Saskatchewan health reported 113 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 138.  They also reported one death in the Saskatoon zone.  Of the new cases there were 24 each in Saskatoon and Regina, 15 in South Central and single digits in other zones with none in Far North East.  Of the total 46,748 reported cases 1368 are considered active and 44,841 people have recovered.  A total of 10,731 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East reporting a total of 46. 

Due to the large numbers of people in the province getting vaccinated residents will once again be able to participate in outdoor team sports and activities as part of the previously announced Re-opening plan. Sports participants must continue to abide by current public health restrictions including capacity limits for outdoor gatherings. A total of just under 726 thousand doses of vaccine have been administered. Details on the plan can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced 303 new case of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.1 percent.  They also reported one death in the Interlake Eastern health region. Of the new cases 226 are in the Winnipeg Region with lower numbers in other regions including 13 in Northern health. He noted due to technical issues these numbers will be an undercount which they anticipate will result in an over count tomorrow.

The Medical Lead for the Vaccine Implementation Task Force Dr. Joss Reimer had news for people who received a first dose of AstraZenica vaccine. She says they’ve seen that changing products in between doses for about every other vaccine still results in good effectiveness and this means if you are someone who received a first dose of AstraZenica they’ll recommend that your second dose be with an mRNA vaccine either Pfizer or Moderna.

Reimer says it will be your turn when you meet provincial eligibility but  they recommend waiting eight weeks after your first dose of AstraZenica for the second shot and if AstraZenica is the only one available to you it is still a safe vaccine for the second dose.

The Pas Arts Council reported 120 entries in the 44^th Northern Juried Art Show they hosted last week.  That includes 58 artists along with 17 youth artists from 12 North of 53 communities. Winners announced from the Flin Flon area include in oil painting third to Laura Bryson of Flin Flon and honorable mention to Ann Marin from Cranberry Portage, Donna M. Champagne from Denare  Beach and Ron Watt and Sandra Dixon from Flin Flon.  In Acrylic and Mixed Media first to Catherine Joa of Denare Beach, third to Susan Knight of Flin Flon and honorable mention to Brandy Bloxom of Denare Beach and Monique Rainville and Susan Gunn Saray of Flin Flon. In Water Color first to Crystal Banting of Denare Beach and second and third to Ann Marin of Cranberry Portage.  In Drawing and Printmaking first to Rosimeire Anjos of Flin Flon.  In Digital Art and Photo first and third to Brandy Bloxom of Denare Beach.  In Three Dimensional that includes leather and beading second to Donna Hurst of Flin Flon and in Three Dimensional stone wood clay metal first to Randy Beever of Creighton, third to Elaine Angelski of Denare Beach and honorable mention Doug Demytriw and Tamra Martin of Flin Flon.

The Pas MLA Amanda Lathlins private members Bill 213 to support young victims of sexual assault in rural and Northern Manitoba has received royal assent.

She explains the bill is dedicated to children as when a child is sexually assaulted they have to be flown or driven to Winnipeg to have the sexual examination to be done. She says right now that is only done in Winnipeg because there needs to be training for nurses to conduct that sort of examination and this bill will ensure training will be provided.

The bill will also allow for sexual assault kits to be provided to Northern Manitoba youth.

Lathlin adds as a mother herself she is very grateful children in rural and Northern Manitoba will receive protection under this bill.

Manitoba public health reported 646 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.3 percent.  They also reported ten new deaths with five in Winnipeg, two in Southern health and one each in Northern, Prairie Mountain and Interlake Eastern regions.  Of the new cases reported Sunday 183 were in Winnipeg, 46 in Southern and 19 in Northern health with lower numbers on other regions.  A break down was not provided Saturday.  Active cased in Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district are reported at 20.  Of the total 50,790 reported cases 4569 are active, 45,169 people have recovered and 308 are in hospital with 74 in intensive care.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan health reported 350 new cases brining the seven day average of new cases to 137.  They also reported two deaths with one each in Regina and South East zones. Of the new cases 108 were in Saskatoon, 46 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including seven in Far North East.  Of the total 46,635 reported cases 1430 are considered active and 44,667 people have recovered with 109 in hospital which is their lowest number since November 28^th with 25 in intensive care.  31 cases are active in the Far North East zone.  The start of the Step One Re-opening plan is now underway and you can find details on the plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

Saskatchewan health reported 122 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 129.  They also reported two new deaths with one each in Saskatoon and North West zones.  Of the new cases 38 were in Saskatoon and 21 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones with zero in Far North East.  Of the 46,285 reported cases 1371 are considered active, 44,378 people have recovered and 113 are in hospital with 26 in intensive care.  There are 29 active cases in Far North East.  10,399 variants of concern have now been identified in the province with the Far North East having reported 37.

Just under 694 thousand doses of vaccine have been administered with 64 percent of adults having received their first dose.

Manitoba Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced 493 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.5 percent.  He announced no new deaths.  Of the new cases 324 were in Winnipeg and 80 in Prairie Mountain with lower numbers in other regions including 25 in Northern Health.  Of the total 50,144 reported cases 4676 are considered active, 44,426 people have recovered and 312 are in hospital with 69 in intensive care. Active cases in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district remain at 31. Variants of concern identified now total 10,176 with 2687 being active.

Atwal says we need numbers to come down and our hospital situation to stabilize before a re-opening plan can be developed but that may come over the next few weeks.

People who have received their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine on or before April 3^rd can now book their second dose appointment.

A total of 130 warnings and 102 tickets were issued for the week of May 17 to 23 including:
 96 1,296 dollar tickets to individuals for various offences and six 298 dollar tickets to individuals for failure to wear a mask in indoor public places.

Eighty-eight of the 96 1,296 dollar tickets issued were in relation to gatherings in private residences or outdoors, three for failure to self-isolate, two for unnecessary northern travel and three to sole proprietorships.

As weather continues to warm up and Manitobans enjoy the outdoors you are advised that conservation officers will enforce public health and state of emergency orders within provincial parks.

 Since enforcement efforts began in April 2020 a total of 4,358 warnings and 1,526 tickets have been issued resulting in over 2.1 million dollars in fines to businesses and individuals.

Creighton Town Council has met with members from the Flin Flon Minor Hockey Association to discuss their request to have ice ready at the Sportex one month earlier than their regular schedule. The request is for September so they will be able to offer a program for kids aged six to ten who have never played hockey.  Council is considering the request and discussions will continue.

Council has received a letter from Creighton School requesting use of the Centennial Building this June for the purpose of Educational Psychological testing.  The school has several students in need of assessments which usually comes with costly expenses with travel and accommodations in Saskatoon. Student Support Coordinator and teacher Laura-Lee Brown has secured funding through Jordan’s Principle to cover the cost of these assessments. A psychologist would be visiting the community to conduct the assessments working with the students and families providing diagnosis and recommendations for support to help the students.  This request was approved with no cost to the School.

Manitoba public health reported 295 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.6 percent.  They also reported eight additional deaths with five in the Winnipeg region, two in Prairie Mountain and one in Southern health.  Of the new cases 169 were in Winnipeg, 65 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including 25 in Northern health. There are 31 active cases reported in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total cases in the province 4639 are active, 43,970 have recovered and 324 are in hospital with 73 in intensive care and 9597 variants of concern cases have been reported with 2473 active.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan health reported 118 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 137.  They also reported six new deaths with five in the Saskatoon zone and one in the North West.  Of the new cases 33 were in Saskatoon and 23 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including three in Far North East where there are 35 active cases.  Of the total 46,163 reported cases 1382 are considered active, 44,247 people have recovered and 127 are in hospital with 27 in intensive care.  Variants of concern identified now total 10,367 with 37 reported in Far North East.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has announced updated public health orders for the province.  He says case numbers have improved over the past few days but our health care situation is still critical.  He says the orders are effective at 12:01 AM Saturday including no indoor or outdoor gatherings with members outside your household and that includes recreation spaces, playgrounds, golf courses, parks, sports fields and camp grounds.  In person shopping is limited to one member per household and many businesses and organizations will remain closed for in person services including gyms and fitness clubs, restaurants and bars, personal services, museums, galleries and libraries.

Additionally the Chief Public Health Officer will utilize health hazard orders to close businesses if necessary where there are multiple cases and transmission is a risk.                                                 

Pallister adds anyone who can must be allowed to work from home as much as possible and people should stay home as much as possible over the next two weeks as the orders remain in place until 12:01 AM Saturday June 12^th.

As National Road Safety Week winds up Manitoba RCMP note during the pandemic driving patterns have changed for many people.  Although people are making fewer trips they note drivers appear to be engaging in riskier driving behaviors particularly speeding and impaired driving. They report in 2020 there were 1191 impaired driving charges laid by Manitoba RCMP and so far in 2021 officers have charged 323. When it comes to speeding the numbers are also concerning as in 2020 20,515 drivers were charged with speeding and so far in 2021 they have charged 7163. 

