Manitoba says ankle bracelets will cover more communities, help more victims

Provincially regulated workplaces required to provide free menstrual products

New regulations came into force Tuesday requiring all provincially regulated workplaces in Manitoba to provide free menstrual products to employees.

The amendments to the Workplace Safety and Health Regulation were published March 9 but didn’t take effect until Sept. 1 to give employers six months to purchase supplies, and where needed, dispensers and disposal containers.

Labour Minister Malaya Marcelino said Tuesday that rather than push back, employers have asked for more information.

“The only concern I heard was that people don’t know about it and that we need to spread the word in a better way. That was the only issue,” Marcelino said in an interview.

Red River Polytechnic looks to expand after MITT takeover

Red River College Polytechnic is celebrating an enrolment bump and eyeing new high school partnerships as part of its merger with a longtime competitor.

For the first time, nearly 400 students attended their first day of RRC Polytech in Winnipeg’s south end on Tuesday.

The new campus is outfitted with two school logos — a new red one and a blue design belonging to the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.

“It feels great to be a part of history,” said Dom McLaren, an 18-year-old who is enrolled in RRC Polytech’s network and systems administration program. “I’m definitely going to enjoy my time.”

Dynacare strike could lead to lab test logjam

DOCTORS and health-care advocates are raising concerns about patient care if a Sept. 8 strike goes ahead at the private company that provides nearly all medical lab services in Manitoba.

There is no essential services agreement in place with Dynacare, so if its lab techs are off the job, patients who need blood tests and urinalysis will be directed to hospitals and public clinics for those services.

“There’s only so many of those workers and I’m sure that the public folks are bracing for big crunch of additional patients if the strike really goes ahead,” Noah Schulz of the Manitoba Health Coalition said Monday.

Dynacare serves 1.2 million Manitoba patients a year at 23 community lab locations.

Officers, not technology, stop huge drug drop into Stony prison

Stony Mountain Institution officers intercepted $1.8 million worth of drugs and other banned items Sunday in one of the largest reported seizures in recent years at Manitoba’s only federal prison.

Jake Suelzle, president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers’ prairie region, said employees spotted a drone while it delivered packages containing contraband.

“What marks this one a little bit unique is the (Correctional Service of Canada) just invested a significant amount of money into a drone detector, and this drone detector sure showed its worth when it didn’t detect at all,” he said Tuesday. “No alarm was raised when this package was dropped.”

In a news release that offered limited details, the correctional service said the items, including THC concentrate, were found in packages thanks to the “vigilance” of employees.

Blue Bombers hope improved ball security sign of better things to come

It’s not like Cam Lawson was an unwilling participant in the impromptu game of hot potato, he just wasn’t expecting Davis Alexander to toss the ball in his general direction.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman was chasing down the Montreal Alouettes quarterback early in the third quarter of Friday’s 44-28 victory and was locked in on throwing a thunderous hit as Alexander scrambled outside the pocket.

“I wanted to light him up, but he (threw) it right at me and I was like ‘Oh my God,’” Lawson said after the Bombers returned to the practice field on Tuesday. “I almost had it, but it slid off my arm as I turned. It was really weird. I’ve watched (the replay) 100 times.”

Lawson remains in disbelief over the sequence of events that followed, which included multiple players and multiple body parts making contact with the football before Bombers linebacker Tony Jones finally scooped it up for a fumble recovery.

Provencher Park eyed for new aquatic centre

Provencher Park may be the next site for a new aquatic centre.