News briefs for October 9, 2020

A blasting cap was found by crews sorting recycling in Thompson on Friday, pausing collection while emergency services investigated. 

According to the City of Thompson, a blasting cap — a detonator used to trigger high power explosives in mining and construction operations — was found by an employee sorting materials at the recycling centre. 

“Even alone, they pack quite a wallop: the one discovered today could have taken off someone’s hand, and as a friction-triggered device, it posed a real threat to the safety of employees working at the Recycling Center,” the city said in a statement. 

Recycling collection was suspended while the centre worked with mining company Vale, Thompson Fire and Emergency Services and RCMP to search the recycling for any remaining explosives. 

Explosives such as ammunition and caps should not go in the curbside garbage or recycling, the city warned, and doing so could result in a criminal charge.

Police in Brandon were forced to shoot a cow that injured a 72-year-old woman after it escaped from a stockyard Thursday.

Police received several calls about a cow on the loose near Victoria Avenue East. The cow had been seen near the Dinsdale Personal Care Home.

The cow charged at the woman and later ran to the railyard near the First Street bridge. It was eventually shot and killed by police.

No information was given about the woman’s condition.

The City of Winnipeg could soon sell off John Blumberg Golf Course.

A public service report recommends the city seek someone to either buy the property or enter a joint venture with the city for it.

The report proposes the city invest some revenue from the deal to help reduce Winnipeg’s infrastructure deficit, especially for recreation and public green space.

The proposal for the 4540 Portage Ave. facility requires council approval, while an actual sale of the course would require support from two-thirds of council members.

Winnipeg Jets centre Bryan Little has been ruled out of continuing his career next season with the Winnipeg Jets.

The veteran suffered a devastating head injury last November after he was hit with an errant shot fired by teammate Nikolaj Ehlers.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff revealed Friday that doctors have told Little he should not return to the ice next season. 

The Jets will move Little and his $5.2 million cap hit to long-term injured reserve.

Winnipeg obtained centre Paul Stastny in a trade on Friday morning.

Yet another familiar face is back in the fold for the Winnipeg Jets.

Defenceman Luca Sbisa, 30, signed a one-year deal Friday that pays him $800,00 per season.

He was claimed off the waiver wire last season, appearing in 44 games with two goals and eight assists. 

Sbisa was an unrestricted free agent. He joins Nathan Beaulieu, Dylan DeMelo and Laurent Brossoit as other members of last year’s team who have now re-upped.

Damage to a gas line by a contractor near the 600 block of Warde Avenue resulted in a gas leak into the sewer system and a nearby seniors home Friday morning. 

Those staying at the home were evacuated by paramedics and stayed in Winnipeg Transit buses until the leak was repaired about 1 p.m., a spokesperson for Winnipeg Hydro confirmed. 

A man has been arrested in connection with a break and enter in the RM of Alexander onSunday, when a vehile, two firearms and several other items were stolen.

The man was arrested during a traffic stop in Selkirk on Oct. 8 about 3 p.m. A firearm, pellet gun and knife were found in the vehicle, along some items taken during the break-in, according to the RCMP.

Curtis Duval, 29, of Powerview-Pine Falls, has been charged with numerous offences including break and enter to steal firearms, six counts of possession of weapons contrary to a court order and carrying a concealed weapon. He was remanded into custody.

A 37-year-old woman from the same community who was a passenger in the vehicle is facing five charges of possession of a dangerous weapon.

Public health officials are alerting Manitobans to possible COVID-19 exposures at University of Winnipeg Collegiate and Kleefeld School. 

The province says people may have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate (515 Portage Ave.) on Sept. 28 and 30, and Oct. 5 and 7.

So far, there is no evidence of in-school transmission or that the infection was acquired in school. Public health is reaching out to close contacts to advise them to monitor for symptoms and seek testing if they develop.

An exposure was also reported at Kleefeld School, at 101 Friesen Ave. in Kleefeld, Man., on Oct. 1 and 2.

The province says there is no evidence of in-school transmission or that the infection was acquired at the school.

Public health is reaching out to close contacts to advise the cohort to self-isolate and move to remote learning. 

More capacity will be added to the COVID-19 screening site at 2735 Pembina Hwy. on Saturday, the provincial government said. 

The walk-in testing site will be able to perform at least 240 more swabs per day beginning on Oct. 10. 

The province will also open a new drive-through test site at 1066 Nairn Ave. on Tues., Oct. 13. When it opens it will be able to perform up to 200 tests a day with a goal to ramp up capacity to 400 by Oct. 15. 

On Thanksgiving Monday, COVID-19 testing will be available at the following locations:

• 1181 Portage Ave. in Winnipeg;
• 1284 Main St. in Winnipeg;
• 2735 Pembina Hwy. in Winnipeg;
• 604 St. Mary’s Rd. in Winnipeg;
• 622 Superior Ave. in Selkirk;
• Eriksdale Wellness Centre, 35 Railway Ave. in Eriksdale;
• Pine Falls Health Complex at 37 Maple St. in Pine Falls;
• Southland Mall at R10-777 Norquay Dr. in Winkler;
• 365 Reimer Ave. in Steinbach;
• the Van Horne location entrance off of Van Horne Avenue East in Brandon;  and 
• Portage Avenue and Fifth Street SE in Portage la Prairie.

Manitoba reported 84 new cases of COVID-19 Friday and three more people have died from the disease. 

According to the province, two women who lived at Parkview Place Long Term Care Home in downtown Winnipeg have died after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The women were in their 70s and 80s. Six residents of that care home have now died after falling ill from the novel coronavirus. 

A third death reported Friday is a woman in her 80s who was a resident at Heritage Lodge Personal Care Home (3555 Portage Ave.).

Thirty Manitobans have now died from COVID-19. 

