Local News Archives for 2022-01

Active COVID Cases are Up Again In Our Manitoba District While Holding in Our Saskatchewan District.

Manitoba public health reported 505 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 30.4 percent.  Of the new cases 193 are in Winnipeg and 163 in Prairie Mountain with much lower numbers in other regions including 42 in Northern health with 2952 cases reported as active including 82 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 120,644 confirmed cases 31,535 are active, 87,547 people have recovered and 735 are in hospital with 56 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 736 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1162.  Of the total 118,606 confirmed cases 12,208 are active, 105,406 people have recovered and 364 are in hospital with 42 in intensive care.  Far Northeast Two reports two new cases with the number of active cases remaining at 101.

 

Help is Available to Support Young People With Project or Business Ideas.

Lynk is presenting a virtual Youth Entrepreneurship Start Up Challenge starting tomorrow.  It’s for youth 18 to 29 who have a community project or business idea in the north.  The Manitoba Chamber’s Project Support and Research Specialist Matthew Benger says they offer four virtual leadership sessions starting tomorrow evening at 6.  He explains you get to learn about leadership skills, how to take your idea for a business or start up to the point where you can actually get the business off the ground and get it going and then after the four sessions you have a chance to join a pitch competition for a chance to earn up to eight thousand dollars towards your business idea.

             

For more information or to register for the sessions go to www.mmdf.ca/resources and click on the Resources box.

Local Supporters Of A Truck Convoy to Ottawa Gathered in Flin Flon Saturday.

A line of vehicles travelled through Flin Flon and Creighton Saturday afternoon in support of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa.  One member of the group Bonnie Nabe said their message is freedom of choice.  She explained after two years of this nothings worked, it’s a virus, we need to treat it like an endemic, we need to take back our freedoms that are guaranteed us in the charter, we need to stand up and be Canadian, support each other, stop the divisiveness of whose vaccinated and who isn’t, it doesn’t matter, we need to have our freedom of choice, our bodily autonomy, we need to stop the tyranny, we need to be free Canadians, that’s what Canada is about.

             

Around 60 vehicles joined the local convoy from the Walmart Parking lot through Flin Flon and out to Creighton and back.

 

A Northern Rep Has Been Appointed to The Apprenticeship and Certification Board of Manitoba.

 Davide Novo of The Pas has been appointed to the apprenticeship and certification board of Manitoba an organization that’s works to create the apprenticeship certification systems in the province.

Novo tells us what he hopes to accomplish with this new role. He explains part of it involves increasing apprenticeships in rural and northern areas.  He says he’s hoping being on the board from the north he’ll obviously give some insight into the challenges we face here as employers and employees.  He notes some of the challenges we face locally are getting kids involved into trades and to understand that post-secondary isn’t just going to university there’s a lot of different trades that can pay really well.

 Novo added  he hopes to provide a good voice for Northern Manitoba under this new role.

Active Cases Dropped a Bit in Our Manitoba District but Jumped in Our Saskatchewan Zone,

Manitoba public health reported 898 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 32.1 percent.  Of the new cases 430 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 117 in Northern health where 2728 cases are active with 72 of those in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 118,862 confirmed cases in the province 29,720 are active, 87,599 people have recovered and 715 are in hospital with 52 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1392 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1287.  Of the total 115,405 confirmed cases 12,685 are active, 101,733 people have recovered and 342 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reported 24 new cases with 101 cases reported as active.

 

Existing Public Health Orders Have Been Extended in Manitoba.

Manitoba Health Minister Audrey Gordon has announced public health orders currently in place will continue for another week.  She says the government along with public health continues to assess the spread and impact of the Omicron variant however they’re seeing early signs of stabilization and positive indications that COVID -9 is stabilizing in our province.  She notes the rate of hospitalizations appears to be plateauing however the rate of ICU occupancy does not appear that way at this time. She adds extending public health orders by one week allows them time to confirm the trend in this COVID-19 data and the impact on our health care system.

             

Current orders will be extended until 12:01 am on Tuesday February 8th with an update on future orders to be provided next week.  Manitoba remains at the Orange Restricted level under the Pandemic Response System.             

Cranberry Lakes Have Been Named One of the Best Fishing Spots in Canada for 2022.

The world’s largest online service for booking fishing trips FishingBooker reports they have selected the best fishing spots in Canada for 2022 with Cranberry Lakes Manitoba making the top 8.

They explain the beautiful Cranberry Lake system consists of three lakes, each feeding into the other. First Cranberry Lake is around 7.2 kilometers long and 9 meters deep and is home to Walleye, Northern Pike, and Lake Trout that hide in the bays and weed beds. This is a great place to practice angling skills and enjoy some quality fishing. Second Cranberry Lake is deeper than the other two, reaching up to 45 meters. It’s approximately 11 kilometers long, with gorgeous scenery and nice sandy beaches. Here, you can target Lake Trout, Burbot, Walleye, Northern Pike, Perch, and Whitefish. Finally, the waters of Third Cranberry Lake are up to 12 meters deep, while the lake is 8 kilometers long. It’s home to the same fish species that all three lakes share. 

The lakes are known for their trophy catches and you’ll be able to explore many beautiful islands. 

A Committee Report and Requests Were Brought Up at the Creighton Town Council Meeting.

At their meeting earlier this week the Town of Creighton Bylaws, Resolutions and Fiscal Services Committee made a motion to accept the proposal from Suncorp Valuations out of Saskatoon dated January 18th to appraise the Town owned buildings and equipment for up to date insurance coverage.  The motion was accepted.

             

Council also received a letter from Freedom Outreach seeking financial support to set up a working office in the community.  The request has been referred to the General Government Services Committee for further discussion.  The General Government Services Committee approved a request to donate two Creighton hoodies from the Denare Beach Recreation Advisory Committee for the upcoming Winter Festival February 25th to 27th.

 

The Deadline is Approaching to be Part of a Health Board.

The Shared Health Board with reps from across the province is accountable to the Minister of Health and Seniors Care and is responsible for the mandate, resources and performance of Shared Health.  The board must ensure that the organization complies with applicable legislation, regulations, provincial policies and Ministerial directives.  Directors are to represent a broad cross-section of skills, interests, experience and expertise. Any resident of Manitoba can apply with no less than four board members residing outside of Winnipeg.  Directors will be appointed to staggered terms of one, two or three years in length.  You can nominate yourself or another person.

