NewsNow
Manitoba’s budget presented on Wednesday focuses on rent freezes, changes to taxes, and has a strong emphasis on supporting the province’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding released Budget 2021, saying “we will grow our way out of deficit and back into balance by investing in more jobs, tax relief and economic growth.”
The province projects a deficit of $1.597 billion for 2021-22, an improvement from the third quarter projection for 2020-21 of $2.08 billion.
The first priority laid out in Budget 2021 is to protect Manitobans through the ongoing pandemic.
It includes $1.18 billion in 2021-22 for COVID-19 costs including personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccine deployment, education supports and future needs.
Health-care funding increases by $156 million to the highest level in Manitoba history, $6.98 billion
The province says it will continue to address poverty in Manitoba by ensuring safe and affordable housing and strengthening social services, supported by a nearly $34-million increase to the Department of Families.
Click here to see more details on Budget 2021.
- Details
- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Ste. Rose RCMP are searching for a man facing multiple charges.
36-year-old Manuel Patrick Houle has a warrant out for his arrest, and is facing charges including assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, forcible entry, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and failure to comply with a release order.
Houle’s location is unknown at this time but police say he may be in Ebb and Flow First Nation, Sandy Bay First Nation, or Lake Manitoba First Nation.
RCMP ask that if you’ve seen him or have any information to call the Ste. Rose detachment at 204-447-3082, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or secure a tip online.
- Details
- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The Manitoba government has lowered the vaccine eligibility criteria for the general public to 62 years or older, and 42 and older for First Nations people.
Limited appointments at pop-up clinics are available at this time due to a recent delay in shipments of the Moderna vaccine. There has yet to be any follow-up announcement on when the postponed pop-up clinics will be rescheduled.
Appointments to receive the Pfizer vaccine at supersites in Brandon, Winnipeg, Thompson, Selkirk and Morden remain available.
Appointments for super sites or pop-ups can be made by calling (toll-free) 1-844-626-8222 (1-844-MAN-VACC).
Next week there will be two telephone town halls focused on the province’s COVID-19 immunization campaign held by Manitoba health officials.
A session for rural and northern Manitoba will take place on Tuesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Registration is open until noon on the day of the events. To participate, people can register at EngageMB.ca
- Details
- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Health officials announced 109 new cases of COVID-19 and another death on Wednesday.
A man in his 90s from the Winnipeg health region is the 943rd person to die with COVID-19 in Manitoba.
Four cases were added in the Prairie Mountain Health region today — and the Swan River health district now has four active cases of COVID-19
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 4.8 per cent provincially and 4.4 per cent in Winnipeg. The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 34,656.
Officials have detected another 22 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of concern — 21 are in Winnipeg and one in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
There are 1,294 active cases and 32,419 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.
There are 61 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 79 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 140 hospitalizations.
There are 14 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 18 people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 32 ICU patients.
Today’s new COVID-19 cases are in the following health regions:
• three cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region
• 49 cases in the Northern health region
• four cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• two cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region
• 51 cases in the Winnipeg health region
According to the province’s data, there are active cases of COVID-19 in the following Parkland health districts: Swan River (4), Dauphin (0), Riding Mountain (1), Duck Mountain (1), Porcupine Mountain (31), Asessippi (3). Brandon has four active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has no active cases of COVID-19. The Fisher/Peguis health district has five active cases.
- Details
- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Dauphin’s Countryfest will be postponed for the second consecutive summer.
Festival organizers announced the postponement on Wednesday morning, saying “the uncertainty of the right COVID-19 protocols to have in place to ensure the safety of festival goers, just leaves us with no choice but to hold off on welcoming everyone back to the hill this summer.”
President Ann Ransom added “we have a responsibility to Dauphin, and the surrounding communities, to bring the festival back in 2022.”
General Manager Rob Waloschuk noted some exciting changes are being planned. “While there may not be a festival as we know it this year, we are currently planning on presenting some smaller-scale ‘Covid Safe’ events throughout the summer, all based on public health guidelines.”
The press release sent out on Wednesday states the 2022 lineup is in the works, but Johnny Reid has already reconfirmed for next years’ festival.
Details on all ticket processes and more exclusive incentives will be going out via email directly to all ticket holders in the next week to ten days.
- Details
- Contributed by 730 CKDM
COVID enforcement officials handed out 42 warnings and 26 tickets in Manitoba last week.
From March 29th to April 4th, a total of $47,536 in fines were issued to Manitobans.
