Manitoba Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced 290 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 7.2 percent. 

Atwal also reported one additional death in the Winnipeg Health Region. Of the new cases, 187 are in the Winnipeg region, with much lower numbers in other regions, including 17 in the Northern Health Region. 

Of the total 38, 729 reported cases, 2, 375 are active and 35, 380 individuals have recovered. A total of 2, 095 variants of concern cases have been reported with 830 active.

Atwal says the province is currently not considering a lockdown to help reduce numbers.  He explains they have to balance that risk of negative impacts of not putting new restrictions in and overloading our acute care systems, citing Ontario and other countries where the whole system collapsed.  Atwal states while they are not going down that road,  there are negative consequences to shutting everything down on both a social and mental health aspect, so they have to look at both sides and find that balance from a public health perspective.

Eligibility for the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine has expanded to include people aged 30 to 39 with priority health conditions.

The Thompson Mall of the Arts is continuing with its virtual programming as it looks to further cement itself in the local arts and culture scene.

Co-founder Andria Stephens says since the beginning of this year, the Mall of the Arts has been working with partners both locally and provincially to bring virtual creative workshops to northern youth.

Stephens adds they’re anticipating providing online programming until the end of the summer.

She says the Mall of the Arts is continuing with the process to get a physical space for their art centre, and states the workshops have been a major part in helping them pitch what they want the centre to be.

The Mall of the Arts has more programming on the way, including a free virtual upcycling workshop for youth this weekend.

To learn more, visit mallofthearts.com or catch Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

The annual Nickel Days fair won’t be going ahead again this year.

The board of directors announced its decision to cancel this year’s event in a Facebook post, citing the health and safety of their volunteers, fairgoers, vendors, performers, and communities.

This comes as Manitoba’s COVID-19 case counts are trending upwards in the third wave of the pandemic.

Last year’s event was also cancelled due to COVID-19.

The committee goes on to say they’re looking forward to planning the 50^th Nickel Days event for 2022.

Manitoba Public Health reported 228 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 7.2 per cent. 

They also reported two additional deaths, both in the Northern Health Region being a woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s.

Of the new cases, 177 are in Winnipeg with much lower numbers in other regions, including 11 in the north. 

Of the total 38, 439 reported cases, 2, 263 are active, 35, 203 individuals have recovered, and 142 are in hospital with 41 in intensive care. There are currently nine active cases in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District.

The total number of variants of concern cases is now 1, 900, of which 754 are active, with a total of 49 reported in the Northern Health Region.

A local teen is celebrating his birthday by giving back to the community.

Colin Winship, who is turning 18 this Sunday, has organized a "party with a cause", where he will be providing a pizza party for residents of the shelter on his 18^th birthday, which is on May 2. He invites Thompson residents to give a monetary donation for the shelter to help them purchase what they need.

Winship explains he wanted to do something special and unique for his 18^th birthday, and adds that no one has had a birthday celebration for the Thompson Homeless Shelter before.

Those interested in donating can do so by e-transfer to caroline@winship.ca or by dropping them off in an envelope marked “Party with a cause” at 128 Copper Road by May 2 at noon.

With the number of COVID-19 variant cases increasing in the region, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak’s Grand Chief is urging eligible citizens to get the vaccine as soon as they can.

Garrison Settee advises residents to take action during the third wave of the pandemic, saying it’s essential to keep the number of contacts as low as you can at this time.

Earlier this week, the Manitoba government announced anyone ages 18 and older and living or working in the Northern Health Region, including Churchill, is eligible to book a vaccine appointment.

Medical advisor at MKO’s medical entity Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoyawin Doctor Michael Routledge encourages everyone who is eligible to make an appointment if they haven’t already done so.

Routledge adds that it’s important to continue to follow public health orders as the province gets more vaccines into people’s arms and having more Manitobans vaccinated will have a positive impact on the entire province along with MKO First Nations.

Manitoba public health reported 186 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 7.5 percent. 

They also reported three new deaths, with one each in the Northern Health Region, which was a woman in her 20s, Winnipeg and Southern health regions.

Of the new cases, 124 are in the Winnipeg region and 27 in Prairie Mountain, with lower numbers in other regions. That includes only five in the Northern Health region. 

Of the total 38, 211 reported cases, 2, 206 are active and 35,034 individuals have recovered.  A total of 1, 688 variants of concern cases have been reported, with 656 active and 47 reported in the Northern Health Region. There are currently eight active cases in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case numbers, especially in variants of concern, we are at critical point. 