             

Nominations are due Monday with more information and forms available by searching online at Shared Health Board Member Nomination Information/Nomination Form.

 

Active Cases are Down in Our Manitoba Region While Isolation Changes Come to Saskatchewan.

Manitoba public health reported 582 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 30.6 percent.  Of the new cases 300 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 81 in Northern health where 2746 cases are active including 76 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 117,971 confirmed cases 28,951 are active, 87,482 people have recovered and 711 are in hospital with 51 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reports 1273 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1265.  Of the total 113,993 confirmed cases 12,386 are active, 100,622 people have recovered and 328 are in hospital with 35 in intensive care.  Far Northeast Two reports two new cases with 80 cases reported as active.  Starting tomorrow close contacts of people who test positive won’t have to self-isolate and people who test positive will be required to self-isolate for five days.

An Abandoned Mine Remediation Project Near Creighton Has Been Completed.

The Saskatchewan government recently completed remediation activities at the abandoned Newcor mine site near Creighton.  Remediation work included the installation of an engineered cover system over contaminated waste rock and soil, a permanent cover over the mine shaft, removal of remaining building foundations and contouring and revegetation of the site.

             

QM Points LP and SNC Lavalin oversaw the remediation and engineering work which took 13 weeks to complete and was within the proposed 1.6 million dollar cost estimate for the project.

             

Located less than two kilometers southwest of Creighton the Newcor mine site is publicly accessible but the Ministry of Environment asks that users refrain from any activities that could disturb the new topsoil and harm the growth of new vegetation.

             

Remediation of five other abandoned mine sites identified by the ministry on Crown Land in the province will proceed in the coming years.

 

Their Budget and COVID Testing Were Part of the Flin Flon School Board Meeting Tuesday night.

The Flin Flon School Division public budget meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 23rd.  This date is subject to change as the Division still does not have their funding announcement.  Board Chair Leslie Fernandes mentioned that in 2016 the province’s share was 61.5 percent while in 2021 it was down to 58.2 percent.  School Divisions are rightfully worried as education funding impacts students directly. You can email your feedback to budget2022@gov.mb.ca before January 31st.  When asked what the Division would like to see in this year’s budget without being specific as there would be lots on the list her quick response was an increase in funds.  The Division is hoping for a good budget and then take it from there.

             

Superintendant Tammy Ballantyne asked all parents to let their children’s school know if they tested positive for COVID as this helps the Division to have an accurate representation of the number of cases they have in the schools.  This information will help the Division make decisions going forward.  Should the Division move to remote learning due to staffing shortages they will make every effort to let families know as early as possible.  The Division continues to do the best they can with what they have and are hoping they don’t have to go there.

Active Cases are Up in Our Manitoba District and Down in Our Saskatchewan District

Manitoba public health reported 637 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 32.4 percent.  Of the new cases 303 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 106 in the Northern region where 3040 cases are active including 72 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 117,395 confirmed cases 39,933 are active, 75,938 people have recovered and 720 are in hospital with 49 in intensive care.  The outbreak has been declared over at the Thompson General Hospital obstetrics and neonatal unit.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1194 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1248.  Of the total 112,693 confirmed cases 12,448 are active, 99,262 people have recovered and 315 are in hospital with 33 in intensive care.  Far Northeast Two reports seven new cases with 79 cases reported as active.

A Change Has Been Made for Child Care Centres in Manitoba.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin has announced to more closely align schools and early learning child care centres COVID-19 guidance notification of close contacts by child care centres will no longer be required.  He says attendance of children and staff will be based on symptom screening.  He explains child care providers should continue to monitor daily for symptoms before attending either a child care centre or a home based child care facility.  He says children or staff exposed to COVID-19 in the child care and school setting may continue to attend if they remain asymptomatic but again very close monitoring for symptoms.  He adds child care centres will monitor absenteeism and numbers of positive test results reported by staff and families and if there is a significant increase in COVID-19 in a cohort they can connect with a local public health officer for additional guidance.

             

The guidance will take effect this Friday.

Information is Available on Improving Your Mood.

The Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba or ADAM is presenting a virtual workshop February 3rd.  Their Public Education Coordinator Kendall McLean says it’s titled Hormones and Mental Health get your secret agents on a mission to improve your mood.  She asks are you feeling anxious, sad, tearful, irritable, forgetful, foggy, sleep deprived, overwhelmed, join Tara Maltman-Just an award winning Pharmacist and Executive Clinician of Vitality Integrative Medicine and the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba to see how hormones operate undercover in more ways than you might expect. Journey into the often overlooked world of hormones and their impact on your body and brain. She invites you to join them on Thursday, February 3rd from 7 to 8:30 pm on Zoom for free.

            

  To register for the workshop visit adam.mb.ca/events or email education@adam.mb.ca.

 

A Lithium Focused Exploration Company Has Expanded Its Holdings in the Snow Lake Region.

Foremost Lithium Resource and Technology has announced the acquisition of the Grass River Claims. They are located in the Snow Lake mining district 6.5 kilometers east of their Zoro lithium property.  They report the Grass River Claims consist of 27 claims totaling almost 15 thousand acres and hosts multiple pegmatites exposed in outcrop and seven drill indicated spodumene bearing pegmatite dykes. They note this acquisition significantly expands the company’s Snow Lake Lithium project by 130 percent to an amalgamated 26 thousand acres making Foremost the largest lithium exploration company in Snow Lake.

             

The Company’s plan includes moving forward with significant working capital and utilizing modern technology and geochemical technologies to support boots on the ground prospecting adding modern exploration on the Grass River Claims has not been undertaken in more than 60 years.

COVID Related Hospital Numbers Continue to Rise.

Manitoba public health reported 637 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 32.9 percent.  Of the new cases 361 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 71 in Northern health where there are 2940 active cases with 60 of them in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 116,770 confirmed cases 39,296 are active, 75,953 people have recovered and 729 are in hospital with 49 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1049 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1247.  Of the total 111,447 confirmed cases 12,652 are active, 97,818 people have recovered and 291 are in hospital with 33 in intensive care. Far Northeast Two reports six new cases bringing the number of active case to 85.

LOCATED

Manitoba RCMP report Michelle Grozelle from Winnipeg who was reported missing in the Flin Flon area has been safely located.

