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Keystone Agricultural Producers president Bill Campbell wants to assure the public the agriculture industry will continue to do its job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With that being said, there are some legitimate challenges facing the agriculture sector at this time.
That’s why KAP has suggested 4 strategies focusing on what could be done at provincial and federal levels of government to better support farmers and food producers:
- KAP is calling for greater incentives to work in support of Canadian food security during this situation. For example, a measure that would allow workers on Canadian farms and in Canadian food businesses to access the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
- Federal and provincial governments working together to provide a stimulus under the AgriInvest program of no less than 5%. Even further, AgriStability must have a coverage rate of 85% with no reference margin limit in 2020.
- Prioritize Agri-Food for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Testing – acknowledging food supply as a priority requires that the sector be given secondary priority, behind the healthcare sector, for access to PPE and diagnostic testing.
- Driver’s licensing – many producers are unable to move product to market without a Class 1 license. Clarification is required as to whether producers will receive an extension on their license if they are unable to get physical exams to renew their license.
KAP President Bill Campbell explains these four suggested measures would help the long-term safety and sustainability of the food supply chain.
Campbell acknowledges the federal government has taken important action with respect to temporary foreign workers, but is calling for more to be done, as he explains agriculture in this country is much broader-based than just the work that involves temporary foreign workers.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Public Health officials have announced that there are no new COVID-19 cases in the province.
The total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba remains at 246.
There have been a total of 11 COVID-19 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health Region.
Public Health Official Dr. Brent Roussin says our numbers demonstrate that our efforts to limit the virus are working, but that doesn’t mean we can let up anytime soon.
“Given our efforts to date, we can see we are not helpless against this virus. That our actions can have an effect and are having an effect, but we must continue to focus. We must continue to practice social distancing and stay home as much as we can."
If you are worried about your risk of having COVID-19, or are showing symptoms you should call Health Links at 204-788-8200- or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Front line health care workers will now be compensated if they need to take administrative leave to self-isolate from the novel coronavirus.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced that those workers will get 14 days of administrative leave. Previously, those who were exposed or sick had to use sick or vacation time for their leave.
All front line workers in the health care sector will qualify.
The Manitoba government is set to meet with Manitoba's public-sector union leads to discuss what they're calling "an-all-hands-on-deck" approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the topics that will be discussed is a reduced work-week for non-essential workers to avoid layoffs.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Henderson Elementary School requested permission to implement the “Balanced School Day” schedule for the 2020-21 school year.
At last night's MVSD Board meeting, the school board approved the request.
The Balanced School Day format changes how recess and nutrition breaks are distributed throughout the day.
The length of the school day stays the same, but the time within the day is “balanced” between two nutrition and activity breaks.
Rhonda Casavant, principal at Henderson, has taken steps to prepare for the implementation.
She had a conversation with Lesia Jensen, principal at Whitmore School to discuss the benefits Whitmore has experienced from the balanced timetable. Casavant spoke with Superintendent Dan Ward about the potential interest of implementing the model. At a recent in-school PD day Casavant presented the timetable to the teaching staff and they completed a task around the benefits and potential pitfalls, the staff was fully on board with the model. In February at the Parent Council Meeting, Casavant presented the concept, those members were all in support of the model. Casavant shared with Ward that the teaching staff and parent council were on board with the balanced timetable, and Ward requested Casavant sends a letter to him to move forward with the approval.
Henderson’s reasons for moving to a balanced school day are two-fold.
First, the balanced schedule increases the instructional time by reducing time lost during transitions. Time is lost providing students time to have snacks during the morning and afternoon as well as when students get dressed and undressed before and after recess.
The second reason for the schedule is that it allows students longer periods of time to eat. This means instead of trying to fit in a quick snack before or after recess, students have two scheduled nutrition breaks during the day and with these planned breaks, parents can plan for snacks that are nutritious rather than those that are quick and convenient.
Other benefits include children not being as hungry at the end of the day and reduction of litter on the playground.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Dauphin Recreation Services is at it again. During a time where everyone is practicing social distancing, they're inviting the community to take part in their newest activity.
Until Sunday, DRS wants everyone to put their biggest stuffed animals in their windows at home. Then when other families go for a walk or a drive, they can search for all of the different animals around the City of Sunshine.
"It's just something for fun. It's to encourage families to go for a walk or even a drive," said Tamara Kolida, Promotions Coordinator.
You can also tag Dauphin Rec Services on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to show off what you found around the city.