He announced new public health orders effective Wednesday, Apr. 28 at 12:01 a.m, including no visitors being allowed at private residences either indoors or outdoors with certain exceptions, including one visitor for people who live alone.

No indoor gatherings will be permitted, and outdoor gatherings of up to ten persons will be allowed in public outdoor spaces only. Cultural and faith based gatherings will be limited to 25 percent capacity or a maximum of ten people (whichever is lower), spectators at outdoor sports and recreation facilities will be limited to one parent or caregiver per youth, and retail stores are limited to 25 percent capacity with a cap of 250 patrons whichever is lower.

These new orders will be in effect for four weeks taking us past the long weekend.

Roussin announced 210 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon and one additional death in the Winnipeg Health Region. 

Of the new cases, 157 were in the Winnipeg region, 19 in Prairie Mountain, and only 15 in the north, with lower numbers in other regions. In the Thompson/Mystery Lake District, there are ten active cases of COVID-19.

Manitoba is expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to include all adults who live or work in the Northern Health Region. 

Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson announced beginning Apr. 26, all adults who live and work in the north are eligible.

Stefanson says this recognizes the increased risks facing people in the north, particularly as variants of concern become more prevalent in Manitoba.

All adults who live in the Northern Health Region are now eligible to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.  Anyone who regularly works in the region in any role is also eligible.

You can make an appointment by calling 1-844-626-8222 or online at protectmb.ca.

Starting Apr. 26, RD Parker Collegiate has moved to remote learning for the next two weeks.

The School District of Mystery Lake says the move comes due to COVID-19 concerns and an abundance of caution. SDML came to the decision Sunday evening.

The remote learning is expected to end May 7^th, and district says it will continue to work with Public Health.

SDML reminds everyone to follow the public health recommendations and orders.

Manitoba public health had announced they were going to expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines in high priority communities.

This afternoon they announced the first three communities are in Winnipeg including Downtown East, Point Douglas South and Inkster East. 

All people ages 18 and over who live or work in specified jobs in the area are now eligible for immunization due to high case counts and socio-economic factors. They will release more communities early next week.

They reported 179 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 6.5 percent. 

There were two additional deaths in the Winnipeg region, with one linked to the B.1.1.7 variant of concern. 

Of the new cases, 103 were in the Winnipeg region and 29 in Northern health, with lower numbers in other regions.

Of the total 37, 069 reported cases, 1, 739 are considered active and 34, 366 individual have recovered. A total of 1, 201 variants of concern have been reported, with 499 active with the Northern Health Region at 25 reported cases. There are currently eight active cases of COVID-19 in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District.

Front line police and fire fighters are now eligible to make appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Manitoba. 

Eligibility to be immunized at a super site or pop-up clinic has also been extended to include individuals aged 50 or older and First Nations people aged 30 or older. 

The province is also planning to open vaccinations to anyone 18 and over living in high risk geographic areas with details to be released Friday. Eligibility for the AstraZeneca vaccine includes all individuals aged 40 and over.

Manitoba public health reported 162 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 6.3 percent. They also reported one additional death in the Northern health region. 

Of the new cases, 76 were in Winnipeg, 30 in the NHR, 24 in the SHR, 19 in Prairie Mountain and 15 in Interlake Eastern regions.

Of the total 36,632 reported cases, 1, 833 are active and 33,838 individuals have recovered.

A total of 774 variants of concern cases have been reported to date, with 238 active and 18 are still reported in the Northern Health Region.

A Thompson driver is facing charges for impaired driving after colliding with a police cruiser.

On Sunday morning, the Thompson RCMP were responding to a call for service and driving on Selkirk Avenue, when a vehicle exiting a parking lot pulled out in front of the police car.

The officer tried to avoid colliding with the vehicle, and went onto the curb and snow bank and struck a lamp post.

The other driver’s vehicle did end up colliding with the back of the police car, but the damage was minimal.

The uninjured officers exited their cruiser and approached the other vehicle. The driver showed signs of impairment and was arrested and charged.

The driver was taken to hospital as a precaution and was treated then released, and is scheduled to appear in court this summer.

Thompson MLA Danielle Adams is calling on the provincial government to invest in non-profit childcare spaces, which she says will assist with economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adams criticized the PCs for freezing funding to Children’s Disability Services and childcare centres in her latest report, saying  “the budget does nothing to remedy this situation”.

