Province Announces Vaccine Lottery to Encourage Manitobans to Get Immunized

June 11, 2021

   Province Announces Vaccine Lottery to Encourage Manitobans to Get Immunized

The Manitoba government is launching a new provincewide lottery that will award nearly $2 million
in cash and scholarships this summer to encourage Manitobans to get fully vaccinated as soon as
possible. Manitoba will hold two lottery draws over the summer. All Manitobans aged 12 and up who
have received at least one dose of vaccine on or before Aug. 2 will be eligible for the first draw. All
Manitobans aged 12 and up who have received two doses on or before Sept. 6 will be eligible for the
second draw.

Each lottery draw will award:
• three prizes of $100,000 in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (excluding Churchill);
• a $100,000 prize in each of the remaining regional health authorities: Prairie Mountain Health,
   Southern Health–Santé Sud, Interlake–Eastern Regional Health Authority and Northern Regional
   Health Authority (including Churchill); and
• 10 draws for $25,000 scholarships for young people aged 12 to 17 across the province, for a total
   of $250,000.

All people who have been immunized with either a first or second dose are automatically eligible
and will be entered into the lottery for a chance to win. A process has been put in place to ensure all
information used for the purposes of the draw is protected and secure. Each draw will be held once
eligible immunizations administered as of the lottery deadlines have been entered in the provincial
database

Manitoba Launches ‘4-3-2-One Great Summer’ Reopening Plan

The Manitoba government has launched its safe summer reopening path with more openings
and fewer restrictions for Manitobans beginning by Canada Day. The Reopening Path sets out a
clear plan for more openings and fewer restrictions as vaccination levels rise over the course of
the summer. It focuses on the four reopening categories Manitobans value most, three summer
holiday milestones for phasing out COVID-19 restrictions, and the two public health responsibilities
Manitobans must continue to follow to ensure the province can reopen and stay open.

These include:

•   four reopening categories – gathering and socializing, travel and tourism, shopping and services,
    and dining out and entertainment;
•   three holiday milestones – Canada Day, August Long Weekend and Labour Day; and
•   two public health responsibilities – getting vaccinated and following public health orders that lower
    the risk of COVID-19

Key to reopening is Manitoba’s collective progress in getting vaccinated and reducing the spread of
COVID-19 in communities and hospitals. Each holiday milestone for reopening will have a one-dose
and two-dose immunization goal to guide progress. The immunization targets are:

•   over 70 per cent of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over 25 per
    have received their second dose by Canada Day;
•   75 per cent or greater of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over
    50 per have received their second dose by the August long weekend; and
•   80 per cent or greater of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over
    75 per have received their second dose by Labour Day.

Reopening activity levels will be tied to the first and second dose immunization targets including:
• meeting vaccine targets by Canada Day means businesses, services and facilities can open at
•   25 per cent capacity or greater levels;
•   meeting vaccine targets by the August long weekend means businesses, services and facilities
    can open at 50 per cent capacity or greater levels; and
•   meeting vaccine targets by Labour Day means businesses, services and facilities can open with
    limited restrictions.

For more information on the 4-3-2-One Great Summer Reopening Path, visit:
www.manitoba.ca/covid19/prs/reopening/index.html

Government Establishes Minister’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Education

The Manitoba government            of BEST: building a more           More information on Safe
is creating a Minister’s           inclusive education system         and Caring Schools: A
Advisory Council on Inclusive      that better meets these            Policy Directive Enhancing
Education to enhance the           needs.                             Proactive Supports to
school experience of students                                         Minimize the Use of
                                   Based on consultation
with special needs and                                                Seclusion is available on the
                                   with stakeholders and
support classroom teachers.                                           Manitoba Education website
                                   educators, the province
                                                                      at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/
The council will provide a         has also released a policy
                                                                      docs/support/seclusion/index.
forum for discussions on           to minimize the use of
                                                                      html.
inclusive education and            seclusion and use alternative
student services, and will         responses to student
advise the government on           behaviour, unless there is
many priority actions under        an immediate safety need
the Better Education Starts        or risk of serious physical
Today (BEST) strategy. Part        harm. School divisions will
of its mandate is to identify      implement procedures to
and develop strategies that        ensure proactive supports for
focus resources where they         all students, and to prevent
are needed most – individual       and minimize the use of this
classrooms. The advisory           practice.
council will fulfil a core goal

 Province Announces Free Family Fishing, Free Provincial Parks Access This Weekend

A Manitoba summer                  camping fees will still apply if
tradition continues with the       visitors plan is to spend the
province’s free family fishing     night in one of Manitoba’s
and provincial park access         many beautiful campgrounds.
weekend happening June
                                   Anglers fishing without
12 and 13. Summer family
                                   a licence this weekend
fishing weekends have
                                   will be allowed to keep a
been offered since 1992.
                                   conservation licence limit of
On June 12 and 13, anglers
                                   fish, which varies by species.
will be able to fish without
                                   All other rules and regulations
a licence provincewide,
                                   will apply, as outlined in
except in national parks
                                   the 2021 Manitoba Anglers’
where a federal licence is still
                                   Guide. To obtain a copy of
required. Access to provincial
                                   the 2021 Manitoba Anglers’
parks will also be free starting
                                   Guide, visit
Friday, June 11 through
                                   www.manitobafisheries.com.
Sunday, June 13. Regular

Province Opens Applications for Manitoba Rent Bank Program

Applications for a new rent relief program created by the province
and delivered by the Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association
(MNPHA) are now open. The Manitoba Rent Relief Fund will                  The Manitoba Rent
provide interest-free loans to tenants who are behind in their rent
                                                                       Relief Fund will provide
or need resources to move to housing that is more suitable. The
                                                                        interest-free loans to
program will be administered through the MNPHA and delivered
regionally through local rent banks.
                                                                       tenants who are behind
                                                                         in their rent or need
Earlier this spring, Families Minister Rochelle Squires announced
                                                                        resources to move to
a $5.6-million provincial investment to establish the rent bank
program in support of stable housing for low-income and
                                                                         housing that is more
moderate-income families. For more information on the Manitoba                 suitable.
Rent Relief Fund or to apply, visit https://manitobahelps.com/

        Manitoba Makes $30 Million Investment to Provide Rent Assist Benefits

The Manitoba government            In addition, Rent Assist is        the past several years, to
will invest an additional $30      open to all household types,       $62 million in 2021-22 from
million this year to provide       whereas programs in other          $13.1 million in 2015-16.
Rent Assist benefits to            jurisdictions are restricted to    At the same time, through
Employment and Income              certain kinds of households,       rent control, the annual
Assistance (EIA) recipients        such as those with single          rent guideline is now frozen
and low-income renters.            parents.                           through 2022 and 2023
Under Manitoba’s Rent Assist                                          to help Manitoba renters
program, eligible households       Investments in non-EIA
                                                                      catch up after the COVID-19
receiving EIA are provided         Rent Assist have increased
                                                                      pandemic.
with the benefit as part of        steadily and significantly over
their monthly assistance.
Low-income renters who are
not receiving EIA are also
eligible.
The province’s innovative
Rent Assist program provides
benefits to Manitobans on
and off social assistance,
and unlike most programs
in other jurisdictions, it is
tied to the actual cost of
renting and indexed annually.