You can apply for Grants for Your Group or Organization.

The Northern Neighbors Foundation is accepting applications for grants they make available each year.  Their Chairperson Jane Robillard says they have 100 thousand dollars plus to award and grants are available in the communities of Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, Cranberry Portage, Snow Lake and Sherridon. She explains anybody that is a registered charity can apply and the grants can be in the fields of arts and culture, education, environment, health, heritage or recreation and sports so that covers a lot of groups in our community.

             

Information and application forms can be found on their website www.northernneighbors.com or call Jane at 204-687-6488 and will be accepted through the mail to Box 802, Flin Flon, R8A 1N6.  The deadline to apply is February 15th.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is reporting low small business confidence across the country in the new year.

The CFIB’s Prairies director shared an update on how Manitoba businesses have been faring.

 

Kathleen Cook describes 2021 for independent businesses as a rollercoaster ride explaining over the summer vaccination rates improved and restrictions eased, small businesses started to feel more confident but the year ended on a pretty rough note when Omicron hit.  She says many parts of the country re-entered lockdowns, a lot of businesses even if they weren’t directly impacted by restrictions saw high levels of staff absenteeism due to COVID with many people out because they tested positive or were close contacts of a positive case and in some cases businesses actually had to close temporarily or reduce their hours to accommodate that.

 

Cook explains at this point less than a third of small businesses in Manitoba are back to normal revenues.

 

She adds while support programs for small businesses had changes or extensions made to help during the fifth wave of COVID-19 governments should strive to make those programs more flexible to ensure less businesses fall through the cracks.

 

Active Case Numbers are up In Our Districts.

Manitoba public health reported 536 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 33.3 percent.  Of the new cases 266 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 82 in Northern health where 2914 cases are active with 55 of those in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 116,133 confirmed cases in the province 38,691 are active, 75,927 people have recovered and 716 are in hospital with 49 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reports 909 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1256.  Of the total 110,399 reported cases 12,753 are active, 96,671 people have recovered and 262 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports a jump in cases with 14 new cases with 80 reported to be active.

Flin Flon RCMP are Look for a Missing Woman Last Seen in Winnipeg

At approximately 6:30 pm last Thursday Flin Flon RCMP received a report of a missing 19-year-old woman. Michelle Precious Grozelle lives in Winnipeg and was last seen by family on January 8th. She left Winnipeg to travel to Flin Flon. On January 18th Grozelle was in phone contact with her family confirming she was in Flin Flon but has not been heard from since. Police and family are concerned for her well-being.

 

Grozelle is described as Indigenous, 5’7” tall, 125 pounds, with short curly brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey jacket and Timberland boots.

 

If you have information, please call Flin Flon RCMP at 204-687-1423, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

You Can be Part of a Green Resilience Town Hall.

The Flin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation in partnership with the Green Resilience Project is holding a Green Resilience Town Hall Saturday night at 7:30.  The Corporation’s Laurence Gillespie says this will be your chance to express your views on what can be done to ensure a sustainable future for Flin Flon.  He explains its basically part of the nation wide process to get people’s opinions about how climate change is affecting them, which sort of things they’d like to see at the community level for things to develop like sustainability and green resilience and how the transition from a more fossil based economy can be accomplished without disrupting people’s lives too much.

             

To pre-register to attend in person following public health orders at Johnny’s Social Club or to learn how to participate online or for further information check out the Fllin Flon Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation Facebook page or call them at 687-6972.  The event will also include performances by local musicians and door prizes and pizza for in person participants.

Semester Change is Underway This Week for Hapnot Students.

Hapnot Collegiate is winding up their first semester this week.  Principal Steve Lytwyn explains their exams are set for January 25th, 26th and 27th and the actual schedule for courses is available on their Facebook page.  He notes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic if your child is deemed a close contact or exhibiting any of the cold or flu symptoms they would ask that the parent call the school to inform them that your child will be absent and then when your child is feeling better they will already be in the second semester potentially so they should speak directly with that teacher and make arrangements to write their semester one exams at that time.

             

Any students or parents needing more information can contact the Collegiate at 204-687-7506.

 

A group of northern Manitoba citizens is demanding action be taken by the province to make travelling on Highway 6 safer for motorists.

The hashtag Safer Highway 6 group wants the Manitoba government to fund and implement a three-year plan to improve the stretch of road between Thompson and Winnipeg.

 

Specific asks include passing lanes every 50 kilometres; rumble strips at key locations, wider shoulders for drivers to park off road safely and faster response times for major highway accidents.

 

The group recently launched an online petition for these changes following the death of Thompson MLA Danielle Adams, who died in a head-on collision with a semi-truck while driving to Winnipeg last month.

 

Nearly 3 thousand people have signed the Change DOT org petition.

105 Cases are Active in Our Manitoba and Saskatchewan Districts.

Manitoba public health reported 827 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 32.4 percent.  Of the new cases 444 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 124 in Northern health where 2525 cases are active including 50 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 114,021 confirmed cases in the province 36,575 are active, 75,954 people have recovered and 664 are in hospital with 50 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reports 1233 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1240.  Of the total 106,328 confirmed cases 12,199 are active, 93,160 people have recovered and 215 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports 2 new cases with 55 cases reported as active.

Winter Drilling is Underway Near Snow Lake.

Rockcliff Metals Corporation has started a 75 hundred meter 45 hole diamond drill program at several of its high grade properties in the Flin Flon Snow Lake Greenstone Belt.

             

Interim President Ken Lapierre comments they are excited about their winter drill program where two drills will target three properties that have outstanding potential for high grade VMS discoveries.  He says the Bur Property drilling will test copper zinc targets nearing the high grade 5.3 million tonne Bur VMS deposit where a similar geological and structural environment is located.  Copperman Property drilling will follow up their outstanding copper zinc results reported late last year. The Freebeth Property drilling will focus on potential expansion of the high grade copper zinc mineralization of the historical Last Hurrah VMS zone.

             

The winter drill program will be completed over the next three months.

 

The Fire Department Responded to Five Incidents in December.

