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A toddler from the Sandy Bay First Nation has died after being struck by a vehicle that was backing out of a driveway.
On Tuesday evening at around 6:30 p.m., Manitoba First Nation Police Service officers responded to the incident.
Initial investigation indicates that the child had walked behind the vehicle that was backing out of a driveway, when they were hit.
When police arrived, EMS were on scene treating the 21-month-old child suffering serious injuries.
The child was transported to hospital, but later pronounced dead.
Police continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon has temporarily stopped its pork exports to China.
The company says this is because of new Chinese health guidelines that require any plant with a positive case to suspend all exports to China.
The company has had 60 cases of COVID-19 at the Brandon plant.
Public health officials continue to say there is no proof of workplace transmission.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A new colour-coded COVID-19 system from the Manitoba government will help officials introduce restrictions for specific regions, communities, or businesses.
The new #RestartMB Pandemic Response System has four risk levels: green, yellow, orange, and red.
The system launched with a province-wide yellow response level, which means COVID-19 is still a threat across Manitoba, but community transmission levels are low. For more information on the COVID-19 indicators and the four response levels, click here.
The highest risk level, red or "critical," means there is extensive community transmission and clusters of COVID-19 that are not contained, and the cases are putting strain on the health system.
For example, the Bethesda Place personal care home in Steinbach is listed as red, or “critical," after someone there tested positive this week.
For Manitoba to reach the green, or "limited risk" level, we would have to see the spread of COVID-19 contained, with a vaccine or some kind of treatment for the disease available.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Premier Brian Pallister has announced that masks will now be mandatory in schools for students in grades 4-12.
He adds that school staff is included in the announcement.
During his press conference, he said this is out of an abundance of caution.
“Having listened with great interest to the input of literally thousands and thousands of Manitobans, we will be requiring mandatory use of masks in schools in grades 4 to 12, where physical distancing of two metres is not possible.”
Until now, the government had strongly recommended the use of masks and only made them mandatory while on buses.
Going forward, all students in Grade 4 and up -- including bus drivers -- will be required to wear non-medical masks on school buses.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Public health officials have announced 15 new cases of COVID-19 today.
Officials are advising of a 12th death in the province, a man in his 60s from the Grey health district in the Southern Health Region.
The new cases bring the provincial total to 763.
Broken down, there are 13 new cases in Prairie Mountain Health, 1 in the Southern Health Region, and 1 in Winnipeg.
None of today’s cases are in Dauphin and there are still 2 active cases in the city.
Preliminary investigations indicate the Prairie Mountain Health regional cases are mostly related to contacts to known cases, but there are cases with an unknown acquisition in the region.
Right now in Manitoba, there are 223 active cases, 6 people in the hospital, and 2 in intensive care.
There have been 528 recoveries reported.
Public health officials are advising of a potential exposure to COVID-19 at the Wigwam Restaurant in Wasagaming on August 13th and 14th from 3-10 pm, and the 15th from 3-7 pm.
Unless recommended by Public Health, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing. Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, visit www.manitoba.ca/COVID19.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The provincial government is increasing funding for First Nations policing.
In an announcement today in Portage la Prairie, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen announced an additional investment of $2.6 million over the next three years for the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP).
Manitoba’s total investment in First Nations policing will increase to more than $15 million annually by the year 2022-23, and will also support the addition of 4 new officers.
The justice minister says “this investment supports our commitment by providing culturally relevant policing for Indigenous communities.”
Acting Chief of the Manitoba First Nations Police, Bruno Rossi, says “this support will help keep our officers safer through the purchase of new advanced and state-of-the-art equipment, and enable us to secure four new officers who will be working toward combatting the increase of illegal drugs, guns and gangs in communities.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Last night, Manitobans had the chance to take part in a town hall phone call with the province to ask any questions they had about the back to school plan.
17 people quizzed Manitoba’s Education Minister, Kelvin Goertzen and Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr Brent Roussin for an hour.
The topics of masks, substitute teachers, cohorts and contact tracing were covered as well as what can be done for immune-compromised families, students with special needs, and students with anxieties about going back to school.
A few people asked why the government decided against mandating masks for everyone in schools.
The guidelines issued by the province strongly recommend the use of masks for staff and students in grades 5 and up but only mandates masks for students on buses in grades 5 and up.
Roussin answered, saying the virus doesn’t have a high rate of transfer among younger children.
“The other thing is just the expectation of adherence to proper mask use, and so the amount of times that these kids would be touching their face and bringing the mask down is really counter-productive.”
One caller was worried that substitute teachers moving from school to school could be exposing themselves and multiple cohorts.
Goertzen referenced back to the beginning of the pandemic when personal care homes experienced outbreaks with ties to workers that moved between facilities, before adding that nurses do considerably different work than teachers or substitutes.
“Our expectation is that teachers will be that two metres removed from the students.”
On the topic of cohorts and contact tracing, Roussin said the order of business would be notifying school administrators, the school community, then the rest of Manitoba.
When a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, health officials will look into close contacts that spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of the positive case.
Roussin added that it’s possible an entire cohort could have to isolate, adding that it also could be a small number of close contacts.
The province says medically fragile students can stay home if they have a recommendation from a health professional to do so, other than that, students and those with common chronic conditions, are expected to be at school.
When asked about back to school anxieties, Goertzen brought up the mental health and well-being guidelines for divisions and suggested all divisions should have supports ready for students experiencing anxiety.
"There is going to be an increased anxiety among young people, but we don't know to what extent."
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
This comes after an Amber Alert was issued after a 4-year-old girl was reported to have been taken from her Saskatoon home by a stranger early Tuesday morning.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Health officials in Manitoba are reporting 17 new cases of COVID-19, and two more deaths in their Tuesday update.
Both of the deaths reported Tuesday are from the Southern Health region. Manitoba now has a total of 748 cases, and 11 deaths related to COVID-19.
Two of today’s new cases are in the Prairie Mountain Health region — with 11 in the Winnipeg health region. There have been no new cases announced in the Dauphin health district today.
Manitoba has 235 active cases of COVID-19, and 502 people listed as recovered.
There are 8 people in hospital because of the virus, with two in intensive care.
Testing numbers show an additional 1,028 laboratory tests were completed on Monday, bringing the total number of tests completed since early February to 116,990.
Manitobans are strongly encouraged to return to the fundamentals to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This means not going out while you feel ill, practising proper hand hygiene, covering your cough and physical distancing when you are with people outside your household. If you cannot physical distance, wear a mask.
Unless recommended by public health, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing. Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
There’s been another fatality on Manitoba’s roads according to RCMP.
On Monday evening, an 18-year-old man died after a collision near the intersection of Highway 1 and PR 257 in Virden.
RCMP say the driver was approaching the intersection when he lost control of his vehicle and rolled into the ditch.
The man was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A search of a residence on the Sandy Bay First Nation by RCMP and the Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) resulted in several arrests, and the seizure of various weapons, and drugs.
In the early morning hours on Saturday, August 15, officers executed a search warrant at a residence on the Sandy Bay First Nation.
This led to the recovery of a loaded shotgun with a large amount of shotgun ammunition, two pellet guns, a ballistic vest, bear spray, and a collapsable baton.
MFNPS also say officers recovered an unspecified amount of drugs believed to be crystal methamphetamine, and $1,020 in cash.
Police located 7 people in the residence, who were arrested and held in custody. One male suspect was not located at the residence and there is a warrant out for his arrest.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
