The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada

Dozens of Uber, Lyft drivers switched to cheaper insurance coverage: MPI probe

Ride-service drivers have been defrauding Manitoba Public Insurance by improperly insuring their vehicles as for personal use.

The public insurer and the City of Winnipeg, which regulates ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, discovered the widespread fraud after MPI conducted a review in December last year.

“When a driver changes their coverage from ride-share insurance to a personal vehicle coverage and continues to operate as a ride-share driver, that is fraud, plain and simple,” said MPI chief executive officer Satvir Jatana at a news conference Thursday.

MPI’s review looked at a random sample of 408 ride-hailing vehicles and found 108 were operating without the proper vehicle-for-hire insurance coverage. In order to register with the city as a ride-service driver, a vehicle must have such insurance and proof must be provided to the ride-booking company.

A dozen straight titles for Indigenous trainers at Downs

THAT’S a wrap!

The 69th season of live racing at Assiniboia Downs came to a close on Wednesday and for the 12th consecutive year the training title was won by an Indigenous horseman.

Trainer Jerry Gourneau of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota won his sixth trainer title at the Downs with a record of 54-45-43 from 280 starts and purse earnings of US$559,191.

And for the eighth straight year, Gourneau’s main owner, former champion race car driver Henry S. Witt, Jr. won the owner title at the Downs. He compiled a record of 46-41-40 from 242 starts and purse earnings of US$535,983.

Brandon school expansion unveiled

The Manitoba government has spent more than $13 million to boost a Brandon school’s capacity by nearly two-thirds.

The expansion of Maryland Park School, which was completed for the start of the school year, adds more than 17,000 square feet of educational space and increases the school’s capacity from about 550 students to 900.

Education Minister Tracy Schmidt joined Brandon East MLA Glen Simard, school division officials, staff and students Friday afternoon for a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the expansion.

“This is a two-storey addition, which includes 13 new classrooms, a new science room, student support spaces and much, much more,” Schmidt said. “This is not only going to give more space for the students that are here today and for the staff, but also so that we can continue to meet the growing needs of this growing, vibrant community.”

Other cities build rapid transit, while we wait

Winnipeg’s civic election campaign has produced no shortage of promises to improve transit safety and fix problems with the new network. Those issues are real and urgent. But they should not distract from a larger failure — while other Canadian urban regions secure billions in federal support to transform their transit systems, Winnipeg is falling further behind.