Media releases

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responds to a fire on Regal Avenue

City of Winnipeg — 10/21/2026 - 12:04

Winnipeg, MB – At 3:53 a.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in two houses under construction in the 200 block of Regal Avenue.

At the scene, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the houses and threatening other nearby buildings. The 9-1-1 communications centre dispatched additional firefighters to the scene to assist. Some neighbouring homes were temporarily evacuated.

Firefighters declared the fire under control at 4:45 a.m.

No injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation. Both houses sustained significant damage.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responds to a fire on De Jong Crescent

City of Winnipeg — 10/20/2026 - 13:06

Winnipeg, MB – At 1:54 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in a house on De Jong Crescent.

At the scene, crews found smoke coming from the house. Firefighters attacked the fire and declared it under control at 2:39 a.m.

All occupants safely self-evacuated before crews arrived. No injuries were reported.

The fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available

Strong advance voter turnout as Community Advance Voting begins today

City of Winnipeg — 10/19/2026 - 12:09

Winnipeg, MB – Voters have five days left to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day on October 28. Community Advance Voting begins today and is another convenient way people can vote for the offices of Mayor, Councillor, and School Trustee.

This election, we’re providing more voting opportunities with Community Advance Voting running for four days. That’s up from three days in recent elections. Polling locations will be open 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. daily in all 15 Council Wards until Thursday, October 22.

All voters are also welcome to vote at City Hall until Friday, October 23. This location is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, except on Thursday, October 22. That’s when City Hall will be open for extended voting hours from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Voter’s notices outlining voting locations have been mailed to all registered voters. Residents are encouraged to bring their notice with them when they go to vote. It will make the process quicker and easier.

Voters can visit winnipeg.ca/wheredoivote or call 311 for a complete list of locations available to them. They should also check the identification requirements before heading to the polls.

Advance voting response

During the advance voting period, election workers have been visiting shopping centres, hospitals, care homes, post-secondary schools, and other locations to offer voters the opportunity to vote.

As of Sunday evening, 25,514 ballots had been cast. This is an all-time high for this point during advance voting in a Municipal Council and School Boards Election.

A single-day advance voting location record of 1,879 votes cast was set on Friday, October 16 at the St. Vital Centre location. During the busiest hour, 366 votes were cast which is an average of one voter processed every 10 seconds.

“We know people are busy, so it’s important for us to make sure they can vote as quickly as possible,” said Sherwood Armbruster, Senior Election Official. “It’s great to see voter engagement at this level and our team is ready to welcome even more voters at locations this week and on Election Day.”

More information is available by visiting winnipeg.ca/election2026 or by contacting 311.

City responds to Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters Inquiry final report

City of Winnipeg — 10/19/2026 - 16:23

Winnipeg, MB – Mayor Scott Gillingham and Joseph Dunford, the City of Winnipeg’s Chief Administrative Officer today responded to the report of the Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters Inquiry, committing to address the report recommendations and detailing significant measures already taken to improve the governance, oversight, and delivery of large-scale, publicly funded capital projects.

“I want to thank Commissioner Smorang and the Inquiry Commission for their work,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “The events examined in this report happened 15 to 18 years ago, and a lot has changed at City Hall since then. We've spent years auditing and improving how we manage major projects and protect taxpayers' money. I'm pleased the Commissioner has recognized that progress, and I believe his report validates much of the work we've done while showing us where we can go further.”

Since 2014, the City has made substantive procedural changes to strengthen oversight, improve accountability, and identify conflicts of interest to prevent this level of fraud from occurring in the future.

“Maintaining an open, collaborative and well-supported public service is a top priority for me – and an important recommendation within the report,” said Dunford. “Ensuring senior members of the Public Service are comfortable identifying concerns and speaking truth to power are at the foundation of good governance of every project.”

The report recommendations identify procurement improvements, reporting requirement amendments, and conflict-of-interest requirements, several of which have been implemented by the City since 2014.

This includes:

Clarifying governance, reporting, accountability, and project leadership roles
Involving legal teams in the development and drafting of requests for proposals for mega projects
Strengthening procurement practices, including piloting the use of standardized construction documents
Undertaking industry engagement in the early stages of project development
Involving independent and external parties in the costing and audit of project invoices
Completing an external needs analysis to improve project management
Expanding requirements for use of conflict-of-interest disclosures
Engaging fairness monitor for mega projects (over $500 million)
Conducting a best practice analysis for RFP and contract documentation for alternate delivery projects (public private partnerships, design build and progressive design build) with input from external legal with large-scale infrastructure expertise.
Updated real estate policy and creation of an independent fairness commissioner role

Gillingham also highlighted the Commissioner's recognition of the City's efforts to recover money through legal action.

“The Commissioner specifically commended the elected officials and City staff who pursued legal action to recover the money owed to Winnipeg taxpayers,” said Gillingham. “That decision was important because it sent a clear message: if you try to rip off the City of Winnipeg and its taxpayers, we're going to come after you. Through years of legal action, we've now recovered nearly $30 million, and I want to thank everyone who supported and pursued that effort.”