At their meeting Tuesday night Flin Flon City Council received the Fire Chiefs report for December.  They were called to two false alarms on Hemlock Avenue on the 8th and Hapnot Street on the 14th and one call to assist EMS on the 21st.  They were called to a motor vehicle collision at Third Avenue and Island Drive on the 9th and assisted the occupants out of the vehicle.  No major injuries were reported and crews helped move vehicles from the road.  And on the 18th they were called to a structure fire on Princess Boulevard where they found a garage engulfed in flames. They began fighting the fire and called in a second engine connected to a hydrant.  The fire was contained to the garage.

             

Also at Tuesday’s meeting Council received a request for a donation to the 43rd Denare Beach Winter Festival taking place February 25th to 27th, a membership renewal in the Hudson Bay Route Association at a cost of 300 dollars and a request from the Northern Visual Arts Centre for a sign at the bottom of the hill on Green Street directing people to the NORVA Centre.

 

Active Case Numbers are Up In Our Districts.

Manitoba public health reported 851 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 33.2 percent.  Of the new cases 403 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 137 in Northern health where there are 2412 active cases with 46 of those in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage Sherridon district.  Of the total 113,196 confirmed cases 35,742 are active, 75,969 people have recovered and 665 are in hospital with 50 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reports 1158 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to1269.  Of the total 105,072 confirmed cases 11,973 cases are active, 92,138 people have recovered and 215 are in hospital. Far Northeast Two reports 15 new cases with 41 cases now reported as active.

 

A Faith Program for Young People Starts Tonight.

Impact Youth is being held Thursday nights at the Flin Flon Alliance Church. One of the organizers Kayla Kemp says it’s a program for youth 11 to 18.  She explains Impact Youth is a place for youth to come, have fun and learn to grow in their faith no matter what their background. She says a typical Thursday evening includes games, a snack, worship, watching a video or listening to a teaching and then breaking into groups to discuss the topic of the night and they always end the evening praying for each other, those we know or circumstances in the world.  She adds the main goal is to provide a safe place for youth to gather, be real with each other and find a relationship with Jesus noting we want the youth to know how loved they are by God and that in these uncertain times they do not need to fear, God is in control and He wants the youth to spread His love to all they encounter.

             

Impact Youth is free and runs from 7 to 9 Thursday nights until the end of June starting tonight at the Alliance Church at 237 Green Street.  For information call Kayla at 204-271-5357or visit their Facebook page @impactyouthff.

Case Numbers Reported do not Give the Whole Picture.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reports COVID-19 case numbers appear to be going down but not all test results are being reported.  He explains many are undergoing Rapid Antigen testing, many are doing that at home then these positives are not reported to public health and thus are not taken into consideration in the daily case numbers.  He points out a proportion of those who are testing positive with Rapid Antigen are getting confirmatory PCR tests so some of those are reported but certainly not all of them noting medically supervised Rapid Antigen tests are being counted in their positive case numbers but those self administered are not.

             

Roussin adds we’re well into the midst of the Omicron wave and we are seeing significant transmission of this virus so we still have to be cautious with our contacts.

Hospitalization Numbers Continue to go Up.

Manitoba public health reported 919 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 33.1 percent.  Of the new cases 596 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 79 in Northern health where 2318 cases are active with 37 of them in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 112,346 confirmed cases 41,708 are active, 69,160 people have recovered and 631 are in hospital with 50 in intensive care. An outbreak has been declared at the Gillam hospital.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1223 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1240.  Of the total 103,901 confirmed cases 11,894 are active, 91,046 people have recovered and 199 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports five new cases with 26 reported to be active.

Council Approved a Regional Tourism Coordinator and an Updated Emergency Plan.

At their meeting last night Flin Flon City Council passed a motion indicating they support the recruitment of a Regional Tourism Coordinator starting early this year for a budgeted amount not to exceed 80 thousand dollars with Flin Flon and Creighton providing 50 percent each.  They note the Tourism Coordinator would be employed by the Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach Regional Economic Development Commission and managed by the Regional Economic Development Manager.

             

Council approved the updated 2022 Flin Flon emergency plan that outlines a general plan to govern the provision of necessary services during a peacetime emergency or anticipated emergency and the procedures under and the manner in which the responses will be coordinated and to define the duties and responsibilities of certain departments and agencies ensuring the effects of an emergency or disaster on the city and its inhabitants are minimized, the protection and preservation of health, property and environment and the restoration of essential services. Events include a prolonged winter power outage, hazardous materials spill, industrial accident, forest fire, winter storm event, water plant failure and pandemic.

             

Rockcliff is Moving Forward with its Properties Near Snow Lake with a New President.

Rockcliff Metals Corporation has announced they are nearing completion of their revised Preliminary Economic Assessment on the Tower and Rail Project in the Snow Lake Region.  The revised PEA is focused on reducing initial capital requirements while employing a proven mining method.

             

They also announced Ken Lapierre has been appointed interim President and CEO replacing Don Christie who stepped down due to other commitments.  Lapierre is the founder, Vice-President of Exploration and a Director of Rockcliff Metals.  He is a professional geologist with over 35 years experience in exploration, discovery, production and mining in base and precious metals across North and South America.  He says he looks forward to advancing the Manitoba property portfolio noting with the current surge in base metal prices, global demand for strategic metals like copper and Rockcliff’s continued growing high grade mineral inventory they believe there is tremendous value in their portfolio of assets in Manitoba.

 

Active Cases Top 40 Thousand in Manitoba While Saskatchewan Hospitalizations Continue to Climb.

Manitoba public health reported 847 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 34.2 percent.  Of the new cases 454 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 128 in Northern health where 2260 cases are active including 39 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 111,432 confirmed cases in the province 40,805 are active, 69,161 people have recovered and 620 are in hospital with 48 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1089 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1219.  Of the total 102,641 confirmed cases 11,781 are active, 89,899 people have recovered and 189 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports three new cases with 22 reported to be active.  Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab says the public needs to prepare for a rise in hospitalizations when the Omicron wave peaks in two to four weeks.

Callinex is Focused on Moving Forward at the Rainbow Deposit 16 Kilometers From Flin Flon.

In a year end letter Callinex President Max Porterfield states the Company’s relentless focus on expanding the high grade copper, gold, silver and zinc Rainbow deposit located just outside Flin Flon has paid off handsomely.  With over 70 holes drilled the Rainbow has expanded significantly closer to surface over the last year and consistent high copper grades have been intersected throughout the deposit. He reports Rainbow has emerged as one of the highest grade copper deposits on a global basis with the average drill hole composite grade of copper intersected at 4.04 percent compared to the global average grade of copper mined annually of .50 percent.

