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Riding Mountain National Park is one of beautiful destinations in the province. Whether you're heading there for some ice cream, to head for a hike, or to camp, there is something for everyone.
And while in the park, there is a good chance you'll see wildlife. Bear sightings have been very frequent as of late which means cars are stopping on the side of the road to get a better look. While this is allowed, feeding the animals is not. If you are caught, you could face a $25,000 penalty as feeding wildlife is illegal at all Parks Canada parks.
Tim Sallows, a resource management officer with Parks Canada says the bears have plenty of natural resources for food, they don't need human food.
"Bears will get comfortable with vehicles if they're fed by humans," said Sallows. "So what they will do is run out to the road to meet vehicles and that has led to bears being hit in the past. Go ahead and look at the bears, but don't feed them."
It's also recommended that you always stay in your vehicle while taking pictures and if a bear is near, keep your hands inside the vehicle. With winding turns throughout the park, driving the speed limit is very important and park officials are always on the lookout for drivers going faster than the limit.
By driving faster than the limit, a driver is minimizing the chance of stopping in time as bears, moose, elk, and deer frequent the trails, especially at night time.
"The speed limit is 80 kilometres-per-hour so it's important that everyone obeys that," offered Sallows. "You also need to pay attention because wildlife can jump out quickly."
If you're camping and you spot a bear on a trail or near your campsite, you should always act big. This has been proven to make a bear head the other way. But if they don't, you should back up slowly.
"Don't turn your back on the bear, that's important," ended Sallows.
You must also always have your dog on a leash, at all times.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Mountain View School Division is advising of a positive case of COVID-19 at Gilbert Plains Collegiate.
Gilbert Plains Collegiate will be closed Friday, May 28th while the division waits for a Public Health investigation.
Manitoba Public Health officials advised Gilbert Plains Collegiate of at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school in Grade 10 Classroom on May 20th and 21st when the individual(s) may have been infectious.
School administration says that they’re working closely with Public Health officials, and following their recommendations.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
The Manitoba government announced $58-million dollars in funding for the 2021-22 school year, to ensure pandemic protection and resources to support mental health and well-being for students and staff.
Investments for the next school year will include:
- $40 million for the per-pupil allocation to school divisions and independent schools for additional staffing, learning and technology, and health and safety
- $6 million for potential costs for PPE
- $5 million for the Kindergarten to Grade 8 Remote Learning Support Centre for students who are medically compromised
- $7 million in contingency including a $5-million recovery learning fund
The recovery learning contingency fund will be used to address the impacts of the pandemic on student learning. It will support several streams including:
- mental health and wellness
- literacy and numeracy
- planning and assessment
- student engagement
- professional learning
Manitoba’s education minister, Cliff Cullen, says for the current school year, the province is projected to invest up to $170 million by the end of June including $85 million in federal contributions.
It is anticipated there will be some level of public health measures for fall 2021 and the types of measures in the fall will be dependent upon vaccination rollout.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Burning permits are now required for all burning activity in the Mossey River Municipality.
Permits are free from the Municipal office.
Any questions can be directed to the Municipal office at 204-656-4791.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
Manitoba Public Health officials are advising of at least one confirmed COVID-19 case at MacKenzie Middle School.
The case was at the school in the Grade six classroom on May 13th and 14th when they may have been infectious.
School administration says they’re working closely with public health officials and following their recommendations. Close contacts have been identified and were advised to self-isolate along with their household members.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
Manitoba has extended the remote learning period for schools in the province.
All schools in Brandon and Winnipeg will continue their remote learning period until June 7th and all schools in Dauphin will learn remotely until June 9th.
Red River Valley and Garden Valley school divisions will also continue remote learning until June 7th.
Dr. Brent Roussin says he hopes to get students back in school next month, before the end of the school year.
Education Minister Cliff Cullen will hold a press conference this afternoon about COVID-19 funding for the 2021-22 school year.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
Today the province announced a new set of stronger public health restrictions.
The following restrictions will take effect on Saturday, May 29th and last until Saturday, June 12th:
• indoor public gatherings are not permitted and visitors are not permitted on private property, except in certain circumstances
• requirements for employers to allow employees to work from home as much as possible
• outdoor gatherings with anyone from outside a household are not allowed and this applies to all recreation spaces including playgrounds, golf courses, parks and sports fields
• retail businesses may only operate at 10 percent capacity or 100 customers, whichever is fewer, and only one person per household will be allowed to enter a business, with some exceptions, such as a single parent with children or someone who requires a caregiver
• increased requirements for malls to manage capacity and access to eliminate gatherings and ensure compliance with shopping
• many businesses and organizations will remain closed for in-person service, including gyms and fitness clubs, restaurants and bars, personal service businesses, museums, galleries and libraries
Premier Brian Pallister commented on the health orders, saying "these are tough health measures because we are in a tough situation."
For more provincial data on COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba’s top doctor will be sitting down at 3:00 today to discuss the return to in-person learning in Manitoba classrooms.
All Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in Brandon and Winnipeg were transitioned to full remote learning on May 12th.
Remote learning for those schools is set to expire on Sunday, May 30th.
All schools in Dauphin transitioned to full remote learning this week, due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases associated with schools in the city.
Dauphin schools will be closed to in-person learning until June 9th.
CKDM will bring you details on today’s announcement once they are made available.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Dauphin RCMP is looking for Lester Pruden, who may be in the area.
Pruden is facing charges of Assault with a Weapon, Failing to Comply, and Uttering Threats x2.
He's described as 5'9", 160lbs with brown hair and brown eyes.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Dauphin RCMP at 622-5050.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Health Authority.
Brian Schoonbaert will take over the role of CEO, replacing Penny Gilson, who will retire on May 31st.
Shoonbaert was formerly the CEO of the Brandon Regional Health Authority and has held a number of executive roles within Prairie Mountain Health.
Shoonbaert says his focus for the next while will be getting through the pandemic.
"I believe we're coming toward the end of the worst, but we do have to keep our attention focused on getting through this time."
The Board Of Directors for PMH are expressing their thanks to Gilson’s dedication and leadership during her time as CEO.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A Manitoban with COVID-19 has died after an attempt was made to transport them out of the province to receive care.
A spokesperson for Shared Health says a medically stable but critically ill patient, who was identified for transport to an Ontario hospital, destabilized prior to takeoff this week.
The patient was given care by the critical care transport team and returned to the sending facility. The patient passed away the following day.
The spokesperson says that patients who are transferred out of the province are carefully assessed by the critical care team and detailed discussions happen between the teams sending and receiving the patient.
As of yesterday, 18 patients had been sent to hospitals in Ontario.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
