Province Expands Help For Small And Medium Sized Businesses

Manitoba is expanding measures to help residents and businesses affected by the COVID-19 situation.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding made the announcement today, saying “Manitoba’s small- and medium-sized businesses continue to face a challenging economic situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and we want to help them further by giving them more time to submit provincial taxes.”

The province is now extending the April and May filing deadlines for small and medium-sized businesses to June.

Businesses will now have up to three additional months to remit retail sales taxes and the payroll tax.

The province is also continuing to postpone non-urgent eviction hearings and suspending any rent increases scheduled to take effect in June.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: May 29, 2020 - 3:08 pm

Farmers in rural Saskatchewan may have their fuel supply disrupted, due to an ongoing labour dispute.

Locked-out workers from the Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) refinery in Regina have plans to set up picket lines at several bulk fuel locations.

In an interview with the Western Producer, Unifor 549 president Kevin Bittman says disrupting the flow of fuel to farmers is the only option workers have to get back to work.

Unifor 549 represents approximately 730 workers at the Regina refinery.

Details: Contributed by 730 CKDM; Published: May 29, 2020 - 3:06 pm

Manitoba has announced no new COVID-19 cases today, the total number of cases remains at 294.

No one is in hospital, and the number of deaths remains at 7.

Right now there are 14 active cases, and 273 people have recovered.

For more information about COVID-19, go to manitoba.ca/covid19.

On Monday, June 1, Manitoba will enter Phase Two of the Restoring Safe Services plan. The following services can be restored:

•   increasing child-care centre occupancy to up to 24 children plus staffing;
•   increasing day camp group sizes to 24;
•   resuming sports, arts and cultural activities for children and adults;
•   lifting occupancy limits at outdoor recreation facilities and golf courses outdoors, as long as physical distancing can be maintained and allowing limited access to indoor spaces;
•   allowing direct travel to northern parks, campgrounds, cabins, lodges and resorts while ensuring physical distancing;
•   allowing public/private swimming pools, spas, fitness clubs, gyms and community/service centres to reopen with some limitations;
•   allowing religious or other organizations to hold outdoor services or events without limitation on numbers of people stay in their vehicles;
•   reopening manicurists and pedicurists, tattoo parlours, estheticians, cosmetologists, electrologists and tanning parlours at 50 percent capacity;
•   allowing restaurants to reopen indoor spaces at 50 percent capacity and continue to offer patio services at that capacity level; and
•   allowing bars, beverage rooms, micro-brewers and similar businesses to operate patio service at 50 percent of site capacity and to reopen indoor spaces at 50 percent capacity.

For more information, click here.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: May 29, 2020 - 1:14 pm

As the province is seeing some services being restored on Monday, June 1^st, Dauphin Rec Services will be opening up their parks, playgrounds, and Skate Park on the same day.

Dauphin Rec Services Operations Manager Wes Carnegie is reminding visitors to practice proper hygiene protocols.

“We just ask that the public still follows protocols: have hand sanitizer with them to go to the parks, as they’re doing, just to keep safe. Have safe practices like social distancing and everything like that.”

He adds that visitors should refrain from group activities, practice social distancing, and stay at home if you are sick or have underlying health issues.

The Summer Kids Kamp program will be starting on Monday, June 8^th, and the tennis courts at Meadow Park are now open.

However, Vermillion Park Campground will be closed until July 1^st, and an update on the campground will be issued no later than June 25^th.

Information on the opening of the Kinsmen Aquatic Centre, Dauphin Clinic Walking Track, Vermillion Sportsplex, and the Parkland Recreation Complex are to come in the following weeks.

For more information, go to dauphinrec.com, or call 204-622-3157.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: May 29, 2020 - 12:56 pm

The Manitoba government is providing $300,000 towards education programs for people living with dementia and their families.

Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen says “this funding will support the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba as it continues its work to make a difference in the lives of people living with dementia by providing education to families across the province.”

The funding will go to programs that educate families and caregivers in areas such as the progression of dementia, communication skills and preventing and responding to changing behaviours.

For more information, click here.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: May 29, 2020 - 11:34 am

The Manitoba government has announced this year’s first wave of Conservation Trust funding, and some of that money is making its way to the Parkland.

A total of $147,000 has been announced for the Inter-Mountain Watershed District’s Streambank Stabilization Project on Turtle River.

That project focuses on reducing soil erosion and restoring riparian habitats along the Turtle River.

Manitoba’s Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen says this conservation work in the Parkland benefits all Manitobans.

“It’s not only making that pasture and rangeland more productive, but it also helps in terms of wildlife and bird population. So it’s a win for the environment and it’s a win for Manitoba.”

The Conservation Trust was established in 2018, which provides annual funding for conservation projects in Manitoba.

This first wave of funding will see $1.8 million awarded to 19 different conservation organizations, working on 23 projects throughout the province.

Minister Pedersen says “the conservation work being done throughout the province is building a legacy of work that will benefit all Manitobans and ensure Manitoba remains Canada’s cleanest, greenest, most climate-resilient province.”

