Manitoba | More than 100 AEDs now in place throughout the province
Winnipeg MB | The City of Winnipeg and the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) announced that life-saving automated external defibrillators (AED) are now available in more than 50 new locations throughout Manitoba.
Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service (WFPS) announced their own donation of 20 AEDs to Winnipeg Public Library locations throughout Winnipeg and an additional 10 units to Winnipeg Police Service facilities and City administrative offices. This will complement the 84 AEDs already in City of Winnipeg facilities. This donation of these AEDs, previously used by WFPS, is possible after upgraded defibrillators were placed on City fire trucks.
“As Mayor, I am proud that more than 100 public locations across Winnipeg will now have accessible AEDs that make such a remarkable difference in saving lives anywhere, before EMS arrive,” said Mayor Sam Katz. “I am especially pleased that the Heart and Stroke Foundation, along with their supporters, have made the safety and well-being of Winnipeggers paramount with their contributions to our facilities today.”
The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s donation of 24 AEDs (valued at more than $3,000 each) was made possible through the support of national sponsors Boston Pizza Foundation and The Cowan Foundation. Both sponsors have championed the HSF national Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life™ Automated External Defibrillator (AED) program.
“Quick access to AEDs is vital to creating cardiac-safe communities everywhere,” says Debbie Brown, President and CEO for HSF in Manitoba. “Thanks to generous support from Boston Pizza Foundation and The Cowan Foundation, we are able to provide this life-saving equipment to public facilities with the greatest and most urgent need.”
The combined contribution made by Boston Pizza Foundation and The Cowan Foundation has supported the purchase, allocation, training and installation of AEDs in Winnipeg locations such as the Assiniboine Park Zoo, Centre for Youth Excellence, and includes two AEDs for placement at the new Winnipeg Blue Bombers Football Stadium. Donations also include placement at rural public places such as the Russell Regional Multiplex Project, Gladstone District Community Centre, and Camp Arnes in Gimli (please see below for a full listing of locations).
The Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life™ program is committed to increasing the number of AEDs in communities across Manitoba and Canada. The program focuses on increasing public awareness of the role of AEDs and encourages citizens to make a difference by learning CPR so they are able to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest emergency.
“The Boston Pizza Foundation is committed to working with the Heart and Stroke Foundation to place more than 400 AEDs in public access places across Canada,” says Cheryl Treliving, Executive Director, Boston Pizza Foundation. “Our support goes well beyond the $1 million dollar donation made in 2009 as we work with Boston Pizza franchisees to place AEDs in our stores. We continue to engage local community organizations to encourage and facilitate proper training and usage of CPR and AEDs.”
“We began sponsoring Heart and Stroke’s AED program in 2007 with a donation of $1 million because we believed it was important to assist with the distribution of AEDs in Canadian communities,” explains Maureen Cowan. “We continue to support this meaningful initiative by extending our support for another $1 million, to allow AED access in more communities throughout Canada because the program is succeeding and lives are being saved.”
Criteria for determining areas most in need include emergency response times, the potential of higher incidence of sudden cardiac arrests in large public places, and local readiness to support a public access defibrillator program.
AEDs make it possible for non-medical personnel to potentially restore heart rhythm and life. The AED uses voice prompts and text messages to tell the rescuer what steps to take and delivers an electric shock to the heart. AEDs are safe and effective when used within minutes of collapse at restarting the heart and restoring life.
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as many as 45,000 cardiac arrest occur in Canada each year. Almost 85 per cent of all cardiac arrests take place in the home or in public places, of which less than 5 per cent survive. Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive and it could mean saving the life of a friend or family member. The chance of an individual’s survival can be increased by up to 75 per cent if CPR and an AED are used in the first few minutes.
The donated AEDs will be placed at the following locations:
Winnipeg:
- All Winnipeg Public Libraries;
- Millennium Library (three units)
- Henderson Library
- Pembina Trail Library
- Louis Riel Library
- River Heights Library
- Sir William Stephenson Library
- West Kildonan Library
- St. James Assiniboia Library
- Fort Garry Library
- Westwood Library
- St. Vital Library
- Charleswood Library
- Transcona Library
- St. Boniface Library
- Munroe Library
- Windsor Park Library
- St. John’s Library
- Cornish Library
- Assiniboine Park Zoo (one mobile, one stationary unit)
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers stadium
- Centre for Youth Excellence
- Centro Caboto Centre
- Earl Grey Community Centre
- Charleswood Broncos/Charleswood Hawks
- Fort Garry Community Centre (Hobson Site)
- Lord Roberts Community Centre
- Military Family Resource Centre
- Murdoch Mackay Collegiate
- North Kildonan Community Centre
- Roblin Park Community Centre
- Siloam Mission
- Sinclair Park Community Centre
- Sports for Life Centre
- Valley Gardens Community Centre
- Winnipeg Police Service (Public Safety Building, Records Checks/ Fingerprinting, District 2 Station Duty, District 3 Station Duty, East District Station Duty and District 6 Station Duty)
- City of Winnipeg Assessment and Taxation Support Services
- City of Winnipeg Planning and Land Use Office
- City of Winnipeg Plan Examination Branch
- Winnipeg Fleet Management Agency
Rural:
- Flin Flon – North of 53 Consumer Cooperative Limited
- Gimli – Camp Arnes
- Gladstone District Community Centre, Community Hall
- MacGregor/Heartland Recreation Commission – Normac Community Centre
- Russell Regional Multiplex Project
- Virden Multi-Purpose Recreation Facility
Manitoba | Province launches 511 Enhanced Highway Road Information System
Brandon MB | Highway travellers, commercial truckers, visitors and families across the province will benefit from Manitoba’s new 511 service, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton announced here today during the Association of Manitoba Municipalities annual convention.