Coming up later this week, Dauphin Rec will be running another ISpy Dauphin. That's where iconic places and objects are featured and prizes are up for grabs throughout the week-long search.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The provincial government is working on a system to help small- and medium-sized businesses get full use out of the federal support programs that are available to them.
Premier Brian Pallister estimates that more than 65,000 businesses in our province are eligible for federal support programs, and says “we want to help organizations navigate and leverage the resources available to them so they can be in a better position to rebound from the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19”.
That’s why the province has awarded a contract to Winnipeg-based 24-7 Intouch. The company will serve to connect Manitoba businesses to the resources and support programs that are available to them.
24-7 Intouch will operate as a call centre reaching out to business, and will also field calls to answer any questions they may have.
We are expecting to see the service launched in the coming days.
You can find an updated list of available federal and provincial supports for businesses at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/business/index.html.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The government of Canada is announcing $50 million to help farmers and food producers.
The $50 million announced by the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, is designed to support employers that bring temporary foreign workers to work on Canadian farms.
The feds have already granted a travel exemption for temporary foreign workers entering Canada, as long as they adhere to a strict 14-day isolation protocol on arrival.
But during this 14-day period of isolation, many employers are left responsible for pay for accommodations, access to food, and other basic supplies.
That's why $1,500 will be paid by the federal government for each temporary foreign worker.
This funding is conditional on employers ensuring the workers follow the mandatory 14-day isolation protocols.
This program will be available as long as the Quarantine Act is in force.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba public health officials have identified 4 new cases of COVID-19.
That brings the total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases to 246.
A total of 99 people are listed as recovered from the virus. Eight people are currently in hospital and the number of deaths is reported at four.
The chief provincial public health officer is extending the public health orders until at least April 28th. The orders established on March 30th were originally set to expire on April 14th.
This means the following measures will remain in effect for at least another two weeks:
•Public gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people at any indoor or outdoor place or premises. This includes places of worship, gatherings and family events such as weddings and funerals. This does not apply to a facility where health-care or social services are provided including child-care centres and homeless shelters.
•All restaurants and other commercial facilities that serve food are prohibited from serving food to customers in their premises. This prevents eat-in dining at all facilities. However, restaurants and other commercial facilities can prepare and serve food for delivery or takeout. If this takes place, the operator of the restaurant must ensure that all people maintain the appropriate social distancing from other customers when picking up food.
•All businesses that are not listed in the schedule of critical services that accompany the order must remain closed.
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
In Dauphin, the 74.9 cents per litre price hasn’t changed in two weeks.
The average price of gas in Manitoba hasn’t changed in Manitoba in the past week, sticking at 70.95 c/L.
The national average fell by about half a cent in the last week to 76.25 c/L, which doesn’t shock Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.
“As expected, and for the seventh straight week, the Canadian national average moved lower, although the pace has slowed as retail now has caught up to the drop in oil prices. And good news for consumers- contrary to popular belief, an OPEC deal over the weekend to cut oil production may only have a small near-term impact on gasoline prices. Establishing a floor on ultra-low oil prices will hopefully keep Canadian oil production online instead of bankrupting producers. The aim is exactly that- keep production online- which will keep prices affordable going forward, instead of ultra-low prices shutting in oil production, leading to a slingshot in gas prices years from now. Going back to gas prices, I expect prices to continue moderating for now, as gasoline demand appears to remain near 50-year lows."
Dauphin’s gas price of 74.9 c/L is higher than the average price of 74.20 c/L in Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg’s price of 66.73 c/L.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
A 25-year-old woman from Ochre River has been arrested for impaired driving after a single-vehicle collision in Dauphin.
On Friday, April 10th at 1:30 pm, Dauphin RCMP received reports that a car had struck a tree and was in a ditch in front of Assiniboine Community College in Dauphin.
The adult driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Three children in the vehicle at the time of the crash were also treated for minor injuries.
The investigation is ongoing.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
A 29-year-old man arrested by Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP is facing a number of gun-related charges.
On Tuesday, April 7th around 9:45 pm, Parkland RCMP responded to reports of shots fired at a home in the RM of Dauphin.
An investigation determined a man had fired a gun, but left prior to the arrival of police.
29-year-old Daniel Renner of Dauphin was later placed under arrest on Wednesday, April 8th and transported to Dauphin.
Renner is facing charges of Discharging a Firearm with intent, Pointing a Firearm, Uttering Threats, Assault with a Weapon and Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
