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Provincial data shows that the water quality at beaches in the Parkland region is acceptable for recreational use.
The province's water quality testing shows that the levels of E. coli found in the water at Sifton Beach, Rainbow Beach and Ochre Beach are well below the acceptable limit of 200 E. coli per 100 mL. Moreover, there are currently no algae blooms at these beaches.
This comes in contrast to the high E. coli levels and algae blooms found at other beaches in the province. The water at Oak Lake Beach — which is located in the Westman region — had an unacceptably high level of Cyanobacteria caused by an algae bloom, whereas Spruce Sands Beach on Lake Winnipeg had to be closed on July 19th and 20th due to extremely high E. coli levels caused by a sewage spill.
According to the Manitoba Environment, Climate and Parks website, E. coli itself does not generally cause illness, but when it is present in large numbers, the risk of becoming ill from other organisms is elevated. It also said that in the presence of an algae bloom, swimmers should not swim in the water, drink the water or eat fish from it that appear to be unhealthy. In addition, boiling or chlorinating the water will not make it safe.
More information on the water quality at Manitoba beaches can be found here.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce Annual Street Fair and Dance returns tomorrow, and the chamber is excited to utilize its new location. According to Executive Director Stephen Chychota, there will be no overnight street parking on First Ave. NW tonight, because the setup starts first thing in the morning.
"I think utilizing the green space at CN park will be a really nice backdrop to it all." Said Chychota, "It provides a lot of shade, the grass is nice, it gives us an opportunity where we can put a lot of seating in there that you can into see the stage. I think the location will just be a really warm welcome and a great way to start street fair back up again."
Tune into the Al Morning show tomorrow as he broadcasts live from the street fair.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Winnipegosis RCMP is searching for a missing 15-year-old from Skownan First Nation. Liza Houle-Gambler hasn't been seen since early yesterday morning at her residence on Skownan First Nation.
She's described as 5’1”, 150 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a red, white, and blue Champion rain jacket, grey Champion sweatpants, a flowered shirt, and white sneakers.
If you have information on her whereabouts please call Winnipegosis RCMP at 204-656-7000, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or a secure tip online here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Feral pigs are an invasive species that contaminate water supplies, damage natural habitats, trample crops, carry disease, and reproduce extremely fast. That's why the province has been working to stay ahead of the issue since they were first spotted in the province.
"One thing I've learned since the launch of the campaign is that the problems probably bigger than we thought." Said MB Pork General Manager Cam Dahl, "They're in more locations than we had thought going in, and in that respect, the campaign is working."
The province is working to track, trap, and eradicate the pigs, and they continue to ask that people not hunt them. Hunting feral pigs spreads them out and makes them much harder for the province to track.
"We are trapping animals, and of course, those don't go back into the wild, so there is a level of eradication at this point." Said Dahl, "they're also reproducing at a rate that's higher than our eradication abilities at this point."
If you see the signs of feral pigs, you can report it at the Squeal On Pigs website.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Prairie Mountain Health has responded to a survey from the Angus Reid Institute showing that most Canadians across the country are dissatisfied with how their province is handling healthcare.
According to the survey, 83% of Manitobans feel that the provincial government is doing a poor or very poor job of managing healthcare in the province.
Brian Schoonbaert, chief executive officer of PMH, said that he was surprised by the results and that there are a number of issues that have come out because of the pandemic.
"We do now have surgical and diagnostic imaging backlogs that have to be dealt with. I know personally that the government is trying its very hardest to try to address those waiting lists and hope to... eliminate that backlog within a while, but anyone waiting for surgery or the like... obviously won't be happy with the current state," he added.
He also said that there is a doctor shortage, which is also being seen in other provinces.
"It's hard to find a family doctor... you won't necessarily find one right away, especially if you're in a small community," Schoonbaert added.
According to Schoonbaert, the labour shortage is contributing to issues within the health system and the province is working with the regions to help find and retain staff.
"Our staff have been demoralized [and] overworked during the pandemic. Many have had to... work a whole lot of [mandated] overtime... be redeployed to areas that they wouldn't otherwise have worked... Some staff are quitting or maybe not picking up additional shifts... That's not their fault. I'm not blaming them at all because they're burnt out and it's actually good for them to try to recuperate," he added.
Schoonbaert then went on to say that these staffing shortages are indeed contributing to some of their waiting lists and the temporary emergency department closures.
Since the PMH region has a bunch of small remote communities, Schoonbaert believes that the best way to recruit new staff is to start young.
