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Rising flood waters in Southern Manitoba have forced at least six families from their homes, according to the CBC.
It’s nothing new for Montcalm residents, who also evacuated last year, and have been advised to expect similar conditions this season based on provincial flood forecasts.
The RM of Montcalm declared a state of local emergency on Thursday afternoon because of flood conditions.
Upholding social distancing protocols will be a priority when relocating the families, and also when sandbagging.
Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre tells us the outflow from the Shellmouth Reservoir will be decreasing to 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) from 800 cfs as part of the normal spring operation.
The province is advising to stay off the Assiniboine River and all rivers at this time.
On Thursday the I-29 highway south of the border in North Dakota was closed due to flooding. An almost 40 kilometre stretch of road was affected just north of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The City of Grand Forks posted this photo of high water levels on their Facebook page.
(photo courtesy of the CIty of Grand Forks)
Updated forecast information is available at www.gov.mb.ca/mit/floodinfo/index.html.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
COVID-19 has created barriers for how retailers around the Parkland do business, and the Winnipegosis Meat Market has made an effort to adapt to the changes, by allowing customers to phone or email their orders in.
They then offer grocery delivery right to your doorstep, or vehicle, to minimize traffic flow into the store, and to keep their workers and customers safe.
Owner and operator of the Winnipegosis Meat Market, Angela Carlson, says that delivery fees on certain orders are currently being waived.
“If you place an order of $40 worth of groceries, you can add on tobacco and liquor on top of the $40, there is actually no delivery fee right now, we can deliver to you in town.”
She adds that their new wireless payment terminal allows people to pay from their home, or outside the store, with debit or credit.
You can contact the Winnipegosis Meat Market at (204)-656-4652, and email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit their Facebook page to order.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Public health officials have identified 13 more cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, bringing the total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases to 243.
There will be no daily COVID update from the province tomorrow (Sunday, April 12th).
96 people are listed as recovered from the virus. The number of deaths reported in Manitoba is four.
The number of cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region remains at 11.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says we must continue to obey directives from the province. He does not want anyone to think that our recent case numbers are an excuse to let your guard down.
The Dauphin testing site resumes regular hours (10 am to 3 pm) this weekend. Keep in mind, a referral from Health Links and an appointment time are required to be tested at the drive-thru clinic.
Community testing sites are not operating as walk-in / drive-up medical clinics.
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
The province is looking for local manufacturers that might be able to quickly scale the production of an innovative new mask.
A team of medical experts at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre designed the N95-type mask, led by plastic surgeon Dr. Christian Petropolis.
Petropolis explains the Manitoba-designed mask features a reusable filter housing that provides the advantage of simplicity and flexibility.
Ultimately, the province aims to encourage the local business community to enhance the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Manitoba, and to begin producing these masks as soon as possible.
Health Minister Cameron Friesen says Manitoba’s manufacturing sector has an incredible talent bank of innovative thinkers that will be ready to step up and make this happen.
“The Manitoba government is willing to sign purchase orders totalling up to $15 million to pre-order these innovative, made-in-Manitoba masks. A portion of these funds may be available in advance to supplement start-up costs.”
The competition rules and specifications have been made available here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
If you’re looking for something fun and educational to do from home, you can now take virtual tours of the culture and history of our province.
The virtual tours let you safely enjoy Manitoba’s cultural and educational offerings, as doors are locked at galleries and museums to promote social distancing.
The “150 for 150 Exhibit” is an online display of 150 artifacts, designed to provide an educational experience during isolation. You can check it out by clicking here.
The Manitoba Museum recently launched another online experience that shares the captivating history of our province and the science that explains our world. You can check that out by clicking here.
If you’re more interested in art, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is keeping you connected with a new series that shares artwork from the WAG collection every day.
The WAG website also features Do-It-Yourself videos, hands-on activities and learning opportunities for children and adults at www.wag.ca.
Other online experiences being offered right now include:
• The Manitoba Agricultural Museum helps immerse visitors in rural Manitoba’s past, providing context to the present and future of agriculture. The Austin-based museum has an online artifact collection at http://mbagmuseum.ca/collections-exhibits/artifacts-display-filtering.
• One of the online highlights of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada are the 360-degree cockpit tours that allow the visitor to ‘sit’ in the cockpit or cargo hold of many of the museums aircraft from the comfort of home at: www.royalaviationmuseum.com/virtualcockpits/mobile/index.html.
• The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) has created a new guided virtual tour, and made a number of children’s activities and other content available at ‘Explore the Museum from Home’ at https://humanrights.ca/visit/explore-the-museum-from-home along with another new feature called ‘Share Your Story’ at https://humanrights.ca/stories/share-your-story#/.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
There are many weddings happening in the Parkland this summer that are facing a great deal of uncertainty.
