Local News Archives for 2020-11

Saskatchewan is Seeing an Increase in COVID Related Hospitalizations.

Saskatchewan Health reported 325 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  They also reported two additional deaths with one each in South Central and South East zones bringing total deaths to 47.  Of the new cases 125 were in Saskatoon, 62 in Regina, 27 in North Central and 22 in South West with lower numbers in other zones including Far North East with 14.  Of the 8564 reported cases 3879 are considered active, 4638 people have recovered and 123 are in hospital 23 in intensive care.

             

Public Health reminds you to keep your number of contacts low noting based on the confirmed cases at present they estimate there are more than 66 hundred reported contacts requiring follow up in the province right now.

High numbers of COVID-19 Cases are in Manitoba Hospitals.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 342 new cases of COVID-19 with a five day test positivity rate of 13.4 percent..  He also announced 11 additional deaths with seven in the Winnipeg region, two in Prairie Mountain and two in Southern Health region. Chief Nursing Officer Linette Siragusa says they have 341peole in hospital putting pressure on our health care system and for perspective that is more than triple the number of hospitalizations in numbers from only a month ago.  She adds our ICUs have also seen a substantial increase in activity noting as of midnight their critical care program was 145 percent above their normal baseline pre-COVID.  She says there are now 105 patients who are admitted to critical care at this time.

             

Of the new cases 207 are in Winnipeg, 53 in Southern Health and 46 in the Northern Health region with smaller numbers in other regions.  Of the total 16,825 reported cases 9260 are considered active and 7253 have recovered.

Exploration Continues to Produce Good Results on a Property Near Flin Flon.

Callinex Mines reports high grade copper results with gold, silver and zinc from the ongoing drilling campaign to expand the Rainbow Discovery. The Rainbow Discovery has been made on Callinex’s mineral lease 16 kilometers from Flin Flon.

             

One zone intersected 5 meters of 10.63 copper equivalent and 5.40 meters of copper equivalent as well as percentages of gold, silver and zinc. Interpretation of the new Borehole Pulse Electromagnetic survey suggests mineralization comes within 350 meters of surface. Currently two rigs are drilling step-out holes as the Company delineates the Rainbow Discovery.  They will continue to operate until mid-December, stop for a short holiday break and resume drilling in early January.

 

 

As Diabetes Awareness Month wraps up medical experts are emphasizing the need to get tested for the disease.

Doctor Vincent Woo an Endocrinology Consultant for the Saint Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg explains diabetes is prevalent in Canada as 5 per cent of population is diagnosed with it and another 5 per cent have diabetes but are unaware of it.

                    

Woo explains we have similar numbers in Manitoba as the rest of the country.  He says some provinces are a little bit higher such as Newfoundland and some are a little bit lower such as Alberta and Quebec but Manitoba is right in the middle about the same as Ontario.  He points out in the northern Manitoba region we know that in addition to age weight increases your risk of diabetes but also ethnicity as well so our First Nations individuals have higher rates than non First Nations people for diabetes.

 

Diabetes Canada and Dynacare are encouraging people to get tested for diabetes through their hashtag Dynacare for Diabetes campaign.

 

High COVID Numbers in Winnipeg and Regina Were Again Reported Over the Weekend.

Manitoba Public Health reported 852 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. They also reported 21 additional deaths with 12 in Winnipeg including a boy under ten years old, four in Southern Health, three in Prairie Mountain and one each in Northern and Interlake Eastern Regions.  It was also reported an outbreak has been declared in the acute care inpatient unit at The Pas Hospital which has been moved to critical or red while an outbreak at the OCN care home is reported to be over.  Of the new cases 548 are in the Winnipeg region and 175 in Southern Health with smaller numbers in other regions including 65 in Northern Health.  Of the 16,483 reported cases 9172 at considered active with 336 people in hospital and 44 in intensive care.

             

Meanwhile Saskatchewan health reported 541 new cases on the weekend with 193 in Regina and 150 in Saskatoon with smaller numbers in other zones including 12 in the Far North East.  They also reported a death in the North West zone. Of the 8230 reported cases 3605 are considered active, 4589 have recovered and 115 are in hospital with 23 in intensive care. With significant outbreaks occurring among large gatherings and sporting events the public is urged to follow public health orders in place and are reminded these orders are enforceable.

 

You Still Have Time to Apply for a Christmas Hamper.

Due to the current COVID-19 Code RED restrictions, The Salvation Army has extended its Christmas Hamper registration phone-in dates to December 8th.  Individuals & families residing in Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, Cranberry Portage & Sherridon can register for a Christmas Hamper, by telephoning 204-687-7812 Monday - Friday, between the hours of 11:30 am - 3:30 pm..

Saskatoon has the Higher Numbers of New Cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health reported 326 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  They also reported an additional four deaths with one each in the North Central, Regina, South East and South Central zones.  The largest number of new cases was in Saskatoon with 158 and Regina with 61 with smaller numbers in other zones including the Far North East with 4.

             

Of the 7691 reported cases 3263 are considered active, 4384 have recovered and 111 people are in hospital with 16 in intensive care.  The seven day average of daily new cases is 268. Deaths reported to date total 44.

             

For information on additional health measures that took effect today go online to www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

 

High Numbers Regarding COVID-19 in Manitoba Have Again Been Reported.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced this afternoon 344 new cases of COVID-19 with a five day test positivity rate of 14.5 percent. He also announced 14 additional deaths including nine in the Winnipeg region, two each in Interlake Eastern and Southern Health and one in Prairie Mountain health region.  He added they continue to do their work on contact tracing noting their contact tracing calls are continuing, they continue to see good results and are reaching cases and contacts in a timely fashion and public health has developed a new contact tracing tool and this is a form that will be available at the testing sight for Manitobans to list their contacts at that time.

             

Of the 344 new cases 178 are in the Winnipeg region and a new high of 73 in the Northern Health with this regions active cases including 13 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridan district, 179 in The Pas, OCN, Kelsey district and 27 in the Thompson District.

 

The Fundamentals Will Help Keep Us Safe.

With COVID-19 cases in the Flin Flon area the Medical Officer of Health for the Northern Health Region Dr. Mike Isaac tells us to listen to public health officials.  He explains he knows in Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry, Sherridon area that district in particular has had a number of cases over the past few days but the message still applies.  Now is the time to stay home, practice those fundamentals around social distancing, reducing the number of contacts we have and if you get symptomatic with COVID with fever, chills, cough, loss of taste and smell, runny nose, those types of things it is important to self-isolate and get tested.

             

 Isaac emphasizes if we do these things we will all be in good stead going forward.

 

Manitoba businesses are under strict code red restrictions and the government is offering financial aid programs to help them cope.

Jonathan Alward, a director with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says many businesses have been hard hit by the shut down that went into effect earlier this month especially with the winter holidays coming up.  He explains retail staff have been really hard hit, restaurants continue to be hard hit, hotels incredibly and a lot of gym and recreation facilities as well.   He notes especially for some of those businesses in retail and restaurants this is one of the worst times of year for the lock down to come into effect as they really rely on the holiday season even at hair salons.  He says he was talking to one earlier this week and about a quarter of their revenue for the year comes in the lead up to the holiday season so this is going to be a very difficult time for them as well so hopefully in the province we can curve the number of cases as quickly as possible to get back to some semblance of business as usual.

 

Alward also commented on the revised Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy saying while the initial rollout of the program was not fair to many renters as it required landlords to sign off on it the new changes will ensure less businesses fall through the cracks.

 

COVID Cases are Spreading in a Saskatchewan Jail.

