In brief

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/03/2022 (1498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Welfare appeals process revamped

THE Manitoba government has introduced legislation to reduce the number of “frivolous or vexatious” appeals to the Social Services Appeals Board and to make the appeals process more efficient.

The board hears appeals about decisions related to provincial services and programs, including Employment and Income Assistance, Rent Assist and Community Living disABILTY Services.

More than 700 appeals are filed in an average year, “placing great pressure on the board’s available time and resources,” Families Minister Rochelle Squires said in a release.

The proposed changes include increasing timelines for certain board procedures and allowing written appeals to be heard by a single board member rather than the three-member, in-person panel.

The ability to dismiss appeals that are considered frivolous or vexatious will allow the board’s resources to focus on complicated appeals relating to critical benefits and access to services that are necessary to the well-being of vulnerable Manitobans, Squires said.

Moose Lake death homicide: RCMP

An 18-year-old man from Moose Lake has died, after being found severely injured at a home in the northern community early Saturday.

RCMP said Tuesday officers were called to the home around 2:30 a.m., where they found the victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

RCMP major crimes unit, forensic services and the local detachment are investigating the death as a homicide.

Moose Lake is about 74 kilometres southeast of The Pas.

One dead in collision near elkhorn

A 23-year-old Winnipeg man is dead, after two semi-trucks collided March 4 on Highway 1 near Elkhorn.

Virden RCMP responded to the collision near Provincial Road 256, just east of the Saskatchewan border, shortly after noon. Police determined the first semi was travelling east on Highway 1 when it rear-ended the second headed in the same direction.

The driver of the first vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. His passenger, a 28-year-old from Winnipeg, had minor injuries and was treated on scene.

The driver of the second vehicle wasn’t injured.

RCMP said Tuesday road conditions appear to be a factor.