Accessibility Tools

LISTEN LIVE 

NewsNow

The province has announced the first groups who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, which was approved by Health Canada earlier this week for people aged 18 and older.

Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba's deputy chief provincial public health officer, says that based on expected vaccine shipments and public health recommendations on who should receive the vaccine first, initial eligibility criteria include:

  • adults aged 65 or older;
  • Indigenous people aged 18 or older, regardless of where they live;
  • adults of any age with higher-risk medical conditions, including people who are immunocompromised due to a health condition or medication;
  • health-care workers aged 18 or older; and
  • residents of personal care homes and other congregate living facilities including assisted living, group homes, shelters and correctional facilities.

Dr. Atwal says that individuals must complete their primary series of vaccine before they can receive the bivalent vaccine.

He recommends that people wait six months from the last dose of vaccine or COVID-19 infection.

However, eligible individuals will be able to receive the bivalent vaccine after a minimum of three months, if they feel they are at increased risk.

More information can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.

Details

Ted Rea is running in the municipal election to become a councillor on Dauphin City Council.

According to Rea, he was born in Dauphin in 1964 and retired two years ago after working as a teacher for thirty-two years. 

He feels that it's time for a new challenge in his life and sees running for council as an opportunity to give back to the community he's lived in for almost his entire life.

"I'm not a politician. I'm not going to go out and make a bunch of promises that I may not be able to keep," Rea adds.

Tea Rea went on to say that if he is elected, he will listen to both sides of an issue before making an informed decision.

"I believe that through my experience in the educational field, I definitely possess the ability to work in group situations as well as with people on an individual basis, so I think that's also an important aspect of being a councillor," he adds.

Rea believes that Dauphin has difficulties attracting big businesses to set up operations in the city.

"In the last few years, the town has made some steps towards rectifying that situation, but I think... that's one... thing that I'd really like to see move on in a positive direction," he adds.

Rea went on to say that people should vote for him because he's honest, hardworking and a good decision-maker.

Anyone interested in running for municipal office has until September 20th to register.

The municipal election is scheduled for October 26th.

Details

September is World Alzheimer's Month.

Liz McLeod, senior manager of regional services for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, says that World Alzheimer's Month is an opportunity to talk about dementia and that it's a globally-coordinated effort.

"Countries around the world are emphasizing that it's Alzheimer's Month and it's an opportunity for those policymakers [and] governments... to recognize that dementia is a serious health issue and it will have overwhelming implications on services in health systems around the world as the population grows older," she adds.

McLeod says that there will be special events coming up to mark the occasion, starting with emphasizing the issues on their website.

"Some of our educational events will have a research forum in September, which will highlight what is new in research [and] what is important. It will help you decipher the headlines you see in the media and figure out, kind of, what's more important and what's less important in terms of what's coming out," she adds.

McLeod went on to say that they also want to let people who have a diagnosis of dementia know that they're not alone.

"We see them. We're aware of them... We're trying to help them by looking for funding [and] looking for programming," she adds.

Liz McLeod says that there are a lot of resources online for those looking to learn more about Alzheimer's disease.

She recommends that, in addition to visiting their website, people visit the Alzheimer Society of Canada website and watch Teepa Snow's videos on YouTube.

Details

The Manitoba government announced today that an additional $1.3 million will be invested to support the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba in delivering school nourishment programs.

Minister of Mental Health and Community Wellness Sarah Guillemard says that these programs will help many families affected by rising food prices and will enable the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba to cover a larger percentage of costs for meal and snack programs at funded schools.

"School nourishment programs support healthy eating and food security for Manitoba children during the critical, ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," Guillemard adds.

According to Guillemard, evidence suggests the programs are crucial in encouraging school attendance, supporting learning and promoting lifelong health and wellness.

Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko says that school nourishment programs provide a social school environment where students can consume nutritious food, ensuring a healthy, nutritious start for the day.

“This additional investment was identified as a priority in the report of the Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education and aligns with the Manitoba K to 12 Education Action Plan’s identified actions to remove barriers to participation and engagement in learning," Ewasko adds.

According to a news release from the provincial government, the new investment brings the total provincial funding for school nutrition programs this year to $2.5 million.

Details

A man in his mid to late 20s is dead after a vehicle-pedestrian collision seven kilometres west of Dauphin.

Dauphin RCMP responded to the collision on Wednesday night around 10 p.m. on Highway 5 near Road 115W. The man was walking in the eastbound lane of Highway 5 when he was struck by an eastbound vehicle which was being driven by a 66-year-old man from Neepawa. 

The driver of the vehicle immediately pulled over and called 911 and waited for RCMP to arrive. The male was pronounced dead on the scene. No other injuries were reported.

RCMP is asking anyone who may have seen an individual walking on Highway 5 prior to the collision to contact the Dauphin RCMP at 622-5050.

You can also call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a secure tip online at Crime Stoppers or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

Details

The Manitoba government announced earlier this week that it will provide $6.5 million in funding to support students and teachers in the return to in-person learning.

Of that funding, $2 million will go towards initiatives focused on strengthening student learning and supports including:

  • approximately $1 million for the Manitoba Remote Learning Support Centre (MRLSC) to provide after-school learning supports for students in grades 1 to 8;
  • $250,000 for the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children Survey, which will collect data on the health and well-being, social environments and health behaviours of children and youth for students in grades 6 to 10;
  • $150,000 to Kids Help Phone, 24/7 counselling and crisis supports; and
  • $390,000 for online resources and video-streaming services, including enhancements to support French, French immersion, and French/English program educators through Direction des ressources éducatives françaises (DREF).