“Our duty is to Winnipeg residents and taxpayers, who expect and deserve better. I have directed the Public Service to immediately develop an implementation plan to address the remaining recommendations with a report to Council.”

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responds to a fire on Archibald Street

City of Winnipeg — 10/19/2026 - 09:53

Winnipeg, MB – At 8:51 p.m. on Sunday, October 18, 2026, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in a vacant, two-storey house in the 600 block of Archibald Street. The house was undergoing renovations at the time of the incident.

When crews arrived, they found smoke and flames coming from the house and a utility trailer parked next to the house. Firefighters entered the house and attacked the fire from the inside. They brought the fire under control at 9:14 p.m.

Firefighters searched both the trailer and the house and found no occupants. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Damage estimates are not available.

Winnipeg Public Library invites applications to be a Maker-in-Residence in 2027

City of Winnipeg — 10/19/2026 - 10:01

Winnipeg, MB- Winnipeg Public Library is looking for its next Makers-in-Residence.

Applications are now open for the 2027 program.

The Maker-in-Residence (MiR) program connects library visitors with professional Winnipeg-based makers who have skills in visual/creative arts, technology, and/or digital media.

We need Makers-in-Residence who are:

Passionate about making/creating
Skilled in teaching and mentoring
Excited to work with people of all backgrounds and abilities

Successful applicants will offer drop-in times at Millennium Library’s ideaMILL makerspace three times a week. They will provide the public with opportunities to learn new skills, gain insight into the maker’s creative process, and use tools available at the ideaMILL. The MiR will also conduct at least five scheduled public workshops for adults, youth, or children.

Applications are now open for the next two residencies through 2027. Each Maker-in-Residence term runs for 18 weeks. Term one will start mid-February, running until mid-June. Term two will start mid-August, running until mid-December.

The application deadline for both terms is Monday, November 9, 2026.

For more information on the program and how to apply, visit: winnipeg.ca/makerinresidence.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responds to fires on Kennedy Street and College Avenue

City of Winnipeg — 10/17/2026 - 19:05

Winnipeg, MB – Since yesterday, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) responded to two structure fires.

Kennedy Street fire

At 3:54 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2026, WFPS responded reports of a fire in a high-rise apartment in the 300 block of Kennedy Street.

At the scene, crews found smoke coming from the building. Firefighters attacked the fire and declared it under control at 4:14 p.m.

Paramedics assessed one patient and no transportation to hospital was required.

The fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available.

College Avenue fire

At 12:04 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in the 300 block of College Avenue.

At the scene, crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the building.

Firefighters attacked the fire and declared it under control at 12:50 a.m. Paramedics treated one patient and transported them to hospital in unstable condition.

The fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available.

Roads closing for WFPS Run

City of Winnipeg — 10/16/2026 - 14:52

Winnipeg, MB – A number of streets will close for a portion of Sunday, October 18, 2026 to accommodate the annual WFPS Run.

Full closures will be in place from 4 a.m. to noon on:

Shaftesbury Boulevard between Corydon Avenue and Grant Avenue (both directions)

Roblin Boulevard between Shaftesbury Boulevard and William R Clement Parkway (both directions)

Eastbound Corydon Avenue between Lamont Boulevard and Shaftesbury Boulevard

Traffic will be reduced to one lane on many other streets through Charleswood, St. James, and Wolseley from 4 a.m. to noon.

Drivers should expect delays and plan alternate routes if possible.

For regular updates on City of Winnipeg lane closures and to view lane closures of major streets on an interactive map, please visit City of Winnipeg - Lane Closures.

Download and use the Waze app for real-time traffic and incident updates as well as traffic re-route options.

For Transit re-route and schedule information, visit winnipegtransit.com or contact 311.

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responds to a fire on Manitoba Avenue

City of Winnipeg — 10/16/2026 - 13:34

Winnipeg, MB – At 8:22 a.m. on Friday, October 16, 2026, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to reports of a fire in a multi-unit home in the 300 block of Manitoba Avenue.

At the scene, crews found smoke coming from the house. Firefighters attacked the fire and declared it under control at 9:18 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Winnipeg Transit and the City of Winnipeg’s Emergency Social Services team responded to the scene to provide temporary shelter and support for displaced residents.

The fire is under investigation. No damage estimates are available.

Princess Street closing for watermain renewal

City of Winnipeg — 10/15/2026 - 15:50

Winnipeg, MB – Princess Street will fully close tomorrow morning between James Avenue and William Avenue.

The closure will begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Friday, October 16) and will be in place until approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 18.

The closure will extend to the sidewalk on the west side of the street as well as the bike lane.

Transit will be rerouted during the closure. Follow @TransitAlerts on X for up-to-date stop and service information.

For updates and an interactive map of City of Winnipeg lane closures, visit our Lane Closures map.

Drivers can also download and use the Waze app for real-time traffic and incident updates.