Manitoba’s COVID-19 crisis
Premier Brian Pallister (right) said the province doesn’t need 600,000 people pretending they know more than chief provincial health officer Dr. Brent Roussin (left). (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)
Lockdown loosened: New pandemic restrictions, including closing non-essential businesses and forbidding in-person religious services, are now in effect. However, the provincial government apparently decided against restricting indoor and outdoor gatherings to five people, all from the same household. Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, tweeted Wednesday night that, “Manitobans don’t need a law to do what is right,” and that, “We don’t have time to waste on semantics and legal loopholes.” Jason Bell reports. READ MORE
Latest case counts: The provincial government will give an update on the latest COVID-19 numbers this afternoon. Roussin does not have a news conference scheduled and isn’t expected to face questions today about Wednesday night’s confusion. The province announced a record nine deaths and 431 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the third-highest count so far. Malak Abas reports. READ MORE
No longer going it alone: Sarah Lawrynuik and Katie May report on the anxiety some people who live alone faced before the provincial government apparently reversed a plan to ban social gatherings involving people from more than one household. READ MORE
Vigil for virus victims: About three dozen people gathered for a vigil outside Maples Personal Care Home — where an outbreak of the virus has claimed 22 lives — Wednesday night. Jason Bell reports. READ MORE
Lining up for last-minute shopping: People queued up outside stores and packed malls on Wednesday, getting some shopping done before the new restrictions took effect. Jason Bell reports. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: There is a 30 per cent chance of more snow until later this morning. A mix of sun and cloud with a high of -5 C, a daytime low of -10 C, wind chill as low as -17 and peak winds from the west at 30 km/h.
In other news
CPDutch police are seen outside Saudi Arabia’s embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, after several shot were fired at the building early in the morning. Nobody was injured and police were investigating. (MIKE CORDER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bullet holes in Hague embassy: Several shots were fired into Saudi Arabia’s embassy in The Hague this morning. No one was injured. Dutch police are investigating. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
Federal funds: A Senate committee will question Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland today about the pandemic aid bill known as C-9, which would extend the federal wage subsidy until summer and expand a business loan program. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Poll on protecting lands: A poll found 88 per cent of respondents think more Manitoba land should be protected from forestry, mining and hydroelectric development. Sarah Lawrynuik reports. READ MORE
On this date
On Nov. 12, 1934: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that a Manitoba farmer in Altamont had been murdered; the apparent killer, alleged to have held a grudge against the victim, was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. In Toronto, Canadian railroading pioneer Sir Ronald D. Mann died at the age of 81. Winnipeg’s Deer Lodge junior rugby team won a resounding success over Edmonton, capturing the Western Canada Crown with a 21-0 victory. Winnipeggers paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the Great War on the 16th anniversary of the armistice that ended the conflict. Ceremonies were held throughout Europe; however, in Dublin, the Union Jack flag was burned by youths during the commemoration ceremony, who fled from police afterward.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE
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