“The new 511 traveller information service will provide drivers with the most up-to date information on driving conditions, helping families ensure they get to their end destinations safely and giving truckers the ability to plan their routes more efficiently,” said Ashton. “The system is now up and running and people can access 511 from anywhere in the province to get current road information.”
Similar to 911 for emergencies and 311 for municipal information, 511 is a number dedicated to traveller information. The new 511 system is an enhanced version of the former highway information system, the minister said. Manitobans can now dial 511 to get one-stop access to traveller information including:
- current provincial road conditions,
- notifications on road or bridge closures,
- updates on winter roads,
- current weather information,
- information on how to contact Travel Manitoba, and
- contact information for trucking permits.
Manitobans will notice significant improvements to the online service, as enhancements to the 511 system will together provide an easy way for the commercial and travelling public to plan their routes and avoid delays, Ashton added. A new interactive Internet map featuring links to five areas of the province (southeast, southwest, central east, central west and north) will allow visitors to guide their mouse over a desired location to see current road conditions for that area. The new map also features current road information for neighbouring provinces and states including Ontario, Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Minnesota.
Statistics from the former site show the online version of this service isone of the most visited provincial sites with about 2,300 visits on a typical winter day, Ashton said, adding the usage can surge to over 45,000 visits a day during storms.
“The trucking industry depends on our roadways to provide its services to Manitoba communities year round. Having current, up-to-date and readily available road and weather information makes our roadways safer for the general traveling public and the many people in our industry that use these highways daily,” said Bob Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association. “We appreciate this new service and know that our industry will find it beneficial.”
Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation began developing the new 511 system in the spring of 2011 in co-operation with all telecommunication service providers operating in the province.
“Westman Communications Group is pleased to support this initiative from the Province of Manitoba. We feel it’s very important to make the road and weather conditions easily accessible. The new dedicated 511 call routing we have implemented on our phone service will ensure that happens,” said Dave Baxter, president and CEO of Westman Communications Group.
Manitoba is the first province in Western Canada to adopt this type of system to provide motorists with the most current information about provincial roads, the minister said. Similar 511 systems are provided by 30 states south of the international border including those along I-29. Manitoba and many jurisdictions along I-29 are part of the North America’s Corridor Coalition (NASCO), a forum which brings together public- and private-sector leaders to address critical trade, transportation, security and environmental issues along the international mid-continent route. Manitoba joins a growing list of North American jurisdictions providing the recognizable 511 service that is also available in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Yukon in Canada, Ashton said.
The latest information on Manitoba’s road conditions is available any time toll-free at 511, at www.mb511.ca or by following the new Twitter account @MBGovRoads.
Manitoba | High water advisory issued for communities along Waterhen River
Interlake Region MB |
Manitoba Water Stewardship’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre has issued a high water advisory for the Waterhen River in the Interlake, due to the possibility of more frazil ice jams forming in the next few days and weeks.
Frazil ice, which has already begun to form, is a combination of slush and ice crystals that does not totally freeze but has the potential to cause a jam. These jams can result in sudden river rises of one metre or more.
In the last two days, temperatures have fallen below freezing and water level rises of up to 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) have been recorded at Waterhen. It is difficult to predict accurately where and when the frazil ice will develop, however, the communities of Mallard, Rock Ridge and Waterhen along the Waterhen River are advised to be vigilant as levels on the river could rise quickly.
Levels of the Waterhen River are expected to remain high throughout the winter, however, dikes are in place to protect most low-lying buildings in the area.
This high water advisory will be updated if river conditions and forecasts change significantly.
The latest information on water levels is available at: www.gov.mb.ca/waterstewardship/floodinfo/index.html.
Fire code changes aimed at improving life safety
Winnipeg MB–A number of key changes to the 2011 Manitoba Fire Code will make buildings safer, Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard, minister responsible for the Office of the Fire Commissioner, announced today.
“These important changes will help improve the safety of buildings and keep us up to date with national standards,” said Howard. “Through the Office of the Fire Commissioner, we work closely with industry and individuals to be sure these important safety improvements make their way into practice.”
The 2011 Manitoba Fire Code, which is the 2010 National Fire Code with Manitoba amendments, includes changes such as:
- requiring additional training for people who service special fire-suppression systems and portable fire extinguishers,
- including child-care facilities in the definition of a residential-care facility, and
- requiring fire safety plans and fire department access at building construction and demolition sites including specific requirements for standpipe systems.
“Buildings such as child-care centres, hospitals, personal-care and residential-care facilities will be required to have carbon monoxide detection devices installed in their facilities if there is a risk of carbon monoxide present in any part of the building,” added Howard.
Further information including a complete list of significant changes and a link to the full list of 2011 Manitoba Fire Code amendments will be posted on the Office of the Fire Commissioner’s website at www.firecomm.gov.mb.ca.
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