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Today we're learning of the first presumptive case of the novel coronavirus in Manitoba.

The Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen made the announcement this morning at a press conference.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin wants to remind Manitobans that most people who contract the virus will only experience mild symptoms and will recover.

Those at high risk include people over age 65 and those with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems.

For those of us living in rural municipalities, Dr. Roussin says the guidelines for minimizing risk are no different than what's been advised in the big cities.

"I think it's going to be pretty much the same. Social distancing strategies are not directives, they are for everyone to be aware of roles they can play to protect themselves and the people around them. No matter where you are in the province, there is a role for you to reply in our response."

You can help protect yourself and your community by following public health advice; minimizing handshakes, disinfecting frequently used services, and by avoid events with large gatherings of people if possible.

The patient in question is a woman from Winnipeg in her 40’s who works with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

She recently returned from traveling in the Philipines and currently is in self-isolation.

Official testing should be completed within 24 hours.

As of March 11, 403 tests have been completed for COVID-19 in Manitoba.  

This news follows yesterday’s federal announcement of $1 billion dollars to support provinces in getting prepared to deal with COVID-19.

The NBA has postponed their season for the foreseeable future after a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for the virus, while the NHL decided today to postpone their season. 

The 49th annual JUNO Awards in Saskatoon have also been canceled.

Six awards were given out during the Dauphin and District Chamber of Commerce’s Celebration Night last night.

Stephen Chychota recaps the evening.

“A lot of fun, a little interesting. Always great to have a big group out like that and recognize some businesses. A little technical difficulties here and there, but we got through it. But it was a lot of fun, it’s always a good time to bring everyone together and look after everyone and recognize some really great businesses and organizations and individuals across the Parkland that are doing some really great work.”

The first award given out was the Community Appreciation Award for Group. The nominees were the Dauphin Multipurpose Senior Centre, Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club, Dauphin Friendship Centre, and the Kinsmen Club of Dauphin/The Kinette Club of Dauphin. The Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club won the award.

Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club

Second, on the list was the Community Appreciation Award for Individual. The only nominee and therefore, the winner was Jim MacMillan.

Jim MacMillan

Third up was the Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Nominees were Brenan Durston with Prairie Cycle Works, Joe Houston with Go Beyond Games, and Wendy Fisher with Liquid Glamour. The award went to Joe Houston.

Joe Houston

The fourth award given out was Outstanding Business of the Year. The nominees were Chicken Chef Ste. Rose, The Mossey River Inn Chico’s Bar & Grill, and Dauphin Consumers Co-op. The latter, Dauphin Consumers Co-op won the award.

Dauphin Consumers Coop

Business Person of the Year was the penultimate award given out. The nominees were Mick Lautt with Taiga Consulting and SciMar, Pierce Cairns with Grandview Pharmacy, and Marisa Philippe with Café Trocadero. The winner, Mick Lautt with Taiga Consulting and SciMar.

Mick Lautt

The final award of the night was the Legacy Business Award. Ron Hedley took home that award for all the work he’s done in the community.

Ron Hedley

Chychota has a message for the award winners.

“Just a big congrats, they made it and got the nice award and did something a little bit over the top compared to maybe some others. But that doesn’t mean the other guys aren’t doing something great as well because, like I said, everyone’s doing some really great stuff out there and they’re being recognized for it.”

Chychota says it means a lot to have that kind of turnout, but it’s more than just businesses and organizations coming to support the chamber.

“It’s getting everyone together to realize that it is a community out there working together and that everyone’s playing a part and the people that are sitting in the crowd at these award shows are being nominated by their peers, and so they’re doing something out there that is catching peoples’ attention. Year after year, some people are coming up again and they’re doing some great and some others are winning awards. So it’s fun to share that.”

NDP members of legislature are blocking the reading of the Finance Minister's budget.

The Manitoba government was set to introduce its budget yesterday afternoon.

The provincial government is calling the NDP’s move an “abuse of parliamentary privilege” and “very disrespectful to the guests and media who have come to the legislature for the presentation of Budget 2020.”

NDP Leader Wab Kinew, who has previously criticized Pallister's focus on tax and spending cuts as hurting the province, says yesterday's move was a procedural tactic to block the budget.

The provincial government is saying they intend to bring the budget forward for consideration in the legislature on Thursday.

Dauphin RCMP are warning the Parkland of an increased amount of fraudulent calls that appear to be from the Canadian Revenue Agency.

Scammers will say there’s been an issue with your account, and that a warrant for their arrest will be made if payment isn’t made.

Sgt. Marcus Paddock of the Dauphin RCMP warns people to be vigilant when receiving these calls.

"Numerous reports have been made to the detachment here in Dauphin over the last couple of days. The scam is designed to create anxiety so that victims respond by sending money quickly in order to fix the problem."

Again, the Dauphin RCMP are reminding the public the CRA does not contact individuals through email or telephone to request payment or monetary transfers.

If you receive one of these calls, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

March is Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month, and there’s a group in the province that’s educating our children about the importance of the industry.

Sue Clayton is the Executive Director with Agriculture in the Classroom - Manitoba (AITC), and says the charitable non-profit group sends volunteers who work in the industry to teach kids where their food comes from.