"[We want to] entice people to go into healthcare professions, to stay in their communities, to stay in their area of the province and that's really what is most sustainable for us and that has been proven over and over again," he said.
Schoonbaert also wanted to remind people to take advantage of Health Links-Info Santé, which helps give people advice on where to receive the appropriate care over the phone. That service can be reached at 1-888-315-9257.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
After two years off, the WISE Kid-Netic Energy Camp is returning to Dauphin from August 8th to 12th. The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math(STEM) day camps will teach kids aged 9-12 about discovery and innovation.
On top of the normal camp, WISE Kid-Netic Energy will also be hosting Tech Talks for youth aged 13-15 the same week. Program Administrator Caleigh Bell says the Tech Talks will be offered for free.
"It's a little bit different than camp, it has eight sessions throughout the week, Monday to Thursday, and the teenagers can choose if they want to come to one or all of them."
Both the STEM Camp and the Tech Talks have a variety of topics and themes throughout the week. You can register for both of them at the WISE Kid-Netic Energy website.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The pork industry in Manitoba has been dealing with a porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED) outbreak since October, making it the largest, and longest outbreak in the province's history.
Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says there have now been 122 cases, and while they have slowed down, and some have transitioned to negative, they are still seeing new cases pop up.
"Producers, the independent producers, the integrated producers, the colonies, are working together with the veterinary community, the processing, the transporters, all parts of the industry." Said Dahl, "We're working together to really look at that question, what has been different about this outbreak, and what do we need to do differently going forward"
This is the first time the province has had a PED outbreak last through the winter.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Swan River and District Community Resource Council (SRDCRC) are looking for volunteers to help transport the elderly to and from medical appointments.
They rely on volunteers to provide both local and long-distance transportation to seniors. Local trips are offered free of charge, while long-distance trips require the senior to cover a portion of the fuel cost, as well as accommodations if applicable.
According to Kyla Scales, community resource administrator at the SRDCRC, they are running out of volunteers.
"We used to have a lot of volunteers... Now they are either ageing or just not able to do it anymore... We're down to [around] six," Scales said.
Kyla Scales also said that, in many cases, seniors need to be taken to appointments that are located way out of town.
"The clientele we have don't just go across town to the local hospital to get their services. Now they need to go out of town for services... If the local hospital handled all the services they used to, there would be less need for an out-of-town drive," her colleague added.
Scales then said that they don't have any reliable bus lines to help transport seniors to out-of-town appointments.
"It comes... three days a week... and is very minimal... For a person to try to organize... what day they can have their appointment with what day the bus might happen to be here, that's pretty hard too," she added.
Those interested in becoming volunteer drivers are being asked to call the SRDCRC at 204-734-5707.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Last week was National Drowning Prevention Week, and today is World Drowning Prevention Day, so the Lifesaving Society gave some tips on drowning prevention.
Dr. Christopher Love is the Water Smart and Safety Management Coordinator for Lifesaving Society Manitoba, and he said the goal of last week and today is to raise awareness of the problem, and the ways to prevent drowning tragedies from happening.
"Annually every year in Canada we have approximately 450 who die due to drowning, and in Manitoba, it's on average 22 deaths per year. That's just the fatalities, that's not including any injuries that also occur due to drownings across the country."
He said some of the common, standard tips from anyone going around the water are:
- Never go alone
- Wear a life jacket when it's appropriate to do so (ie. when boating)
- Learn how to swim
- When children are swimming, have active adult supervision
- When the children are around seven or under, be within arm's reach at all times
- Be sober when around the water
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Ryleigh Timmins has been safely located. The Manitoba RCMP thanks the public and media for their assistance.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Northwest Métis Council will be sending a delegation to Edmonton for the Pope's visit that will take place next Monday and Tuesday.
Vice-President Frances Chartrand is excited to be attending and estimated that as many as 100 elders from many different communities — including San Clara, Shell River, Duck Bay, Manitoba House, and Dauphin — will be joining her to hear the Pope speak and attend mass.
"I always think that if we all work together, we all have a place in this world... If we move forward and then we work with the federal, provincial and Métis governments... with the Pope... [and] with the churches, everything will be okay," Chartrand said.
She also said that it's a good step toward reconciliation.
Furthermore, Father Michel, the pastor of St. Viator's Roman Catholic Parish, thinks that it will be a positive experience focused on healing.
"There's a lot that needs to be done for sure. This is one step and it's a positive step," he said.
The church later confirmed that a parishioner from St. Viator's will be travelling to Edmonton to attend.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
