News briefs for April 19, 2021

Rookie left-winger Zach Benson scored twice to lead the Winnipeg Ice to a 5-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos in WHL East Division hub action in Regina Monday night.

Peyton Krebs, James Form and Michael Milne also scored for the Ice.

Owen Williams and Caleb Wyrostok had goals for the Broncos.

Portage la Prairie RCMP have made two arrests and seized methamphetamines after a traffic stop on the Trans-Canada Highway.

In a release Monday RCMP said officers stopped a vehicle in connection with a controlled drugs and substances investigation around 4 p.m. Saturday, just outside the RM of Portage la Prairie.

When searching the vehicle RCMP said officers seized around nine ounces of methamphetamine, an unknown substance that is being tested and identified, and a weapon. 

A 37-year-old man and 40-year-old Amanda Caskey, both from Portage, were arrested. Both suspects were charged with possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. Caskey was also faces a weapons charge and a charge for failure to comply. RCMP said the man was released while Caskey remains in custody.

The AHL’s Stockton Heat have loaned defenceman Noah King to the Manitoba Moose for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

King, a 21-year-old Winnipeg product, has appeared in one game this season with the Heat. He had one shot on goal and a plus-one rating in his AHL debut March 31.

Prior to turning pro, King had 59 points, including 11 goals, in 199 WHL career games with the Spokane Chiefs and Swift Current Broncos.

Powerview RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating 35-year-old Charlene Bunn, who was last seen Friday at noon walking along Northshore Road in Fort Alexander First Nation.

Bunn is described as 5’7” and 200 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.

Anyone with information should call the Powerview RCMP at 204-367-8728, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or send a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Thompson RCMP airlifted an injured snowmobiler to hospital after an accident near Dafoe Lake.

In a release Monday RCMP said a helicopter was sent to a cabin near Dafoe Lake — about a three-hour snowmobile ride away from Split Lake, Man. — after receiving a call about an injured 66-year-old man.

RCMP said they received the call around 9:30 p.m. Sunday from a 23-year-old man who reported that he had left the injured rider and another man, 60, at the cabin before returning to Split Lake to call for help.

The injured man was not alone and had supplies, but RCMP said they sent immediate assistance as they did not know the extent of the injuries. After being airlifted to hospital in Thompson, it was determined the man’s injuries were not life-threatening. He remains in hospital.

Three Thompson residents have been charged after RCMP seized a large amount of illicit cannabis stashed in Kraft Dinner boxes.

In a release Monday, RCMP said Thompson officers became aware of an alleged illegal drug delivery to Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, Manitoba around 4 p.m. on Apr. 15, and found a case of Kraft Dinner boxes and a box of baby formula with altered packaging.

Upon opening the packages, RCMP said they found 480 grams of illegal cannabis in the KD boxes and alcohol, Oxycodone and Alprazolam pills in the baby formula packaging. Officers traced the illicit substances to a residence on Martin Bay in Thompson.

RCMP said officers searched the residence around 2 a.m. the next morning, and seized a further 694 grams of cannabis.

Mac Labelle, 45, Tina Spence, 31, and Derek Vivier, 46, all of Thompson, were charged with multiple drug possession and trafficking charges, as well as unauthorized sale of liquor, RCMP said. One woman was arrested and released without charges.

All suspects have been released pending a court date.

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Provincial health officials announced 108 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths in Manitoba Monday.

Laboratory testing of previously reported cases has identified:
• 2 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant

Public health officials have reported a total of 711 variant of concern cases in Manitoba including 623 cases of B.1.1.7, 20 cases of B.1.351, 1 case of the P.1 variant and 67 uncatego

There are 1,685 active cases in Manitoba, with 132 people in hospital, 30 of them in intensive care.

The five-day test positivity rate is 5.7 in Manitoba and 5.7 in Winnipeg.

Of the new cases announced Monday, 63 are in the Winnipeg health region, 18 in Southern Health; 12 in Interlake–Eastern; 10 in Prairie Mountain; and 5 in Northern Health.

Age eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 vaccine in Manitoba was lowered to 54-years-old for the general population and 34-years-old for First Nations people on Monday. 

Appointments are available at mass clinics in Winnipeg at the RBC Convention Centre, Brandon, Thompson, Selkirk and Morden, and eligible people can book appointments at a supersite online at protectmb.ca with an email address and their health card number.

The province also expanded age eligibility for the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine to include all people 40-years-old and over. Previously, the shot was only available to people 55 to 64 with a specific health condition. 

The province said the prioritization for individuals with specific health conditions is no longer in place. AstraZeneca/Covishield shots are offered at medical clinics and pharmacies and people can book appointments to be vaccinated directly with their health care provider.

A list of participating clinics and pharmacies is available here.

The province said immunizations of inmates at provincial correctional facilities will also begin this week, starting with the Winnipeg Remand Centre and the Manitoba Youth Centre. Another 25 congregate living facilities will be visited by immunization teams this week.

Manitoba’s premier is set to address the public this afternoon. 

Premier Brian Pallister and chief provincial health officer Dr. Brent Roussin will hold a live broadcast news conference at 12:30 p.m., the province announced Monday morning.

Details of the upcoming announcement have not yet been released.

Winnipeg police are advising Winnipeggers making emergency calls to stay on the line until they get an operator because of a cell phone service outage.

Police said on Monday that a Canada-wide outage is being experienced by Rogers and Fido, so while 911 calls are still going through, critical caller information is not being received by operators.

Police are asking callers to stay on the phone until they speak to an operator.

Two tissue-donation services merged in Manitoba at the end of January, the provincial government announced Monday. 

Tissue Bank Manitoba took on cornea donation which was previously done through the Misericordia Eye Bank, and eye recovery technicians who worked at the Misericordia Eye Bank have now moved to Tissue Bank Manitoba. 

The eye donation services available through the tissue bank serve the Winnipeg, Interlake-Eastern and Southern health regions and are expected to be expanded over time, according to the province’s statement. The statement was timed to coincide with National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week, which runs through April 24.

Asymptomatic testing is being expanded to certain workplaces in Manitoba. 

 Air Canada, The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Manitoba’s Wildfire Service, Winkler Meats, and the Alamos Gold Inc. mining operation in northern Manitoba are among the first workplaces to receive a three-month supply of antigen tests, the province announced Monday. 

The provincial government decided to target asymptomatic testing to workplaces it says will benefit from routine testing because of their geographic location, potential impact on supply chain, or if their workforce has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 

The program may be expanded to the transportation or construction industries in the future, the province stated.

Two cabinet ministers are holding a news conference later this morning on money allocated for the redevelopment of the downtown Bay building.

The funds were included in the provincial budget introduced earlier this month.

The 10:30 a.m. news conference with Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox and Municipal Relations Minister Derek Johnson will be live-streamed on the provincial government’s website and on YouTube.