Saskatchewan Health reported 299 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  72 of the new cases are from the Saskatoon Correctional Centre with 68 being offenders and four are staff bringing total cases there to 85.

Work is underway to reduce the spread in the facility and the correctional system.

             

Saskatchewan also reported three deaths with one in Saskatoon and two in the North West zone bringing total deaths to 40.                                

             

Of the new cases 125 are in Saskatoon, 44 in Regina, 34 in North Central and smaller numbers in other zones including 16 in the Far North east and of the total 7362 reported 3146 are considered active, 4176 people have recovered and 188 people are in hospital with 18 in intensive care.

             

The seven day average of daily new cases is 243 or 20.1 new cases per 100 thousand population.

Manitobas Top Doctor Has Again Raised Concerns About COVID Related Deaths.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 381 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon with a five day test positivity rate of 14.8 percent.  He also reported 10 additional deaths with six in the Winnipeg region, three in Southern Health and one in Interlake Eastern region.  He noted there have been 185 deaths due to COVID-9 in the month of November alone, 70 percent of the total related deaths have occurred in the month of November as compared to 60 deaths in the month of October and we continue to reiterate that these deaths are much more than numbers, these are loved ones who are sorely missed right now and we can’t continue with these numbers.

               

Of the total new cases 202 were in the Winnipeg region and 111 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 29 in Northern Health.  Of the total 15,228 reported cases 8845 are considered active, 6177 individuals have recovered and 307 are in hospital with 46 in intensive care.

Full Production Has Resumed at the Triple Seven Mine.

Hudbay Minerals has announced full production has resumed at its Triple Seven Mine in Flin Flon following the skip hoist incident in October.  They report the shaft repair activities were completed well ahead of schedule and the total direct repair costs were under the estimated five million dollars.

             

They report while the shaft was under repair the company temporarily reassigned equipment and personnel from the mine to the Lalor Mine in Snow Lake partially to mitigate lost production.  They add although fourth quarter production and sales volumes will be impacted the company continues to expect the Manitoba business unit to achieve its full year production and unit cost guidance for 2020.

             

President Peter Kukielski noted the incident was an unfortunate event but the team used this as an opportunity to temporally allocate additional resources to Lalor to test the mine’s production potential and are encouraged as to what this might mean for the future of their Snow Lake operations.

 

Flin Flon School Division Has Sent Home a Document for Parents Considered Critical Care Workers.

If any of the schools or the Division moves to red in the pandemic response plan students in Kindergarten through grade six with no alternative options for child care will be allowed to attend class.  If parents fall into any of the listed positions they are asked to fill in the form and have it returned to child’s school as soon as possible.  Your response will assist the Division in handling how many children they will need to accommodate in the event of a code red.  All other students would take part in remote learning.

             

Both Superintendent Tammy Ballantyne and Board Chair Murray Skeavington extended their thanks to staff at our schools for their incredible work despite frequent and sometimes daily changes to meet the needs of students. Whether in person or online the staff have been quick to meet the challenge.  This being said the students have also been adapting quickly to the changes.

             

Elementary report cards will be sent home November 30th with family teacher interviews done on December 3rd via Google meet or phone.

 

New Restrictions are Coming to Saskatchewan Beginning Friday.

Premier Scott Moe has announced additional health measures effective Friday running until December 17th.   They include all restaurants and licensed establishments are limited to seating four at a table; capacity will be restricted to 30 people at all casinos, bingo halls, arenas, places of worship, indoor banquets, conferences, wedding and funeral receptions in public venues and all team or group sports, activities, games, competitions, recitals, practices are suspended including amateur and recreational leagues for all age groups, except athletes and dancers 18 years of age and under who may continue practicing in groups of eight or fewer following set out regulations.  Moe explained outside of the home there are activities in venues where they have seen the spread in recent weeks and it would be great if they were able to just pinpoint one or two venues or one or two activities where the spread is occurring and just restrict them but the reality is that COVID is in our communities and it has been spreading in a number of different places both inside and outside of our homes that’s why they have to enact several different measures to get the numbers under control.

              Complete details on these and other health measures can be found in the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at the Saskatchewan government website. Saskatchewan Health announced 164 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.

 

Manitobans Are Again Urged to Stay Home.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced this afternoon our current five day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 14 percent provincially and 14 percent in Winnipeg and there are 349 new cases bringing our total number of cases to 14,907.  He noted the number of deaths related to COVID-19 is at 256 and due to a data entry error one death that had been reported earlier has been removed.                                           

             

Of the new cases 213 are in the Winnipeg region and 73 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 30 in the Northern health region. The nine additional deaths reported include five in the Winnipeg region and four in Southern Health.

             

Dr. Roussin says he is disappointed about people driving outside the province to do shopping emphasizing the need to stay home to reduce these numbers and reduce the stress on our health system.

A Case of COVID-19 Has Been Found in McIsaac School.

The Northern Health Region has sent a notice to parents and guardians.  It states Manitoba Public Health has advised Ecole McIsaac School of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the school on November 10th and 16th when the individual may have been infectious.  This case did not acquire infection at the school and there is no evidence of COVID-19 at the school.  They note anyone with even very mild symptoms should present for testing.

             

Ecole McIsaac School is working closely with public health officials and following their recommendations adding be assured that public health investigations to identify individuals who may have been exposed begin within 24 hours of a confirmed laboratory test.

             

The school will remain open to all students and staff who may continue to attend school in person.

             

They note the school is not permitted to release the name or any identifying information about the confirmed case.

You Can Learn More About Addictions This Week.

This is National Addictions Awareness Week and the local committee has information available for you.  The Committee’s Christa McIntyre says they have awareness promotion spots and a trivia contest on CFAR, information from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and the Canadian Centre of Substance Use and Addiction will be shared and a coloring contest in the elementary schools.  She adds the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba is also hosting a series of Lunch and Learn session this week so there’s a lot of good topics.  She encourages anyone who is interested to go online to the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba www.afm.mb.ca and you can check it out there for more information.

             

If you know of anyone who is struggling with addiction or substance use call the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba at 204-687-1665 or call Christa at 204-681-3145.

The Manitoba government has provided an update on ongoing enforcement efforts to protect Manitobans from the spread of COVID-19.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says despite the strictest health orders in the country some Manitobans are going against the spirit of those rules affecting public safety. He reported in all of Manitoba last week 95 tickets had to be issued and that’s roughly ten times the number of tickets that was handed out at the start of the month.  He added looking back at last week the combined total of fines was over 125 thousand dollars but it’s not about the money it’s about preventing situations that hurt people.

The fines include nine 5,000 dollar tickets to business, and 55 - 1296 dollar tickets to individuals. Three band bylaw tickets were also issued by the Manitoba First Nations Police Service.

Last week, a specific fine of 298 dollars was put in place for not wearing a mask in indoor public places as required under current public health orders. Since that time 28 tickets have been issued for the offence.

A total of 126,082 dollars in fines were issued last week, up from 49,992 dollars the week prior.

The Alert Ready System Will Be Tested This Afternoon.

Manitoba Infrastructure’s Emergency Measures Organization reminds Manitobans that a test alert will be issued across the province through the Alert Ready National Public Alerting System this afternoon at 1:55 p.m.

Alert Ready disseminates emergency alerts to television and radio broadcast distributors, to compatible wireless devices connected to LTE cellular networks through wireless public alerting and to other last mile distributors including internet services. 

Some Manitobans may not receive the test alert on their wireless device for a variety of reasons including device compatibility, availability of an LTE network, cell tower coverage and individual device software and settings.  

