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Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister made a couple of announcements in his 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday morning.
The province is extending $4.6 million to low-income Manitobans with disabilities.
Under the Disability Economic Support Program, each of these Manitobans will be mailed a $200 cheque in early June for one-time support, which will not be considered taxable income and won’t affect any other benefits received.
Pallister says “Manitobans living with disabilities may be facing additional costs to adjust to the new realities of daily life during the pandemic. As we respond to these challenges together, our government is making an important investment to help address urgent needs.”
More information about the Disability Economic Support Program is available here.
In a joint statement with the premiers of British Columbia and Yukon, Pallister says he's pleased the federal government is looking at a sick leave program that protects people and businesses
He says paid sick leave is crucial for the safe restart of our economy and the trio of premiers tell us they're committed to working with the prime minister and other provinces and territories to move forward and ensure all Canadians have the protection they need during this pandemic.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Ongoing wildfires in the Camperville and Pine Creek First Nation area are still burning, but are mostly under control.
David Schafer is the Director of the province’s Wildfire Program, and tells CKDM crews made some good progress over the weekend.
The wildfires are now classified as being held, and crews have secured the perimeter and continue to put out hotspots.
The Manitoba Wildfire Service classifies wildfires using the following categories:
- Not Under Control
- Being Held (crews have stopped the spread of the fire)
- Under Control (strong established perimeters; chance of escape is very limited)
- Extinguished
“So it’s in a state of being held, they’ve secured the perimeter, but they still have a lot of work ahead of them.”
The area where the fires are burning didn’t see much of that rain this weekend, but some cooler temperatures did help the cause.
Officials say damage to property has been limited to just 1 home and 1 garage on Pine Creek First Nation.
The Director of the Wildfire Program is reminding Manitobans to refrain from any open burning — and to be careful with everything.
“There’s a concern in regard to people lighting fires and walking away from them. We need to be vigilant and make sure that is not happening.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Paramedic Services Week (May 24-30) provides an opportunity to acknowledge the important role that paramedics play on the front lines of the healthcare system.
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of that role, as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel are now dealing with some added uncertainty.
Chief nursing officer for Shared Health Lanette Siragusa commends EMS personnel for their ability to handle unpredictable situations in uncontrolled environments every day.
“We just want to thank the paramedics for the dedication they show to improve patient outcomes, and their fantastic professionalism.”
An informative guide has been released detailing how you can best support paramedics as they carry out their duties during the COVID situation. You can access it here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Following a weekend with no new cases of COVID-19 identified in Manitoba, the province is starting the week in a similar fashion.
With no new cases identified Monday, there are 17 active cases in the province, and nobody in hospital because of the virus. The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 remains at 7.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin encourages Manitobans to stay home when they are ill.
“It is safe to see your healthcare providers, so I would encourage Manitobans to continue to do so — but if you’re ill, stay home.”
Testing for COVID has now been opened up to everyone in Manitoba. The online screening tool can be accessed here.
Details about the draft plan for Phase Two of Manitoba's service restoration are now online.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The partial reopening of national parks will be a welcomed change for many of us in the Parkland.
Starting on June 1st, Parks Canada will gradually restore some services; allowing day use of trails and some outdoor spaces.
By June 21st, we could see campgrounds reopen in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP), as long as Parks Canada deems it safe to proceed at that time.
As Manitoba’s provincial parks have already been cleared to reopen, the decision to keep RMNP closed has drawn a fair bit of criticism.
Businesses in Wasagaming have taken a big hit to start the season — with many finding it difficult to encourage guests to visit while the national park’s coveted green spaces and trails are closed to the public.
The federal government made the decision to close national parks in March, to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Parks Canada officials are expected to release more details about the June 1st reopening plan in the coming days. You can find the latest updates from park officials here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Dauphin City Council will convene virtually on Monday night — and councillors will have plenty of discussions around the easing COVID restrictions.
One item on the agenda is a recommendation from Dauphin Recreation Services (DRS) to reopen the following playgrounds beginning June 1st:
• Vermillion Park Playground
• Kerr Avenue Playground (East end of Kerr Avenue)
• Kirby Park (Corner of Kirby Avenue W and Hedderly Street)
• Kinette Park (Corner of 5th Avenue SW and 2nd Street SW)
• McDonald’s Playground (Parkland Recreation Complex 200 1st st.SE)
• Park Crescent Playground
• West End Playground (Corner of Railway Avenue and William Street)
• D-Town Plaza Skate Park
Under the directive of Public Health, Council decided on April 6 to close DRS playgrounds to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
As the province gradually eases restrictions during the reopening of Manitoba’s economy, the City of Dauphin will have to make some decisions on how to respond.