“Our volunteers are eager to make sure the kids understand more about the industry and how their food is produced. One in eight jobs in Canada is directly linked to agriculture; there are lots of career opportunities. We just want to get that message out.”

Over 70,000 students across the country will be part of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month, with 8,000 here in Manitoba.

Sue Clayton explains what it means for our children to be “agriculturally literate”.

“When we talk about being agriculturally literate, it’s when they become an adult and go to the polls to vote, that they’re thinking about the importance of agriculture to our provincial and national economy. Also listening critically to what politicians and candidates are saying about their support for the agriculture industry.”

For more information about volunteering, or if you’re a parent or teacher interested in getting this program into your classroom, visit AITC website www.aitc.mb.ca.

With concerns growing around the coronavirus, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is making some preparations.

They’re improving the health and safety protocols for the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair; the biggest addition is an increased number of hand wash and sanitizer units throughout their events.

All changes being made are met with Manitoba Health standards.

The fair is still scheduled to go ahead as planned, taking place from March 30th-April 4th.

The RM of Lakeshore is looking for the public’s help in developing a plan to get renovations done at Ochre River Hall.

Carmen Hannibal is the Reeve with the Rural Municipality and says they will doing some fundraising and going after grants.

“We’re trying to get an energetic group of community residents together so we can develop a plan. We know the renovations that need to take place, so we just want to consult with some of the public and see if they have any ideas, and then we need to look for ways to raise that kind of money.” 

Hannibal says there is a fair bit of work to do on the building.

“There’s some foundation work that needs to be done. The actual Hall itself is almost kind of sinking. We need to do some landscaping work and make sure there’s proper draining. Once that’s done, we can fix the floor on the inside of the Hall.”

Other renovations include upgrades to the bathrooms and a plan to create a proper dance-floor area.

If you’re interested in attending, the meeting will take place at the RM of Lakeshore office, tomorrow night at 7pm.

“We’re just looking for any ideas that they can give us to make the Hall better. If we’re going to do this, it’s going to be a substantial amount of work but we’d like to do as much as we can. So if anyone has ideas about how to make the Hall better and improve the space that we have, that would be definitely welcome.”

In hopes of helping Canadians cope with the coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $1 billion fund.

Included in the fund is $275 million for additional research, which includes vaccine development, $200 million for federal medical supplies, supports for indigenous communities, and education efforts.

The one-week waiting period for employment insurance will also be waived for those affected by the coronavirus.

Canada has a confirmed 90 cases of the virus and one death.

730 CKDM's News Now Information Centre is working on getting local reaction to the story.

Today is budget day in Manitoba and the provincial government says they are taking the economic effects of the coronavirus into consideration.

Premier Brian Pallister says scenarios will be outlined including reduced economic growth and what that could mean for the province.

In order to be prepared, should the coronavirus come to Manitoba, the government has spent 35 million dollars to bring in personal protective supplies such as gloves, face masks, shields, and hand sanitizer.

Manitoba still doesn’t have any confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Since the government has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the rainy-day fund, Pallister says the province is in a better position than it was a few years ago.

Opposition N-D-P Leader Wab Kinew says Pallister's focus on tax and spending cuts is hurting the province.

The Manitoba government also will be increasing the salary threshold for the province’s payroll tax.

The tax currently applies to employers who spend more than 1.25 million dollars on salaries every year, but come January, that will be bumped up to 1.5 million dollars.

This is the first time since 2007 the tax has seen an increase.

Critics of the payroll tax say it stifles job creation and makes Manitoba less competitive.

The government has already announced the PST will be reduced to 6 per cent.

Today many local businesses were recognized for their commitment to the community at the Dauphin Chamber Appreciation Lunch.

Executive Director of the Dauphin and District Chamber of Commerce Stephen Chychota says the lunch series is a great opportunity to connect with people both on a professional and personal level.

“It’s a great opportunity to relax and get out of the office; any type of conversation can happen. Any type of business opportunity or a personal opportunity.”

The celebration continues tomorrow night at the chamber celebration night at the Countryfest Community Cinema.

Tickets are $15 and available on dauphinchamber.ca.

If you plan on purchasing provincial park vehicle permits or hunting & fishing licenses this season, you'll be able to do so online.

You can still buy permits and licenses in-store and over the phone.

Rob Cann works with Conservation and Climate and is in charge of the new e-licensing project.

He explains that Manitobans can set up a profile on the government website, select the desired permit or license, and check out.

Once you make a purchase, a digital copy will be available for download and a hard copy must be printed out to present to conservation officers upon request.

The new online system will slightly increase prices by $4.50.

“The base fees actually have not changed for any licenses this year, so we won’t see any price increases there. The $4.50 is an administration fee; we’ve contracted a third-party vendor who’s going to host the whole system for us. They have costs for hosting, maintaining and supporting the system. So those funds will be directed to that company to do all the work that’s necessary for the system.”

Cann says any question can be emailed toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and you can also visit the website here.

They hope to have the website and e-licensing system fully up and running by April.