Her report states the number of children on waitlists for childcare spaces increase between 2016 and 2020, going from nearly 15, 000 to almost 19, 000.

The MLA blasted the PCs for spending $600, 000 on KPMG report, which she states put forward "worrisome" recommendations. One recommendation highlighted by the KPMG report was that the government move towards a business model for childcare and increasing parent fees, which would move away from the operating grant funding model.

Adams wrote about Bill 47, also known as the The Early Learning and Child Care Act, which would allow private centres to receive public funding and may also allow for childcare workers to do one year of training as opposed to two years of training.

She goes on to claim these changes may lead to a decline in quality care, and the Pallister government should withdraw the bill.

A Thompson woman was charged twice over the course of 24 hours for not following COVID-19 public health orders.

On Saturday night at around 11:30, officers were called to an apartment complex on Cree Road after a party was reported.

When they arrived and spoke to the renter, they saw a large group of people inside, and charged and fined the 25 year-old 1296 dollars for Failing to Comply with a Public Health Order.

The guests were asked to leave the apartment, and none of them were ticketed.

The following night at 8:15, officers were called to the same address again after a large gathering was reported.

They arrived and saw numerous people at the residence, which led to the same woman receiving a second charge and fine for not complying with a public health order.

Manitoba public health reported 203 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to six percent. 

They also reported one additional death in the Prairie Mountain health region. 

Of the new cases 138 are in the Winnipeg region, 27 in Prairie Mountain, and 25 in Northern health with lower numbers in other regions.

The number of active cases reported in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District is 10. 

The outbreaks at the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and the Grassroots Early Learning and Child Care Centre in Thompson have been declared over. 

Of the total 36,470 reported cases, 1, 783 are considered active and 33,727 individuals have recovered. 

The total reported variants of concern stands at 774, with 238 active and 18 cases have been reported in the Northern health region.

A man was rescued by a helicopter this weekend after he was injured on a snowmobile ride.

On Sunday night, Thompson RCMP got a report of an injured snowmobiler near Dafoe Lake, which is about a three hour snowmobile ride from Split Lake.

A 23-year-old man made the call after he returned to Split Lake to report that two men ages 60 and 66 had remained behind in a cabin near Dafoe Lake, as the 66-year-old was injured and couldn’t make the trip back.

Officers knew the injured man was not alone and that he was in a cabin with supplies, but had a helicopter flown to the location as the severity of the injuries were not known.

The injured man was airlifted to Thompson for medical attention, where he remains with non-life threatening injuries.

Three Thompson residents were arrested after a delivery vehicle headed to a First Nations community was intercepted.

Police became aware that a large amount of illegal drugs were to be delivered to Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation on Thursday afternoon.

Officers seized the cargo, which included a case of Kraft Dinner boxes and a box of baby formula with altered packaging.

When the packages were open, officers found baggies containing 480 grams of illicit dried cannabis, alcohol, and Oxycodone and Alprazolam pills. The bust led investigators to a house on Martin Bay, where almost 700 grams of illicit pot was found along with drug trafficking equipment.

45 year-old Mac Labelle, 31-year-old Tina Spence, and 46-year-old Derek Vivier are charged with multiple offences, and have been released from police custody pending a court date.

Roughly 180 teachers in Thompson received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week, after Cross Lake’s Chief and council offered their extra doses.

Cathy Pellizzaro explains the pop-up site for teachers ran from Thursday to Saturday, which offered the Moderna shot.

Pellizzaro adds that the teachers who were able to receive the first dose feel a sense of relief.

Pellizzaro thanks Chief David Monias and the Cross Lake council for offering and delivering the doses to Thompson teachers.

Earth Day is on Thursday, and BGC Thompson is encouraging residents to help clean up the community as a way to help.

The organization is offering free clean-up kits which include a garbage bag and pair of gloves.

Participants can return filled bags to the garbage can at the BGC Thompson building or dispose of them in their household garbage container.

Thompsonites can pick up kits until Thursday, and are to call 204-778-7575 extension 2 to let them know ahead of time.

Manitoba Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Jazz Atwal announced 127 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 5.1 percent.  Atwal also announced no additional deaths.

Of the new cases, 75 were in the Winnipeg region and 29 in the north, with lower numbers in other regions. 

