What’s happening today
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESSSt Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg issued a statement Thursday evening stating that it’s ICU had reached capacity.
COVID-19 crisis: It’s expected more pandemic restrictions will be announced at a news conference with chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin this afternoon. Manitoba announced a record 193 new cases Thursday, and St. Boniface Hospital announced its intensive care wards are full. In an open letter to Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minister Cameron Friesen, 11 doctors are calling on the provincial government to impose an immediate provincewide shutdown to avoid an “appalling and pointless loss of life.” Ryan Thorpe and Kevin Rollason report on the letter. READ MORE
Federal funds: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce additional funding to help Indigenous people and communities cope with the impact of the pandemic — specifically for child care, education and infrastructure. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Immigration plan amid pandemic: Ottawa will release an update on immigration so far this year and a plan for how many immigrants the federal government intends to admit next year amid the pandemic and potentially closed borders. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Set for strike vote: Members of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association are holding a strike vote beginning today. The secret-ballot vote will be done online until Sunday. READ MORE
Winter service starts: Service for winter-only Transit Plus users will begin today instead of Dec. 15 after recent snow made streets and sidewalks slippery, the City of Winnipeg announced Thursday after complaints. Joyanne Pursaga reports. READ MORE
Weather
Your forecast: A mix of sun and cloud with a high of 3 C, a daytime low of -8 C, wind chill as low as -13 and peak winds from the south at 30 km/h gusting to 50 beginning in the late afternoon.
In other news
A large Canadian flag is passed through a crowd in this Friday, Oct. 27, 1995 file picture, as thousands streamed into Montreal from all over Canada to join Quebecers rallying for national unity three days before a referendum that could propel Quebec toward secession. Twenty-five years ago today, Quebec came within inches of separating from Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Quarter-century since sovereignty vote: Today is the 25th anniversary of Quebec’s last referendum on sovereignty. The “No” side received less than 51 per cent of the vote, and the referendum was considered the high-water mark of the separatist movement. The Canadian Press reports. READ MORE
Candidates to campaign in Minnesota: U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will both speak to supporters in Minnesota today. The candidates are making stops in multiple states on the second-last weekday before election day. Trump has already visited Minnesota — which Hillary Clinton won by a narrow margin in 2016 — three times since August. This is Biden’s second visit to the state since winning the nomination. The Associated Press reports. READ MORE
On this date
On Oct. 30, 1963: The Winnipeg Free Press reported that in Ottawa, a federal opposition offensive against the government’s defence policies fizzled and the minority Liberal government survived two non-confidence motions with unexpected ease. Members of all four opposition parties had “roasted the government for signing an agreement with the United States to acquire nuclear warheads,” but the two motions brought forward by different parties failed to win enough votes against the government; Conservative leader John Diefenbaker thus lost his chance to force an early election. In Chicago, 12 people were arrested in what the FBI described as a $10-million-a-year narcotics ring that controlled 80 per cent of the “dope trade” in the city.
Today’s front page
Get the full story: Read today’s e-edition of the Winnipeg Free Press READ MORE
In October, doctors urged the province to lock down to avoid “appalling and pointless loss of life.” At the time, 60 Manitobans’ deaths had been linked to the virus. In the two months that followed, deaths increased tenfold.
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