There were 23 tickets issued to individuals for various offences, and two for not wearing a mask in indoor public places.
15 of the fines issued to individuals were in relation to private gatherings that went against current health orders.
One $5,150 fine was issued for breaking the Federal Quarantine Act.
A total of 3,583 warnings and 1,146 tickets have been issued since April 2020, resulting in over $1.5 million in fines to businesses and individuals.
- Details
- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
The Manitoba government will be revealing Budget 2021 on Wednesday afternoon.
Nearly $1.2 billion will be included in the provincial budget to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding says a significant amount of spending will go towards protecting Manitobans during and after the pandemic.
He says $100 million will be directed to the provincial vaccination program, which has faced some challenges working towards the goal of 20,000 immunizations per day.
A release from the province on Tuesday states the majority of the funding in the budget includes amounts for the healthcare system, the full-year cost of the vaccine program, support that may be required for the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system to respond to the pandemic, and additional personal protective equipment and related supplies.
- Details
- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Today marks the third annual Green Shirt Day for organ donation.
April 7th is now known as Green Shirt Day after a surge of people started registering as organ donors following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018.
After defenseman Logan Boulet died on April 7th 2018, six people received his organs. This inspired almost 150,000 people to register as organ donors in the following months, which is now known as the Logan Boulet Effect.
Dauphin local Beryl Brandson has been raising awareness about organ donation and participating in Green Shirt Day for the past two years.
“It’s very near and dear to my heart," says Brandson, "I’m a big supporter of organ and tissue donation.”
“I had a double lung transplant 5 years ago," added Brandson, "and ever since then I’ve been volunteering with Transplant Manitoba. I’ve been speaking with high school students, and any group who is interested in having a presentation on organ and tissue donation.”
Beryl says that it isn’t enough to sign a donor card, and those interested must register at signupforlife.ca, and let their families know of their wishes.
- Details
- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
A man is facing charges after police say he drove an off-road vehicle recklessly and damaged a police vehicle in Portage la Prairie.
On Friday, April 2nd, an RCMP officer on patrol noticed an off-road vehicle go through a stop sign and drive erratically on 4th Street NW in Portage la Prairie.
An RCMP press release states the officer conducted a traffic stop and the suspect fled, lost control, and spun out.
Police say the off-road vehicle began driving again and struck the police vehicle, causing damage and injuring the officer who was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A short while later, RCMP officers received a report of a man who was trying to get an off-road vehicle started in a field north of Portage la Prairie.
RCMP arrived on scene and arrested the man without incident.
31-year-old Scott Taylor has been charged with Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm, Operation of a Conveyance while Impaired, Operation of a Conveyance with a blood alcohol content equal to or higher than 80 mg % Causing Bodily Harm, Failure to Stop at the Scene of a Collision, and Flight from a Peace Officer.
He was released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in court on May 18, 2021.
- Details
- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A fire ban has been issued for the R.M. of Alonsa.
The ban will take effect immediately.
All burning within the municipality has been banned to prevent fires, including wildfires.
- Details
- Contributed by Tess Kovach
On Tuesday health officials announced 62 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s, both from the Winnipeg Health region.
The new COVID-19 cases are in the following health regions:
• one case in the Interlake–Eastern Health region
• 23 cases in the Northern Health region
• four cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• one case in the Southern Health–Santé Sud Health region
• 33 cases in the Winnipeg Health region
The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 5.3 per cent provincially and 4.3 per cent in Winnipeg.
The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba is 34,549.
Public health officials are announcing that five new screened or sequenced cases of the B.1.1.7 variants of concern have been detected, all from the Winnipeg Health region.
The total number of confirmed variant of concern cases of B.1.1.7 is 240, the total number of variant of concern cases of B.1.351 is 20, and the total number of variant of concern cases that have not been categorized is 15, bringing the total number of confirmed variant of concern cases to 275.
There are 1,255 active cases and 32,352 people who have recovered from COVID-19.
There are 66 people in hospital with active COVID-19 and 74 people in hospital who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 140 hospitalizations.
There are 14 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 and 16 people who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 30 ICU patients.
The total number of deaths in Manitoba is 942.
According to the province’s data, there are active cases of COVID-19 in the following Parkland health districts: Dauphin (0), Riding Mountain (1), Duck Mountain (1), Porcupine Mountain (31), Asessippi (3). Brandon has 5 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has no active cases of COVID-19. The Fisher/Peguis health district has five active cases.
- Details
- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