Acting Enforcement Commander with Manitoba Traffic Services Sergeant Mark Hume states what is really concerning is the high rates of speed they are seeing.  In March and April of this year alone they have issued 106 tickets to drivers speeding by more than 50 kilometers per hour over the speed limit compared to 48 during the same period last year. 

Hume urges drivers to remember the basics of safe driving which are drive sober, slow down, be alert and buckle up.

The Canadian Ophthalmological Society is encouraging people to be proactive in protecting their eyesight during Vision Health Month.

The organization is urging Canadians to get routine eye check-ups in order to catch serious eye diseases like glaucoma, which is the leading cause of vision loss in the country.

Winnipeg Ophthalmologist Doctor Gdih Gdih explains any pre-school aged child should be at least seen once prior to entering school to prevent serious eye problems. In adulthood from 18 until age 50 then if they go every two years that will be enough to have an eye exam and check up.  For the people who are 50 or above it comes important that they continue to see their eye doctor once a year because that’s where the rate of eye diseases increases due to age.

Gdih goes on to say that if someone notices a difference in their vision they should see their eye doctor as soon as possible.  He adds Canadians can be proactive in protecting their vision by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, knowing your family medical history, wearing the right sunglasses with UV 400 coverage and wearing proper safety equipment for work and sports.

Saskatchewan public health reported 151 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 141. They reported one additional death in the Saskatoon zone.  Of the new cases 51 were in Saskatoon and 32 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including ten in Far North East.  Of the total 46,001 reported cases 1442 are considered active, 44,031 people have recovered and 133 are in hospital with 27 in intensive care. As of Tuesday 10,317 variants of concern have been identified in the province with over two hundred cases reported in all zones except the Far North East with 36, North East with 56 and Central West with 109.            

Meanwhile Manitoba public health reported 312 new cases bringing the five day test positivity rate to 13.3 percent.  They also reported one additional death in the Winnipeg region.  Of the new cases 240 were in the Winnipeg region and 34 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including seven in Northern health.  Of the total 49,356 reported cases 4794 are active and 43,529 individuals have recovered with 318 in hospital and 74 in intensive care. 29 cases are reported to be active in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district. Variants of concern reported total 9481 with 2606 active.

People who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before March 29^th can now book their second dose appointment.  Information on pop up clinics for the vaccine can be found online at protectmb.ca or call 1-844-626-8222.  You need to know the date you received the first dose and the type of vaccine received. Medical Lead for the Vaccine Implementation Task Force Dr. Joss Reimer says there is a benefit in that if you are fully vaccinated that means two weeks after you received two doses you will no longer be required to self isolate if you are a close contact of a COVID case so long as you don’t have any symptoms.  She points out public health officials will confirm with you that you are exempt from self isolation based on your situation so you don’t have to make this decision on your own based solely on your immunization status.

They hope all Manitobans will receive their second dose by the end of July.

The Flin Flon Writers Guild, Flin Flon Toastmasters Club and Flin Flon Public Library are hosting their annual poetry reading Friday night.  The group’s Harry Hobbs invites you to join them. He explains they’re going to have a virtual poetry reading this year due to COVID restrictions.  He says they’ve already got over 20 people who are willing to read and anyone who would like to attend can contact him and they can send you the link for the meeting room and they still have lots of room for people who want to join and listen.  He adds they have someone from CFAR, some local business people and a representative of the City of Flin Flon just to name a few.

If you would like to attend the virtual poetry night Friday at 7:30 contact Harry at 204-687-6647 for the link.

Courtney Almas from the Northern Health Region spoke to Arctic Radio about needle safety as many needles are not properly disposed of.  She explains the first thing to do is not try to put the cap back on.  She notes it is safe to pick up the needle with tongs that you have at home or use pliers to pick it up by the end that isn’t sharp keeping the tongs away from your body and putting it in a hard sided container that has a lid, something like a bleach or laundry detergent bottle or even a hard sided juice bottle, then put the cap on writing sharps on the container and taking it to the closest community sharps disposal bin or any Northern Health Region facility. Almus wants to assure you that the risk of transmitting a disease from a discarded needle is very low. She notes it’s also a good idea to have gloves on when you dispose of a needle and children should never handle needles and they are encouraged to tell an adult right away if they see a discarded needle on the ground.

Saskatchewan public health reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 139.  Of the new cases 45 were in Saskatoon, 19 in North Central and 15 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including zero in Far North East.  There are 18 active cases in the Far North East zone.  .

Premier Scott Moe is urging everyone to get vaccinated stating vaccines work as vaccines eradicated small pox, vaccines eradicated polio and vaccines will greatly decrease fatalities from COVID-19 so long as enough of us go out and receive them.  He adds if you truly want to see all the restrictions removed and all your personal freedoms restored then he would ask you to do your part, get vaccinated and the good news is in this province and across the nation the overwhelming majority of Saskatchewan people are making the right choice, they are getting vaccinate so let’s keep it going.

Saskatchewan’s Re-opening plan is based on vaccination numbers and they have reached the level where Step One can begin May 30^th and Step Two on June 20^th.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr Brent Roussin reported 259 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate down to 13.8 percent.  He also reported two additional deaths with one in the Winnipeg region and one in Southern health.  Of the new cases 187 are in Winnipeg with much lower numbers in other regions including 14 in Northern health.  Roussin announced extended restrictions as our numbers remain too high.  Indoor public gatherings are not permitted and visitors are not permitted on private property except in certain circumstances, outdoor gatherings with anyone outside a household are not allowed and that applies to all recreation spaces, playgrounds, golf courses, parks and sports fields, retail businesses are able to operate at 10 percent capacity or a max of 100 individuals whichever is fewer and only one person per household is allowed to enter a businesses and many businesses and organizations will remain closed for in person service including gyms, fitness clubs, restaurants, bars, personal service businesses, museums, galleries and libraries.

These will remain in effect until 12:01 AM Saturday with what’s coming next to be announced later in the week.

Due to recent COVID-19 activity in the community Creighton School Division is going to full remote learning for all classes and grades.  Director of Education Vincent Cable advises they are having no classes today to give teachers time to prepare for distance delivery.  Starting tomorrow all classes will be moved to remote learning and will remain so until June 7^th.

More information about exposures in the school will be sent to those affected as the investigations take place.  They will continue to provide additional information to parents and guardians as it is available.

At their meeting last Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council received the Fire Chief’s report for April.  They responded to six calls during the month.  There were three false alarms, a smoke alarm on April 5^th on Channing Drive where a microwave had been smoking causing the detectors to activate, on the 8^th at Hapnot Collegiate where maintenance crews accidently set off smoke detectors and on the 29^th on Hemlock where someone had activated the pull station.

They were called to a home on Church Street on the 2^nd and found fire coming out a basement window.  They cleared the home, retrieved a pet and battled the flames extinguishing the fire.  They were called to a bush fire at Big Island Lake on the 17^th and found an individual burning brush on the ice with no risk of fire extension found. And on the 28^th they were called to a home on Hill Street and found a person trapped under a truck when a lift failed.  They lifted the vehicle with the Jaws of Life and were able to get the person out.

During the month they switched over and ensured operation of all wildfire firefighting equipment.

In late April Flin Flon City Council applied for funding for two projects at the airport through Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program.  Late last week Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the Federal government is making important safety investments in Manitoba.  The Flin Flon airport will receive just over 16 thousand dollars for replacement of the airport beacon to better identify the airport’s location to pilots at night and just over 287 thousand dollars to replace the sand storage shed.

The Minister noted the importance of well maintained local airports for traveling to medical appointments, getting goods to market and other services including community resupply, air ambulance, search and rescue and forest fire response.

School Superintendent Tammy Ballantyne has advised parents public health has made the decision that Flin Flon School Division is moving to full remote learning as part of the Critical Red Level in the Pandemic Response Plan.  This is effective tomorrow and the first day back for in class learning will be Wednesday, June 9^th.  There are no classes for K to eight students tomorrow to allow schools time to move to remote learning which will begin Wednesday.

Temporary remote learning supervised at the school will be available for children of Critical Service Workers including Kindergarten through grade six of previously identified workers who cannot make alternative arrangements and students in Kindergarten through grade twelve with exceptional needs who are unable to stay home.  Transportation is not available during level red.

All other students will be expected to shift of full time learning at home starting tomorrow.  Schools will connect with families with further details specific to your children’s learning during this temporary remote learning period.

The complete letter can be found on the Flin Flon School Division Facebook page.

