News briefs for Oct. 14, 2020

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/10/2020 (2009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pembina Highway Staples donates supplies

On Oct. 8, Playing 4 A Purpose along with Staples Canada organized volunteers to fill shopping carts full of school supplies at the store on Pembina Highway, which will be donated to inner city kids. Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) said the $10,000 worth of supplies will be distributed by educator and community activist Mitch Bourbonniere at Ogijita Pimatiswin Kinamatawin and also through West Broadway Outreach’s after school homework program.

Recycled shingles used in pavement test

An asphalt mix containing recycled roof shingles will be tested on Ethan Boyer Way, a service road under construction near the Brady Landfill site in south Winnipeg.

The project will use 90 tons of recycled asphalt shingles, which is the equivalent of approximately 45 residential roofs. Winnipeg and surrounding areas produce more than 30,000 tons of tear-off shingles per year that end up in landfills and take approximately 300 years to break down, according to a Province of Manitoba news release.

Manitoba Infrastructure, in conjunction with the University of Manitoba, will conduct ongoing testing of the pavement conditions over the next five years to monitor its performance. Testing and monitoring will allow data to be collected and analyzed for future planning of construction projects using environmentally-friendly recycled materials.

New mobile COVID-19 testing site on Portage  

There’s a new mobile testing site for COVID-19 in the Minto neighbourhood.

According to a recent news release, the site is located at 1181 Portage Ave. The site, which opened Sept. 30, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.

At press time, the site was initially intended to add immediate additional testing capacity in the city, while other new drive-thru sites are set up in Winnipeg. After this, provincial public health information will be used to determine where the mobile site will be used in Manitoba, especially if there is a spike in cases in a particular community. 

There will be new drive-thru sites added in the coming weeks: 1066 Nairn Ave. and 125 King Edward St. E.

Community members are reminded that only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing. Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present. Employers are asked to only send employees for testing if they have symptoms or if testing has been recommended by public health officials.

Go online at www.manitoba.ca/COVID19 for more information.

City seeks input on urban forest strategy  

The City of Winnipeg is asking the public to weigh in as it develops an urban forest strategy.

The long-term planning document will guide the protection, preservation, and management of the city’s tree canopy, which faces both significant loss due to insects and disease, and pressure from climate change and urban development.

A survey can be completed online. Residents can also take part in online presentations, a discussion forum and an interactive mapping tool. A self-guided walking tour or virtual tour is also available for residents until Nov. 1, which allows participants to explore Winnipeg’s urban forest and provide feedback.

For more information, visit winnipeg.ca/urbanforest

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome webinar series

With October marking Sudden Infant Death Syndrome month, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth is posting a number of webinars in order to boost awareness of the second leading cause of death for infants and toddlers under the age of 12 months.

In a press release, MACY noted that over the last 10 years, 145 Manitoba infants died unexpectedly in their sleep.

MACY’s Research Hub will share the Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants findings and recommendations in a webinar series throughout October.

These include:

• 10 Facts Every Social Worker Should Know About Infant Sleep on Oct. 16 — This webinar is tailored to social workers, social work students, and child welfare practitioners. The Manitoba Advocate’s Research Hub will present findings relevant to social workers and guide a discussion about the role of social workers in infant mortality prevention.

• Sacred Babies: Indigenous-led Models for Safe Sleep on Oct. 30 — First Nations babies are over-represented in infant deaths. In this webinar, MACY will host a panel of experts including Rhonda Campbell and Elizabeth Decaire from the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, to talk about their Sacred Babies campaign centred on Indigenous post-natal care and safe sleep messages.

A previous webinar on Oct. 9 spoke about how to prevent SIDS. All three webinars are designed for parents, social workers or anyone interested in reducing infant mortality. Everyone is invited to join and there is no cost for participating.

To register for any or all of the webinars, send an email to info@manitobaadvocate.ca or see https://bit.ly/36MLDcq

Driver education continues online

Though schools have re-opened and students have returned to in-class learning, online education will continue for Manitoba Public Insurance’s Driver Z program.

During in-car training, there will be a single student and instructor in the vehicle, as opposed to multiple students per car. Occupants will be required to wear masks.

Each student must complete a knowledge test and visual screening which will be conducted in-person, according to the MPI website.

Registration for the fall 2020 term (October to December) will open Mon., Oct. 26.

For additional information, visit mpi.mb.ca

Education award nominations open 

The province is asking people to nominate outstanding teachers and principals for its annual education awards.

Folks can submit teachers’ names for Manitoba’s Excellence in Education Awards until Wed., Dec. 2. Nominators must be parents, students, school trustees, school and school division administrators or teachers who aren’t recommending themselves.

There are five categories. The first, “teaching excellence,” is awarded to three teachers who meet students’ needs, support kids’ achievements and impact school culture. One teacher will be awarded “outstanding new teacher,” and one group of educators will be honoured with “outstanding team collaboration.” To get the latter, nominees must have created a collaborative initiative that has addressed students’ needs and impacted student learning and school culture.

One principal or vice-principal will be recognized for being an outstanding school leader.

Finally, a selection committee will choose one nominee among all categories for the Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education.

The committee has representatives from Manitoba Education, Manitoba School Boards Association, Manitoba Association of Parent Councils and Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools.

Nominees must be teachers and principals who are working daily with kids in kindergarten through Grade 12. They must also have a valid, permanent Manitoba teaching certificate.

Award winners receive $500 each and a certificate.

If someone has won in a category before, they can’t be nominated for that category again. Each application requires two nominators.

People can nominate teachers by emailing their package to excellence@gov.mb.ca, faxing 204-948-3234 or mailing it to Manitoba Education at 509-1181 Portage Ave. Visit www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/excellence/ for more information.