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Tonight’s city council meeting in Dauphin will look a bit different than anything we’ve seen in the past.
According to city staff, the meeting will be conducted virtually by offering a link to join electronically. Keep in mind, it's no easy task to pull off this live broadcast on such short notice.
The meeting gets underway at 5 pm. You can watch the live stream here.
The previous city council meeting on March 23rd featured several councillors joining by phone, to help support social distancing guidelines from public health.
It appears council is now ramping up those safety measures; even media will not be permitted in the building this time around.
CKDM will be monitoring the virtual feed to bring you all the important information from tonight’s meeting.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Dauphin Safe Grad planning committee want the graduating class at DRCSS to know they’re working hard to make sure students still have an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishment.
One of the ideas on the table is postponing Safe Grad until it’s safer to host such a large group of people. There are approximately 150 graduates, with 900-1000 people expected at the banquet.
As for a timeline, Safe Grad President Roslyn Amendt tells CKDM the big celebration could happen near the end of August, but possibly even later than that.
She says many grads have already purchased their suits and dresses, and are looking forward to this opportunity to celebrate and wish each other well as they move on to the next stage of life.
“I think the kids have been really sad, and very worried what it’s going to look like and whether they’re going to have something. As parents, we’re trying to send the message that we still want them to have something, we’re trying to give them hope and keep their spirits up at this time.”
The Safe Grad 50/50 fundraiser is still running until April 12th. Roslyn explains it was set up before the quarantine, and is encouraging the community to participate because the committee still need funds to plan something different for this year’s grads.
You can but 50/50 tickets online by clicking here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The latest update from public health officials has revealed 9 more cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
That brings the total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases in the province to 203. Two people have died.
Seventeen people are listed as recovered from COVID-19.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin is maintaining one of the best things you can do to limit the spread is stay home, and only go out for essentials.
That recommendation also applies to large family gatherings over the holidays.
“There will be a time when we can have these get-togethers again. This is not that time. Now is a time to stay home.”
However, Dr. Roussin says social distancing does not mean social isolation, and he's encouraging all Manitobans to stay connected to friends, family and loved ones in a safe manner.
Cadham Provincial Laboratory has performed a total of 12,998 tests. Dr. Roussin is commending our provincial lab for getting through a backlog of tests, and their effort to reduce their testing turnaround time to between 24-48 hours.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Lorraine Yury's doctor recommended she temporarily stop working her job with child and family services during the COVID outbreak, due to her underlying health issues. But two of her family members with asthma still have to go into work.
With their safety in mind, she has begun crafting homemade masks.
Lorraine has plenty of sewing experience, and now with some free time on her hands, is making protective homemade face masks for her family and friends. After doing some research, she decided to start producing double-sided, 100% cotton masks.
Health Canada are warning that handmade face masks have their limitations; they may not provide complete protection against virus-sized particles, and may provide a false sense of security.
However there are some encouraging signs that homemade masks can serve as an effective reminder to keep you from touching your face. They’re also becoming more popular with the public as the medical-grade masks used in hospitals are running in short supply.
This follows news out of the United States, where the CDC is recommending Americans wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
Lorraine plans to keep sewing her masks, and hopes to donate some to people in our community that are at a high risk developing severe complications if they were to contract COVID-19.
For more advice and resources on how to best protect yourself and your community, visit the Government of Canada COVID-19 website.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
A company with roots in the Parkland is donating one million masks to front-line medical care professionals all over North America.
Norwex, a Norweigan company with an office located in Dauphin, has secured one million masks for distribution through non-profit groups like DonatePPE.org. Donate PPE will handle the distribution of masks across North America to get them into the areas where they are needed the most. A portion of the donated masks will be made available to Canadian organizations.
Norwex has also tested their microfibre and will be producing a Personal Use Mask that is expected to be available for purchase later this month.
For more information, you can check out this Youtube video.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Today we are learning about 12 additional cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
The province now has a total of 194 lab-confirmed and probable cases. There are 10 people in hospital because of the virus, with 6 in intensive care, and 2 deaths.
There are 14 healthcare workers in Manitoba that have tested positive for COVID-19. According to chief nursing officer for Shared Health, Lanette Siragusa, no healthcare workers in the Prairie Mountain Health Region have tested positive.