For contact information and questions about the upcoming test alert visit www.alertready.ca.

The COVID Alert App is Available in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health reported this afternoon 175 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the seven day average of daily cases to 209.  The new cases include 70 in Regina, 28 in Saskatoon, 14 in North West and 13 in Far North East with single digits in all other zones. Of the total 6883 cases reported 2927 are considered active, 3919 people have recovered and 105 people are in hospital with 20 in intensive care.

             

Canada’s COVID alert application is available to Saskatchewan residents.  This free voluntary app provides digital alerts to let people know if they may have been exposed to COVID-19 and is available as a free download from the App Store or Google Play Store.

             

NDP Leader Ryan Meili is calling on Premier Scott Moe to convene a multi-sector task force to deal with the province’s rising spread of COVID-19.

The Friendship Centre has Closed for Now.

The Flin Flon Friendship Centre reports they have been exposed to positive cases of COVID-19. They are working closely with public health to ensure all necessary precautions and procedures are adhered to.

 

In the interest of public health & safety they will be closing their facility to the public until December 7.

 

They will continue to accommodate no-contact services to the best of their ability.

 

Updated information will be posted on their website @ www.flinflonfriendshipcentre.ca and Facebook pages.

 

COVID-19 New Case Numbers Continue to be High In Manitoba.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 471 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon with the five day test positivity rate at 14.2 percent.  He also reported 12 additional deaths with five each in Winnipeg and Southern Health regions, one in Prairie Mountain and one in Northern Health which was a woman in her 70s.

             

Of the total new cases 257 were in the Winnipeg Health Region, 111 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 38 in the Northern Health Region.  Of the total 14,558 reported cases 8677 are considered active, 5633 individuals have recovered and 292 are in hospital with 47 in intensive care.

             

Public Health Officials also advise that Manitoba is introducing additional steps to ensure improved case and contact monitoring.  In the coming days an outbound automated calling system will be implemented to expand on the current methods for case and contact monitoring.

 

Your Holiday Display Can Go On a Map.

Creighton, Flin Flon and Denare Beach Recreation invite you to share your holiday lights display.  Creighton Recreation Director Channa Senyk explains they are inviting people to get into the holiday spirit and decorate their homes and yards with Christmas lights and displays, give them a call at either of the three Recreation Offices and leave your address and they’ll put together a holiday display map for families to jump into their cars and drive around safe during the holidays and prizes will be awarded.

             

You can get on the map and share your address or business by contacting Channa at creightonrecreation@sasktel.net or phone 306-688-3538, Cait at cbailey@flinflon.ca or phone 204-681-7542 or Mel at denarebeachrecreationboard@sasktel.net or phone 306-362-2054.

 

A Grant Will Help an Exploration Project Near Flin Flon Move Forward.

Callinex Mines has received a 300 thousand dollar grant from the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund to advance the recently announced Rainbow Discovery. The Discovery is composed of two high grade copper, gold, silver and zinc zones at the Company’s Pine Bay Project 16 kilometers away from Flin Flon.

             

Callinex President and CEO Max Porterfield states the generous grant from the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund is a strong endorsement for the Rainbow Discovery. He continues they are pleased to see the Manitoba government shares their vision for the potential the Discovery has to create long term jobs for the community of Flin Flon and strengthen the provincial economy.  He adds proceeds from the grant will go directly to fund the ongoing drilling to test the size and extent of the Rainbow Discovery. The Fund was launched by the Manitoba government in August with the specific goal of jump starting mineral and economic development initiatives throughout the province.

 

Saskatchewan is Now Reporting Average Daily Cases of COVID-19.

Saskatchewan Health reported this afternoon 235 new cases of COVID-19 bringing the seven day average of daily cases to 219.  They also reported four related deaths with one each in the Far North East, North West, North Central and Saskatoon zones bringing the total number of deaths to 37.

             

The new cases included 66 in Regina, 54 in Saskatoon and 24 in North Central with lower numbers across the province including three in the Far North East. Of the 6708 reported cases 2864 are considered active, 3807 people have recovered and 106 are in hospital with 19 in intensive care.

The Northern Health Region Has Issued a Statement Regarding COVID-19 Cases in Flin Flon.

They report that on Sunday, November 22nd, the Northern Health Region became aware that a staff member from the Flin Flon Personal Care Home had tested positive for COVID-19.   On the same day, we became aware that a staff member from the Northern Lights Manor (Flin Flon) had tested positive for COVID-19.  

Public Health declared an outbreak in both facilities and immediately began the process of contact tracing and management of the cases. As a precaution, all residents of both care homes were offered COVID19 testing with 98% of the residents have been tested. To date, no residents have tested positive for COVID19 at either location.    

As well, as part of our Outbreak protocol, the following additional measures have been implemented in both facilities to help stop any spread of the illness.

·         Visitor restrictions has been implemented.

·         We have suspended admissions to the facility.

·         Staff are being screened daily to see if testing is required.

·         All staff who are in contact with residents will be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to further prevent any potential transmission between staff members and residents.

The Flin Flon Personal Care Home is Listed in the Red Zone.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 543 new cases of COVID-19 with the five day test positivity at 14 percent.  He also announced an outbreak has been declared at the Flin Flon Peronal Care Home and the site has been moved to Critical or Red in the Pandemic Response System.

             

Also announced were seven additional deaths with five in the Winnipeg Health Region and two in Southern Health.  He notes they’ve had some restrictions in place for quite some time and some early indications that are positive, fewer numbers of contacts per case right now which is an early indication that the restrictions are having an effect.

             

Of the new cases 368 are in the Winnipeg region and 118 in Southern Health with smaller numbers in other regions including 27 in the Northern Health Region.

 

Lottery Tickets Are Not an Essential Item in Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson.

In recent public health orders lottery products have been deemed a non-essential product.  As a result Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and Western Canada Lottery Corporation have suspended lottery terminals in the province from being able to sell or validate lottery tickets.  They do note the public health order provides an exception for retail businesses in northern Manitoba other than those in Flin Flon, The Pas and Thompson. 

             

You will still be able to participate in certain draw games through non-retail channels using WCLC’s subscription service and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries PlayNow.com. Larger prizes from previously purchased tickets can be claimed by mail while smaller winning tickets should be saved until retail service returns.

 

The Deadline is approaching to Apply for the Job of a Lifetime.

          

 Creighton and Denare Beach area residents are reminded applications are now being accepted for the 2021 Saskatchewanderer.  In its 11th year this program is looking for the next enthusiastic person who can showcase all the great things Saskatchewan has to offer. 2020 Saskatchewanderer Leah Mertz says despite this year’s challenges she’s still been fortunate to safely explore and see some incredible destinations in the province adding it truly is the job of a lifetime and she looks forward to passing the torch in 2021.

             

Applications will be accepted until 12 noon on December 10th.  Interested candidates are required to shoot, edit and submit their own original video explaining why they are the perfect fit for the job.  You can apply online at www.saskatchewanderder.ca/apply and find out more information at www.saskatchewanderder.ca.

 

Saskatchewan is Back to High COVID Numbers While Related Deaths Approach 300 In Manitoba.

Saskatchewan Health reported 675 new cases of COVID-19 over Saturday and Sunday. Of that total 252 were in the Saskatoon zone, 108 in Regina, 73 in North West, 67 in North Central with lower numbers in other zones including 15 in the Far North East zone.  Of the total 6473 cases reported 2683 are considered active, 3757 have recovered, 99 are in hospital with 19 in intensive care and related deaths remain at 33.

