Latest news with #PortageLaPrairie
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for southern Manitoba
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for parts of Manitoba. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said Portage la Prairie and St. Ambroise are under the warning. ECCC said an incoming severe thunderstorm is capable of producing very strong wind gusts of up to 90 km/hour, heavy rain, and up to nickel-sized hail. As of 9:45 p.m. Friday, the system was near Oakland, moving east at 30 km/hour. Delta Beach may also be impacted by this system.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Manitoba hotel owners charged with trafficking employees who were underpaid, threatened with deportation: RCMP
A couple who own a hotel in the rural municipality of Portage la Prairie have been charged with human trafficking following a months-long police investigation, where four employees from India reported being underpaid, forced to work 15-hour days and threatened with deportation. Jai Inder Sandhu, 62, and Satbir Sandhu, 48, were charged with trafficking in persons and receiving material benefit from trafficking, Sgt. Cathy Farrell with the Manitoba RCMP human trafficking unit said at a Thursday news conference. Jai Inder Sandhu was also charged with withholding or destroying documents and uttering threats. The investigation began on Feb. 9, when Mounties got a call about a disturbance at the hotel west of Winnipeg, where the four employees lived and worked. Two female employees later came forward to report their situation to police, and another woman and a man were later also identified as victims, according to RCMP. "Our goal from the outset was to help these victims of labour trafficking," Farrell said. "They all came to Canada in good faith believing they were going to work legally and be protected. Instead, they were threatened and forced to work for very little pay." Farrell said all four were promised fair wages, affordable living and legal work in Manitoba through federal labour market impact assessments — documents issued to employers by the federal government that allow them to hire foreign workers if they can't find a Canadian or permanent resident to fill a position. Until recently, those assessments both allowed foreign nationals to work legally in Canada and increased their chances of becoming permanent residents by adding points to their permanent residency applications. In the Portage la Prairie case, while three of the employees eventually got the assessment document, which would have legalized their work, the employer didn't meet the conditions outlined. Another of the employees never got one, RCMP said. The employees reported being paid roughly half of Manitoba's minimum hourly wage, and said they faced threats of deportation and other intimidation tactics. In one instance, one person said their identification documents were withheld from them, Farrell said. The four did "pretty much everything" at the hotel, from working the front counter and the restaurant to doing housekeeping and cleaning duties. One person was recruited through friends of family, while others got involved through word of mouth or advertisements online. All had been working at the hotel for between 10 months and a year, Farrell said. Victims urged to reach out for help Janet Campbell, president and CEO of human trafficking awareness group the Joy Smith Foundation, encouraged people to get in touch with her organization to learn more about the topic and report potential trafficking cases. "We certainly understand that reaching out for help isn't always easy. When somebody has been isolated, threatened, misled, there's a lot of fear and uncertainty that goes along with that, and what will happen to them if they speak up," Campbell said at the news conference. "I think if people understand the issue of forced labour more broadly, the community can be an incredibly powerful tool in the effort to identify these things and speak up." Dianna Bussey, executive director of correctional and justice services at the Salvation Army, said that organization is also involved in helping people exploited by traffickers, adding they've seen an increase in human trafficking cases, with the past year in particular a notable one for labour trafficking cases. The RCMP's Farrell said determining how common similar situations are is difficult, even though trafficking is an issue she described as "often hidden in plain sight." "There's a lot of apprehension … [about] coming forward to the police," she said. "It is one of the most underreported crimes that we have." Migrant workers, newcomers and vulnerable people are considered the most at-risk for labour trafficking, a form of human trafficking that involves recruiting, moving and holding victims to coerce them into working, she said. That coercion often involves force, threats, mental and emotional abuse, and manipulation, said Farrell. Industries where it often happens include construction, agriculture, manufacturing, food processing, trucking and the restaurant business, she said.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Manitoba RCMP to announce arrests in labour trafficking investigation
An RCMP epaulette is seen in Edmonton, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson The Manitoba RCMP is set to make an announcement regarding a labour trafficking investigation on Thursday afternoon. According to police, the investigation resulted in the arrest of two people in Portage la Prairie, Man. Sgt. Cathy Farrell with the RCMP, Janet Campbell with the Joy Smith Foundation and Dianna Bussey with The Salvation Army will be speaking at the news conference, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the RCMP Headquarters. CTV News will provide more information as it becomes available.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Family still searching 17 years after Jennifer Catcheway's disappearance
Bernice and Wilfred Catcheway share their 17-year journey searching for their daughter, missing since her 18th birthday. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual The parents of a missing teenager are continuing their search after their daughter disappeared 17 years ago today. Jennifer Catcheway went missing on her 18th birthday on June 19, 2008. The teen was on her way home from Grand Rapids to her parents' home in Portage la Prairie, but she never made it. Jennifer's parents', Bernice and Wilfred Catcheway, said every day without their daughter has been difficult. Bernice said it still feels like her daughter just disappeared, though years have passed. 'It's been 17 years today she hasn't been home,' she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Thursday. 'We haven't heard from her. We've been searching for her every summer right to the fall.' During their search, the family has looked far beyond where Jennifer went missing, with Wilfred saying they've looked from Grand Rapids all the way to Pine Creek First Nation. 'There's a lot of stories we have to follow up and it's hard to deal with the false rumours,' he said, noting that to this day they are still getting tips. Bernice and Wilfred plan to resume their search for Jennifer in the next few weeks, with Bernice saying she believes there's someone out there who can help solve the case. 'We have information, we have video footage, we have things like that,' she said. 'But we need that person to come forward anonymously, any which way you can get the message to me or Crime Stoppers.' The parents are holding a barbecue on Sagkeeng First Nation on June 29 to mark Jennifer's birthday and all are welcome. - With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Man exposes himself to three girls in Portage la Prairie park: RCMP
Charges have been laid in connection to an alleged indecent exposure involving three girls in Portage la Prairie, Man. Police say they received a report June 13 of a man exposing himself in a park on Cambridge Street. Officers found witnesses on scene who were able to give a description of the suspect. They soon found and arrested him without incident. Mounties say their investigation found the man had exposed himself to three girls. None of the victims, who were between 10 and 12 years old, were threatened or physically touched by the man, officers say. A 39-year-old man from Portage la Prairie was charged with indecent acts and three counts of exposure. He was released for a future court date. RCMP continues to investigate. None of the charges have been proven in court.
