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The province of Manitoba has made the decision to make the take-home self-administered Covid-19 rapid tests available at testing sites across the province as well as for vulnerable people.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon said in a release on Monday that the type of tests given out at the testing sites will be based on vaccination status.

The rapid tests will be available at some testing sites in Winnipeg and one in Selkirk to start but will be rolled out across the province in the near future.

If you are fully vaccinated and symptomatic you will be given a take-home rapid test but may also be selected randomly for a PCR test on-site.

Those that are symptomatic and unvaccinated will have the regular PCR test administered on-site while asymptomatic, high risk and unvaccinated may receive a take-home rapid test as well along with further treatment being possible.

This decision comes after the testing backlog in the province has reached over 10,000 in Manitoba and the expected wait time for results may be over 4 days with the backlog currently.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is investigating a salmonella outbreak in Western Canada and have determined sickness has been reported in 84 people to date.

The outbreak is linked to Alasko brand frozen whole kernel corn as well as Fraser Valley Meats brand frozen whole kernel corn. Both of these brands have been recalled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

People have reported getting ill in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Of the illnesses 12 of those have been in Manitoba while 4 were in Saskatchewan, 2 were in Ontario, 30 in Alberta and 36 in B.C. 

The illnesses reported in Ontario however are related to travel to Alberta and B-C.

The Agency says people should not use, eat, sell or serve any of these recalled products.

Manitoba Hydro will increase its rates by 3.6% starting January 1, 2022. Hydro was seeking a 5% increase but the Public Utilities Board, which oversees Utilities in the province, declined the rate.

Hydro applied for the rate increase in November to offset their losses that were caused by the drought and low water levels. According to Manitoba Hydro's CEO, the low water level meant Manitoba Hydro couldn't produce a surplus of energy to sell in markets outside of Manitoba.

Manitoba has reached its COVID testing capacity with near-record-setting case counts being reported daily.

The province says there's a backlog of more than 10,000 tests that need to be processed which means that the amount of cases reported yesterday is likely much lower than the real number of active cases.

The province says the current turnaround time is four days or more for test results and says you should only go to a testing site if you have COVID, cold, or flu-like symptoms.

UPDATE: The Brandon University senate has voted in favor of delaying the start of the Winter Term by an overwhelming majority. The delay will allow both students and faculty to prepare for remote learning for at least the first month of the term.

The start of term schedule will now be:

  • University opens as scheduled on Tuesday, January 4.
  • New Student Orientation will be held virtually Tuesday, January 11.
  • The first day for most classes will be Wednesday, January 12.
  • Classes will be mostly online until the end of January.

A full updated list of important dates for this term can be found here.

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Brandon University has asked their Senate to approve a delayed start to the Winter Term which was supposed to begin January 4, 2022. The University has also announced it will be moving to primarily remote learning until the end of January at the earliest.

If the delay is approved by the BU Senate, the school would still open as scheduled on January 4th, but classes would not start until the week after. The purpose of the delayed start is to help faculty make the shift to remote learning.

The BU Senate controls the academic calendar for the school and is expected to meet as soon as possible. Details will be shared with the BU community once the decision has been made.

Brandon University follows the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg in their decisions to start the Winter Term remotely and reevaluate mid-January, once they have a better idea of the situation.

Jeff Morton from Hamiota was sitting on a fortune and he didn't even know it. Morton won 10 million dollars in August but didn't realize he had the winning Lotto 6/49 ticket until mid-December.

Morton said he has heard that the winning ticket that was unclaimed had been sold in Manitoba but he never thought it would be his.

Other than paying off his mortgage, Morton doesn't have any big plans for the money and he plans on continuing to work for a bit, but wants to retire before he turns 65 next summer.

In the past three weeks, the Dauphin RCMP have received ten complaints of theft involving catalytic converters being removed from vehicles.
 
Catalytic converters are made up of rare metals (platinum, rhodium and palladium) which are found inside them. Once stolen, these items are taken to junkyards or scrap dealers and exchanged for cash.

Here are some preventative measures to avoid having your catalytic converter stolen:

  • Park in well-lit areas and close to buildings and entrances when you are not able to park in a secured garage or building.
  • Park in an area that has video surveillance.
  • Set your car alarm to go off if it detects vibration.
  • Engrave your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter.
  • Report it to the police should you see anyone underneath a vehicle, either in a residential or business area, during off-hours of the day or night.

The RCMP are asking anyone who may have information regarding these thefts to contact the Dauphin Detachment at (204) 622-5020, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online here.

The Dauphin RCMP continue to investigate.

As families in the Parkland get ready to celebrate Christmas, businesses in the community will be too.