             

Meanwhile Manitoba Public Health reported 603 new cases of COVID-19 over Saturday and Sunday with a five day test positivity rate of 13.7 percent.  They also reported 22 deaths with 19 in Winnipeg, and one each in the Northern, Southern and Prairie Mountain Regions bringing total related deaths to 299. Of the total new cases 353 are in the Winnipeg Region, 143 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 62 in the Northern Health Region.  Of the total 13,544 reported cases 8122 are considered active, 5193 people have recovered and 288 are in hospital with 52 in intensive care.

 

New COVID-19 Cases are Spread Across Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health reported 153 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  They also reported an additional death a resident over 80 in the Saskatoon zone bringing total deaths to 33.  Of the new cases 42 are in Saskatoon, 20 in South East, 16 in Far North Central 11, 14 each in South West, Regina and North Central, 11 in North West and single digits in other regions including Far North East with 4.

             

That brings the total reported to 5804 with 2145 considered active and 3626 people have recovered and 85 in hospital with 19 in intensive care.

             

Complete information on COVID and restrictions can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

 

Manitobans Have to Work to Reduce the Number of Deaths in the Province.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 438 new cases of COVID-19. He also reported nine additional deaths with five in the Winnipeg region including a man in his 20s and one each in Southern Health, Prairie Mountain, Interlake Eastern and Northern Health which was a woman in her 50s. He said on Tuesday he had to announce the death of a woman in her 30s and today a man in his 20s and all these announcements are more than numbers, these are people, a young man and there’s certainly some underlying conditions but this is tragic to see all these listings everyday now and we need to continue to be vigilant to stop days like these going forward.            

             

Of the new cases 247 are in Winnipeg, 114 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 28 in Northern Health Region.  Of the total 12,919 reported cases 7861 are considered active, 4851 have recovered and 281 are in hospital.

You Can Nominate a Teacher For a Special Award.

All Manitobans are invited to nominate a deserving educator for a Manitoba Excellence in Education Award.  The province in now accepting nominations for outstanding achievement by educators in five categories including teaching excellence, outstanding new teacher, outstanding team collaboration, outstanding school leader and Premier’s award for excellence in education.

             

Nominations can be made by parents, students, school trustees, fellow teachers and school division administrators by the December 2nd deadline.  All nominees must be educators who hold a valid permanent Manitoba teaching certificate at the time of nominations.  They must also work directly with kindergarten to grade twelve students in a school setting on a daily basis. More information and nomination forms are available by visiting the Manitoba government website at www.gov.mb.ca, go to the education department and under news click on Manitoba Excellence in Education Awards.

 

Fires and Motor Vehicle Accidents Were Part of the Fire Chiefs Report.

At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council accepted the Fire Chiefs Report for October.  There were seven incidents reported with three for fire calls.  On October 25th they were called to Walmart where they found a small fire had occurred in McDonalds with workers using dry chem extinguishers to put out the fire before crews arrived.  On the 26th they received a report of smoke and found heavy smoke and fire in a basement on Hapnot Street and also on the 26th a smoke detector resulted in a false alarm on Tamarack Drive.

             

On October 9th they were called to a three vehicle collision on Green Street with no injuries, on the 13th to a motor vehicle collision south of Cranberry Portage but were recalled en-route and on the17th to a vehicle that rolled into the ditch on Hapnot Street due to very icy conditions but no injuries. They also assisted EMS on a call on October 10th.

             

Fire fighters received training on new Jaws of Life techniques and on new fire fighting foam products.

 

Saskatchewan is Developing Plans for a COVID Vaccine.

Saskatchewan Health reported this afternoon 98 new cases of COVID-19.  Of the new cases 25 are in Regina, 14 in South Central, 12 each in North Central and North West and 10 in Saskatoon with single digits in other zones including Far North East with 3.  Health Minister Paul Merriman says the pandemic will only end when we have a safe and effective vaccine and the federal government is expected to receive vaccines early in 2021.  He notes Saskatchewan will receive approximately 180 thousand and Sask Health and SHA are developing a plan to deliver the vaccine as swiftly and effectively as possible.  He says the vaccine will be distributed on a priority basis expecting they will be vaccinating seniors and front line workers first.

             

He adds until then we must continue to follow health orders and recommendations.

             

Of the 5652 cases reported 2066 are considered active and 3553 have recovered with 83 in hospital.

New COVID-19 Restrictions are Coming to Manitoba.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 475 new cases of COVID-19 with a test positivity rate of 14 percent.  He also reported eight additional deaths with four in the Winnipeg Region and two each in Southern Health and Prairie Mountain Health.  Of the new cases 271 are in the Winnipeg region, 124 in Southern Health with lower numbers in other regions including 55 in Northern Health.

             

Roussin introduced new restrictions effective tomorrow until December 11th as some people and businesses are not following the current ones.  He says the new orders will state that no one is permitted into a private residence or property other than those who live there with a few exceptions for essential reasons such as child care, health care and emergencies including your home, cottage or other vacation property.  If someone lives alone they can have one other person into their residence and they may visit that persons home as well.  Gatherings of more than five people at any indoor or outdoor place continue to be prohibited with the exception of health care facilities, schools or critical businesses that are following the orders.

             

Also effective tomorrow no non-essential items can be sold in stores.

 

These retail restrictions apply to businesses that are not addressed in Schedule A of the public health orders. For example, liquor and cannabis stores may continue to open and sell products.

Other essential items are set out by the orders and include:

? food, beverages and food preparation products;

? personal care products such as soap and dental care products;

? health-related products such as prescription drugs and vitamins;

? mobility or assistive devices;

? baby and child-care accessories such as diapers and formula;

? household cleaning products, safety devices, batteries and lightbulbs;

? outdoor winter apparel such as jackets and boots;

 

? personal protective equipment for the workplace;

? pet food and supplies;

? postage stamps;

? cellphones and cellphone accessories;

? parts and supplies for all types of motor vehicles and watercraft;

? major household appliances;

? hunting, fishing and trapping supplies;

? tools and hardware;

? materials for home maintenance, repair or construction; and

? property maintenance products such as shovels.

 

Non-essential items refers to any good and products not set out in the orders. This includes jewelry, flowers, perfume, consumer electronics, sporting equipment, books and toys

Operation Christmas child was very successful locally this year.

Less fortunate children will be receiving Christmas presents this year thanks to the support of residents from The Pas and Area, Flin Flon, and Snow Lake that packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

A total of 240 Christmas shoe boxes were filled by residents of these three communities and local organizer Pat Tonn is very grateful for all those that gave and told arctic radio that it was wonderful to see the generosity and willingness to help out during the pandemic

You can still make online donations at Samaritans purse dot ca or at pack a box dot com.

Applications Will Soon Be Taken for Christmas Hampers.

The Salvation Army in Flin Flon is accepting applications for Christmas Hampers starting Tuesday.  Organizer Sherry Trudeau explains anyone on employment insurance, income assistance or anyone with a low income may apply.  Those applying will need to have their ID for all members of the family and financial information.  She notes this year though due to COVID-19 restrictions all applications for all communities including Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon, Creighton and Denare Beach will be taken by telephone on November 24th, 25th and 26th from 10:30am to 3:30 pm.

             

To apply or if you need more information you can call the Salvation Army at 204-687-7812.

 

The Manitoba Government is Offering Support for Staffing Services.

The Manitoba government will provide 10 million dollars for a new Pandemic Staffing Support Benefit to help address urgent staffing needs in the disability services, child-care and child welfare sectors.

The benefit will be available to help address staffing challenges related to the pandemic including overtime costs, replacement staff, or paying for sick time.

