Sometime today, GST winter is expected to arrive. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to announce GST relief on select items heading into the holidays. The two-month tax break is designed to address affordability issues.
It’ll apply to children’s items such as toys, clothing and diapers – also beer, wine and pre-prepared hot meals. On Wednesday evening, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said he would support the government’s GST proposal.
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The Manitoba government has opened multiple offices around the province to ensure cheques and other essential mail is still delivered during the postal strike. In Brandon it’s at the Provincial Building on 9th. You can pick-up mail and cheques including refunds, income supplement and disability support payments.
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There’s a staffing crisis in the emergency room at Brandon Regional Health centre, and doctors there are pleading for help from the government. They say the issues include the loss of experienced nurses, extreme burnout – and a high number of patients under the influence of meth who require a huge amount of resources. The health minister says a meeting is planned with ER doctors and staff next week.
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Child-care groups in Manitoba are calling on the government to speed-up the process of opening new pre-school spaces. The province had promised 23,000 spaces by 2026 – but a report says only 1,654 have opened since 2021. Right now, only 1 child in 5 has access to a licensed child care space.
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Manitoba RCMP will begin wearing body cameras this week with officers in Steinbach the first to strap them on. 45 detachments across the province will receive body cams over the next five months – including several in
First Nations communities.
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A phone scam involving Manitoba Hydro has hit the province. A woman says she was called by someone claiming to be from Hydro who threatened to cut off her power unless she paid her ‘overdue bills’. They then gave her a bogus 1-800 number in order to make payments. The woman reportedly knew her account was good – and didn’t fall for the scam.
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The illegal cigarette business in Manitoba is costing taxpayers around $60-million a year. A new report estimates 45% of tobacco sales in the province are contraband. Police say the counterfeit smokes look exactly like the real ones – and sell for as little as $5.00 a pack.
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The Harper family in Neepawa has donated land southeast of the town to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The Langford Escarpment project contains about 440 acres of protected grassland and forested areas – and will ensure a future for wildlife in the area including species at risk like the red-headed woodpecker and the common night hawk.
