A Muslim comic book artist, a legislature sit-in, and several personal stories of the refugees crossing the Emerson border are all part of this week’s headlines!

Missing Persons Alert

Christine Woodchristine wood

The parents of a missing Manitoba woman renewed a plea for help Friday — which happens to be their daughter’s 22nd birthday. Sunday will mark six months since Christine Wood went missing. “We’re waiting for her every day and every second for her to call us,” said Melinda Wood, Christine’s mother.

“I wish I could hug her, tell her ‘happy birthday,’ I love her,” Melinda said on the phone from Oxford House.

The Wood family has searched tirelessly for their daughter who vanished on Aug. 19 in Winnipeg. But so far, their search hasn’t been successful. The Wood family told CBC their daughter came with them from Oxford House to Winnipeg to help a family member attend a medical appointment.

When Melinda and Christine’s father George returned home to their hotel room, Christine was gone. “I think of her all the time, wondering where she is, if she’s OK,” Melinda said.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection also put out another call for help finding Wood on social media Friday. “My heart breaks for them,” said Michelle Ham, who works in the centre’s child safety division which is behind the website missingkids.ca, where Wood is featured. Ham said staff at the centre continue their efforts to find Wood — something she hopes gives some reassurance to Wood’s parents, who are now back in their home community of Oxford House.

“The search continues even when they’re at home,” Ham said. Ham said the centre has ads with a picture of Wood’s face on billboards across Canada. “Nothing’s going to slow down,” she added. Melinda said her family plans to return to Winnipeg when the weather warms up to continue their search for Christine. She begged anyone who may have seen her daughter to call police. “We want to know if she’s OK.”

Poverty & Community Outreach

  • Meet Autumn, a stereotype-smashing Muslim comic book artist: CBC
  • Winnipeg students hand out coffee cards to honour slain bus driver: CBC
  • ‘She touched so many of our lives ‘: Girl who wished for community playground dies: CBC
  • Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra welcomes 1,000 newcomers to free performance: CBC
  • New statistics show Manitobans practise virtue of charity: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Getting involved in human rights: Winnipeg Free Press

Gender & Sexuality

  • ‘She’s not alone’: Winnipeg mother of sex assault victim offers advice to teen, mom after St. Vital incident: CBC
  • ‘My only goal is to get justice’: Sue Caribou heads to MMIW inquiry’s 1st family advisory circle: CBC

Refugees & Race

  • ‘They need help’: Surge in donations following swell of asylum-seekers: CBC
  • MaryAnn Mihychuk, Robert-Falcon Ouellette visit Emerson, Man., to hear from residents: CBC
  • 3 steps the government must take to regain control of immigration: CBC
  • Asylum seekers learning to cope without hands after frostbitten walk into Canada: CBC
  • ‘A waiting game’: Families wonder why immigration applications in limbo with influx of asylum seekers: CBC
  • Trudeau ‘must’ raise border crossings with Trump, says Manitoba premier: CBC
  • English class in high demand at Winnipeg high school: CBC
  • Refugee influx: 5 things to know about illegal border crossings into Canada: CBC
  • Manitoba boosts funds for asylum seekers, calls on feds to step up: CBC
  • Liberal MLA takes stand on immigration ‘backlog’ with legislature sit-in: CBC,Winnipeg Free Press
  • ‘We’re going to run into problems’: Manitoba flood would endanger asylum seekers: CBC, Winnipeg Free Press
  • ‘I’d rather die than go there’: Gay Egyptian seeks asylum: CBC
  • Operation Ezra Yazidi families arrive in Winnipeg, support refugee resettlement plan:CBC
  • Asylum seeker says husband, mother were killed on wedding day in Somalia: CBC
  • Pallister seeks co-ordination with feds to deal with refugee surge: CBC
  • More resources helping to ease load as wave of refugees continues at Emerson: reeve: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Province to place paramedics in Emerson: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Province delivers emergency funds to help asylum seekers: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Call for all hands on deck to address surge of migrants: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Seven refugee claimants cross into Emerson Wednesday: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Tensions emerge in Manitoba border town as more migrants seek refuge: Winnipeg Free Press

Environment

  • Councillors poised to delay organic-waste collection in Winnipeg 1 more time: CBC

Indigenous

  • ‘It’s special to be a Métis’ on Louis Riel Day: CBC
  • ‘Honour a great man’: Louis Riel’s legacy gets its due: CBC
  • ‘It’s been a learning journey’: Lindsey Trudeau on finding her Métis heritage: CBC
  • Similarities between Joseph Boyden story and Ojibway healer’s published work trigger questions: APTN News

Justice

  • Hearing to decide who has standing at inquest into jail death: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Defence lawyer for the man accused of killing Candace Derksen files motion to stay case: CBC
  • Manitoba looks to get rid of preliminary inquiries to deal with court backlog: CBC, Winnipeg Free Press
  • Manitoba man loses fight against extradition to U.S. to face drug charges: CBC
  • Family plans birthday vigil for Manitoba teen with autism killed in foster care: CBC
  • Marilyn Rose Munroe remembered as happy, joyful 1 year after her body was found: CBC
  • Police seek help on year-old murder case: Winnipeg Free Press
  • Senior ‘fooled’ into thinking online passport company was government: CBC
  • ‘Jubal didn’t have to go this way’: Brother of slain bus driver calls for action at funeral: CBC
  • Tina Fontaine’s alleged killer going straight to trial: CBC
  • Wilma Derksen talks revenge and forgiveness in new book 32 years after daughter’s murder: CBC
  • Mother upset that man convicted of beheading her son set free: APTN
  • Province’s defence lawyers outraged by “ambush” on preliminary inquiries: Winnipeg Free Press

Politics

  • Union hammers Pallister on public service cuts in ad campaign: CBC
  • Promises and platitudes on the mayor’s lunchtime menu: CBC
  • Council poised to approve call for public inquiry into real-estate and construction scandals: CBC
  • Council makes it official, asks province for public inquiry: CBC, Winnipeg Free Press
  • Councillors hire integrity boss to police their ethical behavior: Winnipeg Free Press
  • One quarter of council walks out on vote over new ethics watchdog: CBC
  • New city hall ethics watchdog won’t be able to collar council property chair: CBC
  • Upcoming motion a first step to improving bus safety, councillor says: CBC

Health

  • Despite provinces ‘being picked off,’ Manitoba not in talks for health funding deal, Pallister says: CBC
  • Confidence and competence: Tips on talking to kids about personal safety: CBC

Check out our human rights calendar for upcoming events!

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