Manitoba reported 1290 new cases of COVID-19 over the three day weekend bringing the five day test positivity rate to 14.3percent. They also reported seven additional deaths with five in Winnipeg region and two in Southern health.  Of the new cases Saturday and Sunday 659 were in Winnipeg and 120 in South Eastern with lower numbers in other regions including 56 in Northern health.  They provided no breakdown of cases for yesterday just the total numbers of reported cases at 48,798 with 5061 considered active, 42,693 people have recovered and 318 are in hospital with 74 in intensive care.  There are 27 active cases reported in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage Sherridon district.

Saskatchewan public health reported 399 new cases over the three day weekend bringing the seven day average of new cases to 142.  They also reported three new deaths with two in South Central and one in South East.  Of the new cases 129 were in Saskatoon, 50 in Regina and 47 in Northwest with lower numbers in other zones including five in Far North East.  Of the total 45,709 reported cases 1537 are considered active, 43,645 people have recovered and 133 are in hospital with 28 in intensive care. 22 cases are active in the Far North East zone.  The province has reached the Step Two threshold on their Re-opening Roadmap with over 70 percent of residents 30 and older receiving their first dose of vaccine that means Step Two will begin on June 20^th three weeks after Step One begins on May 30^th.  Details on the Steps can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.

Saskatchewan public health reported 173 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 162.  They also reported two new deaths with one each in the Far North East and North West zones. Of the news cases 34 are in Saskatoon, 30 in Regina, 25 in Central East and 24 in North West with lower numbers in other zones including two in Far North East. Of the total 45,310 reported cases 1776 are considered active, 43,010 people have recovered and 132 are in hospital with 25 in intensive care.  As of Thursday 9820 variants of concern have been identified with 4498 in Regina, 1430 in Saskatoon and 1006 in South East with lower numbers in other zones including 20 in the Far North East.

They also note over 60 percent of all adults have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Manitoba Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced 588 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 14.1percent.  He also announced three additional deaths with two in Prairie Mountain and one in Interlake Eastern region. Of the new cases 420 are in the Winnipeg region with lower numbers in other region including 26 in Northern health.  Of the 47,504 confirmed cases 4855 are considered active, 41,627 people have recovered and 296 are in hospital with 79 in intensive care.

Chief Nursing Officer Lanette Siragusa says steps are being taken to continue to deal with high numbers.  She explains work is ongoing to ensure they have appropriate staffing resources in place across the province over the weekend and as with previous weaves the need to provide care for a high number of COVID patients now means they will need to decrease surgical procedures in order to move staff to surgery as well as to free up some medicine beds.

Siragusa adds they still need the help of all Manitobans to get through this as we are close to the end and the vaccines are working so please get vaccinated and follow the public health orders.

At their annual general meeting members of the Trout Festival committee discussed how the annual festival will look this year.  They are looking at another scaled back festival following public health orders.

Discussion continues on the possibility of holding the fishing derby which was a success last year as well as the Share in the North draw.  Fireworks have been confirmed and  they will support The Water and The Wild brand and partner with the City of Flin Flon to hold a Boat Regatta on Ross Lake with people entering kayaks, canoes, paddle boards or even small boats on June 30^th from 6 to 8 pm.  Discussion continues on what other features can be included such as music and food.  Planning also continues on a possible Canada Day parade along with events sponsored by other groups and organizations in the community.

At approximately 6:20 Wednesday morning Snow Lake RCMP received a report of a two-vehicle collision on Highway 39 just west of the Highway 392 junction. When officers arrived on scene a pickup truck was completely burned in the north ditch. A semi-trailer was in the south ditch with the driver still inside. The male passenger from the pickup truck from Brookdale and the 49-year-old male driver and lone occupant of the semi from Flin Flon received serious injuries. Both men were transported to hospital. The male driver of the pickup from Brandon was pronounced deceased on scene. 

Rcmp report from the initial investigation it appears the semi was travelling eastbound on Highway 39 when the westbound pickup entered the eastbound lane. The semi driver attempted to avoid the collision ending up in the ditch but the vehicles still collided. It was raining and slightly foggy at the time of the collision.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin says we are seeing our COVID case numbers climb as people gather outside their households.  He introduced new public health orders effective 12:01 Saturday morning until 12:01 Wednesday morning.  He explains outdoor gatherings with people from outside your household will no longer be permitted, Manitobans outdoors must limit their contacts to their households only and that applies to recreation, playgrounds, golf courses, parks and only one person per household will be allowed to enter a business with some exceptions for people who are caregivers or require care.

Roussin urges you to go out for essential items only otherwise stay home.

Manitoba public health announced 602 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 13.8 percent provincially and 15.3 percent in Winnipeg.  They also reported three additional deaths with two in Winnipeg and one in Southern health.  Of the new cases 409 are in the Winnipeg region and 97 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including 36 in Northern health.  There are 19 active cases reported in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 46,916 reported cases 4659 are considered active, 41,238 people have recovered and 291 are in hospital with 76 in intensive care.  The total variants of concern cases reported stands at 7636 with 2546 active.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan public health announced 146 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 169.  They reported no new deaths.  Of the new cases 52 are in Saskatoon and 26 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including two in Far North East.  Of the total 45,128 reported cases 1785 are considered active, 42,821 people have recovered and 138 are in hospital with 26 in intensive care.  As of Wednesday the total variants of concern cases identified is 9687 with the Far North East at 19

Premier Brian Pallister is telling Manitobans we have control over what is happening with the high COVID-19 numbers in our province.  He points out we can control following the public health orders and when we do that we get out lives back, we can control getting the first vaccine and when we do that the sooner we get our lives back and we can control getting the second vaccine and when we do that the sooner we get our lives back.

Pallister says next week they will be announcing a vaccine incentive program to encourage everyone to get both the first and second vaccination noting most but not all patients in hospital and ICU have not been vaccinated.

To residents of Flin Flon, Creighton,Denare Beach,Schist Lake and Cranberry Portage:

Over the last two years, the Government of Manitoba completed a review of public education in Manitoba. The Flin Flon School Division was open to and fully participated in the review, travelling to The Pas for a public consultation meeting then asking the Government for a one on one meeting with the Commission. After spending $1,000,000 on the review it was released on March 15, 2021. On this same day the Government released Bill 64 - The Education Modernization Act. If you read these two documents you have to wonder what the government was reading, they are totally different. We have some huge concerns with this Bill and how it will impact our students and community for the long term, and we believe you should too. 

Bill 64 will eliminate school divisions and local school boards throughout the province, making 15 regions instead of 37 boards.  Flin Flon will be in a region with The Pas, Thompson and Frontier, this will look familiar to our health region. The region will have the largest landmass in the province and the second highest student population behind Winnipeg, and will be run by one director. Parents will be asked to form School Community Councils in each school, only parents and caregivers with students in that school will vote on who sits on the executive board. This committee will be advising your Principal on the operations of your school. The Director will obtain his direction from the Provincial Advisory Council that will be up to 11 people that are appointed by the provincial government. Only one northern representative will sit on this council to be the voice for the entire north! Our northern communities are vastly different, and one person can’t possibly advocate for all of their individual needs. Also, taxpayers who do not have a child in school will not have a say in how education is decided in their respective region. We lose the voices of elders, grandparents, parents with children out of school and passionate community members who don’t have children. 

Another concern is Bill 64 removes the Moratorium on school closures and the amount of time students can ride the bus, so the advisory council can decide at any time to close a school or make changes to bussing without any public consultation. You will not be engaged in any of these changes as you were recently in terms of our proposal to restructure. We listened  to every word and your voices were heard. 

The Government proposes it will save $40,000,000 with implementing Bill 64.  When asked where the savings is coming from they have no concrete answers. Does that mean every division office in the province is closed and the jobs are gone? There have been no answers given to these questions to date. Our senior administration team, who has done an incredible amount of work ensuring safety measures are in place and leading during this pandemic, will simply be let go from their positions. We will lose our local leadership, they will lose their jobs.  We are greatly concerned about what not having local voices will mean for school programming, will the Director decide what programs stay or go or is that the decision of the Minister of Education? There are many programs unique to Flin Flon that have been run by passionate teachers and having a local board to support funding , such as Camp Whitney, a right of passage for all grade 6 and grade 8 students. We also support a second to none outdoor education program. Will these things be cut in the future? 

The Bill also proposed to centralize all services, a change that impacts the communities as Divisions currently support local businesses and services as much as possible. How much money will leave the area when they start buying everything elsewhere and ship it here? We estimate spending over 1.5 million dollars a year on local goods and services. This will be a huge loss for our local business community. 

Manitoba students rate last in test scores in the country, which is the reason for the Governments proposed changes. Like every other province in Canada, 8 out of 10 students actually meet or exceed expectations in Manitoba. The difference between first and last is minuscule. The reason Manitoba scores low is because Manitoba rates highest of all provinces in child poverty, but this Bill does not address how it will help impoverished families. 

