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The Member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, Dan Mazier, is criticizing the federal government's handling of the closure of Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP).
Mazier takes issue with park management closing down the park and causing some confusion as to whether or not the businesses in Wasagaming were still open.
“The local management has really let the businesses down that are in Wasagaming. They had blockades up in the streets, they had signs saying the park was closed, and yet the businesses were open and there were no indications on that.”
Mazier’s concerns are shared by the MP for Brandon-Souris, Larry Maguire.
The two Westman MP’s are asking the federal government to collaborate with Manitoba Public Health to safely reopen the national park for watercraft use and overnight camping.
As Manitoba’s provincial parks have been open for several weeks — allowing camping and boating — the two MP’s say it seems reasonable to allow Riding Mountain National Park to reopen in the same way.
MP Mazier is asking the people of the Parkland to support those businesses in RMNP that have remained open during the park closure — but have suffered a significant loss of business as they head into a short season.
“They’re still feeling the effects of that — trying to catch up in a very short tourism season.”
While the national park opens June 1st for limited day-use activities — boating, kayaking and paddleboarding is still not allowed until June 12th. Camping at Riding Mountain National Park is being ruled out until June 21st at the earliest.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Dauphin and District Handi-Van Association have modified their weekend hours as they deal with decreased demand.
The Handi-Van service will no longer be operating on Sundays for the time being.
General Manager Craig Mosionier tells CKDM “it’s just not feasible to run on Sunday’s anymore because we don’t have the clientele with churches and bingo halls closing down.”
He says the service is still available Monday to Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After hours trips can still be arranged by calling the Dauphin and District Handi-Van Association during regular hours at (204) 638-8884.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba has announced 2 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 294.
There are 14 active cases and 273 people have recovered.
No one is in hospital and the number of deaths remains at 7.
On Monday, June 1, Manitoba will enter Phase Two of the Restoring Safe Services plan, and for more information, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba has launched a new online tool to help students that are looking for job opportunities.
Student Jobs MB will help match students with employers throughout the province while speeding up the hiring process and encouraging student summer employment.
Premier Brian Pallister says “summer jobs are important for youth in not only helping pay for education but for building life skills and developing future career interests. Employers also benefit from hiring students, who can bring energy and new perspectives to their operations and assist them greatly in rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
This initiative will be the province’s primary source to connect students to employment opportunities. Private-sector employers, not-for-profit organizations and governments are able to post jobs and connect directly with students.
This new tool will complement the Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program, which was launched on April 24.
To sign up for the employment tool, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
This week, Dauphin city staff will be testing the waters when it comes to working more days per week from City Hall — and spending less time working from home.
City Manager Sharla Griffiths tells CKDM the city feels confident that staff could safely get back to doing more in-person business.
“As the public is moving around and wanting to get more information, or pop into City Hall and see if they can make an appointment with someone — we want to be available to the public.”
Griffiths adds that there's plenty of office space at City Hall, which gives staff a sense they can work safely with proper physical distancing.
The City Manager also gave an update on the challenges many municipalities are facing with navigating the funding announcements from the province.
“It’s always great to hear about the funding, and we know that it’s coming. However, once we hear that it’s announced, we are eager to apply for it or see if we qualify for it. That information does not seem to be readily available. So we have to exercise patience in waiting for those details.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
No new COVID-19 cases were announced in today’s update. Manitoba has a total of 292 confirmed and probable cases.
The province has 14 active cases and 271 individuals have recovered.
The number of deaths remains at 7 and no one is hospitalized.
For more information about COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) will be partially reopening to visitors on Monday, June 1st.
You’ll now be able to use day-use trails, picnic areas, beaches, and green spaces. There will also be access to washrooms.
Visitor services will be up and running in Wasagaming, along with the bison enclosure at Lake Audy.
All camping facilities will remain closed until at least June 21 — when Parks Canada will assess whether it’s safe to allow camping services to resume.
You’re still not allowed to do any boating; that includes canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. Park officials are holding off until the aquatic invasive species prevention program is fully operational, and are aiming to resume service by June 12.
Visiting Riding Mountain National Park will be different this year. Visitors are asked to plan ahead and check the Riding Mountain National Park website to find out how to best prepare for their visit.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Manitoba government has finalized the draft plan for Phase Two and will be restoring more services Monday, June 1st.
Limited access to educational facilities, where physical distancing can be maintained, will be allowed for one-on-one teaching and assessments.
The following services can resume starting June 1st:
- 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 if 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.
Premier Brian Pallister says “I want to thank Manitobans for their input, and as a result of these discussions and advice from public health experts. We are in a position to move forward with phase two of our plan to safely restore our services.”
Detailed information on the plan for Phase Two of service restoration can be found here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A Brandon Police Officer is facing voyeurism charges following an investigation that began in April 2019.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) determined that the alleged incident occurred without the knowledge and consent of the victim.
The officer was arrested and released on conditions, including no contact with the victim, and is set to be in court in Brandon on July 7, 2020.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Chief provincial public health officer Dr Brent Roussin is assuring Manitobans that we are pretty well “set up” to safely move into Phase Two of reopening the economy.
He delivered that message last night on a phone call, alongside the ministers of Health and Education.
As even more businesses will soon be allowed to reopen, Dr Roussin stressed the importance of Manitobans staying home if they have any symptoms of being sick.
He called this one of the most important rules to follow as we get acquainted with our new normal.
Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen says classroom learning will be cancelled for the rest of the year, but schools will be able to be accessed by students, teachers, and day camps.
Also, Health Minister Cameron Friesen did say he thinks we’re getting close to allowing religious groups to gather in their places of worship, as long as considerations are made with regards to capacity.
Friesen adds that one of the most important areas of focus is preventing the importation of this virus, from outside of Manitoba.
We still have not been given a date for when all these Phase Two measures will take effect, but officials are indicating it will be soon.
While Phase Two is still ongoing, Roussin says Phase 3 is hopefully not too far in the future.
Travel restrictions will be in place for the foreseeable future, as the province doesn't want to import the virus.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Cybercriminals are now targeting the insurance industry and their customers.
That’s what we’re hearing from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) — who are saying the scams can come in as a phone call requesting payment, or as a phishing email.
To avoid falling victim to the scam, customers are advised to avoid sharing any financial information over the phone if they receive an unexpected call from an Autopac agent.
If you were expecting a call from your Autopac agent, take extra steps to verify the person you’re talking to is actually an MPI agent. Try asking about specific details about the ongoing transaction.
When in doubt: do not share any financial information, end the conversation, and call your Autopac agent.
Customers are also advised to avoid clicking on any links online that request financial information.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