Public Health is advising of a possible exposure to a variant of concern at the Thompson Walmart  between 3:30 and 5 p.m. on Apr. 6 and at the Thompson Safeway between 2 and 3 p.m. on April 10. Anyone experiencing symptoms since attending these sites should isolate immediately and go for testing.

An outbreak has been declared at the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and it has been moved to the critical level. 

The total number of variants of concern cases in the province is now 704 with 315 active. 

Atwal says they are reviewing current restrictions and they don’t want to have to introduce public health measures, but they are working on finalizing their plans and they’ll be sharing information on any new restrictions in the coming days. What they introduce will depend on the numbers they’re seeing and the epidemiology of the cases over the next short period of time.

Eligibility to be immunized has been expanded to include individuals age 57 or older and First Nations people aged 37 and older.

Information is expected next week on expanding to include first responders and all adults living in communities with the highest risk including people with frontline public facing roles in those communities.

Northern Health Region CEO Helga Bryant spoke to Arctic Radio to give an update on the current COVID-19 situation in the region.

Now that a variant COVID-19 case have been reported in the north, Bryant stresses the importance of continuing to follow the public health orders in place, even if you’ve been vaccinated.

She adds that Northerners have the opportunity to get ahead of the third wave of the virus given the size of our population, and encourages residents to get the vaccine once they’re eligible.

That way we can avoid another round of strict protocols that would be put in place on households, schools, workplaces, and businesses in the coming months.

When it comes to the vaccine rollout in the north, the CEO says while the limiting factor of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been the supply, their staff is skilled when it comes to carrying out that plan when said supply is available.

Bryant explains the three strategies to get residents vaccinated are the super site in Thompson, the pop-up clinics in Flin Flon and The Pas, and the teams they have deployed to communities across the north.

Listen to Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon for the full interview with Bryant.

Manitoba public health announced 149 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to 5.3 percent. 

They also reported one additional death in the Interlake Eastern region.

The province advised the first case of the P-1 variant of concern first identified in Brazil has been confirmed in Manitoba. The total number of reported cases of concern is 647, of which 288 are active.

Of the new COVID cases, 73 are in Winnipeg, 57 in Northern health, and ten in Interlake Eastern with single digits in other regions.  Active cases in the Thompson/Mystery Lake District are currently at 21.

Of the total 35, 688 reported cases, 1, 528 are considered active and 33,205 people have recovered.

Manitoba Parks is advising that aerial surveys for mineral exploration will be underway in the surrounding area.

The surveys will be conducted with a helicopter with a piece of equipment underneath, and are based out of the Thompson Airport and Sasagiu Rapids Lodge.

The areas being surveyed are Paint Lake, Pisew Falls, and Sasagiu Rapids, and the effect on the public will be minimal as it will be a standard exploration survey.

The permit starts tomorrow and ends May 30^th.

Manitoba public health reported 132 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate to six percent. They also reported two additional deaths in the Winnipeg region. 

They reported the first case of a variant of concern in northern Manitoba without specifying where in the region. The total number of variants of concern cases reported so far in the province is 479.

Of the new COVID cases, 89 are in the Winnipeg region and 34 in Northern health, with single digits in other regions. Of the total 35, 459 reported cases, 1, 438 are considered active and 33,070 individuals have recovered.

In partnership with the Chief and Council from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, provincial health officials have lifted the public health orders in place for that community.  All other general public health orders remain in effect for the community.

Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 114 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon, bringing the five day test positivity rate up to 6.2 percent.  He reported no additional deaths. 

Of the new cases, 62 are in the Winnipeg region, 36 in Northern health, and single digits in other regions. 

Roussin says public health orders must be followed to keep numbers down.  He explains they have seen the early stages of a wave, they’ve tried to message how important it is for people to follow the fundamentals to reduce the amount of contacts. But what they’ve seen in their contact tracing is just increasing numbers of contacts of cases, increasing issues with gatherings especially in private residences, increasing issues with returned travelers who don’t isolate as per the order now resulting in many other households as contacts.

Roussin adds we know what to do and if we don’t act now we’ll be back to much stricter restrictions very soon including possibly outdoor mask use and reduced gathering numbers. 

Confirmed cases now total 35 ,327, and 1, 370 are active with variants of concern case numbers not released today.

A Thompson boy is being commended for keeping his cool after he was rescued from a muddy sinkhole over the weekend.

According to a social media post by his mother, Samuel Desjardins was walking home with a friend by Riverside School on Saturday

Both boys tried to avoid the muddy sidewalk, but ended up encountering a hidden sinkhole.