The Flin Flon School Division is holding a Town Hall on June 1, 2021 at 7:00pm on Zoom to discuss this Bill. The link is on our website at www.ffsd.mb.ca. Please make every effort to attend this meeting if you are concerned about the education of our students. If you cannot attend this meeting but would like more information or have a concern please contact me by email at mskeavington@ffsd.mb.ca or call me at 204-923-0808. We will continue to fight Bill 64 on your behalf, but we need your support! Watch for us in the future and let your voice be heard. 

Sincerely,

Flin Flon School Division Board of Trustees

Murray Skeavington

Board Chair

Foran Mining has announced its 30 thousand meter winter drill program at its McIlvenna Bay deposit 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon continues to deliver stellar results.  They report the last five holes which are comprised of infill drilling and the first step out holes support the potential to increase the projected mine life of the deposit. One hole returned solid grades and significant thickness in the high grade massive sulphide and the deeper adjacent copper stockwork zone reinforcing the deposits strong geological credentials. Two infill holes intersected the zone with 17.77 meters and 7.50 meter thick intersections. A fourth drill rig has been brought to site to back their positive results.

Their Executive Chair Dan Myerson notes they have already achieved such value accretive results beyond their expectations from infill drilling they are delighted to kick off the resource expansion of their program with further positive results.  They remain focused on continuing to demonstrate the exceptional quality of many other assets within their portfolio and the additional drill on site supports this goal. 

The Manitoba government is committing 5 million dollars to Ronald McDonald House Charities Manitoba to support construction of a new facility that will almost triple the accommodation capacity for rural and northern Manitoba families.

Ronald McDonald House provides accommodations for families who live outside of Winnipeg while their children are receiving treatment in hospital. The government will provide the funding to match private donations on a three-to-one basis for a total contribution of 5 million dollars towards capital costs including facility and building expenses which are expected to total 20 million dollars for the entire project.

At 50,000 square feet the new house will have 40 bedrooms where the existing 11,000 square foot house only had 14 bedrooms. New amenities will include the four storeys of accommodations and more separate living spaces for families including individual kitchens, washrooms and laundry facilities. The new location will also provide specialty suites for bone marrow and solid organ transplant patients in order for families to self-isolate to keep their children safe.  For more information visit www.rmhcmanitoba.org.

Manitoba public health reported 402 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 13.4 percent.  They also reported four additional deaths with three in the Winnipeg region and one in Southern health.  Of the new cases 252 are in Winnipeg and 50 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including 18 in Northern health.  Active cases now reported in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district stand at 15. Of the total 46,314 reported cases 4550 are active, 40,748 individuals have recovered and 293 are in hospital with 80 in intensive care. Reported variants of concern cases now total 7141 with 2386 active and a total of 17 reported in Northern health.

Saskatchewan reported 141 new cases this afternoon and no new deaths. One hundred and eighty people have recovered leaving the province with 1,786 active cases. The Saskatoon zone has the highest number of active cases of any region in the province at 533. The province also reported 134 people in the hospital with 28 in intensive care.

Manitoba public health officials have announced a second super site will soon be opened in the Northern health region with a location in The Pas expected to be open no later than June 9th.  They also remain on track to start booking second doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Friday.  Vaccine Task Force Medical Lead Dr. Joss Reimer says second doses will first be given to people with underlying medical conditions and the conditions include people who are on dialysis, people who have Down’s Syndrome, people who have received or are on a list to receive an organ transplant, people who are currently receiving chemotherapy cancer treatment and those who are living with HIV and they ask that people only book at this time if you have one of the conditions that’s listed on the website.

Reimer says following this group appointments for second doses will be available based on when people received their first dose and second doses are expected to move quickly as vaccine shipments increase. More information can be found at protectmb.ca.

The meeting began with welcoming the two successful candidates in last week’s by-election. Bill Hanson and Leslie Beck who both have past experience on Council were sworn in taking the oath of office provided by Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Nicole Hartman.

Council received an invitation from the Flin Flon Writer’s Guild’s Harry Hobbs and the Flin Flon Public Library to have a representative read virtually at their annual poetry night at 7:30 Friday, May 28^th. Councillor Ken Pawlachuk agreed to represent Council.

Council approved the Municipal Funding Application from the Hapnot Grad Committee to provide the services of the Public Works Department to hang the banners on light poles along Main Street similar to last year to honor their graduates.  The request noted it would be a wonderful thing if they could have their banners flying high for the whole community to celebrate with them as they won’t be able to celebrate at a public ceremony this year.

Councillor Tim Babcock thanked the people taking time to clean up our community including graffiti in some areas.

Last Saturday New Democrats from across the riding of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski gathered virtually to nominate Niki Ashton as the NDP candidate in the next Federal election. She was nominated by Amanda Lathlin, NDP MLA for The Pas-Kameesak and seconded by Tom Lindsay, NDP MLA for Flin Flon along with Danielle Adams, NDP MLA for Thompson, and Ian Bushie, NDP MLA for Keewatinook.

Ashton stressed that now more than ever it is important to have a strong voice for the North.  She stated we have so much to fight for in our region adding the Federal government needs to prioritize healthcare, housing, education, infrastructure and the need for good jobs.

Ashton said that our region produces a lot of wealth for Canada but receives little in return adding we need fairness and  action noting we can and must fight for nothing less than social, economic and  environmental justice for all in our region and across Canada.

Manitoba public health reported 334 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 13 percent.  They also announced one additional death in the Winnipeg health region. Of the new cases 241 are in the Winnipeg region with lower numbers in other regions including 25 in Northern health.  Active cases in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon District are reported to be 13.  Of the total 45,913 reported cases provincially 4543 are active, 40,358 individuals have recovered and 278 are in hospital with 70 in intensive care. Variants of concern cases identified total 6979 with 2530 active and a total of 148 have been reported in the Northern health region.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan health reported only 129 new cases this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 187.  They also announced three new deaths with two from Saskatoon and one from Far North East.  Of the new cases 47 were in Saskatoon and 22 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including one in Far North East.  Of the 44,841 reported cases 1825 are considered active, 42,494 people have recovered and 142 are in hospital with 27 in intensive care. As of Monday 9467 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East at 18.

A Creating Our Community program is being offered for people 18 to 29 in The Pas, Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage, Snow Lake areas.  The Linking Young Entrepreneurs With Network and Knowledge Project Co-ordinator with Community Futures Greenstone and UCN Chelsey Meade explains the program will give youth the opportunity to expand their leadership and business skills, build confidence and pride in themselves and activate a network of inspiring individuals across the region.  This community based program will also give participants an opportunity to put their ideas and skills into action by designing their own yearend project. Meade adds the program is not intended to replace regular employment or education but to complement them.  Participants will need to commit approximately ten hours per month including biweekly meeting session as well as some occasional independent work.

The program will run from June to March 2022 with the deadline to apply May 28^th.  For more information contact Chelsey at 204-923-0220 or email chelsey@cfgreenstone.com.

University College of the North in Flin Flon continues to offer free computer courses.  The College’s Craig Cowper says they have a number of beginner level technology courses with their partner Tech Manitoba running through to the end of June.  He explains they have Introduction to Digital Pictures, another called Email, Social Media and Privacy and a third once called Introduction to Ipads.  He says the only prerequisite is you have a little bit of knowledge on how to use the Zoom meeting platform as that is how the instruction is done for all these courses and you can do them safely from the comfort of your home without having to go into a classroom with other people.

For information or to register for these courses you can contact Craig at the Northern Mining Academy at 204-687-7038 and for information on other courses offered visit www.ucn.ca/cis.

Saskatchewan public health reported 178 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 195.  They also reported two new deaths with one each in the South Central and South East zones.  Of the new cases 55 were in Saskatoon and 42 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones. Of the total 44,709 reported cases 1965 are considered active and 42,225 people have recovered with 142 in hospital and 27 in intensive care.  As of Sunday 9343 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East at 15.

An additional 12,173 doses of vaccine have been given in Saskatchewan bringing the total number of vaccines administered to just over 603 thousand.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 430 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.7 percent.  He also reported one new death in the Southern health region. Of the new cases 313 are in the Winnipeg region and 44 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including 37 in Northern health.

Chief Nursing Officer Dr Lanette Siragusa says some people are still getting the virus within three weeks of their first dose of the vaccine.  She explains the evidence would show us that about after three weeks the vaccine is around 90 percent effective, the Pfizer vaccine and Moderna and she believes AstraZenica as well so getting the vaccine is really important so they encourage everyone to go out and get your first dose noting the second doses will be coming soon but just remember to be cautious for the first three weeks as you are letting the vaccine build up in your body.

Of the total 45,579 reported cases 4568 are active and 40 thousand individuals have recovered.  Variants of concern numbers were not released.

In Flin Flon for those doing their own hauling tipping fees at the landfill have been waved from now until June 7^th.  Landfill hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5:45 pm and Sunday noon to 4.  For pick up by the city clean up begins tomorrow based on your area with details on the City of Flin Flon website www.cityofflinflon.ca, click on residential and then garbage.  Metal must be in a separate pile near you garbage collection.  They will not pick up recyclables, garages, decks or other large structures. 