Non-profit Community Living disABILITY Services residential home providers, child and family services group home providers and child-care centres are able to apply for this pandemic response benefit.

More information about the Pandemic Staffing Support Benefit, including eligibility criteria and application forms has been distributed and will be posted online at www.gov.mb.ca/fs/pandemic-staffing-support-benefit.html.

Theres a call for business closures in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health reported this afternoon 132 new cases of COVID-19.  They also reported another death a person in their 60s from the North East Zone.  That brings the total number of deaths to 32 and the total number of reported cases to 5553.  Of that total 2099 are considered active, 3422 people have recovered and 76 are in hospital with 17 in intensive care.  Of the new cases the largest numbers are still in Saskatoon with 56, Regina with 18 and North Central with 10. All other zones are in single digits including the Far North East with six.

             

The opposition NDP has called on the government to close non-essential businesses for three weeks but Premier Scott Moe dismissed calls to force places such as bars and gyms to close citing concern for job losses.

 

Reported COVID-19 Cases in Manitoba Have Topped Twelve Thousand.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 399 new cases of COVID-19 with a test positivity rate of 14.2 percent.  He also reported eleven additional deaths with five in the Winnipeg region, three in Southern Health, two in Interlake Eastern and one in Prairie Mountain Health region.  The new cases include 239 in Winnipeg region and 40 in Northern Health.  Total confirmed cases have reached 12,007 with 7385 active, 4432 individuals have recovered and 249 are in hospital with 40 in intensive care.  Roussin issued a warning about prank calls noting he has been made aware that someone is making calls to various businesses claiming they are him and telling them they must close due to public health orders and he certainly is not calling businesses and telling them anything of this nature.

             

Roussin noted a specific fine of 298 dollars is being put in place for not wearing a mask in indoor public places.

Her Contributions to Council and the Community Will be Missed.

          

At the Flin Flon City Council Zoom Meeting last night Mayor Cal Huntley paid tribute to Deputy Mayor Colleen McKee who passed away last week. He noted she has been at his right hand for six years….

             

“There was never a dull moment with Councillor McKee around and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart she really is going to be missed.  She didn’t hesitate to challenge anyone particularly me but we had some very good offside conversations about many things, some personal and some certainly to do with the community but she was a good friend and she will be terribly missed and she will be terribly missed by the community.”            

             

Fellow Councillors related their personal experiences working with Colleen on Council and in the community noting they will miss her. A by-election date will be determined once the COVID code red is lifted in the province.

              Later in the meeting Council awarded the tender for the demolition of the Flin Flon Aqua Centre to Rakowski Cartage and Wrecking in the estimated amount of 113 thousand dollars. They will be starting the process as soon as this week.

 

Your Response to the Bells Will Support Christmas Hampers.

The Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign begins this Friday in Flin Flon.  Organizer Sherry Trudeau says the kettles raise money to support their programs.  She explains due to COVID they are anticipating an increase to the number of hampers this year.  She says the money collected through the kettles is used for family services noting approximately two thirds of that money is used for Christmas hampers with the rest used throughout the year for family services  needs such as clothing vouchers, soup days,etc.

             

The kettles will be out at the Co-op, Walmart and RBC every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until December 24th with physical distancing in effect.  Trudeau adds they are in need of people to ring the bells at the kettles this year so if you can give them an hour of your time call the Salvation Army at 204-687-7812.

 

Masks and Reduced Contacts are Coming to Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab has announced masks will be mandatory in all indoor public places province wide beginning Thursday.  He also announced gatherings in a home will be reduced to five people from ten.  He explains the indoor size gathering freeze is critical because 40 to 50 percent of transmissions is in close contacts and there’s estimated another 20 percent or so in indoor gatherings and that’s come down a bit when they went from 30 to 15 and then to 10 but they need to drive that down further.

             

Saskatchewan Health reported 240 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the provincial total to 5422 cases.  2055 are considered active, 3336 have recovered and 71 are in hospital with 15 in intensive care. The new cases are again spread across the province with the largest number in Saskatoon with 97.  The Far North East reports six new cases.

Manitobans Should Be Aware Things are Critical Right Now.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 269 new cases of COVID-19.  He also reported seven additional deaths with four in the Winnipeg region, two in Southern Health and a woman in her 30s in the Interlake Eastern Region.  He points out the current five day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 13.6 percent provincially and 13.3 percent in Winnipeg region and we have 270 new cases of the virus identified one of which was identified to be outside of the province so our new net cases are 269 taking our total of confirmed cases to 11,608.

             

Of the 269 new cases 119 are in the Winnipeg region, 106 in Southern Health, 21 in Interlake Eastern, 16 in Northern Health and eight in Prairie Mountain health region.  A total of 7105 cases are active, 4324 have recovered and 240 are in hospital with 41 in intensive care.  Roussin says hospitals are reaching capacity so people will be subject to fines if public health orders are not followed so stay home and only go out for essential purposes.

Public Health Orders Will See Stronger Enforcement in Manitoba.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has thanked all Manitobans doing the right thing to keep themselves and others safe from COVID-19.  He noted there are still those who are not so there are going to be consequences explaining over the weekend the Manitoba government deployed a team of provincial employees province wide and they were dedicated to enforcing public health orders.  He said that team had more than 225 interactions with a wide variety of businesses or organizations and individuals and in all 32 tickets were issued across Manitoba last week which is triple the previous week.

             

Pallister reported the province has signed a contract with G4S Canada to boost public health enforcement efforts.  They will provide upwards of 90 personnel to bolster the compliment of provincial and municipal employees enforcing public health orders.

 

You Can Shop for Christmas From Home.

The Flin Flon Arts Councils 40th Annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Sale is going virtual this year starting Saturday.  The Council’s Crystal Kolt explains they have collected products from some amazing vendors in the region and people will be able to purchase them on their online store at the Art Council website.  She says the sale will be from November 21st to the 27th and then the products can be either delivered or picked up on the 27th or 28th.

             

Kolt adds there will be a great variety of items on their website starting Saturday at www.flinflonartscouncil.ca.

 

Manitoba businesses and organizations required to close under current public health orders are now able to apply for a grant.

The application form is now live for the Manitoba Bridge Grant which provides a five thousand dollar grant to eligible small and medium-sized businesses and organizations that were required to fully close their premises to the public because of Manitoba COVID-19 public health orders in effect as of Nov. 12. That includes non-profit and faith based organizations and registered charities. The program application deadline is Dec. 15. Should the public health orders remain in place past Jan. 1 the Manitoba Bridge Grant may be extended to provide an additional five thousand dollars to eligible organizations.  For information go to www.manitoba.ca/covid19 and click on support programs.

Reported Cases of COVID-19 Have Topped Five Thousand in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan Health reported 181 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  The cases are again spread across the province with the larger numbers including Saskatoon with 41, Regina 32, North Central 18, South West 17 and the Far North East with 16 new cases.  Of the total 5182 reported cases 1928 are considered active, 3223 people have recovered and 68 are in hospital with 16 in intensive care.

             

Meanwhile the President of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses has called for the temporary shutdown of some businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 noting nurses in Saskatoon are feeling exhausted and frustrated by the increase in cases that has more people entering hospital.  Premier Scott Moe has indicated more health measures are under consideration.  Current measures can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19.

Some People And Businesses in Manitoba Are Not Following the Rules.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 392 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  He also reported ten additional deaths with six in the Winnipeg region and four in Southern Health.  Roussin noted against his advice some people are not staying home and some businesses are not following the 25 percent or physical distancing rules noting one person with COVID reported 85 contacts.  He says we can’t sustain this number of cases in our health care system, we need to bring these numbers down and we need to work on that starting right now.  He adds our hospitals are near capacity as we have over 40 people in ICU with COVID-19 right now and our health care providers are becoming overwhelmed, many Manitobans are worried and many are scared right now.

