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Manitoba Legislature is being recalled for an emergency sitting today to hurry along the $1 billion in assistance to fight COVID-19.
Premier Brian Pallister says the Manitoba Protection Plan is meant to protect our province's most vulnerable.
“This is about doing the right thing to ensure our resources are there where they are needed, when they are needed most.”
The Estimates of Expenditure documents tabled today breaks down the $1 billion of COIVD-19 pandemic-related spending as follows:
• $500 million for the Health Services Insurance Fund,
• $400 million for the internal service adjustments appropriations of government, and
• $100 million for emergency expenditures.
The provincial government will also introduce other new bills, and will look to speed up the passage of several existing bills to help Manitoba address the impacts of the coronavirus.
In order to ensure two-metre social distancing measures, legislature will be limited to one-third of its regular attendance.
You can watch the sitting online here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Following meetings with high school principals, Mountain View School Division superintendent Dan Ward has announced the decision to postpone high school graduation and convocation to the fall.
“We believe the decision to postpone is a prudent approach that will bring a sense of certainty to graduating students and families that although postponed, graduation ceremonies/convocations will still take place. Graduation is a very important milestone in a young person’s life and we feel that the ceremony to mark the occasion is of significant importance for all involved.”
Other school divisions in rural Manitoba and Winnipeg have already made the same decision and Ward expects more to follow.
Ward says it isn’t unreasonable to predict that even if students return to school before the end of the school year, social distancing recommendations may still be in place, that would prohibit or discourage large events.
Due to the great deal of planning events like graduation and convocation take, Ward says waiting to make this decision could have created further challenges for their families and schools down the road.
School principals will be in contact with the families of grade 12 students to provide more information and if you have any questions or concerns, contact your school principal.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
It's got to be the most delicious way to support local businesses.
Today is National Takeout Day, a movement that’s encouraging all Canadians to order from their favourite restaurant’s takeout or delivery menu.
Today, April 15th, is the nationwide kickoff of Takeout Day, and will continue every Wednesday going forward in an effort to support the restaurant industry.
It's believed that 800,000 foodservice jobs have been lost in Canada alone. According to Restaurants Canada, nearly 10% of Canada's restaurants have already closed permanently, and many more might close by the end of April if conditions don’t improve.
Once you’ve got your food tonight, you can join Canada's Great Kitchen Party on Facebook live at 7pm.
While enjoying the show virtually, you can chat with fellow Canadians and tell them where you’re watching from, what you’re eating, and perhaps what beverage you’re enjoying.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Alex Lytwyn is always looking for the good in any given situation.
Even before the drastic social distancing measures enacted by the province because of COVID-19, the 34-year-old disability advocate from Winnipegosis says he’s been living with isolation on a daily basis.
He says disability and isolation go hand-in-hand.
That’s why Alex is sharing his story, wanting to help others who might be facing their own difficulties during this period of isolation.
“Time in isolation can help you get to know yourself. If you get to know yourself, you’d be surprised how much positivity that will bring into your life.”
Speaking from his experience living with Cerebral Palsy, Alex says being alone for most of the day can be challenging, both mentally and physically.
If you’re having difficulties staying positive and engaged during this time, Alex is suggesting you explore a creative activity; perhaps something you’ve been putting off for a while.
Things like writing a story, drawing, or puzzles can help you channel your energy into something rewarding. Alex has two finished books awaiting publication; one is an autobiography and the other is a book about hockey titled "Hockey for Mommies”.
This interruption to the daily routine is posing many challenges. Alex’s 2nd year of Applied Counselling studies at Assiniboine Community College has been cut short by the pandemic. He's really missing the opportunity to get out of the house and engage in work that is meaningful to him.
Once classes resume, Alex is looking towards a career giving back to the community as a youth support worker.
The highly accomplished disability advocate from Winnipegosis says this period of isolation may be tough for all of us, but suggests this opportunity for internal reflection could be a good thing in the long run.
“Time in isolation can help you get to know yourself. If you get to know yourself, you’d be surprised how much positivity that will bring into your life.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The Dauphin and District Handi-Van Association is working hard to keep passengers safe.
The company has seen a drop in passengers due to social distancing orders, and with church services and bingo events being cancelled.
General Manager of the Dauphin and District Handi-Van association Craig Mosionier says services have had to adapt to keep passengers and staff safe.
“We’ve had to change; we do a lot more cleaning. We make sure that our clients let us know if they feel that they’re sick because we do carry immune compromised individuals, so we have to be careful with that.”
He adds that certain individuals rely on the Handi-Van service for essential trips like hospital visits, and groceries runs.
Mosionier says that despite business being slow, he is still connected to his passengers.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Keystone Agricultural Producers president Bill Campbell wants to assure the public the agriculture industry will continue to do its job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With that being said, there are some legitimate challenges facing the agriculture sector at this time.
