News briefs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2020 (2249 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New transitway opens Sunday

Winnipeg Transit’s new BLUE rapid transit line begins operating on April 12.

BLUE travels from downtown to the University of Manitoba and St. Norbert, using the 11-kilometre Southwest Transitway. Passengers can connect to BLUE from community feeder routes that also connect to Pembina Highway.

The new transit network in southwest Winnipeg coincides with the launch of Winnipeg Transit’s spring schedule. A number of new routes start while others change and some cease operation.

Riders are reminded to only use transit for essential trips and to practise physical distancing.

For complete route and schedule information see winnipegtransit.com or contact 311.

 

Arts Council distance project

The Manitoba Arts Council is taking applications from artists for a project called Share – Connecting at a Distance.

This program will provide support to professional artists creating and sharing artistic work, with grants in the amount of $500 for individual artists and $1,000 for collaborations.

The goal of Connecting at a Distance is to “rapidly support artists to connect with each other and their communities during these challenging times. It is expected that the scale of projects and applications will be commensurate with the program’s tight deadline and modest grant amounts,” the arts council said in a release.

The deadline for applications is April 20, with notifications by May 1. For more information, see www.artscouncil.mb.ca

 

Police taking video reports

The Winnipeg Police Service has changed its online system of reporting to include virtual reports taken by officers via video conference.

A recent City of Winnipeg email noted that the police have redeployed members who normally would be working in their service centres to taking reports by phone. They have expanded the types of reports that can be taken through their Virtual Police Response model. This enables you to have face-to-face contact with an officer through a video format, and interact with the officer as though s/he were to come to your house – without the need for the officer to arrive. This way, people can get a report number and then can process an insurance claim.

Virtual Police Response accepts reports of non-domestic assault and robbery events that are not in progress where the suspect is unknown as well as non-domestic theft, mischief and/or damage reports with a known suspect.

This service doesn’t cover theft, loss or property damage over $25,000, reports of domestic violence or hate-motivated graffiti or vandalism, among other incidents. In these matters, the police are asking the public to call the non-emergency line at 204-986-6222.

To report a crime online, see winnipeg.ca/police/report/default.stm

The police have also taken to Facebook to make crime prevention presentations. Their first one on March 27 focussed on home security. You can find the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/l-hJwTWWyeg 

— Staff