Thompson Fire and Emergency services were called to the scene, called members of the United Steelworks to assist them, and had to use the City of Thompson’s vacuum truck to extract the water and dirt surrounding the boy, and the rescue took about an hour.

Samuel’s mother Julie Desjardins states if he were a smaller child or the hole was deeper; there could have been a very different outcome.

She goes on to thank everyone who helped rescue her son, who was praised for maintaining a calm attitude through the ordeal.

With nearly one in two Canadians diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, the Canadian Cancer Society is asking for support to continue the fight against the disease.

Spokesperson Brad Stevenson says for more than 70 years, the organization has been able to fund research, provide support systems for those who have cancer, and shape health policies thanks to their fundraising efforts.

A major fundraiser for CCS is the Daffodil Month campaign. This year, the organization is asking Canadians to donate and create a digital daffodil at action.cancer.ca.

Learn more about the Daffodil campaign by catching Thompson Today at 12:40 and 5:10 this afternoon.

On Apr. 8 at approximately 2:30 pm, Thompson RCMP received a report that a security officer at a local business was detaining a male who was in possession of a knife.

When officers arrived at the business on Mystery Lake Road in Thompson, Manitoba, they learned from staff and security personnel that a male had been holding a knife and chasing a person in the store. Nobody was injured and the knife was seized.

An 18-year-old male from Thompson was arrested and charged with Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose.

The investigation continues.

2021’s construction season seems to be off to a strong start based on the number of permits already filed with the City of Thompson.

The city says that as of the end of March, 33 construction permits have been submitted to its Inspections department, with a total value of roughly 3.6 million dollars.

That’s three times the permits filed around the same time last year, with eleven permits filed valued at 1.8 million, most of which were submitted before Manitoba called a state of emergency to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The construction is entirely made up of investment from the local private sector, including one new business, and the city predicts more commercial permits will be filed later this year based on existing projects in the community.

Mayor Colleen Smook said while last year was challenging for local businesses, construction in the city continues to hold strong as residents and entrepreneurs continue to find new opportunities in Thompson.

In the early morning hours of Mar. 29, Shamattawa RCMP responded to a report of a male who was brought into the nursing station with serious injuries.

Officers attended and located an adult male who was being treated for substantial blunt force trauma. The 26-year-old victim was later transported to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg where he continues to receive treatment for his injuries. 

The investigation continued with the assistance of RCMP Major Crime Services, along with the Thompson Crime Reduction Unit and Shamattawa Detachment. On Apr. 2, a 17-year-old male youth was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault and remanded into custody. His next court appearance was scheduled for Apr. 7 in Thompson Provincial court.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or may have information is asked to call the Shamattawa RCMP at 204-565-2351 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Shamattawa RCMP, along with assistance from Major Crime Services, continue to investigate.

Two telephone town halls focused on the provinces COVID-19 immunization campaign will be held next week. 

Participants will include Health Minister Heather Stefanson, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin and Dr. Joss Reimer and Johanu Botha from the Vaccine Implementation Task Force. 

The session for rural and northern Manitoba will take place Tuesday, April 13^th at 6:30 pm.  Registration is open until noon on the day of the event. To participate you can register at engagemb.ca.

Meanwhile Manitoba public health reported 107 new cases of COVID-19 this afternoon bringing the five day test positivity rate to 4.8 percent.  They also reported one additional death in Winnipeg region.

Of the new cases 51 are in Winnipeg and 49 in Northern health with single digits in other regions.

They also announced 22 new variants of concern cases with 21 in the Winnipeg region and one from Prairie Mountain health bringing the total to 299.

Of the total 34, 656 reported COVID cases, 1, 294 are active and 32, 419 individuals have recovered.

A Thompson teen is in police custody follow an assault.

On April 6 at approximately 9:00 pm, Thompson RCMP received a report of a stabbing in progress at an apartment complex on Nickel Road.

When officers arrived on scene, there was a weapon found on the floor in the hallway of the apartment building, which was immediately seized.

Officers located the victim inside one of the apartments. A 54-year-old female from Thompson was found with multiple injuries, and officers began performing CPR until EMS arrived on scene.

Investigation led police to an apartment complex on Princeton Drive, where another disturbance involving the suspect was in progress. A 17-year-old female was arrested for Assault with a Weapon, but the charge was later upgraded to Aggravated Assault. She remains in custody.

The victim is in stable condition at this time.

The investigation continues.