That’s why KAP has suggested 4 strategies focusing on what could be done at provincial and federal levels of government to better support farmers and food producers:
- KAP is calling for greater incentives to work in support of Canadian food security during this situation. For example, a measure that would allow workers on Canadian farms and in Canadian food businesses to access the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
- Federal and provincial governments working together to provide a stimulus under the AgriInvest program of no less than 5%. Even further, AgriStability must have a coverage rate of 85% with no reference margin limit in 2020.
- Prioritize Agri-Food for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Testing – acknowledging food supply as a priority requires that the sector be given secondary priority, behind the healthcare sector, for access to PPE and diagnostic testing.
- Driver’s licensing – many producers are unable to move product to market without a Class 1 license. Clarification is required as to whether producers will receive an extension on their license if they are unable to get physical exams to renew their license.
KAP President Bill Campbell explains these four suggested measures would help the long-term safety and sustainability of the food supply chain.
Campbell acknowledges the federal government has taken important action with respect to temporary foreign workers, but is calling for more to be done, as he explains agriculture in this country is much broader-based than just the work that involves temporary foreign workers.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Public Health officials have announced that there are no new COVID-19 cases in the province.
The total number of probable and lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba remains at 246.
There have been a total of 11 COVID-19 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health Region.
Public Health Official Dr. Brent Roussin says our numbers demonstrate that our efforts to limit the virus are working, but that doesn’t mean we can let up anytime soon.
“Given our efforts to date, we can see we are not helpless against this virus. That our actions can have an effect and are having an effect, but we must continue to focus. We must continue to practice social distancing and stay home as much as we can."
If you are worried about your risk of having COVID-19, or are showing symptoms you should call Health Links at 204-788-8200- or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Front line health care workers will now be compensated if they need to take administrative leave to self-isolate from the novel coronavirus.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced that those workers will get 14 days of administrative leave. Previously, those who were exposed or sick had to use sick or vacation time for their leave.
All front line workers in the health care sector will qualify.
The Manitoba government is set to meet with Manitoba's public-sector union leads to discuss what they're calling "an-all-hands-on-deck" approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the topics that will be discussed is a reduced work-week for non-essential workers to avoid layoffs.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Henderson Elementary School requested permission to implement the “Balanced School Day” schedule for the 2020-21 school year.
At last night's MVSD Board meeting, the school board approved the request.
The Balanced School Day format changes how recess and nutrition breaks are distributed throughout the day.
The length of the school day stays the same, but the time within the day is “balanced” between two nutrition and activity breaks.
Rhonda Casavant, principal at Henderson, has taken steps to prepare for the implementation.
She had a conversation with Lesia Jensen, principal at Whitmore School to discuss the benefits Whitmore has experienced from the balanced timetable. Casavant spoke with Superintendent Dan Ward about the potential interest of implementing the model. At a recent in-school PD day Casavant presented the timetable to the teaching staff and they completed a task around the benefits and potential pitfalls, the staff was fully on board with the model. In February at the Parent Council Meeting, Casavant presented the concept, those members were all in support of the model. Casavant shared with Ward that the teaching staff and parent council were on board with the balanced timetable, and Ward requested Casavant sends a letter to him to move forward with the approval.
Henderson’s reasons for moving to a balanced school day are two-fold.
First, the balanced schedule increases the instructional time by reducing time lost during transitions. Time is lost providing students time to have snacks during the morning and afternoon as well as when students get dressed and undressed before and after recess.
The second reason for the schedule is that it allows students longer periods of time to eat. This means instead of trying to fit in a quick snack before or after recess, students have two scheduled nutrition breaks during the day and with these planned breaks, parents can plan for snacks that are nutritious rather than those that are quick and convenient.
Other benefits include children not being as hungry at the end of the day and reduction of litter on the playground.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Dauphin Recreation Services is at it again. During a time where everyone is practicing social distancing, they're inviting the community to take part in their newest activity.
Until Sunday, DRS wants everyone to put their biggest stuffed animals in their windows at home. Then when other families go for a walk or a drive, they can search for all of the different animals around the City of Sunshine.
"It's just something for fun. It's to encourage families to go for a walk or even a drive," said Tamara Kolida, Promotions Coordinator.
You can also tag Dauphin Rec Services on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to show off what you found around the city.
Coming up later this week, Dauphin Rec will be running another ISpy Dauphin. That's where iconic places and objects are featured and prizes are up for grabs throughout the week-long search.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The provincial government is working on a system to help small- and medium-sized businesses get full use out of the federal support programs that are available to them.
Premier Brian Pallister estimates that more than 65,000 businesses in our province are eligible for federal support programs, and says “we want to help organizations navigate and leverage the resources available to them so they can be in a better position to rebound from the economic challenges brought on by COVID-19”.
That’s why the province has awarded a contract to Winnipeg-based 24-7 Intouch. The company will serve to connect Manitoba businesses to the resources and support programs that are available to them.
24-7 Intouch will operate as a call centre reaching out to business, and will also field calls to answer any questions they may have.
We are expecting to see the service launched in the coming days.
You can find an updated list of available federal and provincial supports for businesses at https://manitoba.ca/covid19/business/index.html.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
