Cross Lake RCMP charged a 20-year-old man with two counts of second-degree murder Wednesday after two men were killed in the northern Manitoba community last week.
Dennis Mitchell McLeod is scheduled to appear in court in Thompson on July 24. He remains in custody.
Police were called to a fight behind a residence in Cross Lake at about 3:40 am last Friday, June 19. They found two injured men on the ground.
The men, aged 26 and 31, later died. Residents told CBC the victims were Mike Apetagon and Robbie Settee.
“Our indigenous youth experience tragedy and violent deaths at rates far greater than other youth populations in the country,” Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak said in a statement of condolences. “This fact and the challenges it represents are exacerbated by a nearly non-existent peacekeeping presence and further cuts by this federal government. For decades our northern communities have pressed for our own policing services, which could help reduce the occurrence of violence in our communities, to no avail.”
Drug bust
RCMP on Tuesday seized cocaine, codeine and marijuana from a 19-year-old woman trying to transport the drugs to Tadoule Lake.
Thompson RCMP received a report of drugs at the Thompson airport. Police said a search revealed the woman was in possession of 60 individual portions of cocaine, 395 tablets of codeine and 92 grams of marijuana.
The suspect is charged with possession of cocaine and codeine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of over 30 grams of marijuana. She was released on her own recognizance and is due to appear in court in Thompson on September 18.
Improvements
The Manitoba government is touting changes to the post-secondary education system it says will better meet student needs and respond to labour market demands.
The Post-Secondary Education Strategy, as it is known, contains system-wide innovations and new partnerships to expand and enhance learning options, Premier Greg Selinger said.
“We want to help young Manitobans find rewarding careers, so as we continue to expand the post-secondary education system, we are working with universities and colleges,” Selinger said, “in a culture of collaboration to make advanced education opportunities more accessible, and ensure that education as a whole is more responsive to the needs of our communities and the good job opportunities here at home.”
Selinger said the goals of the strategy include raising the Aboriginal post-secondary education participation to the provincial average and a “pathways approach” that includes multiple routes to advanced education credentials.
Other goals include leadership in teaching innovation, research and student experience, and building an integrated, collaborative education system.
Friendly reminder
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment is reminding anglers to follow the rules and regulations to help manage fish habitats and ensure natural resource sustainability for future generations.
The province says the biggest challenge for those who manage fisheries, which are fish-producing bodies of water, is the balancing act to maintain a sustainable supply of fish, particularly in multi-use lakes where there can be many different demands placed on the same fish resource.
These lakes can be more difficult to manage as they can have combined pressures from anglers, commercial and subsistence fishers and outfitters, says the province.
“Anglers have the greatest impact on our fish resources,” Ministry of Environment Fisheries Biologist Murray Koob said. “You can place a limit on the number of fish an angler can legally take from a lake, but we don’t control the total number of anglers that might use that particular water body. That’s why it’s so important to understand and follow the rules with respect to limits and other regulations.”
The province can close lakes to fishing or may reduce limits to further reduce the impact that resource users can have on a particular fishery.
Stocking lakes is another option, but Koob said stocking efforts are typically best directed at smaller waters that are experiencing limited natural reproduction.
Anglers are reminded to check the 2015 Anglers’ Guide for information on limits and other regulations for the specific waters they intend to fish.