In Creighton spring clean up week is May 25^th to 28^th but to assist residents with their yard clean up there will be no dumping fees at the landfill from today to the 23^rd.  Those needing assistance with large items can contact the Town office.                                  

In Denare Beach Village clean up runs May 25^th to 28^th for brush, wood, bagged leaves, household items and metals.  No tires, animal waste or vehicle parts and all waste should be bagged where possible and placed where it will be convenient for pick up.  Leaves that are not bagged will not be picked up.

In all locations Freon must be removed from fridges and freezers.

The campaign is a part of the lost-key return service that the War Amps operates.  Spokesperson James Jordan says it helps the organization fund the programs and services they offer to amputees across the country.  He explains one of the programs they offer is the Child Amputee Program and that would be their main support program for amputees and child amputees across the country and what that program does is provide financial assistance for very expensive artificial limbs for children who are amputees across the country.  He adds not only financial assistance but they also offer emotional assistance through events and regional seminars and program that they offer their amputees that are part of their membership and it goes a long way in regards to support for these families.

Jordan states key tags should be in mail boxes across Manitoba by the end of the month. To date more than 1.5 million sets of lost keys have been returned to their owners.

Manitoba public health reported 960 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.3 percent.  They also reported eight additional deaths with five in Winnipeg, two in northern Health and one in Prairie Mountain health region.  Of the new cases 668 were in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 40 in Northern health.  Active cases in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district now total nine.  Of the total 45,149 reported cases 4440 are considered active, 39,699 individuals have recovered and 258 are in hospital with 71 in intensive care.  Confirmed variants of concern now total 6137 with 2407 active with the total reported so far in the Northern region at 101.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan public health reported 363 new cases over the weekend bringing the seven day average of new cases to 191.  They also announced two new deaths with one each in Regina and Saskatoon zones.  Of the new cases 121 were in Saskatoon, 55 in Regina and 37 in North Central with lower numbers in other zones including five in Far North East.  Of the total 44.531 reported cases 2082 are considered active, 41,932 people have recovered and 137 are in hospital with 24 in intensive care.  As of Saturday 9215 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East at 15.  They also noted the total number of vaccines administered in the province has reached 590,952.

Saskatchewan public health reported they have surpassed 550 thousand doses of COVID-19 vaccine with more than 505 thousand first doses administered.  As of Monday anyone who is 85 and older or anyone who received their first dose before February 15^th will be eligible to book their second dose.  They also confirmed one case related to a blood clot in a woman who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine in April.  She has received treatment and is recovering at home.

They reported 227 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 203.  There were two new deaths reported with one each in the South Central and Saskatoon zone.  Of the new cases 50 were in Saskatoon, 41 in Regina, 36 in South East and lower numbers in other zones including one in Far North East.  As of Thursday 8915 variants of concern cases have been identified with 11 having been reported in Far North East.

Manitoba Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced 489 new cases of COVID -19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 11.8 percent.  There were no additional deaths.  Of the new cases 328 are in the Winnipeg region and 88 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including ten in Northern health. Of the total 44,189 reported cases 4163 are considered active and 39,024 individuals have recovered. Atwal expressed concern about the high numbers.  He explains the rise in cases we are seeing is related to not limiting contacts and not adhering to the public health orders that were in place.  He says if we continue to follow the model we can be seeing high case counts throughout the summer and the current trend lead to the health system coming close to being overwhelmed.

Reported variants of concern total 5611 with 2144 active with a total of 94 reported in the Northern health region.

Eligibility to be immunized with the Pfizer vaccine has been expanded to include all people aged 12 and over.  Anyone under 18 will be able to get this vaccine at provincial supersites and urban Indigenous clinics.

The Manitoba government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Xplornet Communications to connect more than 125 thousand unserved or underserved Manitobans to reliable high speed internet services.      Manitoba Central Services Minister Reg Helwer says the agreement will provide broadband services to nearly 30 First Nations and approximately 270 rural and northern communities and will also serve 350 communities with cell phone access including along long stretches of transportation services as early as this fall using the thousands of kilometers of Manitoba Hydro fibre-optic cable across the province that has unused capacity.

The Manitoba government, Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Hydro Telecom are collaborating to finalize the contract in the coming weeks.             

Hudbay released its first quarter 2021 results yesterday.  President Peter Kukielski reported their Manitoba business unit had stable operating performance across the mine, mills and zinc plant.  He outlined what’s happening in the Snow Lake area.  He says they expect to complete commissioning of the New Britannia gold plant in the coming month and to achieve their first gold pour early in the third quarter.  They’ve started the work in preparation for the ramp up of the 53 hundred pounds per day at Lalor and the Stall Mill recovery improvement program.  They also continued their year’s exploration program in the Chisel basin.  In the medium term they’ll continue to look at future opportunities for extracting gold from the tails at Stall, expanding the New Britannia mill beyond 15 hundred tonnes per day and delineating new reserves and resources in the prospective Snow Lake camp.

Kukielski added ore mined at the Manitoba operations in the first quarter was higher than the fourth quarter of last year due to full production levels at the Triple Seven Mine in Flin Flon following shaft repairs that were completed in the fourth quarter.  Copper and gold grades at Triple Seven were higher than the fourth quarter as high grade remnant stopes were mine as Triple Seven nears the end of its mine life.

The Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba is highlighting the crucial work nurses are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic for National Nurses Week.

Executive Director Doctor Cheryl Cusack explains they continue to be really resilient and adaptable even though they’re facing highly traumatic experiences right now and working with COVID has been very hard.  She says they’re having concerns of mental health issues and retention in the field that is concerning but at the same time new nurses are coming in, nurses are keeping educated and graduated and nurses who are working with COVID are adapting, they’re being very innovative, they’re delivering services in new ways, more virtual care for instance and continuing to be there for patients and clients.

Cusack goes on to acknowledge the leadership and dedication of nurses in the province and encourages Manitobans to recognize and celebrate the work nurses have been doing via social media.

Saskatchewan health reported 223 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 212.  They also reported five additions deaths with two in the Far North East and one each in North Central, North West and Regina zones.  Of the new cases 71 are in Saskatoon, 28 in Central East and 24 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones including nine in Far North East. Of the total 43,926 reported cases 2032 are considered active and 41,381 people have recovered.  As of Wednesday 8782 variants of concern cases have been identified with the Far North East still at eight.

53 percent of those 18 and over have received their first dose of vaccine.

Manitoba public health reported 557 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12 percent.  They also reported three additional deaths with two in Prairie Mountain and one in the Winnipeg region.  Of the new cases 431 are in Winnipeg region with numbers in the 20s and 30s in other regions including 27 in Northern health.  Ten cases are considered active in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 43,700 reported cases 4046 are considered active and 38,652 people have recovered.  A total of 5210 variants of concern cases have been reported with 82 reported in Northern health.  Of the total 1974 are considered active.

In their first quarter 2021 report Hudbay noted a net loss of 60.1 million dollars compared to net earnings of 7.4 million dollars in the fourth quarter of last year.  President Peter Kukielski says first quarter earnings benefited from high realized prices for all metals which was offset by lower sales volumes due to the timing of sales in Peru and a buildup of concentrate in Manitoba caused by limited rail car availability.  He explained this resulted in the buildup of approximately five thousand tonnes of copper concentrate in excess of normal operating levels valued at approximately 18 million dollars.  He noted if both parcels of copper concentrate had been sold during the first quarter they would have realized approximately 39 million dollars of incremental revenue. He added these parcels have since been recognized as revenue and copper concentrate inventory levels have normalized in the second quarter.

Kukielski adds they are pleased to have commenced production at Pampacancha in Peru and look forward to their first gold pour at the New Britannia mill in Snow Lake which is on schedule for the third quarter and they expect to significantly advance their long term copper growth opportunities this year.

Despite the disappointment of being unable to offer Kindervention again this year the Flin Flon School Division will be providing each of the children eligible with an impressive assortment of activities they can enjoy with their families.  These packages include such items as tracing activities, books, Wikki Stix, shapes to link together, magnetic letters, lacing kits for fine motor skills, dinosaurs for counting, 60 batches of homemade Play Dough and many other educational materials.  The Board thanked Mrs. Grove for her hard work in ordering and putting together the activity bags and bins including making the Play Dough. 

At Ruth Betts students will be participating in Women in Science and Engineering at the end of the month. The school has also received a 21 thousand dollar grant from the Breakfast Club of Canada, an organization that helps children reach their full potential one breakfast at a time.  The middle years classes are preparing to virtually participate in this year’s Canada wide Science Fair interacting with young scientist who have made it to the national fair.  This year’s event is interactive with guest speakers, games and more.