“As Manitoba students and their teachers head back to school, our government is continuing to make significant investments to support their mental health and academic needs,” Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko says. “This year, schools will offer the full kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum and all the extracurricular activities that bring the school experience to life. Sports, recreation, tournaments, band and choir are just a few examples of what can be expected for the coming year.”

More information can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.

Details

UPDATE: Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says Canada is lagging behind other countries when it comes to booster dose uptake.

He is urging those who haven’t received a third dose to get one ahead of what may be a "challenging" fall.

"Over the next weeks as our children return to school, or we return to the office, making an appointment for a booster dose should be at the top of our to-do lists," Duclos adds.

780,000 doses of Moderna's new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive on Friday, with more than 10 million expected by the end of September.

The original article follows:

Health Canada has authorized the use of Moderna's Omicron-targeting bivalent COVID-19 vaccine in individuals aged 18 years and older.

The "Spikevax Bivalent" booster dose is an updated version Moderna's original mRNA vaccine, and targets both the original strain of COVID-19 as well as the Omicron variant.

The Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus has been widely circulating in Canada since November 2021.

A technical briefing with Public Health Agency of Canada officials will be followed by an announcement from Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos later today.

This is a breaking news story. More to come.

Details

The MMF (Manitoba Métis Federation) Manitoba House Local will be hosting a pancake breakfast at the Kinosota Community Centre on Saturday, September 3rd from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Vicky Campbell, the chairperson for Manitoba House Local, says that each plate will cost $5.

"We're [also] going to have french toast, sausages, bacon, coffee [and] juice... After breakfast, then we're going to have a general meeting," she adds.

Campbell says that the proceeds raised will go into the Local's account and then they'll share it with the rest of the community.

"It just helps with people who have medical trips and they need some extra support or different fun activities for our youth in the community or suppers for community gatherings," she adds.

 Vicky Campbell thinks that after two years of not being able to gather, it's great to have the community get back together again.

"We still try and follow a lot of the restrictions as much as we can, but people are starting to feel more comfortable getting together and visiting and sharing stories, which is exactly what everybody used to do," she adds.

Campbell went on to say that since most of the community has been triple-vaccinated against COVID-19, they will not be checking people's vaccination status.

Details

Lakeshore & Ste. Rose Recreation is looking for volunteers, so that community events can go ahead as planned.

Recreation Director Marie Sorie says that there are many different ways people can volunteer.

"There [are] many upcoming events within the area, so within Ste. Rose, Ochre River and Rorketon, and some of the events require, for example serving staff, so we will have beer gardens where we will require servers. We will have 50/50s  that require some sellers... [We also need] silent auction people that can... sell some tickets for us... These are pretty easy," she adds.

According to Sorlie, the bike rodeo that is coming up on September 11th requires an especially high number of volunteers.

"We will need some people there to help us with the various stations and so that's guiding children in and around the track, making sure they're following the bike rodeo rules, and — you know — having fun..., making sure everyone's got their helmets on and all that kind of good stuff," she adds.

Marie Sorlie went on to say that all of the recreation committees in the area are always looking for volunteers to help make decisions on what activities should be offered.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can reach Marie Sorlie by messaging Lakeshore & Ste Rose Recreation on Facebook or by calling or texting 204-648-4797.

Details

The Government of Manitoba will be providing residents with financial help to deal with inflation and rising costs.

Premier Heather Stefanson made the announcement today saying that the province will be spending $87M on, what she calls, a family affordability package.

As part of the package, families with children and a household income of less than $175,000 in 2021 will receive a benefit cheque of $250 for the first child and $200 for each additional child.

Seniors with less than $40,000 in family income who claimed an education property tax credit in 2021 will receive a benefit cheque of $300.

Cheques will be mailed to eligible individuals in late September.

More information can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.

Details

École Macneill is ready to welcome students back for another school on Wednesday, September 7th.

Principal Monique Lefebvre says that the building is in great shape.

"There [weren't] any capital projects that were on the go this summer, so right now the school is sparkling because our custodian, Mr. Taylor, has spent all summer cleaning and buffing and waxing the floors and cleaning the walls... The place just looks really shiny and sparkly," she adds.

According to Lefebvre, COVID-19 wasn't a major factor in this year's back-to-school preparations, since most of the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted earlier this year.

"We're looking forward to kind of a return-to-normal start to the school year," she adds.

Lefebvre says that the ongoing shortage of French teachers in the province won't be affecting the school this year, but could affect it next year.

"We have a good staff this year at École Macneill and within Mountain View School Division we've managed to fill all our French-speaking positions," she adds.

Monique Lefebvre went on to say that even though they will be teaching the same curriculum, as usual, they will be incorporating more technology into it.

"Especially with the Microsoft Office, our students are really getting on board.... We have... [an] educational assistance [with a passion for] technology... She's really come on board to teach the students a lot of skills that were needed during COVID, but we can see the benefits of continuing to teach those... technology skills, even at the younger grades," she adds. 

According to Lefebvre, they're hoping to offer a lot more extra-curricular activities this year, which she says were sorely missed by both students and teachers.

"[We'll be] getting back to running club, flag football, soccer, track and field, volleyball, basketball, badminton... and any other interest that teachers want to share with their students," she adds.

Lefebvre says that the first day of school will be mainly focused on building relationships and reviewing material from last year.

Details

More News