Provincial public health officials said the provincewide five-day test positivity rate is at 3.1 per cent and 3,196 tests were processed at the lab on Thursday. 

New cases are in the following regions: 

• Winnipeg, 64.
• Prairie Mountain, one. 
• Southern Health-Sante Sud, seven.
• Interlake-Eastern, 12. 

There are 933 active cases and 1,465 individuals have recovered from COVID-19. On Friday, 25 people are in hospital with COVID-19, including six in intensive care.

A first step to reduce sewage pollution entering Lake Winnipeg will be delayed.

A new report notes the city won’t consider its final interim strategy to reduce the algae-promoting phosphorus in effluent leaving its North End sewage treatment plant until summer 2021, a step previously expected by December 2020.

The city says the pandemic forced lab testing to be postponed earlier this year — testing that’s needed to ensure the change can be made safely.

That forced a delay in choosing which treatment option is best suited to reduce phosphorus before a much broader $1.8-billion sewage plant upgrade is completed. At this point, the larger plant upgrade is expected to be finished in 2032.

The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed defenceman Nathan Beaulieu.

The 27-year-old became an unrestricted free agent Friday but quickly re-upped with the local club on a two-year deal that pays $1.25 million per season.

He provides solid depth for the blue line, along with some much-needed size and physicality.

The Jets previously re-signed pending UFA’s Dylan DeMelo and Laurent Brossoit prior to Friday’s free-agent frenzy. 

Valour FC announced the re-signing of forward Masta Kacher Friday.

The 24-year-old Algerian-born Montrealer joined Valour FC on March 6 from Saint Louis FC of the USL and played for the Winnipeg side at the Canadian Premier League’s Island Games tournament.

He appeared in six games and logged 360 minutes of playing time, scoring one goal.

Effective Saturday, the Manitoba government is prohibiting night hunting for all licensed hunters on private land.

While enacting into law its Wildlife Amendment Act (Safe Hunting and Shared Management), the government announced the extension of a moose hunting moratorium in certain areas of the province.

Despite current closures, the moose population has not recovered to historic levels in some areas owing to illegal hunting and natural causes, the government said Friday.

The province said it will implement a permit system to allow opportunities for "rights-based hunting" on some Crown land.

Those headed southbound on Gateway Road between Prince Rupert and Government avenues will have to find an alternative route, as the road is temporarily closed for a sewer repair.

Welcome back to Winnipeg, Paul Stastny.

The Jets have officially re-acquired the veteran centre in a deal that sends a fourth-round draft pick and defenceman Carl Dahlstrom to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Stastny will slide right back into the same second-line centre spot he had when he first came to the Jets in time for the memorable 2018 playoff run to the Western Conference Final.

He would have liked to stay with the Jets, but they didn’t have the cap space at the time and signed a three-year deal with Vegas that pays $6.5 million annually.

Winnipeg will now absorb the final year of that contract.

The City of Winnipeg will search for a new chief financial officer, since Mike Ruta won’t return to the role.

Ruta, who will continue serving as interim chief administrative officer until a new CAO is found, has told the city he won’t return as CFO following that point, according to a city press release.

“We will need to begin the search for a replacement as soon as possible,” said Mayor Brian Bowman, in the release.

A new CFO recruitment committee will include councillors Scott Gillingham, Cindy Gilroy and Markus Chambers, as well as Ruta himself.

Council approval will be required to confirm the next CFO, once one is selected.

The Pallister government is seeking authority from the Manitoba legislature to spend an additional half-billion dollars on its COVID-19 response.

The supplementary appropriation would provide government departments the additional spending authority for $577 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

The appropriation would provide authority to distribute federal funding to municipalities through the Safe Restart Agreement with the federal government, new infrastructure investments through the Manitoba Restart program and additional supports to the Manitoba education system, the government said in a release.

Manitoba is receiving $106 million for municipalities and public transit through the federal Safe Restart Agreement, of which the majority of the funds will flow to the City of Winnipeg. 

The province, in partnership with Trails Manitoba, is spending $7 million to create, maintain and enhance active transportation trails across the province, including in the city of Winnipeg.

There are more than 1,700 kilometres of active transportation trails throughout the province. The government has created three funds that will be managed by Trails Manitoba and held in trust by The Winnipeg Foundation.

The $1-million Trails Manitoba Operating Endowment Fund will serve as ongoing operating funding for Trails Manitoba.

The $4-million Manitoba Trails Improvement Endowment Fund will support annual application-based grants to create new trails or improve existing ones.

The third fund, a $2-million Manitoba Trails Strategic Fund, is designed to support capital projects that advance recreational trail development in Winnipeg and will be distributed as matching grants.

Temporary patio registration will be available through the winter for eligible Winnipeg businesses with new operating requirments, the city announced Friday. 

Summer patio registrations will be extended to Oct. 31, and winter registrations will be accepted as of Oct. 14, in effect from Nov. 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

New requirements for winter patio operation include permitted heating sources, size and material restrictions for tents or shelters, and requirements for snow removal, the city said.

Businesses looking to participate in the temporary winter patio registration will need to submit a new registration form and supporting documentation for review and approval. More information about the application process is available online at winnipeg.ca/temporarypatio.

Hand hygiene compliance among staff at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is under target, according to quarterly WRHA data. 

Overall, physicians, nurses and other health-care staff washed or sanitized their hands 78 per cent of the time as they cared for clients and patients in April, May and June of this year.

The health authority strives for at least 80 per cent compliance, with an ultimate target of 100 per cent compliance.

The data indicate a slight overall increase in compliance this quarter compared to last year. In the final quarter of 2019-20, health staff showed 71 per cent compliance with handwashing practices.

The WRHA regularly tracks hand hygiene compliance rates and targets improvements by hospital and area.