             

Roussin says we need to stay home.

             

Of the 392 new cases 255 were in Winnipeg, 72 in Southern Health with cases in other regions including 25 in Northern Health.  Public health officials also advise of an outbreak at St. Paul’s Residence in The Pas and it has been moved to critical or red.

Rockcliff Continues to Study a Possible Mine Development Near Snow Lake.

Rockcliff Metals Corporation has announced results from a metallurgical characterization study completed on their Bur Property in the Snow Lake region.  President and CEO Alistair Ross reports the results indicate that a selective separation of zinc and copper is feasible without the use of cyanide, clean marketable concentrates can be made from the tested sample and ore sorting was successful in rejecting waste from the mineralized rock.  He explains that means they’re going to ship 25 percent less mass that would head off to the mill and obviously lowering potential operating costs should a mine be developed there on both transportation, milling and tailings impoundment so big big upside there with 25 percent of the mass not going in that route and not getting any of its costs.

             

Ross adds the mineralization adjacent to the Bur property has grown significantly in strike length and remains open in all directions which is very important as Rockcliff looks to additional resources to the potential mine production pipeline.

The RCMP and Other Reports Were Part of a Recent Creighton Council Meeting.

Creighton Town Council held their regular meeting last week to discuss the latest community happenings. Before the meeting got underway with the swearing in of the recently re-elected Council RCMP Sergeant Chad McLeod relayed the community police report for October. The RCMP responded to 36 calls within the town with a total of 83 calls for service in the Creighton jurisdiction for the month.

             

Correspondence was reviewed including a request from the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce for support funding to have sound capability for Christmas music on Main Street Flin Flon.  Funding partners include Hudbay, City of Flin Flon and CFAR. Council approved a motion to hire Austyn Davis and Alixandra Stevens as public skating supervisors for this season.  Ball diamond upgrades continue with Exact Fencing working two and a half days earlier this month and will be returning to do the dugouts.  Halloween Alley was a success with just over 15 hundred dollars donated as well as 24 donations of treats.

 

Manitoba is Setting Some Unwanted Records While Saskatchewan is Again Urged to Get Back to the Basics.

Manitoba Health reported 733new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend with 239 Saturday and 494 on Sunday.  They also reported 25 additional deaths that range from November 2nd to 14th with four in the Southern Health Region and the remainder in the Winnipeg region with the largest number linked to the Maples Long Term Care Home.  Of the total new cases 429 are in the Winnipeg Region with the others spread across the province with 46 of them in the Northern Health Region.  Included among outbreaks in the province is the Rod McGillivary Care Home in Opaskwayak Cree Nation which has been moved to critical red.  The current positivity rate in the province is 12.4 percent with the total confirmed cases now at 10,947 with 6715 considered active.

            

  Meanwhile Saskatchewan reported 481 new cases over the weekend with 308 on Saturday due a snowstorm delaying testing and results and 181 Sunday bringing the total of reported cases to 5001with 1807 considered active. They also reported two deaths in the North Central Zone one in their 20s and the other was over 80. The largest number of new cases was in Saskatoon with 187 and

 others across the province including 23 in the Far North East zone. Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Sahab says the record high numbers include urban, rural, northern and First Nations areas so we have to get back to the basics to protect ourselves and others.

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Have Topped Ten Thousand in Manitoba While New Case Numbers Have Dropped in Saskatchewan.

Manitoba Public Health reported this afternoon 434 new cases of COVID-19.  They also reported five additional deaths with three in the Winnipeg Health Region and one each in Interlake Eastern and the Northern Health Region which was a woman in her 40s. With a test positivity rate of 11.6 percent total confirmed cases have now reached 10,216 with 6307 active, 3772 individuals have recovered and 231 are in hospital.  The largest numbers of new cases were again in the Winnipeg region with 260 and Southern Health with 96.  The Northern Health Region reported 28 new cases.

             

Meanwhile Saskatchewan reported 81 new cases of COVID-19 spread across the province with much lower numbers in Regina at 16 and Saskatoon with 5.  The Far North East reported 3 new cases.  Of the total 4513 reported cases 1427 are considered active, 3,057 have recovered and 53 are in hospital with 15 in intensive care.

 

The Saskatchewan Government Urges Residents to Return to the Basics.

Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman says now is the time for residents, businesses and organizations to re-commit to proven public health measures and return to the standards shown to work in the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.  He says he’s not going to sugar coat the situation, it’s not great and it’s been getting worse adding this threat is very real but he believes they can get it under control if they do the right things stating Saskatchewan we have done this before and I believe we can do it again.                        

             

Starting Monday until December 4th mandatory masking in indoor places will be extended to all communities with populations of five thousand people or greater.  All Saskatchewan restaurants and licensed establishments will be required to stop serving alcohol by 10 pm and consumption ended by 11.  While transmission within school settings has been limited it is recommended that all school divisions move to level three in their back to school plans for high schools with 600 students or more.  Fitness facilities may continue to operate under the Re-Open Saskatchewan guidelines but all aerobic group fitness activities are limited to a maximum of eight participants.

The Library Is Coming to Your Door Starting Monday.

Flin Flon Public Library Administrator Elizabeth Andres says every Monday they will be delivering books you have ordered to your door. She notes they need to see your library card so you can put the card into a zip lock bag, put it in your mail box, they’ll look at it to make sure it matches who the patron says they are and then they will drop the books off and leave.  She adds they will pick up books if you want them to but you have to let them know you want the books picked up.                  

             

Andres explains as an example this Monday is for all of the Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach areas and next Monday will be for Cranberry Portage and all homes in between as well as the Flin Flon Creighton area.  You can check their Facebook page for weekly delivery areas.

             

To order books you can email the Library at ffpl@shaw.ca or phone them at 204-687-3397.  The program is funded by the Kimberley Foundation’s Caring for Communities Pandemic Flash Fund for Small Libraries.

 

What Effect is COVID-19 Having on Your Business?

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce is urging business owners across the province to fill out their Manitoba Business Outlook Survey.  President Chuck Davidson says they need to hear from representatives of businesses of all sizes across all sectors about some of the challenges they’re dealing with or some of the programs that have been out there are they taking access to them and what the information that they’re able to get from this really helps them when they’re advocating to government in terms of what the needs of small businesses are in the various parts of the province and what they’re dealing with going forward.

             

Davidson urges business owners to take ten minutes to fill out the survey on their website www.jointhechamber.ca by Monday.

New Measures are Coming to Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health will be announcing new measures to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 tomorrow.  They reported this afternoon 111 new cases with the largest numbers again in Regina with 25 and Saskatoon with 24 with single digit numbers in other zones including six in the Far North East.

             

Of the total 4437 cases reported 1459 are considered active, 2949 people have recovered and 49 are in hospital with 13 in intensive care.  Masks have already been mandatory for a week in indoor places in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

People Must Follow COVID-19 Rules and Recommendations.

 Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported this afternoon 474 new cases of COVID-19 with a test positivity rate of 11 percent provincially.  He also reported nine additional deaths with eight in Winnipeg and one in Southern Health.  Roussin says even though gatherings can include up to five people we need to reduce contacts drastically to see these numbers come down as they have before so the message is clear and the orders are clear related to who can be fined but let’s just be absolutely clear that the message from public health is to stay home, leave for essential reasons only and only socialize with those inside your households.

