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Are you going to have to cancel your big Halloween bash this year? And what recommendations are health officials giving when it comes to trick-or-treating?
Manitobans looking for public health guidance regarding Halloween festivities will have to wait a bit longer for some definitive advice from Dr. Brent Roussin.
Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer says a special advisory committee is working on a document to help inform Canadians on the safest way to enjoy Halloween during the pandemic.
Dr. Brent Roussin says that document is nearing completion, and will likely be where we get our guiding principles.
“We need to prepare that it’s not going to look the same as other years. There are numerous points of contact when trick-or-treating. They are brief interactions, but when you add it all together, it could have a significant impact.”
Roussin says that public health guidance is expected in the coming weeks, to help Manitobans make an informed decision regarding their Halloween plans.
“It’s certainly going to look different than it normally does. We have to limit the amount of contacts,” said Roussin.
October 31st falls on a Saturday this year.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
A new mobile COVID-19 testing site has opened in Winnipeg.
The mobile site will initially add immediate additional capacity in Winnipeg while new drive-thru sites are being set up. After that, the mobile site can be moved around to other communities in the province should they require an increase in capacity due to a spike in cases.
Three new drive-thru sites are being set up in Winnipeg with the option for a fourth.
The province says more drive-thru sites will be opened in Dauphin, Brandon, Portage, and Winkler in the coming weeks. Additional information about those locations will be provided as sites open.
The province is reminding Manitobans that only those experiencing COVID symptoms should get tested, and they should be tested as soon as possible when symptoms are present.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Rossburn Elementary School is closed today.
The Park West School Division says the town is shutting off the school’s water supply while working on water lines.
The school will be reopened tomorrow.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Orange Shirt Day is a day to learn about the history of residential schools and honour the Indigenous children that were sent away to those schools.
The day is named after the bright orange shirt six-year-old Phyllis Webstad wore to her first day at St. Joseph Mission School in Williams Lake, B.C. The shirt was given to her by her grandmother in 1973, but when she arrived at the school, administrators took it from her.
Orange Shirt Day is important because it lets everyone know what happened in those schools and helps the reconciliation process.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The City of Dauphin is reminding residents that 2020 property taxes are due today (Wednesday, September 30).
Property taxes for Dauphin residents can be paid in-person at City Hall by cash, cheque, or debit, and cheques can be deposited in the drop-box at the north entrance door.
Payments can also be made online through financial institutions, but the payments need to be received by the City on or before September 30 to be considered on time.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
A man has been arrested for second-degree murder, following an incident near Camperville last week that was initially reported by authorities as an ATV collision.
On Thursday, September 24, a 36-year old man from Pine Creek First Nation was pronounced dead, and a 39-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries following the incident.
RCMP have now confirmed there was no ATV collision, and that second-degree murder charges have been laid against 51-year-old Francis Mousseau.
Police say they attended Sandy Bay on Sunday, September 27 and made the arrest.
Mousseau remains in custody.
Details about the nature of the incident on September 24 -- and what led to the death of the man from Pine Creek First Nation -- have not been released by RCMP at this time.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Three COVID outbreaks have been declared in Yorkton by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
The outbreaks are at the Yorkton Regional High school, Yorkton Regional Health Centre, and Pumphouse Athletic Club.
Yorkton Regional High school has cancelled their in-person classes for the next two weeks, after 4 students tested positive for the virus. At this time, officials believe transmission of the virus appears to have occurred outside the school.
The school division says they are now working to resume classes on October 19th.
A positive case has also been identified at the Yorkton RCMP detachment. They have closed the building to the public until October 12th.
As of Monday, 17 COVID cases have been reported in the community.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A surplus posted by the Manitoba government for the end of 2019-20 will be short-lived, as the province now expects several years of deficits due to the economic impact of the pandemic.
It’s the first time the Manitoba government is registering a surplus in more than a decade.
Premier Brian Pallister gave the update on Tuesday alongside Finance Minister Scott Fielding, focused on Manitoba’s economic outlook.
The 2020 deficit is expected to be nearly $3-billion due to the impacts of fighting COVID-19.
You can view the 2019-20 public accounts and 2020-21 first-quarter report by clicking here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The province has gained 34 new cases of COVID-19 today.
Two of the cases are in Prairie Mountain Health; none are in the Dauphin Health district.
One of the cases is in the Northern Health region, 5 are in the Southern Health-Santé Sud region, and 26 are in Winnipeg.
There are a total of 1,953 cases. Manitoba has 606 active cases and 1,327 are recovered. Fourteen people are in hospital and the number of deaths remains at 20.
Public health officials have declared the COVID-19 outbreaks over at the Assiniboine Centre at the Brandon Regional Health Centre in Brandon have returned to the Caution (yellow) level on the Pandemic Response System.
Health officials are strongly recommending that Manitobans limit the number of close contacts outside their household.
For more information on COVID-19, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Canada’s COVID-19 tracing app will soon be available in Manitoba.
Starting next week, Manitobans will have access to the COVID Alert app, which notifies you if you come into contact with a person who’s tested positive for COVID-19.
Manitoba’s Health Minister Cameron Friesen stresses that the app does not use or store your location information, and is completely voluntary.
“It doesn’t rely on GPS. It doesn’t give the government information about who you are or where you are, rather it uses Bluetooth to link with others and their phones when you come into contact over that threshold period of time.”
The app is currently being used in Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Friesen says at least 60% of Manitobans will need to download the app in order for it to be effective.
For more information about the COVID Alert app, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Increases to water and wastewater rates in the City of Dauphin could be coming if their proposal is accepted by the Public Utilities Board.
It’s been three years since the rates have gone up and since then, new regulations have come into place, costing the City more for the treatment of wastewater.
The City’s director of finance, Scott Carr says the rate increase isn’t significant and will be less than 10 per cent.
The province requires the removal of ammonia and phosphorus from the wastewater which increases Dauphin’s costs.
Carr says another rate increase is likely after the increase in 2023.
“We are going to require a lagoon upgrade in the next 3 or 4 years. So, there’s an expectation that 3 or 4 years down the road we’ll see a rate increase again to cover those lagoon upgrade costs.”
He says these upgrades aren’t related to the auditor general’s report.
“We meet all the licencing requirements and we’re licenced to operate our lagoon as is.”
If anyone has questions about the increase they can This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. the City of Dauphin, or give them a call at 622-3200.
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