulances, rushed to the scene. While the city declined to provide details due to privacy rules, photos and videos reviewed by the Free Press showed several responders treating the victims.
Winnipeg police said they were called around 3:45 p.m. to help paramedics transport a male and a female to hospital, confirming both were youths. Willis said one of the youths became uncooperative after regaining consciousness and tried to flee.
'These were two kids,' Willis said. 'At the peak of it all, there were about 11 medical personnel there, two cruiser cars, and my team there. It was a baptism by fire for our team.'
The incident highlights the city's drug and homelessness crisis, Willis said. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced the Your Way Home strategy in January, which aims to end chronic homelessness by 2031.
Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, the lead on Manitoba's homelessness strategy, said Thursday the province is still on track to move 700 people out of encampments and into housing, despite sheltering only 45 people five months on.
Blaikie Whitecloud said housing units are in the process of being built and blamed the former Progressive Conservative government for taking away affordable housing.
She said more homes will be coming this month and over the summer, pointing to a May news release from the province that said 67 new housing units spread across three locations had been purchased for $6.4 million and will be filled with tenants in the coming months.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS
Tents are seen along the riverbank in the area behind the Granite Curling Club Thursday.
Blaikie Whitecloud said the province expects to get a clearer picture of how many people want housing once application data comes in next week.
'It takes a lot of time to build units… we're working as quickly as we can,' she said. 'We know the growth is going to get faster… as well, we are going to have people graduating into permanent, secure housing, reconnecting with family, and that's going to create units available for what we've already brought online.'
Of the 45 people currently housed through the province, 41 came through Main Street Project, which runs multiple facilities beyond its downtown shelter.
Blaikie Whitecloud said outreach work is being done to ensure people in encampments are as comfortable and as safe as they can be while they await approval through the application process.
'It's the first time in the years I've been in this sector that people are having a conversation about housing being a reality for them,' said the former Siloam Mission chief executive officer. 'So there's hope.'
The provincial strategy offers low-barrier housing so that people living with addictions can still be housed and receive treatment and supports.
Willis and Street Links workers dismantled the encampment where the two youths who overdosed had been living. With no garbage trucks available, some debris had to be left behind overnight. When they returned Thursday morning, the camp had already been rebuilt.
A woman who put the encampment back up was offered housing by Street Links, and by Thursday afternoon, she had moved into transitional housing. A portion of the cleanup was recorded and shared on Willis's Facebook page.
'She cried tears of joy,' Willis said of the woman after she made the housing offer.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, said she and her team witnessed two youths overdosing in an encampment.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
By Thursday afternoon, garbage still littered the area, and a city worker could be seen collecting discarded needles.
Willis believes Winnipeg's fentanyl crisis drives its homelessness problem — and that neither issue can be solved in isolation.
Al Wiebe, who has lived through homelessness and now advocates for others, called the issue multi-pronged.
'It's always more than one issue,' he said. 'Mental illness, as well, plays a big role. Many have lost housing with rising housing and food costs. Addictions are a big part of it. I feel we should get the harm reduction set up 100 per cent correctly, or don't do it until all the elements are in place.'
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott BilleckReporter
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
Every piece of reporting Scott 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘We heard a scream': encampment ODs highlight city's drug, homeless crisis
What began as a routine training session for homelessness outreach workers Wednesday turned into a life-or-death emergency when two youths were found overdosing in an encampment behind the Granite Curling Club. Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, was showing her team a different part of the city — well known for its multiple encampments along the Assiniboine River — when the situation took a sudden turn. 'It was only by chance we ended up behind the Granite Curling Club, talking to some people who had small encampments there, when we heard a scream,' she said. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS The Wednesday afternoon incident in a riverbank encampment near the Granite Curling Club highlights the city's drug and homelessness crisis, Marion Willis said. The cry led them to a tent, where they found two youths who she said had overdosed on fentanyl. 'It took a considerable amount of naloxone and chest compressions to get them breathing again and keep them breathing until paramedics arrived,' Willis said. Emergency crews, including a fire engine and two ambulances, rushed to the scene. While the city declined to provide details due to privacy rules, photos and videos reviewed by the Free Press showed several responders treating the victims. Winnipeg police said they were called around 3:45 p.m. to help paramedics transport a male and a female to hospital, confirming both were youths. Willis said one of the youths became uncooperative after regaining consciousness and tried to flee. 'These were two kids,' Willis said. 'At the peak of it all, there were about 11 medical personnel there, two cruiser cars, and my team there. It was a baptism by fire for our team.' The incident highlights the city's drug and homelessness crisis, Willis said. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced the Your Way Home strategy in January, which aims to end chronic homelessness by 2031. Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, the lead on Manitoba's homelessness strategy, said Thursday the province is still on track to move 700 people out of encampments and into housing, despite sheltering only 45 people five months on. Blaikie Whitecloud said housing units are in the process of being built and blamed the former Progressive Conservative government for taking away affordable housing. She said more homes will be coming this month and over the summer, pointing to a May news release from the province that said 67 new housing units spread across three locations had been purchased for $6.4 million and will be filled with tenants in the coming months. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS Tents are seen along the riverbank in the area behind the Granite Curling Club Thursday. Blaikie Whitecloud said the province expects to get a clearer picture of how many people want housing once application data comes in next week. 'It takes a lot of time to build units… we're working as quickly as we can,' she said. 'We know the growth is going to get faster… as well, we are going to have people graduating into permanent, secure housing, reconnecting with family, and that's going to create units available for what we've already brought online.' Of the 45 people currently housed through the province, 41 came through Main Street Project, which runs multiple facilities beyond its downtown shelter. Blaikie Whitecloud said outreach work is being done to ensure people in encampments are as comfortable and as safe as they can be while they await approval through the application process. 'It's the first time in the years I've been in this sector that people are having a conversation about housing being a reality for them,' said the former Siloam Mission chief executive officer. 'So there's hope.' The provincial strategy offers low-barrier housing so that people living with addictions can still be housed and receive treatment and supports. Willis and Street Links workers dismantled the encampment where the two youths who overdosed had been living. With no garbage trucks available, some debris had to be left behind overnight. When they returned Thursday morning, the camp had already been rebuilt. A woman who put the encampment back up was offered housing by Street Links, and by Thursday afternoon, she had moved into transitional housing. A portion of the cleanup was recorded and shared on Willis's Facebook page. 'She cried tears of joy,' Willis said of the woman after she made the housing offer. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, said she and her team witnessed two youths overdosing in an encampment. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. By Thursday afternoon, garbage still littered the area, and a city worker could be seen collecting discarded needles. Willis believes Winnipeg's fentanyl crisis drives its homelessness problem — and that neither issue can be solved in isolation. Al Wiebe, who has lived through homelessness and now advocates for others, called the issue multi-pronged. 'It's always more than one issue,' he said. 'Mental illness, as well, plays a big role. Many have lost housing with rising housing and food costs. Addictions are a big part of it. I feel we should get the harm reduction set up 100 per cent correctly, or don't do it until all the elements are in place.' Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott 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
13-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Police chief expresses desire for advanced-tech stun guns to replace officers' firearms
The head of the Winnipeg Police Service hopes stun guns can help reduce the use of more lethal force, eventually to the point officers no longer need guns. 'Those alternate weapons, intermediate weapons, they save lives. And the technology is just advancing rapidly, where my hope is one day that we never have a shooting where someone's lost their life,' said WPS Chief Gene Bowers. 'So, if that's the use of leveraging technology, I hope one day it gets to there, that firearms aren't a needed weapon.' Bowers' comments followed the release of an annual use of force report, which notes WPS officers used Tasers 524 times last year, including 221 instances in which the devices were presented and/or used to coerce someone, 216 times stun-gun probes were deployed (for use over a longer distance) and 87 times when the weapons were used to 'push stun' (applied while pressing the device against someone.) MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Police chief Gene Bowers said Tasers offer a safer alternative to guns. The combined use is up from a five-year average of 262 times per year since 2019, and 302 total uses in 2023. Bowers said Tasers offer a safer alternative to guns. 'Any time that we're not using deadly force is a good thing,' he said. The latest Tasers can subdue a person from a further distance away, increasing their effectiveness, he noted. In 2024, police either presented a weapon or used force in 968 incidents, or 0.4 per cent of 239,903 total dispatches, up from 0.33 per cent the previous year. Serious incidents included six officer-involved shootings and four fatalities last year. While the chief highlighted benefits of stun-gun use, a local law professor cautioned against framing Tasers as a safe tool, which could lead police to use them more readily. 'There is a risk with this perception that Tasers are essentially not lethal weapons. They should be considered as less-lethal weapons, they're less likely to result in death,' said Brandon Trask, an associate professor of law at the University of Manitoba. He noted deaths in North America has been linked to Tasers, which he said are more dangerous for people who are intoxicated by drugs or have a heart condition. 'A pretty major electrical current going through their body can result in some pretty horrific outcomes,' said Trask. He expressed doubt that police could completely end their reliance on guns, since they are at risk of facing much more lethal weapons on the job. 