            

  Of the new cases 315 are in the Winnipeg Health Region, 94 in Southern Health, 26 in Interlake Eastern, 20 in Northern Health and 19 in Prairie Mountain Health.  Of the total 9782 reported cases 6,030 are active, 3620 have recovered, 227 are in hospital with 34 in intensive care and deaths total 132.

 

The Chamber is Prepared For Another Year.

The Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce held their annual general meeting on Zoom Tuesday. They will continue with two Co-Vice Presidents Dianne Russell and Kory Eastman filling the President’s position which they hope to fill, Past President Karen MacKinnon, Treasurer Dave Kendall, Secretary Becky Cianflone and two Members at Large Tom Therien and Laurence Gillespie and they will work to increase this number.

             

Some of the highlights reported include helping to host the Manitoba Chamber’s Economic Development tour in October last year, Flinty statue refurbishment this past summer, annual Radio Auction in October last year raising 75 hundred dollars, Co-Vice-President Dianne Russell took part in the Northern Chambers meeting in August with discussion on tourism, public rest stops along highways for travelers to the north and northern Manitoba government services, ongoing support for Main Street Revitalization, discussion on tourism and promoting the Water and the Wild brand, formation of a Business Relationships Committee with meetings planned with surrounding communities and a Business  Builders Main Street Committee supporting flowers on Main Street and plans for Santa Comes to Main Street, Moonlight Madness and Music on Main Street.

             

Co-Vice-Chair Kory Eastman noted the Chamber has a strong healthy membership.

Hudbay Reports their Manitoba Business Unit Had Solid Performance Across the Mines, Mills and Zinc Plant During the Third Quarter of 2020.

Production during the quarter included 30,570 tonnes of zinc, 4,592 tonnes of copper and 28, 657 ounces of precious metals.  President and CEO Peter Kukielski reported operational performance during the third quarter at both Lalor and Triple Seven was strong, with ore production generally in line with the same period in 2019 and grades at both mines remaining in line with the mine plan. At Lalor in Snow Lake a two-week planned maintenance program was completed on schedule and the company achieved a third quarter production rate averaging 4600 tonnes per day outside of the maintenance period. The Triple Seven mine maintained consistent and stable performance during the third quarter as it approaches its planned closure in 2022. Operational readiness activities in support of the early start-up of New Britannia in Snow Lake are on track including ensuring that a sufficient and consistent volume of gold ore will be available. Underground development at Lalor in gold-rich lenses 25 and 27 is advancing ahead of schedule in preparation for the mid-2021 start-up of New Britannia which is three months earlier than originally planned.

Over Two Hundred People are in Hospital as COVID-19 Numbers Continue to Climb in Manitoba While Saskatchewan Has Low Numbers in Hospital.

Manitoba Public Health reported this afternoon 383 new cases of COVID-19 in the province.  They also reported five deaths with four in the Winnipeg Health Region and one in Southern Health with deaths now totaling 114.  Of the new cases 216 are in the Winnipeg Health Region, 83 in Southern Health, 41 in Northern Health, 26 in Interlake Eastern and 18 in Prairie Mountain Health Region.  Of the total 8878 confirmed cases 5390 are active, 3374 individuals have recovered and 207 people are in hospital with 30 in intensive care.

             

Meanwhile Saskatchewan Health reported 127 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon. The largest numbers are in Saskatoon with 50, Regina 31, North West 11 and smaller numbers in other zones including 6 in the Far North East.  Of the total 4214 cases reported 1305 are considered active, 2880 people have recovered with 44 in hospital and11 in intensive care.  The province’s health minister says the health system can handle the increased cases with low numbers in hospital.

 

The Province of Manitoba Has Been Declared a Red Critical Zone Beginning Thursday.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr, Brent Roussin says increasing COVID-19 numbers must be stopped.  He has announced as of Thursday the entire province will move into the red critical zone listing some of the restrictions. He reports there’ll be no social gatherings permitted, social contact is reduced to members of your household only, travel to and from northern Manitoba is restricted and non-essential travel is strongly discouraged, retail businesses listed as critical services can remain open at 25 percent capacity including grocery stores, pharmacies and others, retail businesses not on the list can provide e-service curbside pick or delivery only, all gyms and fitness centers must close and sites that provide space for religious gatherings must close.

            

 All recreation activities, sports facilities and libraries must also close.  No changes will be made to child care services or kindergarten to grade 12 education delivery as there has not been widespread transmission in schools.

Most Incumbents Were Successful in Yesterdays Council Elections.

129 eligible voters turned out in Denare Beach yesterday to elect six Councillors. Elected were newcomer Nicole Bayless with 98 votes and incumbents Dale Holmgren with 94, Frank Wiegers 87, Beverly Wheeler 84, Karen Thomson 66 and Jean Champagne 58.  Other candidates incumbent Scott McCullum received 55 votes and Paul Trottier 43. Mayor Carl Lentowicz was re-elected by acclamation.

             

In Creighton 155 eligible voters turned out to also elect six Councillors.  The incumbents were re-elected with Darren Grant receiving 132 votes, Kory Eastman 120, Anita Rainville 116, Neil Andrusiak 109, Dan Hlady 108 and Colleen Stallard 102.  Other candidates Richard Masson received 44 votes and Martyn DeDecker 38.  Mayor Bruce Fidler was re-elected by acclamation.

 

Hudbay Reports a Solid Quarter with Steady Production and Cost Performance for the Manitoba and Peru Operations.

Hudbay issued their 3rd quarter 2020 operating and financial results last week.  They reported a net loss for the quarter of 24 million dollars compared to 31.4 million in the second quarter this year.  President and CEO Peter Kukielski stated they continue to be pleased with the team’s ability to maintain strong operating and financial performance while executing on their growth initiatives.  He says  their Peru operations have been successfully running at full capacity after having been temporarily suspended in the second quarter due to government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions, and they have maintained positive momentum at Pampacancha. He adds their Manitoba operations had the best quarterly cost performance in the last two years demonstrating their focus on continuous improvement initiatives and cost control.

             

Underground mining activity resumed at Triple Seven in Flin Flon with limited production from the mines ramp access.  If it is confirmed there is no further damage beyond what has been identified to date it is expected the shaft should resume full production in December at a repair cost that is not expected to exceed five million dollars.

The Manitoba Government Has Announced Ten Million Dollars to Support Remote Learning.

Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen has announced the Manitoba Government is establishing a new resource centre to support remote learning across the province.  He explains the province in coordination with their partners will be hiring 100 teachers and 20 EAs in the development of a remote learning unit.  He says this support will help teachers who are delivering education remotely, it’ll be a team that will assist and benefit those who are home schooling and those who are providing home education.

             

Goertzen also announced there will be three additional non-instructional days added to this year’s school calendar so schools can focus on collaborative planning as they shift and adapt to remote learning.  Two of these days will be scheduled before Christmas and one in the second semester.  Divisions will incorporate these days into their calendars where they best fit.

 

Saskatchewan Hit A High in New COVID-19 Cases.

Saskatchewan Health reported this afternoon 190 new cases of COVID-19 which is a single day record for the province.  There are 76 new cases in Saskatoon, 25 in Regina, 19 in the North West, 15 each in North Central and Far North West zones with single digit numbers in other zones.  A person in their 80s has also died bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 29.

             

Of the 4,087 total cases reported 1289 are considered active, 2769 people have recovered and 37 are in hospital with eight in intensive care.

             

Premier Scott Moe is to meet with health officials to discuss the situation but is not considering new restrictions.