The Board also passed a motion that Jody Pawlachuck be appointed Principal of Many Faces Education Center effective September 7^th.

Flin Flon residents turned out at the polls to elect two City Councillors from a list of four candidates.  Elected were Bill Hanson with 388votes and Leslie Beck with 283 votes.  The other candidates were Tom Therien    receiving 255votes and Carrie Hume with 242 votes. Hanson and Beck will be sworn in prior to the Council meeting coming up Tuesday night and will serve on Council until November 2022. The vacancies on Council were created by the death of Councillor Colleen McKee and the departure from Flin Flon of Councillor Barry Kreller.

Saskatchewan public health reported 183 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 203 which is the lowest since April. They also announced two additional deaths with one each in the North Central and Central East zones.  Of the new cases 52 are in Saskatoon, 41 in Regina, 26 in North West and 23 in South East with lower numbers in other zones. Of the total 43,673 reported cases 2016 are considered active, 41,149 people have recovered and 163 are in hospital with 37 in  intensive care.

As of Tuesday 8628 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East holding at eight.

Manitoba public health reported 364 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12.1 percent.  They also reported three additional deaths with one each in Prairie Mountain, Winnipeg and Interlake Eastern health regions. Of the new cases 223 are in the Winnipeg region with much lower numbers in other regions including ten in Northern health.

Health officials are adjusting the distribution of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with first doses at medical clinics and pharmacies only being given to people who might not otherwise be immunized at other sites with most doses being held for second doses for people who received that vaccine as their first dose. Vaccine Lead Dr Joss Reimer had a message for those who received that first dose. Over the last two months when they’ve been giving AstraZeneca it has protected many tens of thousands of Manitobans who would not otherwise have that protection.  If you got the vaccine you did the right thing, you provided yourselves and your families with protection as early as you possibly could.

They are also monitoring decisions on whether different types of vaccine can be used for second doses.  They are expecting people to be able to begin booking their second doses by May 22^nd.

Manitoba 150 announced last week Flin Flon will be receiving an outdoor mural as part of their Wall to Wall Mural and Culture Festival Rural Mural Tour.  They have now named the artist for the Flin Flon painting.  KC Adams is a Nehiyaw, Anishinaabe and British artist living in Winnipeg.  She graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and works in mediums that include sculpture, installation, drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, printmaking, kinetic and traditional art.  Adams has been in numerous solo, group and duo exhibitions and artist residencies.  She was awarded the Winnipeg Arts Council’s Making a Mark Award and Canada’s Senate 150 medal for her accomplishments with her Perception Photo Series.

Virtual meetings will be held with the community and the artist to begin the mural consultation process and once completed the mural will be installed during the summer.

Chamber Co-Vice-President Kory Eastman reported the Chamber is preparing a position on the further restrictions placed on small businesses and personal services and would like to see statistics that indicate cases are being spread in these businesses.  He said the government sees numbers go up and feel they have to do something.  Eastman and most other members feel shutting down businesses completely is not the way to go noting Saskatchewan’s plan doesn’t close them but reduces capacity so businesses can continue to operate.

Their guest was Andrew Johnson who is their ChamberPlan representative with Titan.  He told them he is trying to increase the number of Companies in the community that are using their plan by bringing more information to small businesses to get them involved.  Johnson explained their plan is the number one plan in Canada with over 30 thousand small businesses participating with any surplus generated remaining in the plan to try to keep premiums low.  He spoke on the many options they offer and how to adapt the plan to meet the needs of those involved through the Chamber.

Saskatchewan public health reported 186 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 204. They also announced four additional deaths with three in the North West zone and one in South Central.  Of the new cases 53 are in Saskatoon, 46 in Regina and 29 in North Central with lower numbers in other zones including five in Far North East.  Of the total 43,481 reported cases 2064 are considered active and 40,911 people have recovered with 162 in hospital and 38 in intensive care.

As of Monday 2,514 variants of concern cases have been identified with eight in the Far North East.

More than 70 percent of Saskatchewan residents 40 and older have received their first shot surpassing the threshold for step one of the Re-opening Roadmap so the province has set May 30^th as the target date for the start of step one which increases capacity indoors and outdoors, in restaurants and places of worship.

Manitoba public health reported 328 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 12 percent.  There were no additional deaths. Of the new cases 235 are in the Winnipeg region with much lower numbers in other regions including eight in Northern health.  

 Eight cases are reported to be active in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.

Of the total 42,779 reported cases provincially 3837 are active, 37,945 individuals have recovered and 154 are in hospital with 59 in intensive care.

Variants of concern cases reported now total 4611 with 1810 active and a total of 76 have been reported in the Northern health region to date.

 Flin Flon residents are going to the polls tomorrow to fill two vacancies on City Council.  All polling stations are located in City Hall Council Chambers and are open from 8 am to 8 pm. COVID-19 protocols are in place so you are asked to wear a mask and because of the limit of ten percent capacity indoors only four people will be allowed in to vote at a time so you are asked to vote and then leave immediately. Identification may be required for voting such as one piece of government issued identification such as a drivers license or passport or at least two other documents that provide proof of identity.

The four candidates are Leslie Beck, Bill Hanson, Carrie Hume and Tom Therien and the two elected will serve on Council until November 2022.

Saskatchewan public health reported 147 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 204. They again reported no new deaths. Of the new cases 56 are in Saskatoon and 41 in Regina with much lower numbers in other zones.  Of the total 43,288 reported cases 2141 are considered active, 40,645 people have recovered and 156 are in hospital with 37 in intensive care.

They also report 71 percent of those over age 40, 61 percent those 30 plus and 51 percent of those 18 plus have received their first dose of vaccine.  As of Sunday 8392 variants of concern cases have been reported with the highest numbers in Regina at 4223, Saskatoon 1029, South East 863 and South Central 612.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced 498 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 11.6 percent.  He also announced four additional deaths with two in Southern health and one each in Winnipeg and Northern health regions. Of the new cases 399 are in Winnipeg and 48 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including ten in northern health. Roussin is concerned about contacts.  He explains since last Friday we’ve had more than 15 hundred cases reported and that’s why they have to take stronger public health actions and why they have to move Winnipeg and Brandon schools to remote learning.  He says the best way to limit the amount of contacts outside your household is to stay home so only go out for essential reasons, limit those contacts outside of your household and that’s the best way to end these transmission chains.

Of the total 42,453 reported cases 3771 are active and 37,683 people have recovered.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has announced an increase in their budget for the provincial Manitoba Bridge Grant. He explained this is their fourth such installment which is five thousand dollars in direct financial support to all eligible businesses, non-profits and charities to help them bridge through this third wave.  He anticipates there will be more than 12 thousand businesses and organizations that have store fronts that will qualify for this support and in addition they believe close to three thousand home base businesses will benefit from this program.

Eligible businesses that received prior bridge grant payments will automatically received the fourth payment beginning as early as Friday and will be notified of the deposit by email.  The province also announced an additional two thousand dollar top up for restaurants to help cover the costs of food waste, employee wages, maintenance or insurance as well as two million dollars to be provided to the Dine In Restaurant Relief Program to help restaurants shift their operations towards a delivery model.

Nominations are being accepted until May 24^th for awards to be presented to volunteers across Manitoba.  The Manager of Communications for Volunteer Manitoba Dawn Bourbonnais says there are several awards to be presented.  She says there’s the Premier’s Volunteer Service Award, the Lieutenant Governor’s Make a Difference Award, the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Family Award, the Royal Bank has the Bright Future Award which is for anybody who’s working with youth to prepare them for their future, the CTV Champion of Mental Health Award, The William Norrie Arts and Culture Award given to anyone in Manitoba volunteering their time for an arts and culture event, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Leadership Award, Sparks Outstanding Pro Bono Consultant Award and the Barb Gemmell Catalyst Award for Excellence in Volunteer Management.

To nominate a volunteer or for more information go to their website www.volunteermanitoba.ca/awards.

The Manitoba government is providing more than 20 million dollars in operating grants toward Manitoba Adult Learning Centres and Adult Literacy Programs including a one-time COVID-19 relief grant. The Adult Learning Centres program offers tuition-free high school credits and upgrading courses, which may lead to a Manitoba high school diploma. In 2021-22, 30 agencies will receive more than 17 million dollars in operating grants.  The Manitoba Adult Literacy Program funds organizations to deliver programming that addresses the literacy needs of adult Manitobans. This year 29 agencies will receive more than 2.5 million dollars in operating grants including a one-time COVID-19 relief grant totalling just over 50 thousand dollars to support additional operating or capital expenditures that may have occurred related to COVID-19 program pressures. 