             

Porterfield adds the very steeply dipping nature of the Rainbow deposit makes for an ideal underground mining scenario with the potential to utilize open stope bulk mining.  He says the Company will remain steadfast in their commitment to the community of Flin Flon and their goal to drive long term job creation as they define Rainbow and beyond.  He notes this year they aim to delineate Rainbow within the first one kilometer of surface and provide a maiden resource estimate for it and the historic Pine Bay Deposit 650 meters away.

 

All Northerners Will Benefit From a Community Conversation Next Week.

Community Futures North Central Development is hosting a community conversation on climate change and its links to income security and community resiliency.

 

A business economic officer with the organization Michelle Pruder explains the session will be two and half hours that focuses on how communities can adapt to climate change while still maintaining or building economic security.

 

She adds these topics are top of mind for board members and partner communities noting climate change is something that’s on everyone’s mind.  She says we’ve been seeing things around the world, in Canada and here in the north too, we’re all affected by climate change whether it’s forest fires, hotter summers and winter roads are an ongoing concern as how much time do communities have for getting all of their supplies in with the shortening that seems to be happening with the winter roads season.

 

The community conversation which is hosted in partnership with The Green Resilience Project will be held Wednesday January 26th from 6 to 8:30 p.m, and is open to all northerners.

 

To sign up or learn more, call 204-677-1490.

Hospitalization Numbers Continue to Rise.

Manitoba public health reported 717 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 34.5 percent.  Of the new cases 375 were in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 88 in Northern health where 2133 cases are active with 35 of them in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district. Of the total 110,593 confirmed cases in the province 39,961 are active, 69,169 people have recovered and 601 people are in hospital with 47 in intensive care. Over the past week there were 335 new hospitalizations an increase of 40 percent over the previous week.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1347 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1208.  Of the total 101,537 confirmed cases 11,642 are active, 88,934 people have recovered and 167 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports one new case with 21 reported to be active in the Creighton, Flin Flon Saskatchewan, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Sandy Bay sub district.

 

Foremost Lithium is Taking Another Step Forward at Its Lithium Project in Snow Lake.

Foremost Lithium Resource and Technology has received a permit from the Province of Manitoba to extract a bulk sample from its Zoro Lithium Project in the Snow Lake mining district.  They plan to extract a 500 kilogram bulk sample of spodumene bearing pegmatite from Dyke One on its Zoro Lithium Project.  This is their first step towards the production of a six percent battery grade lithium hydroxide resource making it viable to market its lithium to strategic partners prior to development.

             

Foremost notes they are hyper focused in continued exploration and growth on its three lithium properties, Jean Lake and Zoro in Snow Lake, Manitoba and Hidden Lake in the Northwest Territories.

You Can Provide Input on the Manitoba Budget.

The provincial government continues to look for public input to inform Budget 2022 through engagement sessions.  Finance Minister Scott Fielding says they want to hear what matters to most Manitobans and their families so they can chart a course to address those priority areas.  He notes to accommodate as many residents as possible they invite Manitobans to share their views with their choice of virtual or through the online survey.

             

A virtual public meeting for northern Manitobans will be held on Wednesday January 26th at 6:30 pm.

You are asked to register for the meeting in advance by going to engagemb.ca/budget-2022. You can also learn how send email or written submissions on that site.

A Call Has Been Made for MPI to Invest More in Road Safety.

Manitoba Liberals are calling for Manitoba Public Insurance to put more money towards municipal road safety and improvements in road infrastructure to reduce crashes and deaths instead of only handing out rebates.  Party leader Dougald Lamont says whether it’s in Winnipeg or northern and rural Manitoba our roads and highways are often treacherous and municipalities are strapped for cash because of PC cuts and freezes.  He points to a Manitoba Road Safety Plan 2017-2020 that states the annual social cost of motor vehicle collisions in Manitoba in terms of loss of life, medical treatment, rehabilitation, loss of productivity and property damage are estimated at 6.4 million dollars per fatality and 133 thousand per injury. When these are applied to the number of fatalities and injuries the societal costs were over two billion dollars in 2013.  He adds according to MPIs annual report for 2020 the total investment in road safety was 8.8 million dollars, the year before it was 14.5 million and MPI is planning rebates in 2022 of 335 million dollars. Lamont add larger investments in road safety could reduce costs to all Manitoban in the long run.

You Are Urged to Report Suspicious Incidents to the RCMP.

The RCMP in collaboration with various law enforcement partners has produced a guide to inform and assist Canadians on how and when to report suspicious incidents to police.  RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki says by reporting suspicious activities to the police tragedies can be prevented so when in doubt report it.

             

The guide contains information on how to recognize and report behaviors that may be linked to hate crimes, radicalization to violence, extremist propaganda and terrorism mobilization.  It provides details about steps people can and should follow when reporting suspicious incidents to the police.

             

The guide can be found by searching online for the RCMP National Security Information Network.

             

They add emergencies should always be reported by calling 911.

 

A Time For Reflection and Prayer Begins Sunday.

The Flin Flon Creighton Ministerial has announced the return of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  The Groups Harry Hobbs explains they will be having a face to face service at St. Ann’s at 7 o’clock on the 16th of January and after that people will be able to watch services on Facebook by going to the Flin Flon Week of Prayer page on Facebook and details will be there on when they will be posted.  He says there’ll actually be eight different services from different churches so they hope everybody can take part noting it’s a little bit different from other years as because of COVID they can’t do face to face for all of them all the times but he hopes people will enjoy them and be part of this important week.

            

Hobbs urges you to check their Facebook page for daily updates.

At the Flin Flon School Board Meeting Tuesday Night Superintendent Tammy Ballantyne Issued a Report on Remote Learning.

Ballantyne stated they understand remote learning is not optimal for most families and children, putting a strain on families.  She said they have to be prepared that this may happen due to staffing shortages as COVID moves through our community. Schools are moving to level Orange in the Pandemic Response System effective January 17th and this will mean that students may be spread out to different spaces with different teachers to allow maximum distance between students.  This means some programming options may be affected to allow those staff members to move into classrooms with students. She adds extracurricular activities will continue but may have some modifications.