With Phase Two of reopening around the corner — and in light of the province allowing larger gatherings of people — the City of Dauphin seems like it will keep facilities operating as-is for now. That means City Hall is open for payments and other meetings by appointment, the Shop and Water Treatment Plant remains closed to the public; and the Fire Hall is open.
Council will also discuss what their meetings will look like going forward — and whether or not they'll continue with virtual meetings, or possibly return to in-person sittings sometime in the near future.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
It was a weekend with no new cases of COVID-19 identified in Manitoba.
Public health officials say there are 17 active cases in the province as of 9:30 a.m on Sunday.
There are no Manitobans in hospital because of COVID-19.
The number of deaths remains at 7.
Government officials have released a drafted plan of what "Phase Two" of reopening Manitoba’s economy could look like. More information is expected in the coming days about the next steps of reopening.
Provincial officials are hosting a telephone town hall with Manitobans from across the province on Tuesday, May 26th at 7PM. To join the town hall, you have to register here.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
After two new cases were announced on Friday, there have been no new cases identified on Saturday.
The total number of confirmed and probable cases remains at 292.
There are 17 active cases, and 268 people listed as recovered. The number of deaths remains at 7.
There are currently no Manitobans in the hospital because of COVID-19.
Government officials have released a drafted plan of what "Phase Two" of reopening Manitoba’s economy could look like. More information is expected in the coming days about the next steps of reopening.
Provincial officials are hosting a telephone town hall with Manitobans from across the province on Tuesday, May 26th at 7PM. To join the town hall, you have to register here.
For more information and to access the online screening tool for COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
A Brandon home care organization has been fined for failing to follow public health orders.
Daughter on Call in Brandon was fined $2,542 on May 15, after a worker tested positive for COVID-19. The organization reportedly failed to take precautions to control or minimize the risk of spreading the disease.
On Thursday, one of the company's care homes in Carberry was given a ticket in the same amount for failing to follow a public emergency health order.
Manitoba Health continues to work with the organization on compliance.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Organizers for the 28th annual Ashern Rodeo are hopeful they'll get the green light to proceed with the event this September long weekend.
Sponsorship Chair of the Ashern Rodeo Committee, Christine Michaleski says that a celebration like this will be a great end to the summer, and a start to the reopening of the province.
“We are trying to be as respectful as possible, but it would be so wonderful to be able to celebrate the end of this, and the end of summer with a big rodeo like this.”
“It seems like Manitoba is moving in a really good direction and we’re really lucky. We are staying hopeful and so far with everybody that I’ve talked to, it’s still looking like we are able to have it.”
She adds that they may have to limit the number of people that can attend, as well as implement hygiene and sanitizing stations around the rodeo grounds.
Rodeo Committee Vice President Rylee Giesler says that they're communicating with the province as well as the RM of West Interlake about what restrictions will have to be in place.
While details on how the event will unfold are still up in the air right now, the organization is hopeful to continue.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
2020 has been a tough year for many different reasons and one of those reasons is fatalities on Manitoba roads.
28 Manitobans have lost their lives in motor vehicle collisions just this year. That's well above the five-year average of 18.
Paul Manaigre with the RCMP says these numbers are shocking and he's urging the public to be safe while driving a vehicle, driving your bicycle on the roadways and even if you're a pedestrian.
"That number is staggering. We're seeing a number of high-risk factors and it's just far too many," he said.
Collisions include impaired driving, not wearing a seatbelt, and distracted driving, just to name a few. The RCMP is telling the public to remember these few things when on the road.
- Drive sober
- Wear a seatbelt
- Slow down and drive to conditions
- Be cautious and always aware of your surroundings
- Pay attention to the road at all times
- Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you
- Put your cellphone away.
"I think it's safe to assume that people are being complacent and they're assuming that nothing will happen to them," continued Manaigre. "It doesn't even have to be you causing the accident, it could be someone else. We want everyone to be safe and cautious on the roads."
Another fact is that summertime also brings the highest number of motor vehicle fatalities. Most of these fatalities happen on roads in rural areas.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