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: May 29, 2020 - 8:59 am

After months of effort to reverse the decision of the Conservative Government to close the Dauphin Jail, the jail is still closing. Dauphin Mayor Allen Dowhan still isn’t happy with the closure.

“It’s a sad day for Dauphin. We tried every effort in trying to convince the government to not do this. The closing has caused a lot of angst within the community and it’s a sad day for Dauphin.”

Since the announcement, Dowhan met with Justice Minister Cliff Cullen, the City of Dauphin held a town hall meeting, Dowhan had a meeting with Premier Pallister, the MGEU hosted rallies in Dauphin and Winnipeg, the city offered 1 million dollars to refurbish the jail, the coalition group was formed, they had a meeting with Minister Cullen, and nothing worked.

One thing that pleases the mayor is how much effort the community put in to try to reverse the decision.

“It shows the citizens’ love of their community and they knew the economic benefits and also the need for such a facility in this area. I can’t say enough for their efforts in helping to lobby against the closing of the jail.”

Dowhan says moving forward they’ll work diligently with any group that wants to lobby the government to see the error in their ways and decision, adding that they’ll work closely with anyone who wants to do that.

Dauphin MLA, Brad Michaleski says the closure is a disappointment.

“It’s a disappointment to have anything close in Dauphin. It’s not something that I’ve ever wanted in the time that I was MLA. I’m looking to help the region grow in a positive way and across the entire region including the City of Dauphin. So no, is not an easy one, but again, I’m not going to stop my advocating for the broader growth that I see across the region, the potential that’s there and I’ll continue to advocate like I have been for the past four years.”

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: May 29, 2020 - 5:00 am

Many First Nations in the Parkland have cancelled their annual powwows because of the restrictions in place due to COVID-19. However, the Lake Manitoba First Nation has confirmed that they will host their powwow from June 19-21.

Chief Cornell McLean says making sure the powwow takes place for the community is very important and that there will still be precautions in place. They will adhere to any restrictions put in place by the province, one of which limits outdoor gatherings to 50 people.

They will also have plenty of hand sanitizer and masks on hand.

"This is for the belief in our culture. We need healing in our community and we need to get people out of the house," said McLean.

Lake Manitoba was one of the first reserves in the province to restrict travel in and out of the community two months ago and other First Nations followed suit. However, McLean has said anyone will be able to attend the powwow.

McLean says he hasn't seen this much RCMP presence in Lake Manitoba for a long time. He says alcohol and drugs have become a problem because everyone is cooped up. He understands that there will be a new normal and he believes this year's powwow will be great for the community, as it is every year.

"This is a big event, I'm not going to lie," said McLean. "This is huge for us and it's going to provide a sense of normal in a time when we truly do need it.

McLean assures that all social distancing will be followed.

"We'll find a way to make it work for our community," he continued.

McLean also knows there may some criticism from people in a time where many First Nations are cancelling their celebrations. He says some people will criticize anything that happened.

"It's pretty simple, our goal is to bring our people together to start the healing process," continued McLean. "People will say what they want."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: May 29, 2020 - 4:00 am

On Monday, June 1st, the province will be allowing limited access to school facilities in Manitoba.

Students will be able to go back to school for one-on-one or small group sessions for assessment purposes.

Mountain View School Division (MVSD) superintendent Dan Ward says Division staff have been meeting with principals from each school to examine protocols that will be needed to safely receive students in small groups.

“We want to stress that it’s going to be an invitation to students and families to come back to school on an appointment basis.”

Ward wants to make it clear they’re not reopening schools to regular classroom learning on June 1st — but are embracing the partial reopening to ensure a smooth transition back to normalcy in September.

The MVSD superintendent says the reopening of school facilities will enable teachers to assess the learning needs of an individual student, and determine a plan of action heading into September.

“This will help everybody transition into the September reopening in a much easier way.”

The provincial government announced guidelines for allowing limited access to school facilities beginning June 1st, which include:

Indoor occupancy limits of 50 percent of normal occupancy levels or one person per 10 square metres will be in place.
Teachers and students may meet in small group or one-on-one settings to conduct student assessments, provide clinical supports, administer recovery and remedial learning plans and provide therapeutic services.
Day camps and summer programming may operate
Scheduled students can access school Wi-Fi and/or computer equipment.
Counselling access and emergency phone access may be provided for students.
The use of outdoor facilities and playgrounds is encouraged

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: May 28, 2020 - 5:11 pm

Two people from Waywayseecappo First Nation are facing multiple drug charges after a traffic stop by Manitoba First Nations Police on Tuesday, May 26.

The driver of the vehicle was known to police to not have a driver’s license, and a package of unmarked cigarettes could be seen on the passenger seat.

A search of the vehicle uncovered alcohol, needles, a large sum of cash, and two bags of a crystal substance believed to be crystal meth.

A 33-year-old woman is facing charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, and failing to comply with an undertaking, not having a valid driver’s license, and possession of unmarked tobacco.

A 38-year-old man is facing charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substance, failing to comply with an undertaking and possession of unmarked tobacco.

This is the second arrest for both of these suspects in the past 2 weeks.