             

Ballantyne also notes Manitoba Public Health is recommending three layer cloth masks be worn by students which can be two layers of cloth and a filter adding schools will continue to provide masks for students who do not have them.

 

Hospital Numbers Increase in Manitoba While Health Orders are Extended in Saskatchewan.

Manitoba public health reported 1478 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 47.2 percent.  Of the new cases 816 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 268 in Northern health where there are 1593 active cases with 44 of those in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 105,406 confirmed cases in the province 35,048 are active, 68,029 people have recovered and 454 are in hospital with 46 in intensive care. Students will return to in school learning on Monday.

            

Saskatchewan’s current health orders will be extended to February 28th including mandatory masking in all indoor public spaces and proof of vaccination or negative test to enter some venues or businesses.  The current public health orders can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid-19.

             

They reported 1084 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 1057. Of the 95,174 confirmed cases 8706 are active, 85,507 people have recovered and 121 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reported six new cases bringing the number of active cases to 17.

Button Batteries Pose Life Threatening Dangers to Young Children.

If a young child in your family received a gift with button batteries or you have household products containing them you should be aware of the dangers.  The Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Program warns if swallowed they can become lodged in a child’s throat.  The child’s saliva instantly triggers an electric current causing a chemical reaction that can burn through the esophagus, the wind pipe and the main artery which can take as little as two hours.  Depleted or dead batteries can still carry enough charge to cause serious injuries and death.

             

They advise new or used batteries should always be stored out of site and reach of children, check that button battery compartments are secure and not easy to open, place a piece of tape on either side before disposing of them, always supervise children when playing with products containing button batteries and never store them near food or medicine as even adults, particularly seniors have confused them with pills or food and have been injured.

             

January is Alzheimers Awareness Month

 Alzheimer’s Society Manitoba is encouraging those impacted by dementia to reach out to them for support.

 

Alzheimer’s is a progressive degenerative disease where several changes occur such as brain cells shrinking or disappearing overtime.

 

This in turn leads to less brain tissue and effects how the brain functions.

 

Regional Manager Liz McLeod shares the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in Manitoba.  She explains there’s over 23 thousand diagnosed now and we know that number is going up as the largest part of our population, that is the baby boomers, as they age they become at higher risk for developing dementia so the more people you have in the higher age ranges the more dementia diagnoses you’re going to get.

 

This year’s campaign is “Community Changes Everything”, which involves sharing stories from people living with dementia who’ve received support from the organization and encourage those who haven’t to seek out their programs and resources.

Manitoba Reports Over Two Thousand New Cases While Saskatchewan Tops One Thousand.

Manitoba public health reported 2012 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 48.1 percent.  Of the new cases 1280 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 259 in Northern health which has 1388 active cases with 44 of them in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 103,935 confirmed cases in the province 33,617 are active, 68,892 people have recovered and 418 are in hospital with 42 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1027 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 980.  Of the total 94,080 confirmed cases 8229 are active, 84, 890 people have recovered and 121 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reported two new cases for a total of 11 active cases.  As of January 11th 84 percent of residents 12 years and older and 77 percent of residents five years and older have been vaccinated.

It Was Another Successful Year of Recycling.

The year end totals are in for last year at the Flin Flon Recycling Centre.  Administrator Deb Odegaard says 2021 was a very successful year for recycling.  She explains they did 564 tonnes of print and packaging material, cardboard, aluminum cans out of the Recycling Centre which is 26 tonnes more than last year although 20 tonnes of that was shredded paper as a lot of local offices are cleaning up.  She added they did just over one tonne of batteries, three shipments of paint from the Recycling Centre, four shipments of hazardous waste from the landfill and just under 20 tonnes of ewaste.

             

For information on recycling you can contact the Recycling Centre at 204-687-6169 or visit their website www.flinflonrecycling.org.

Charges Have Been Laid Following a Stabbing in Pelican Narrows.

Shortly after 8 am January 1st Pelican Narrows RCMP responded to a report of a stabbing and shooting in the community.  Two injured men were taken to hospital in Saskatoon and have since been released.

             

Staff Sergeant Rod Rudnisky reports they executed search warrants at two residences in the community and seized a total of 13 firearms.

             

As a result of the investigation a man and three youth from Pelican Narrows are facing firearms and assault charges.  They have been released for a court appearance on April 5th in Pelican Narrows Provincial Court.

Confirmed Cases Have Topped 101 Thousand in Manitoba and Approach 93 Thousand in Saskatchewan.

Manitoba public health reported 2383 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 49 percent.  Of the new cases 1484 are in the Winnipeg region where over 21 thousand cases are active with much lower numbers in other regions including 150 in Northern health where there are 1174 active cases with 49 in the Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district.  Of the total 101,933 confirmed cases 31,618 are active, 68,888 people have recovered and 378 are in hospital with 39 in intensive care. They also report the backlog of COVID-19 tests awaiting processing has been cleared.

             

Saskatchewan reported 1069 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 871.  Of the total 92,940 confirmed cases 7750 are active, 84,229 people have recovered and 119 are in hospital a jump from 105 on Friday.  Far Northeast Two reports no new cases with the number of active cases holding at nine.

A Company is Moving Forward With Mine Development West of Flin Flon.

Foran Mining Corporation has announced the appointment of David K. Bernier as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately.  Executive Chair and CEO Dan Myerson says Bernier has over 25 years of deep operational experience gained from a series of progressively senior roles across mine design, project development and production management at various operations in Canada.  He notes since joining Foran as Project Director in April 2021 Dave has been instrumental in advancing the McIlvenna Bay project 65 kilometers west of Flin Flon.

             

Bernier adds with development and permitting milestones and an exciting near mine exploration plan it is a fantastic time to be exploring and developing a mine in one of the best mining jurisdictions and he is eager to execute their strategy to build McIlvenna Bay and a centralized processing facility to help transform the Hanson Lake District into the next prolific mining camp in Canada.

 

Aggressive Drivers are a Concern in Our Country.

A recent poll by the Canadian Automobile Association shows Canadians see aggressive driving as a serious threat to their safety on the road.  This rivals impaired and distracted driving.