COVID tests at the Betel Home in Gilmi have revealed no residents have contracted the virus. There was some concern earlier this week when at least one staff member at the Betel Home tested positive.
Going forward, isolation centres are being established; one of the first is at a hotel in Winnipeg. It will start accepting people over the weekend, in order to provide a dedicated space where confirmed cases can safely self-isolate. Isolation centres will use enhanced cleaning and disinfecting practices, and practice all social and physical distancing guidelines.
The Manitoba government has decided to postpone the remaining dates for making campground reservations. More information is available at www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/.
You are reminded to remain close to home during this time and limit travel, even within the province, to essential trips only.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Wasagaming RCMP are looking for a man accused of several charges, including sexual assault.
23-year-old Thomas Desmond Bird is wanted on several warrants for charges including sexual assault with a weapon, sexual interference, forcible confinement, and more.
Police say he may be in the areas of Rolling Rover First Nation or Erickson.
Anyone with information is asked to call Wasagaming RCMP at 204-848-2442.
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Brandon University recognizes that students have been forced into a very difficult situation, and have decided to offer a safety net heading into the exam period.
Instead of traditional letter grades, BU students will now be able to chose to convert grades into a “Pass” or “No Credit” grading system.
The “Pass” option allows students to be able to move on in their program, without worrying about an adverse impact to their GPA.
Students who opt for the “No Credit” option will not earn a course credit, but will prevent their failing grade from having a negative impact on their GPA.
The University says this is a difficult time to assess academic merit, and that many students are also facing unforeseen challenges like childcare or job loss, so the University is adding this option to reduce stress for students.
Students will be given their standard letter grade upon completion of their coursework, then will have to apply for grade conversion no later than May 20, 2020.
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During these unprecedented times, teachers will have to find ways to continue providing their students with meaningful learning opportunities. Mountain View Teachers' Association President Chance Henderson says teachers are up to the challenge.
“Obviously we’d prefer to be in classroom with our students, but we’re working diligently to make this experience is positive and meaningful for our students.”
With students out of class indefinitely, many local teachers will be exploring online options to deliver learning.
Henderson says one of the challenges we face in the Parkland is access. Some students don’t have access to reliable internet, or even technology (computers, tablets, iPads). He says teachers will essentially have to do double-duty, preparing content for online learning, and also more traditional content such as learning packages.
When asked if he’s noticed any teachers going above and beyond during these uncertain times, the Teachers' Association president said there’s too many to name.
“I think it would be impossible to highlight just one. Every single teacher is putting in an exceptional effort to deliver meaningful learning opportunities to students during this challenging time.”
As for a timeline, we hope to have an idea of what these online learning platforms will look like in the coming week.
Henderson says he’s confident teachers will work to find solutions during this time.
“Teachers are professionals”, Henderson said, “we’re up to the challenge.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The province will spend more than $100 million to accelerate how fast Manitoba can get essential medical supplies, equipment, hotel capacity and other critical needs.
Today Premier Brian Pallister announced new steps to secure faster and smarter healthcare.
“Our government is creating a special 100 million dollar procurement fund. This fund will help businesses tool up their operations. Some have already approached this challenge, and we thank them for that. This will help others do the same to tool up their operations, and workforces to manufacture essential medical supplies and equipment like gowns, masks, and face shields.”
Pallister says the three focuses of the government are (1) faster and smarter healthcare equipment procurement, (2) extra support and tax relief for businesses and homeowners, and (3) increasing shelter capacity for our most vulnerable.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba Public Health Officials have announced 15 new cases of COVID-19.
The total number of cases in the province is now 182. Nine people are ins hospital, 6 are in intensive care. There have been two deaths in Manitoba related to COVID-19.
In the Prairie Mountain Health region, there is a total of 12 cases.
PMH says there were 16 people tested yesterday at the drive-thru screening site in Dauphin. A total of 39 people have been tested for COVID-19 at this location. When you include the testing sites in Brandon, there have been a total of 278 people tested in PMH Region.
Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin has indicated that anyone who’s had close, prolonged contact with someone who has tested positive will be contacted by public health.
Specific information, such as the location of a positive case, will only be officially released if public health believe that it would help people better address their public health risk.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, visit www.manitoba.ca/covid19.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