Eligibility in the Saskatchewan age based immunization program has expanded to include those 29 years and older.  The province is also setting May 30^th as the target date for the first step of its COVID-19 Re-opening Road Map because so many people are getting vaccinated and residents are following health orders.  On that date restaurants and bars will open to a maximum of six to a table, places of worship will have 30 percent capacity or a maximum of 150 people and gathering limits will rise to 10 in a household bubble, indoor gatherings to 30 and public outdoor gatherings to 150.

Saskatchewan public health reported 446 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend and no additional deaths.  Of the new cases 113 were in Saskatoon and 93 in Regina with lower numbers in other zones. As of Saturday 8258 variants of concern cases have been identified.

The Manitoba governments has announced kindergarten to grade 12 schools in Winnipeg and Brandon will move to remote learning effective Wednesday until May 30^th.  Schools in the rest of the province will remain open with other measures during this period.  Schools with multiple cases will be moved to remote learning with existing guidance, school officials can require students or staff who are showing symptoms to stay home for ten days and will be encouraged to get tested, all extra-curricular activities, organized sports and off site activities are suspended except for physically distanced walks or runs in the community and no indoor singing or use of wind instruments will be allowed and all other health measures remain in effect.

Public health reported 1014 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend with 811 in Winnipeg region and lower numbers in other regions including 18 in Northern health.  The number of active cases in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district is 11.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin says increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases have shown the need to reduce contacts outside our households.  He lists some of the new orders to be effective 12:01 Sunday morning.  Outdoor gatherings will be reduced to five people and this includes household members; the following businesses and activities will be required to close including gyms, VLTs, museums, galleries and libraries, indoor community, cultural and religious gatherings, personal services, indoor sports and recreation, dance theatres, music schools and day camps; restaurants, bars and patios will close to in person dining but will be able to provide take out and delivery services; outdoor sports and recreation will have a maximum of five people and organized team sports will not be permitted and retail stores and garden centers will be open at ten percent to a maximum of 100 people whichever is lower.

Roussin adds these will be in effect for three weeks until May 30^th.

Saskatchewan public health has announced the eligible age for the COVID-19 vaccine is dropping to 32 tomorrow and will go down every second day until May 20^th.

They reported 295 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 221. They reported one new death in the South West zone. Of the new cases 98 are in Saskatoon, 68 in Regina, 33 in North West and 32 in South East with lower numbers in other zones. Of the total 42,695 reported cases 2239 are active, 39,954 people have recovered while 174 are in hospital with 38 in intensive care. 

7905 variants of concern cases have been reported with the Far North East now reporting six.

Manitoba public health reported 498 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 9.6 percent provincially and 11.3 percent in Winnipeg.  They also reported one additional death in the Southern health region.  Of the new cases 389 are in the Winnipeg region with much lower numbers in other regions including 17 in Northern health.

Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal says 201 people are in hospital. He says rumors are circulating that there are more vaccinated people in ICU and hospitals due to COVID-19 but Manitoba’s data does not support this at all.  He explains case rates with severe outcomes are lower in those who are vaccinated and in contrast severe outcomes are increasing in unvaccinated individuals across all age groups but especially those in the ages of 50 to 69 and 70 to 79 and hospitalizations are rising in people under 40.

Atwal emphasized the need to get vaccinated and to follow recommended protocols.

It was also announced pop up clinic in Flin Flon May 13, 14,20 and 21 will now operate as walk in clinics with previously booked appointment still being honored.

Premier Brian Pallister has announced a new Manitoba Pandemic Sick Leave Program to provide direct financial assistance to help fill gaps between federal programming and current provincial employment standards for paid sick leave.  He explains the program will provide all private sector, non-profit and charitable employers with up to six hundred dollars per eligible employee for up to five days for COVID-19 related sick leave including testing, vaccinations, side effects, self-isolation due to COVID-19 symptoms and care for a loved one in any of these circumstance.

The eligibility period begins today and runs until September 25^th.

The Mining Association of Canada has released a new Towards Sustainable Mining Climate Change Protocol.  It is designed to minimize the mining sector’s carbon footprint while enhancing climate change disclosure and strengthening the sector’s ability to adapt to climate change.

The Association’s President Pierre Gratton says their mined minerals are required inputs for green technology like electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar panels and it is critical that these minerals and metals are responsibly sourced with the smallest green house gas footprint possible.  He adds the new protocol requires companies to make commitments, set targets and take action consistent with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and at higher levels of performance make commitments corresponding with the societal ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on You Tube on Saturday, July 24^th at 1p.m.

A virtual ceremony was also held last year and students have the option of submitting a photo or a message that will be displayed at the ceremony as an alternative to walking across the stage.

A press release from UCN adds a recording of the convocation will be available to watch for up to 12 months afterwards.

UCN says even if no photos or messages are submitted graduates’ names will still be displayed and their achievements will be recognized. 

Saskatchewan’s vaccine delivery effort will soon be administering second doses to the general population.  As of May 17^th anyone who is 85 and older who received their first dose before February 15^th can book for their second dose and it is anticipated that all Saskatchewan residents will be fully vaccinated with two doses by July 31^st with second doses distributed to the age based and priority sequencing of the first doses.  Saskatchewan youth 12 years and older are being added to the Pfizer BioNTech vaccination program sequencing with the first dose complete by the end of June  with delivery anticipated to occur in school based programs, pharmacies and clinics.  Information on booking can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

Saskatchewan public health reported 156 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 216.  There were no new deaths to report.  Of the new cases 40 are in Regina, 31 in North Central and 22 in South East with numbers in the teens and single digits in other zones including one in Far North East.  As of Wednesday 7695 variants of concern have been identified with the Far North East holding at two.

Manitoba public health reported 357 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate provincially up to 9.1 percent and 10.4 percent in Winnipeg.  They also announced four additional deaths with two each in Winnipeg and Prairie Mountain regions. Of the new cases 263 are in the Winnipeg region with much lower numbers in other regions including 34 in Northern health.

They also note the number of active cases now in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district is reported to be 16.  Of the total 40,422 reported cases provincially 2732 are considered active and 36,724 individuals have recovered. 185 people are in hospital with 52 in intensive care. Variants of concern reported now total 3003 with 1025 active and 62 reported in the Northern health region.

Manitoba 150 has announced seven Manitoba communities including Flin Flon will receive outdoor murals in celebration of Manitoba’s history, culture, people and beauty.  This is being done through Manitoba 150 presented by CWB National Leasing in partnership with Wall to Wall Mural and Culture Festivals Rural Mural Tour. 

Each community is to pick an artist from a list of five submitted by Synonym Art Consultation who will create a design that will then be printed and safely installed in a public space. A local selection committee has made their choice from the list and is waiting for confirmation from Synonym.

Virtual meetings are being held with each community and artist to begin the mural consultation process and over the next few weeks the artist will develop mural mockups that reflect the community’s needs, interests, values and histories and create a mural design.  The murals will be installed throughout the summer and local photographers will be hired to document the installation.

Spokesperson Liz McLeod explains this is the biggest fundraiser for the organization with the proceeds going towards research as well as programs and services.

She explains how it works is people are just encouraged to do any activity that they want to do throughout the month of May as many times as they would like to do it so whether that’s walking every day, going for a run once a week, walking your dog, whatever and doing it in kind of a thoughtful purposeful way to promote awareness of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain based disorders.

McLeod invites people interested in taking part to visit www.walkforalzheimer.ca  to register and learn more.

Beginning tomorrow eligibility in the Saskatchewan age based immunization program is expanding to include 35 and over.

Saskatchewan public health reported 196 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 224. They also reported two new deaths with one each in the Regina and Saskatoon zones. Of the new cases 44 were in Regina, 40 in Saskatoon, 31 in South East with numbers in the teens and single digits in other zones.  Of the 42,203 total reported cases 2250 are considered active, 39,452 people have recovered and 171 are in hospital with 39 in intensive care. As of Tuesday 7580 variants of concern have been identified with the larger numbers in Regina with 4026, Saskatoon 897 and South Central 560 with much lower numbers in other zones.

Health officials in Saskatchewan say residents who have had their first vaccine should be able to get their second dose in June.

The Manitoba Vaccine Implementation Task Force Co-Lead Johanu Botha has announced people will soon be booking second dose appointments for the vaccine.  He explains they’re aiming to have the first group of people call or book online starting May 22^nd to make appointments for their second shots. He adds the second doses will be going into arms no later than mid-June and if they have contact information for people they will be reaching out to you directly by text, email or phone to let you know when you can book your second dose.

Individuals who are immune compromised or have prioritized health conditions will be able to book first with more details being provided in the coming days. They are reviewing the recommendation of opening the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children as young as 12.

Public health has announced 271 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 8.8 percent.  They reported two additional deaths in the Winnipeg region. Of the new cases 182   are in the Winnipeg region and 37 in Prairie Mountain with lower numbers in other regions including 13 in Northern health.