Below is a list of some business holiday hours to keep in mind:

 

Dauphin Liquor Mart

Friday, December 24 — 9am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 11am-6pm

Monday, December 27 — 10am-8pm

Friday, December 31 — 9am-9pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED

 

Fusion Credit Union - (24th: 9am-2pm, 25-28 CLOSED, 31st 9am-2pm, Jan 1-3 CLOSED)

 

The Dauphin Marketplace Mall

Friday, December 24 — 6 am-6 pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 6am-10pm

Monday, December 27 — 8am-10pm

Friday, December 31 — 7am-6pm

Saturday, January 1 — 9am-9pm

 

Walmart

Friday, December 24 — 6am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 6am-10pm

Monday, December 27 — 8am-10pm

Friday, December 31 — 8am-6pm

Saturday, January 1 — 9am-9pm

 

Safeway

Friday, December 24 — 7am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 9am-6pm

Monday, December 27 — 8am-10pm

Friday, December 31 — 8am-6pm

Saturday, January 1 — 9am-6pm

 

No Frills

Friday, December 24 — 9am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 9am-6pm

Monday, December 27 — 9am-9pm

Friday, December 31 — 9am-6pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED

 

Co-op Food Store

Friday, December 24 — 8am-4pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — 8am-8pm

Friday, December 31 — 8am-6pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED

 

Co-op Main Street Gas Bar 

Friday, December 24 — 6:30am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 8:30am-7pm

Monday, December 27 — 6:30am-930pm

Friday, December 31 — 6:30am-7pm

Saturday, January 1 — 8:30am-7pm

 

Co-op Mountain Road Gas Bar 

Friday, December 24 — 6:30am-6pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 8:30am-7pm

Monday, December 27 — 6:30am-9:30pm

Friday, December 31 — 6:30am-7pm

Saturday, January 1 — 8:30am-7pm

 

City of Dauphin

Friday, December 24 — City Hall and City Shop Closed at Noon

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — CLOSED (as well as 28th)

Friday, December 31 — City Hall and City Shop Closed at Noon

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED (as well as 2nd and 3rd)

 

Dauphin Rec Services

Friday, December 24 — Admin Office Closes at Noon (Facilities Open)

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — Admin office Closed (Facilities Open)

Friday, December 31 — Admin office Closes at Noon (Facilities Open)

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED

 

Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy

Friday, December 24 — 8:30am-4pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — 12pm-2pm

Monday, December 27 — 12pm-2pm

Friday, December 31 — 8:30am-4pm

Saturday, January 1 — 12pm-2pm

 

Super Thrifty Pharmacy

Friday, December 24 — 9am-3pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — 9am-12pm

Friday, December 31 — 9am-4pm

Saturday, January 1 & 2 — CLOSED

Monday, January 3 — 9am-12pm

 

Dauphin Vet Clinic

Friday, December 24 — 8:30am-12pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — CLOSED

Friday, December 31 — 8:30am-3pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED

When the clinic is closed, a vet is on call for emergencies at 204-638-3208.

 

Canada Post

Friday, December 24 — 8:30am-4pm

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — CLOSED (As well as 28th)

Friday, December 31 — 830am-4pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED (As well as 2nd and 3rd)

 

COVID Testing Site (301 Main Street North)

Friday, December 24 — 9am to Noon

Saturday, December 25 — CLOSED

Sunday, December 26 — CLOSED

Monday, December 27 — 9am-3pm

Tuesday, December 28 - CLOSED

Wednesday, December 29 - 9am-3pm

Thursday, December 30 - 9am-3pm

Friday, December 31 — 9am-3pm

Saturday, January 1 — CLOSED (As well as 2nd and 3rd)

Provincial COVID-19 Updates
There will be no daily COVID-19 Updates from the province from December 25-28 or January 1-3.

CKDM’s office will close at Noon on Friday Dec 24 for Christmas and will reopen Wednesday Dec 29 at 8:30am and will close Fri Dec 31 at 3pm for New Years' and will be re-opening on Tuesday January 4 at 8:30 am.

Free KN95 Masks will be available in Liquor stores across Manitoba starting December 26th. KN95 masks have been proven to be more effective than reusable cloth masks so the province is trying to make them more accessible.

The announcement came on Twitter from Manitoba's Central Services minister, Reg Hewler.

The Manitoba government announced provincial support for businesses this morning to deal with the effects of the new COVID-19 restrictions.

Jon Reyes, minister of economic development and jobs, made the announcement and said that the new program will offer up to 22 million dollars of direct financial relief for Manitoba businesses affected by the latest public health orders.

The Sector Support Program will offer grants of up to $12,000 to eligible businesses across the province.

The financial support through this program will be scaled by the size of the business and how many employees they have.

The breakdown of funds given out will be as follows:

  • $3,000 if a business has 1-9 employees
  • $6,000 if they have 10-19 employees
  • $9,000 if they have 20-49 employees
  • $12,000 if they have more than 50 employees

The funding will help assist businesses to deploy resources where needed the most and to sustain their businesses over the coming weeks.

More information including the full eligibility criteria and how to apply will be available on the Government of Manitoba’s Covid-19 Support for Business page in the coming days.

730 CKDM will have more info as it comes in.

Manitoba schools will be delaying their return to school after the winter break to January 10th from the 6th.

The delay is intended to allow health officials to assess the Omicron Situation, and get rapid tests out to more schools across the province.

Teachers will be returning to school on January 6th as planned to take part in professional learning and preparation.

Many child-care centers will be remaining open for kids under 12 to ensure families still have access to them.