Winnipegosis couple Trista Pangman and her fiancé Logan have committed to tying the knot on August 22nd, and will adapt their nuptials to whatever public health officials will allow at that time.
But for Dauphin’s Jenna Pacey and her fiancé Ben, they’ve made the decision to postpone their June 13th wedding until next year.
Jenna tells us she’s heartbroken.
She’s been waiting almost two years for this day with Ben, but with all the effort and planning that’s gone into this wedding, the June date just left too many factors up in the air. The brother of the groom is also currently stuck in Spain trying to get home, and Jenna says there’s not even enough time to get her dress altered.
The couple found their perfect wedding location in the middle of a field in Paradise Valley in Keld. They came across the spot a few years ago, and the owner of the land loved the idea of hosting their wedding.
Jenna says the support from her friends and family has made all the difference during this difficult time, but she’s also taken it upon herself to reach out and support other brides going through the same thing. She says she wants to share her story to help anyone else who’s going through the same thing.
“I’ve been reaching out to other brides, I have a couple of friends who are going through the same thing right now, and we’re really using each other as support. I’m reaching out to other brides, and reading different articles on how to handle this. Who would have thought we would have to plan for this?”
Meanwhile, Winnipegosis’ Trista Pangman and Logan Lytwyn have made the decision to stick with their late-summer ceremony.
Trista tells CKDM they plan to adapt their August 22nd wedding to whatever kind of gathering is allowed by that time, saying that “we’ve been looking forward to living our lives together for so long. So whatever is allowed, that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Even if the safest thing by that time is just the two of us getting married with no other people at all, then we want to do it.”
Trista explains that having their families in attendance would mean the world to both her and Logan, but they also want to do their part to keep them safe.
The couple lives on a farm outside Winnipegosis, and have been together since the age of 13 and got engaged two years ago.
Like Jenna, Trista has also found peace of mind in supporting her friends that have had their wedding plans interrupted by the global pandemic.
“It seems 2020 is a big year for weddings.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Ashern RCMP is looking for a man wanted on multiple charges.
26-year-old Cameron Earl Baptiste is facing charges of Uttering Threats, Failing to Comply with Conditions and Assault.
Police say he is considered violent, and are warning you not to approach him.
Baptiste is known to frequent Lake Manitoba First Nation, Ashern and Winnipeg.
If you have seen him or have any information, contact Ashern RCMP at 204-768-2324.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The first fews days of applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) are now in the books.
At this time, applications for the $500 a week (for up to 16 weeks) are open to all Canadians that meet the criteria.
As a reminder, eligible CERB recipients must be living in Canada, be at least 15 years old, had an income of at least $5,000 in the past 12 months, and stopped working because of COVID-19.
If you’re currently receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and wondering if you should reapply for the CERB, the answer is no. You can not be paid EI benefits and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit at the same time.
If you receive the benefit and are later determined to be ineligible, you will have to repay that money.
You’re also expected to report the Benefit as income when you file your income tax for the 2020 tax year.
If you receive two separate payments of $2,000, chances are you accidentally applied for the CERB twice. In that case, you can expect to be contacted by the government shortly.
Benefits will start within 10 days of submitting your application. If you are late to apply, payments will be retroactive to your eligibility date.
You can apply for the CERB here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
An officer with the Roblin RCMP detachment rescued a woman last week after her SUV ended up in a water-filled ditch off Highway 83.
Concerned about hypothermia, the responding officer waded into the water to rescue the driver.
The RCMP say the woman was carried to the police car to keep warm until EMS arrived.
At this time we have not received an update on the status of the driver.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Public health officials have announced a fourth death in Manitoba because of COVID-19.
We also learned about 6 additional cases of the virus, bringing the total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases to 230.
10 people are currently being hospitalized, with 5 people in intensive care. The number of people listed as recovered from COVID is up to 92.
The Prairie Mountain Health region has seen 11 confirmed cases.
Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin realizes we all may want to get out this weekend with nicer weather and our traditional holiday gatherings, but is pleading with Manitobans to not let up on our preventative measures.
Dr. Roussin says our recent case numbers are proof our social distancing measures are working, but does not want anyone to think it’s time to let up.
He says now is not the time to get together, but encourages everyone to stay connected virtually.
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
A message of hope and togetherness has been given by Mayor Allen Dowhan.
The Mayor is wishing a Happy Easter to all, and acknowledges the sacrifice we’re all making by not seeing our friends and family over this holiday weekend:
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
