A fire broke out at the constituency office of Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine in West Kildonan early on Tuesday morning, following a prior incident where the windows were vandalized. Firefighters responded to the office located at 1763 Main St. in St. Johns shortly before 5 a.m., as confirmed by the Winnipeg police in a conversation with CBC News.
The fire was brought under control by the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service around 5:30 a.m. after firefighters conducted a search of the building and confirmed that no one was inside. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, and the extent of the damage is currently unknown.
Authorities are treating the incident as a major crime and investigating the cause of the fire. Northbound Main Street, which had been closed due to the fire, was reopened to traffic at 6:10 a.m., as per police updates.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Premier Wab Kinew’s office described it as a “serious matter” and stated that the province would refrain from further comments until the police investigation concludes. Premier Wab Kinew addressed the situation during a speech at the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s annual Orange Shirt Healing Walk at Oodena Circle in The Forks on Tuesday. Kinew emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and unity amidst growing political tensions in North America and expressed solidarity with Nahanni Fontaine.
“We stand by you, and everyone should feel safe in their workplace,” Kinew affirmed during the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event.