'It's very ambitious to think that this advancement in this area of technology is going to be a huge game-changer,' he said. Meanwhile, the police chief also shed light on several other key WPS files. When asked if he personally supported calls to search the Prairie Green landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women slain by a serial killer before he became the chief of police, Bowers said he did. 'I've always been supportive of a search, an advocate of that,' he said. Bowers served as WPS deputy chief in charge of investigations when the decision was made to not search Prairie Green for the remains of Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris, which was met with intense community backlash. A search eventually did begin late last year and has since located both women's remains. Bowers also revealed that police are still pursuing a plan to track race-based data of people officers interact with and will hire an external Indigenous consultant who will work on that file. 'It would be an external consultant to help with reconciliation, to help with partnerships (with) the Indigenous community… to ensure that we're doing things that aren't offensive or causing issues with the community,' he said. In a separate update, police also noted the Manitoba Integrated Violent Offender Apprehension Unit, a joint effort of WPS and the RCMP, has now made 730 arrests. The unit aims to crack down on violent and prolific offenders. Bowers noted two federal changes he'd like to see to help reduce the number of people who commit repeated acts of violence. 'If someone's to the point where they're utilizing firearms, machetes and causing harm to citizens… consideration to the release should be really considered. If they do reoffend, there should be something in place where they should be detained in custody until they can have their hearing… that's bail reform,' said Bowers. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. The federal government should also explore imposing mandatory minimum sentences for some offences linked to using firearms and other dangerous weapons, such as machetes, he said. The police chief also supports creating a 24-hour sobering or detox unit for first responders to take people experiencing drug-related psychosis. 'I think there's a great need for somewhere where we can take people that they're safe and other people are safe… if they're in a psychosis…. It's just working through the logistics of it and getting it in place,' he said. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne 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
10-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ex-U.K. soldier sentenced to prison for ‘vicious assault' that killed Winnipeg man in Toronto bar
TORONTO — A former British soldier who delivered three lethal elbows to the head of a Winnipeg entrepreneur in a Toronto bar was sentenced to four years and three months in prison Tuesday. 'This was a vicious assault with tragic consequences,' Superior Court Justice Katherine Corrick said during sentencing in a downtown Toronto courtroom. Craig Gibson, 30, was taken into custody late last month. He showed no emotion as he stood up with his arms outstretched, waiting to be handcuffed and taken back to prison. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Brett Sheffield On Aug. 28, 2023, Gibson, then a corporal with the British Armed Forces, had just completed a reconnaissance competition in Thunder Bay and was in Toronto on his way home to England. Brett Sheffield, 38, and some of his employees from Pilot Mound-based NextGen Drainage Solutions,were in Toronto on a business trip. Both men and their friends went to Locals Only Bar on King Street West that night. Surveillance footage showed the two groups interacting good-naturedly with each other while consuming copious amounts of alcohol. A disagreement arose, however, and after heated words, Gibson elbowed Sheffield three times in the head. Officers responded to the incident at 11:25 p.m. that night and 'life-saving measures were commenced on scene,' but the victim died two days later in hospital, the Toronto Police Service said at the time. A Toronto jury convicted Gibson of manslaughter in December, rejecting his testimony that he was acting in self-defence because he believed Sheffield was carrying a knife. The judge said Tuesday that what happened that evening was not 'a one-punch manslaughter,' nor a bar fight. Gibson struck Sheffield 'without warning' and had to be pulled away by others. She called Gibson 'a strong and powerful man.' He testified he grew up in a rough part of Scotland 'where you did not make it through school if you did not know how to handle yourself. And he knew how to handle himself.' He had been living in England with his fiancée and infant daughter while on bail. When he was 21, Gibson joined the British army and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Kosovo. While Gibson was dishonourably discharged, his British Army superiors submitted letters of support to the court. They described him as a disciplined, dependable soldier who has acted as an instructor and mentor to junior colleagues. As a result of the conviction and sentence, he has lost any chance of realizing his lifelong goal of serving as a member of the SAS, an elite special forces unit in the British army. There is no minimum sentence for manslaughter, and the maximum is life imprisonment. Prosecutors had asked for a six-and-a-half-year sentence. Defence lawyers recommended a sentence of between two and three years. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Corrick also addressed the impact Sheffield's death has had on his loved ones, 'who continue to struggle with profound grief and the immense hole that's been left in their lives.' During the sentencing hearing last month, Sheffield was described in victim impact statements as a successful entrepreneur who was gentle, compassionate and generous, the kind of person who would take a homeless man to a restaurant and buy him coffee and pie. His 96-year-old grandmother wrote the family 'will never get over his tragic, cruel, unnecessary death.' Sheffield's fiancée wrote that not only has she lost her best friend, lover and confidant, but her two children have been robbed of their hero. — Toronto Star