             

Their Vice-President of Public Affairs Ian Jack reports more than 90 percent say forms of aggressive driving such as drivers running red lights and speeding are a threat to their safety on the road.  More than 90 percent also say a leading cause of distraction is people using their phone while driving which is also a serious threat although they admitted to having done at least one distracting activity while driving.  Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was also seen as a top threat and the survey also revealed the vast majority of Canadians said it is important to have alternative travelling arrangements after consuming alcohol or cannabis.

             

Jack adds they urge everyone to make safe decisions, plan ahead and keep your focus on the road.

Manitoba extends restrictions another three weeks as COVID numbers continue to rise

The Manitoba government is extending its current COVID-19 restrictions for three more weeks as the Omicron variant continues to spread.

The rules limit movie theatres, museums, professional sports arenas and many other venues to 50 per cent capacity or 250 people, whichever is lower, and everyone must be vaccinated.

There are also limits on gatherings in private homes - five guests if anyone is unvaccinated and 10 if everyone is immunized.

The orders were set to expire Tuesday, but will remain in place until Feb. 1.

The announcement came as the province announced another sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

There are 297 people with COVID-19 in hospitals, an increase of more than 10 per cent in one day.

Hospital Numbers Continue to Go Up in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Manitoba public health reported 3265 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 44.4 percent.  Of the new cases 2168 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 170 in Northern health where there are 856 active cases.   The Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage Sherridon district is holding at 30 active cases. Of the total 94,850 confirmed cases 24,595 are active, 68,847 people have recovered and 297 are in hospital with 34 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1170 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 659.  Of the total 89,821 confirmed cases 6254 are active, 82,606 people have recovered and 105 are in hospital up five from Thursday.  Far Northeast Two reported two new cases bringing the number of active cases to six.

 

Your Input is Needed on Provincial Park Improvement Priorities.

As part of its commitment to improve the quality and sustainability of provincial parks the Manitoba government is inviting citizens to share their opinions about needed improvements and priority areas in an online survey. Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard explained the government has created a 20 million dollar Provincial Parks Endowment Fund to support projects.  Priority categories include  development and maintenance of trails, boardwalks and associated infrastructure, public use facilities such as shelters, day use sites, playground equipment, docks and launches, park road maintenance and campground enhancements.

             

The engagement plan seeks input from all provincial park visitors and users including day use visitors, overnight campers, cottagers and commercial businesses operating within provincial parks.  The public will have the opportunity to provide suggestions on specific park projects they would like to see funded and the province plans to host annual meetings with park stakeholders.

             

The public engagement questionnaire is available at https://engagemb.ca.

 

 

 

Funding is Available to Hire Young People for Summer Jobs.

Canada Summer Jobs is a program under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.  It aims to provide services to help all young Canadians develop skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labor market. The program provides wage subsidies to employers from non-profit organizations, the public sector and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full time employees to create quality summer work experience for young people aged 15 to 30 years.  Jobs will need to be full time with a minimum of 30 hours a week and duration of at least six weeks with jobs starting between April 25th and July 24th and ending by September 3rd. 

             

The deadline to apply is January 25th and the easiest way to find more information is to Google Canada Summer Jobs 2022 and click on funding Canada Summer Jobs overview.  The program aims to create up to 100 thousand full time summer job opportunities for young people.

 

Hospital Numbers are Up in Manitoba but Down in Saskatchewan.

Manitoba public health reported 2548 new cases of Covid -19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 43.5 percent.  Of the new cases 1503 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 157 in Northern health where there are 694 active cases. The Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district reports 30 active cases.   Of the total 91,587 identified cases in the province 21,277 are active, 68,902 people have recovered and 263 are in hospital up from 252 Wednesday with 33 in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan reported 913 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 597.  Of the total 88,638 identified cases 5235 are active, 82,442 people have recovered and 100 are in hospital down six from Wednesday.  Far Northeast Two reports one new case bringing the total active to four.

A Lithium Exploration Company Working Near Snow Lake has Changed its Name.

Far Resources has announced it will be changing the Company’s name to Foremost Lithium Resource and Technology Limited.  President Scott Taylor explains they officially retired the Company’s old name and direction and re-launched with a new name, brand and website www.foremostlithium.com with a strategic focus on lithium exploration.  He notes the company intends to take advantage of the battery metals market and is committed to being a leading supplier of battery grade lithium hydroxide.

             

Taylor adds they have over 16 thousand combined acres between their Jean Lake and Zoro Lithium Projects located in Snow Lake, Manitoba and their Hidden Lake Lithium Project in the Northwest Territories which are primed for exploration and they are anxious to advance their exploration program to define more drill targets and more resource tonnage.

There are New Cases in Our Northern Area.

Manitoba public health reported 1790 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 40.3 percent.  Of the new cases 1320 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 84 in Northern health where 621 cases are active.  The Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district reports 27 active cases.  Of the total 89,050 identified cases in the province 18,844 are active of which almost13 thousand in Winnipeg, 68,804 people have recovered and 252 are in hospital with 30 in intensive care. At this time approximately 6800 tests are awaiting processing.

             

Saskatchewan health reports 537 new cases bringing the seven day average of new cases to 549.  Of the total 87,708 identified cases 4446 are active, 82,302 people have recovered and 106 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports three new cases which are the only cases reported to be active.

Saskatchewan Students Will Stay In School.

Saskatchewan Education Minister Dustin Duncan has announced the government has decided to have students return to the classroom this week unlike other provinces. He explains he can’t speak to the specifics that are going on in each of those individual provinces in terms of perhaps their case numbers or hospitalization numbers but what they do know in Saskatchewan is that they have a great availability of rapid tests that have been deployed all across the province, probably the greatest extent anywhere in the country and they know that certainly their hospitalization levels are lower than they have been for quite some time now and they know that in person education is important.

             

Duncan adds they likely will have higher case counts in the coming days and that may cause disruptions in the classroom but that’s going to be the reality whether or not they extend the holiday.  In case of an outbreak in a school which is defined as three or more cases in a class or cohort of students public health will continue to investigate and may advise further mitigation measures for either the class or the entire school. 

 

The City of Flin Flon Has Received its Annual Recycling Funding Payment Notice.

At their Zoom meeting last night City Council received a notice from Multi-Stewardship Manitoba. It advised the City will receive just over 124,600 dollars paid on a quarterly basis in four equal payments. This amount represents 313 tonnes of recycled material at a rate of 382 dollars per tonne.  It also includes the Northern Allowance of 40 dollars per tonne but does not include the portion owed from newspaper stewards.

