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Manitoba Teachers’ Society president James Bedford is calling on the province to close schools no later than this Wednesday.
Manitoba’s Minister of Education made the announcement last week that all K-12 schools in the province will be suspended next Monday until April 13th.
However, the head of the Manitoba Teachers' Society which represents 16,000 public school teachers, wants schools closed as soon as possible.
In a letter addressed to Manitoba’s Education Minister, Bedford raised his concerns about the week-long wait.
As it stands right now, all Manitoba schools will be suspended effective March 23rd.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin is assuring the schools are safe, and that the move to suspend classes is being made out of an abundance of caution to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba Public Insurance is cancelling all vision and knowledge tests, starting today.
MPI says this is in response to Manitoba’s social distancing guidelines.
The Corporation has also announced the following:
· Enhanced ID interviews will be cancelled until further notice.
· Out of health concerns, MPI front-counter staff will not serve people who have returned from international travel and have not self-isolated for the recommended 14 days.
Customers with scheduled appointments are being contacted by staff to notify them of the cancellation.
Once tests resume, you can re-schedule appointments over the phone, online, or in-person
This follows last week's announcement that all scheduled road tests have been put on hold for the foreseeable future.
You can also check out MPI’s website for several online services, including making payments for most driver’s licence charges, policy fees, registrations, premiums and overdue amounts.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Dauphin RCMP Detachment have made several arrests related to recent snowmobile thefts in the area.
On March 11th, officers conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck with a snowmobile in the back.
Officers determined the snowmobile had been stolen and arrested the 17-year-old male driver from the RM of Dauphin.
As a result, a search warrant was executed on Friday, March 13th at a home in the RM of Grandview which led to the recovery of 11 stolen snowmobiles, two stolen ATV’s, unsafely stored firearms and a small quantity of methamphetamine.
21-year-old Jordy Clyde Robertson was arrested at the scene, and faces 11 counts of Possession of Stolen Property, Trafficking in Property Obtained by Crime, Unsafe Storage of Firearms and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Since then, a 22-year-old man from Roblin has also been arrested in connection with this incident and was later released from custody and placed on court-imposed conditions with a scheduled court appearance set for May 26th in Dauphin.
The investigation is ongoing, and Dauphin RCMP say more arrests are pending.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Today, MVSD Superintendent Dan Ward provided some additional information to parents and community members.
The full news release can be found here.
The suspension of all K-12 classes in Manitoba effective March 23 will proceed as planned under the recommendation of the Chief Public Health Officer of Manitoba, Dr. Brent Roussin.
In an effort to prevent, manage and isolate the spread of the virus and limit exposure, the school division will be implementing several measures as of today.
-cancelling all field trips
-cancelling all international student tours
-cancelling all non-essential meetings, gatherings, assemblies and presentations, and other large group events
-cancelling staff attendance at professional development sessions
-cancelling extra-curricular activities
-suspending the community use of schools or divisional space -suspending student work placements/internships
To see today's full update from the Superintendent, and all other MVSD updates, you can visit www.mvsd.ca
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has addressed the country about the novel coronavirus.
He has announced that Canada has banned entry to most non-residents and non-Canadians except for the US.
Canadians can also get financial assistance to come home.
Going forward, only 4 airports in Canada will remain open to international flights (Vancouver International, Calgary International, Toronto Pearson, and the Montreal Trudeau airport), and he adds that the limiting of international flights doesn't apply to commerce and trade.
Trudeau emphasized a need for Canadians abroad to return home, and for Canadians that are home to stay home.
Air carriers are mandated to screen passengers before coming to Canada to ensure those with coronavirus symptoms aren't travelling to Canada
Trudeau thanks the provinces for taking aggressive precautions to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, and says it's time to step it up even more.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
According to GasBuddy, gas prices in Manitoba have dropped 8 cents in the last week and are now averaging 95.1 cents per litre.
In Dauphin at the Co-op gas bars, prices are at 97.9 c/L which is down from 104.9 c/L this time last week.
Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, says gas prices are plummeting in every town, city and province with the Canadian national average seeing one of its biggest weekly declines in the last decade.
“The number of stations selling gasoline under $1 per litre has surged, while retail prices have collapsed to as low as 69.9c/L in Alberta last week, with more price drops coming for nearly every station in the week ahead as they continue to pass along the lower replacement cost. The root cause continues to be coronavirus related, since demand for oil slumped globally, inducing the current price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia as they both raise output, causing oil prices to crash through the floor. Such a large decline at this time of year is mind-blowing, as gas prices have risen in all but one year in the last ten during the spring. All good things may not last forever, however, as rumors swirl that Russia and Saudi Arabia are holding high level talks to reign in the collapse in oil prices, which could eventually end the party at the pump."
Comparing Dauphin’s 97.9 c/L, Winnipeg has an average price of 84.8 c/L, and Saskatchewan has an average price of 96.1 c/L.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Starting Monday, all Parkland Regional Libraries will be closed.
Director Allison Moss encourages the use of their online resources such as e-books and e-audiobooks.
Downloading the Libby app provides access to a large selection of electronic books and audiobooks.
The library also provides access to a free streaming service called Kanopy, which contains movies, TV shows, and children's programming.
Moss says their team will continue to develop creative plans to mitigate the disruption and do their best to serve their communities.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The three previously announced presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 have been lab-confirmed.
There are now four total confirmed positive cases in Manitoba.
Public health investigations are continuing, but it appears that all four cases are travel related.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Manitoba Public Insurance has announced the cancellation of all road tests due to increasing concern about the COVID-19 outbreak.
All previously scheduled road tests will be rescheduled at a later date.
The Corporation is currently in the process of contacting affected customers.
MPI is currently monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The fourth case of COVID-19 has been announced by public officials.
A Winnipeg man in his 40s has tested positive for the virus.
It appears he has travelled to South Korea, the Philippines, and Japan.
So far, there has been one confirmed case in Manitoba, and three Presumptive positive cases.
Public Health Officials are investigating.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The City of Dauphin will be operating as usual over the weekend but is monitoring the COVID-19 situation.
The City will be reviewing all departments on Monday to prioritize services and prepare for the following days.
The City is following directives from the Province to ensure the safety of the public and staff.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