 

Manitobans Have to Change Their Habits or Face Further Restrictions.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 365 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon.  233 of the cases are in the Winnipeg Region, 91 in Southern Health, 16 each in the Northern Health and Interlake Eastern and nine in Prairie Health Region. He reported three additional deaths with two in Southern Health and one in Winnipeg Health Region. Roussin says he has met with the Premier to discuss further restrictions and will continue to review all options.  He notes we see that in just one week they’ve announced more than two thousand cases so we see these numbers going in the wrong direction and we see increasing demand on our health care system and we’re at a critical point where we have to change these dynamics.

             

Roussin adds we have the ability to turn these numbers around and we know what we need to do by reducing our contacts.

Its Election Day in Creighton and Denare Beach.

Residents of Denare Beach and Creighton are going to the polls today. In Denare Beach there are eight candidates for the six seats on Council.  They include incumbents Frank Wiegers, Bev Wheeler, Jean Champagne, Dale Holmgren, Karen Thomson and Scott McCullum along with Paul Trottier and Nicole Holmgren-Bayless.

             

The Election Day Poll is being held today from 9 to 8 at the Denareplex.  Mayor Carl Lentowicz was re-elected by acclamation.

             

In Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler was also re-elected by acclamation. There are eight candidates for six Council positions including incumbents Neal Andrusiak, Kory Eastman, Darren Grant, Dan Hlady, Anita Rainville and Colleen Stallard along with Martin Dedicker and Richard Masson.

            

  The Election Poll is being held today from 9 to 8 all at the Creighton Town Office.

             

Official results from both elections will be released tomorrow morning.

COVID-19 Numbers and Related Deaths Continue to Climb in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Manitoba Public Health reported over the weekend 712 new cases of COVID-19. The majority were in the Winnipeg Health Region with 474 and 34 reported in the Northern Health Region.  Ten additional deaths were also reported with all of them in the Winnipeg Health Region bringing the total number of deaths related to COVID-19 to 106.  From the total 8130 cases reported there are now 4849 active cases in the province, 3175 individuals have recovered, 173 are in hospital with 25 in intensive care.

             

Meanwhile Saskatchewan reported 275 new cases over the weekend spread across the province with the largest numbers in Saskatoon with 86 and Regina 62.  The Far North East reported 4 new cases. Three deaths were reported with one each in the Far North West, North East and Saskatoon zones bringing the total deaths in the province to 28.  Of the 3897 reported cases 1122 are considered active, 2747 people have recovered and 32 are in hospital with seven in intensive care.

Flin Flon Public Library Starts New Program

The Flin Flon Public Library has found a way to combat Covid 19 and make it more accessible for you to get your favorite books with the new program “ From The Library’s door to yours”. Library administrator Elizabeth Andres talks about how it will work.

 

" What this program is all about is,  during Covid many of the library patrons have not been able to access the library for many reasons . The major one being social distancing and they aren't able to travel with other community members. So what we are doing is: every Monday we are going to your door and dropping off books that you have phoned us and asked us to take out for you."

 

 

Andres also said the Flin Flon Public Library is one of 22 library’s across the country to qualify for funding courtesy of the Kimberly foundation. The library will keep this program going for 26 weeks depending on funding and people are already using it.   

Remembrance Day Service

The Flin Flon Legion, local branch 73 will be hosting their annual Remembrance Day Service next Wednesday starting around 10:45.

 

Due to Covid 19 the service will be a lot different this year including a limit of 20 people attending the service by invitation only, and a shorter service is expected.

 

President Bob Penner talks about a few more ways things will be different this year including  the amount of wreaths that will be laid and the order that they will be laid. There won't be a parade this year and no honor guard at the Cenotaph. The service has also been moved to the local branch on Hapnot street.

 

The service will be broadcast live on CFAR, flinflononline.com and streamed on the Legion facebook page. Guest speakers will be Father Paul and Albert Baines from the Salvation Army. Terry Smith will be the MC.

City Council Meeting, November the 3rd

The City Of Flin Flon held their regular council meeting last night at Council Chambers.

 

Council swore in Barry Kreller who won the recent by-election and will take Guy Rideout’s position, after Rideout stepped down for personal reasons last Spring.

 

Kreller will finish out the term which will go til November of 2022. He has been appointed to the Social and Rec Committee’s and will be the City rep for the Recycling Centre.

 

Councillor Tim Babcock made a resolution that Inland Group be awarded the contract to supply the City Of Flin Flon with a 2021 Kenworth T370 Tandem truck and be it resolved the money will be expended from the Equipment Reserve Fund.

 

The City has been approached to support the Remembrance  Day Service at the Legion and Councillor Colleen Arnold said the City will be purchasing a wreath for the service.

 

Mayor Cal Huntley concluded by reminding everybody to stay safe and follow all the rules and protocols laid out by the health authorities and things will eventually get back to normal.

Kids Grief For Education

Kids Grief DOT ca has added a new resource to their website to support teachers and their grieving students.

 

The online platform now has Kids Grief for Educators, which is a series of four interactive modules for teachers, child care workers, and school administrators to enhance their ability to recognize and respond to students’ grief.

 

Tara Skibo the Communications Manager for Canadian Virtual Hospice which runs Kids Grief DOT ca, says  it’s important that this resource is available for educators and those working with  children.

 

Skibo says they’re working on a certificate proponent in the near future for those who complete the modules as part of professional development

 

To learn more, visit Kids Grief DOT ca .

Chamber Auction Is A Big Success

The Flin Flon Chamber Of Commerce Radio Auction took place this past Saturday on 102.9 CFAR and was once again a big success.

 

The auction took place for 4 hours and raised a total of $7,000.00 with the proceeds  going  towards different initiatives and projects in the community.

 

This is the Chamber’s biggest fundraiser of the year and Michelle Reid one of the organizers says they have a lot of people to thank including the volunteers, businesses that were very generous with their donations, the City of Flin Flon for letting them use council chambers and everyone that made a bid.

 

They also want to thank CFAR for broadcasting the event and handing out the items.

Flin Flon Man Charged

Last November a teenage boy reported to Flin Flon RCMP that he had been sexually assaulted by a man he met through snapchat. The man had posed as a high school student on the app.

 

When the alleged assault was reported to police an investigation started that included the RCMP Internet Child Exploitation team of investigators.

 

Enough evidence was gathered and last Thursday a 61 year old man from Flin Flon was arrested for child sexual assault as well as several other charges.

 

At that time, police became aware of another victim, a tennage male under the age of 16.

 

As the investigation continues, police are concerned there may be more victims. The accused not only used snapchat, but websites as well. He is known to use an alias when communicating with youth.

 

RCMP are asking anyone with information to call the Flin Flon RCMP at 204-687-1423, crime stoppers at 1-800-222-8447 or secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.

 

Northern Health Region AGM

The Northern Health Region held their annual general meeting for the 2019-20 year Thursday afternoon.

 

COVID-19 was a highlight of the meeting, with CEO Helga Bryant saying it was -quote- “all consuming” for the region since February.

 

With recent news briefings from the province stating COVID-positive patients or people experiencing symptoms are disregarding self-isolation guidelines and not limiting social contacts, Bryant is reminding people that the best way to curb the spread of the virus is to stay home.

 

In her annual report, Bryant highlighted that the region improved harm reduction by increasing capacity on RAM clinics across the north.

 

However, sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases continue to significantly impact the region, and Bryant says while the focus is on COVID, the health authority needs to continue to be a leader in combating the syphilis outbreak in the north, which has reached a near-epidemic state in the province.

 

For the full annual report, visit northern health region DOT com.

 

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