Flin Flon residents are going to the polls in a by-election May 12^th to fill two vacancies on City Council.  An advance poll is being held tomorrow for those who may not be able to attend the voting place on Election Day.  All voting stations for the advance poll will be in City Hall Council Chambers and will be open tomorrow from 8 am to 8 pm.  COVID -19 protocols are in place and you are asked to wear a mask. Identification may be required before voting such as one piece of government issued photo identification such as a drivers license or passport or at least two other documents that provide proof of identity.  The four candidates are Leslie Beck, Bill Hanson, Carrie Hume and Tom Therien.

Election Day is May 12^th and all polls will again be held in City Hall Council Chambers from 8 am to 8 pm.

Mayor Cal Huntley advised vaccine clinics are coming up in Flin Flon starting May 13th and there are still appointments available so he encourages people to get the shot and take advantage of these clinics open to anyone 18 and older.  He notes you not only protect yourselves you protect others and it moves us closer to getting back to normal.

Council agreed to submit a request to Municipal Relations for a budget extension to June 30^th.  This is due to staff shortages, delayed year end reporting and additional unknowns caused by the current health restrictions.  Mayor Huntley says they’ve gone through changes in personnel and need additional time to prepare the budget and present it to the public.  It is usually submitted by the middle of May.

Council received a letter from Linda Clark regarding the state of the fitness trail on the Creekside section from the McIsaac School bridge to the closed road bridge towards Kingsway.  She says it is a muddy mess and no action was taken on her request for new fill last summer.  She notes children at McIsaac School as well as many others in the community use the trail even more so in these COVID times.  She asked for plans and a timeline for this section of the fitness trail. The request was referred to Engineering Services.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has announced a three step plan to gradually lift public health restrictions as the province reaches significant vaccination levels.  He outlines step one which could be in place in the last week of May if three weeks have passed since 70 percent of people over 40 have received their first vaccine and vaccines are open to all adults.  Household bubbles can expand to ten people, public indoor gatherings can be up to 30 people and public outdoor gatherings up to 150 people, restaurants can have six at a table with physical distancing between tables, places of worship can have 150 people or 30 percent of capacity whichever is less with physical distancing and the current province wide masking mandate will continue to be in place.

He says steps two in lifting restrictions could occur in the third week of June and step three in the second week of July.  More details on each step can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

Saskatchewan public health reported 189 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 226.  Of the new cases 81 are in Saskatoon, 27 in North West and 24 in Regina with single digits in other zones.

Manitoba public health reported 290 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 8.5 percent.  They also reported one death in the Winnipeg region.  Of the new cases 212 are in the Winnipeg region, 31 in Prairie Mountain and 29 in Southern health with lower numbers in other regions including seven in Northern health.  They report 13 active cases in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 39,814 reported cases 2693 are considered active and 36,142 individuals have recovered.  182 people are in hospital with 47 in intensive care. The total reported variants of concern cases are at 2705 with 993 active and a total of 58 reported cases in the Northern health region.

Callinex mines reports it has more than doubled the vertical extension of the Rainbow Deposit by extending the high grade copper, gold, silver and zinc deposit 257 meters closer to surface.  The Rainbow is located at their Pine Bay Project 16 kilometers from Flin Flon.

President and CEO Max Porterfield says the Rainbow Deposit has the potential to be accessible by a ramp which in turn would translate to a more attractive development plan. 

The Company has now defined the vertical extent to the 405 meter level from the 662 meter level that had been drilled prior to the 2021 drilling campaign.  The previous step out hole intersected 5.7 meters of 4.72 percent copper equivalent with 3.57 percent copper, 0.54 grams per tonne silver, 21.41 grams per tonne gold and 1.56 percent zinc.  Currently two rigs continue to operate to expand the Rainbow closer to surface and at depth.  In addition the Company has commenced two deep penetrating geophysical surveys along the trend that hosts the Rainbow and Sourdough deposits as well as the past producing Centennial Mine.

Until May 14^th the Saskatchewan government is accepting grant applications for the spring intake of Indigenous community projects that support economic, social and cultural projects led by Saskatchewan Indigenous organizations.  The program is administered by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations and will provide 300 thousand dollars to eligible projects in 2021-22

First Nations, Metis and Northern Affairs Minister Don McMorris says in the coming year this grant program will continue to support the priorities of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth. He adds through their First Nations and Metis Community Partnership Project Program they want to continue funding Indigenous led projects that will lead to healing, reconciliation and long term partnerships.

More information can be found by clicking on the link attached to this story at www.flinflononline.com or by emailing fnmr@gov.sk.ca or calling 306-798-0183.

Link - 

 https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/first-nations-citizens/saskatchewan-first-nations-metis-and-northern-initiatives/first-nations-and-metis-community-engagement-projects

Beginning tomorrow eligibility in the provincial age based immunization program will expand to include ages 37 and over.

Saskatchewan public health reported 207 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the seven day average of new cases to 230.  They also reported three new deaths with one each in Regina, North Central and Saskatoon zones.  Of the new cases 64 were in Regina, 31 in North Central and 29 in Saskatoon with numbers in the teens and single digits in other zones.  Of the total 41,806 reported cases 2397 are considered active and 38,911 people have recovered.  As of Sunday 7296 variants of concern have been identified with Regina at 3878, Saskatoon 835, South East 750 and South Central 553 with lower numbers in other zones including Far North East holding at three.

The Saskatchewan government is sending 100 ventilators to India to assist them in dealing with the highest active COVID-19 numbers in the world.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 250 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to eight percent.  He also reported one death in the Winnipeg region.  Of the new cases 184 are in the Winnipeg region and 20 in Interlake Eastern with numbers in the teens in other regions including 15 in Northern health.  Roussin says he knows people are tired of hearing about the fundamentals and public health orders but if we look to February or March this year we can see that these measures work as we kept our case numbers down , we reduced the strain on the health care system but once again we see these numbers climbing because we’re increasing the amount of contacts we have and the best way to reduce that is to stay home as much as possible.

Roussin says that includes not holding or attending garage sales which are not allowed under public health orders until after the long weekend when the orders will be reviewed.

Of the total 39.524 reported cases 2593 are active and 35,952 individuals have recovered. 

The Manitoba government is setting up a Provincial Curriculum Advisory Panel that will provide input on the development of a framework for curriculum to advance education as part of the Better Education Starts Today strategy.  Education Minister Cliff Cullen says  now is the time to ensure we have a wide variety of voices heard on where we can improve literacy, numeracy and creativity, instill best practices in instruction and assessment and create a curriculum that reflects the diversity of Manitoba’s communities.

The panel will be up to 15 members from a broad representation of individuals and organizations including students, parents, educators, school and system leaders, Indigenous partners and community stakeholders to draw on a wide range of perspectives and skills.  Interested individuals can submit applications by  Friday and will serve a term from May to next June.  The Panel terms of reference and expression of interest application can be found at www.bettereducationmb.ca.

Isaac says he wants to reassure people that the benefits of vaccines still outweigh the risks despite reports of blood clots from AstraZeneca vaccines and encourages everyone to get the first vaccine available to them

He notes there haven’t been any serious side effects from vaccinations given in Northern Manitoba explaining what people should do if they do experience negative side effects. He says if you have very serious symptoms an emergency room visit may be needed as it relates to symptoms of a clot noting some things to watch out for up to 20 days after you’ve had the AstraZeneca vaccine would be really sudden onset of severe and persistent headache with blurred vision, chest pain, shortness of breath, leg swelling so chat with your health care provider or emergency department as needed.  He emphasizes those are very very rare complications.  He says some people and this is common will be feeling some fever, chills, fatigue for a day or two after the vaccine but it typically goes away very quickly and you’re back to normal after that.

Isaac adds there hasn’t been a lot of vaccine hesitancy from northern Manitobans noting they have taken this vaccine campaign to heart.

Manitoba public health reported 545 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend bringing the five day test positivity rate to 7.7 percent.  They also reported four additional deaths with two each in Northern health and Southern health regions.  Of the new cases 397 were in Winnipeg and 80 in Prairie Mountain with lower rates in other regions including 26 in Northern Health.  Ten active cases are being reported in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 35,274 reported cases 2540 are active and 35,756 individuals have recovered.  As of Saturday 2344 variants of concern have been reported with 978 active and a total of 56 reported in Northern health region.

Meanwhile Saskatchewan public health reported 500 new cases over the weekend bringing the seven day average of new cases to 236.  They also reported four additional deaths with two in Regina and one each in Saskatoon and Central East zones. Of the new cases 330 are in Regina and 89 in Saskatoon with lower numbers in other zones including one in Far North East.  Of the 41,599 reported cases 2437 are considered active and 38,667 people have recovered.  As of Saturday a total of 7160 variants of concern cases have been reported with the largest numbers in Regina at 3837, Saskatoon at 819, South East at 738 and South Central 542 with lower numbers in other zones including three in Far North East.