             

Council received a letter advising them Nisokapawino Forestry management in The Pas is undertaking development of an updated 20 year plan that will set a sustainable management direction from 2025 to 2044.  As part of that development they will keep all communities and resource users up to date with information throughout the process and provide opportunities to answer questions and gather feedback. They will be organizing information sessions in our community.

             

Council approved the purchase of an Airport grader at a cost just under 398 thousand dollars with federal funding assistance and an Airport friction tester at a cost of just over 6 thousand dollars.

             

Council also renewed the contract with Ted Elliott of Skjold Property Inspections Limited for provision of building standards and general by-law enforcement.

The Deadline is Approaching for Grant Applications for Youth Summer Employment Programs.

Grant applications are being accepted for the Urban and Hometown Green Team program which allows organizations to hire youth between the ages and 15 and 29 for summer jobs across Manitoba. Youth are hired to work on community projects between May 1st and September 30th.  Eligible recipients include non-profit organizations in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba and municipal governments in rural Manitoba.

             

This year’s funding prioritizes full time employment opportunities for youth, projects that support COVID-19 response and recovery efforts and projects that respond to community need and partnerships.  The grant covers 100 percent of wage costs plus 250 dollars per position for non-profit organizations. Municipal governments receive 50 percent of wage costs and 125 dollars per position on a cost shared bases.

             

The deadline for applications is January 17th with information on applications found online at www.manitobago.ca.

 

New Case Counts Remain High in Winnipeg and Saskatchewan Numbers are Going Up.

Manitoba public health reported 1757 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 39.5 percent.  Of the new cases 1350 are in Winnipeg with lower numbers in other regions including 60 in Northern health where the number of active cases is at 572.  The Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Sherridon district reports 26 active cases.  Of the total 87,263 identified cases 17,076 are active, 68,787 people have recovered and 32 are in intensive care.

             

Saskatchewan health reported 1954 new cases since Friday bringing the seven day average of new cases to 515.  326 of the new cases were reported today. They note the number of new cases is likely low because they are limiting lab tests to those who are severely ill or vulnerable. Of the total 87,167 confirmed cases 4062 are active, 82,145 people have recovered and 95 are in hospital.  Far Northeast Two reports no new cases and no cases are active.

 

Manitoba Students Will Learn Remotely For a Week.

The government is shifting to a one week remote learning period for most Manitoba students after the holiday break.   Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal says this is to ensure schools can implement enhanced measures for in person learning.  He explains education is very important from a public health perspective and they’re doing what they can to mitigate COVID-19 issues in school settings.  He says they’re going to continue to work on that and strive for that and get those kids back in the classroom and this measure is just an interim step in a phased in approach to make sure they can mitigate as much as possible the impact of COVID19 following the holidays to ensure that kids are able to partake in that important activity of being in school.

             

Effective January 10th a phased in approach will be applied to allow students of critical service workers in kindergarten to grade six and all high risk students and students with special learning needs in kindergarten to grade 12 attend school if no alternate care is available.  Current plans have all other students return to in person learning on January 17th.

A Lot of Children Received Gifts With Your Help.

The Christmas Gift Program run by the Flin Flon Friendship Center went well again this year.  The program allows parents to give their children a gift at Christmas when circumstances prevent them from doing so.  The Center’s Program Events Coordinator Lisa Rosvold says donations and gift pick up went well.  She gave a big thank you to everyone for the generous donations noting they had 117 parents register and they were able to put a smile on 403 children and teen faces.  She added your support means a lot to families that access this program so once again thank you to our wonderful community that made sure these kids had a gift under the tree.

             

This was the 27th year for the Christmas Gift Program.

 

The Manitoba Government has Made Changes to the Self Isolation Public Health Order.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon says the change was made to adapt to the prevalence of rapid antigen tests and to help address the surge in COIVD-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.

             

The changes which came into effect Saturday include requiring all people who have tested positive for COVID-19 to isolate including those who completed a rapid antigen test, changing isolation requirements to five days from ten days since the date of the test for fully vaccinated people who are not showing any symptoms, requiring people who have only isolated for five days to wear a medical grade mask while in a public setting for five days immediately following their self isolation and requiring isolation for people who have tested positive who are not fully vaccinated for ten days after their test as long as their symptoms are improving and they do not have a fever.

             

Gordon adds these changes will help ensure everyone who should self isolate does regardless of how they tested and will reduce the strain on the health system workforce as well as other key sectors as more workers report they have contracted COVID-19.

Second Degree Murder Charges Have Been Laid Following Shootings in Creighton and Flin Flon Over the Weekend.

Around 12:10 Saturday morning RCMP were advised someone had been shot outside the Community Hall in Creighton. RCMP from Creighton and Flin Flon found a 24 year old man from Cranberry Portage suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital in stable condition. About an hour later they were advised of a shooting at a residence on Bellevue Avenue in Flin Flon where they found a 47 year old man from The Pas who was taken to hospital in stable condition and a 26 year old woman who was pronounced deceased.

             

A large scale search for the suspect identified as 18 year old Xander Tardiff of Flin Flin was launched with assistance from officers from the Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services, Major Crimes Services, Forensic Identification Services, Air Services and a number of officers from nearby detachments.

             

Around 11:30 Saturday night they located Tardiff in the Aspen Grove area.  He has been charged with second degree murder along with other firearms related charges.  He has been remanded into custody and is to appear in The Pas provincial court tomorrow for Flin Flon related charges and in La Ronge provincial court for Creighton related charges.

Flin Flon RCMP Have Made an Arrest.

Just before midnght last night the RCMP reported Xander Tardiff had been taken into custody.

 Tardiff was wanted in connection to a shooting that occured in Creighton and a homicide that occurred in Flin Flon early Saturday morning.

No further details on the arrest have been released.

 

Flin Flon RCMP searching for armed and dangerous suspect

Manitoba RCMP are searching for Xander Tardiff, an 18-year-old male from Flin Flon in connection to a shooting that occurred in Creighton, SK, and a homicide that occurred in Flin Flon early this morning.

Xander Tardiff is approximately 6’, 180 lb, with black hair and brown eyes.

It is believed he may be in Flin Flon, Creighton, SK, or Denare Beach, SK.

He is considered armed and dangerous. If seen, call 911 immediately and do not approach.

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