Communities Economic Development Fund
15 Moak Crescent R8N 2B8 Thompson, MB, Canada

Public health officials are elevating the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System level for the Northern Health Region and Churchill to Restricted effective Monday, October 26, 2020, to help slow the spread of #Covid19MB. Learn more at https://bit.ly/31z3ss3. #MBPRS

Our latest CEDF/Look North Newsletter is now live subscribe for updates throughout our region and don't forget to register for our upcoming "Virtual Forum" Join us from November 2nd to November 6th to hear about all the work we are doing around the Northern Manitoba region. Contact us at 1-800-561=4315 or message us for more information and registration. Look North Kurt Thibault Look North Shannon Goulet Look North Stephanie Johnson Look North Ken Slobodian... #LookNorthMB See more

Have you registered for our "Virtual Forum" yet? Join us from November 2nd to November 6th to hear about all the work we are doing around the Northern Manitoba region. Contact [email protected] or message us for more information and registration. #LookNorthMB

Communities Economic Development Fund (CEDF) is looking for your participation at our upcoming Virtual Forum. Daily sessions will be offered from November 2nd... November 6th, 2020 where strategies will be presented and we want to hear from YOU!!! Please see the post for more details and for how to register for the online event #looknorthmb

Don't forget to register for tomorrow's free lunchtime session!

Rachel and Rod from BDC are going to be sharing some great information highlighting the resilience of entrepreneurs during COVID-19.

Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team PRCT BULLETIN October 9th, 2020 PDF version: https://manitobachiefs.com//u/October-9-bulle...tin-final.pdf Given the recent rise the number of cases and the province moving to orange zone, it is recommended that: Be cautious with and if possible, delay travel to/ from regions of the province designated as Orange (Restricted) or Red (Critical) risk levels. This includes Winnipeg and the surrounding Metropolitan area currently. For communities that have significant connections to Winnipeg for medical appointments or other travel, consider reviewing and enacting the Orange Alert Level in the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Alert Levels (https://manitobachiefs.com//PRCT-MB-First-Nations-COVID-Al). With the Thanksgiving weekend coming up, as Dr. Roussin has said we strongly encourage that gatherings be with household members only. The Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team advise that, since the October 5th bulletin, sixty one (61) new First Nations COVID-19 cases were identified as of 7:00 am, Friday, October 10th. The total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable positive First Nations cases in Manitoba has increased by 61, taking the total to 179 cases. 106 cases are off-reserve and 73 cases are on-reserve. The total number of recovered cases are now 36 and active cases are 143. As of 4pm October 8th, according to FNIHB there were 60 active cases on reserve. Details of the 179 First Nations cases: 100 people in Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) 60 people in the Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) 2 people in the Southern Health-Santé Sud (SHSS) 4 people in the Prairie Mountain Regional Health Authority (PMH) 13 people in the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) The number of recovered cases is 36 The number of currently hospitalized cases is 13 The number of deaths among First Nations people due to COVID-19 is 0. 109 females and 70 males The age range of positive people: 1-86 The most commonly reported age group of infected individuals is 20-29 (same as the rest of MB) Travel-acquired cases: 7% (in comparison to 12% for other Manitobans) Acquisition through contact with a known positive case: 71% (in comparison to 68% for other Manitobans) Average time from symptom onset until testing: 4 days (same as the rest of MB) 50% of cases reported the presence of an underlying illness (in comparison to 34% for the rest of MB) First Nation Testing As of October 9th, 2020, the number of First Nations COVID-19 tests has risen by 916, for a total of 21433 tests conducted for First Nations across Manitoba since the pandemic began. Current 5-day COVID-19 test positivity rate in Manitoba First Nations is 5.93% which is higher than Manitoba’s 5-day test positivity rate of 3%. For First Nations the average test number per person tested is 1.23, which is higher than the overall testing rate in Manitoba, at 1.17 tests/person tested. The total number of tests in First Nations represents 11% of the overall tests done in Manitoba; testing numbers are highest in hospital, particularly in Winnipeg; the main sources of test samples excluding Winnipeg were from nursing stations. Asymptomatic surveillance has yet to identify any First Nations cases. Except in the very young, testing rates are higher in women, 59% overall. This mirrors the provincial testing trends where there are also more women who are being tested at 56%. A total of 17417 First Nations people have been tested to date. Of those, 59% of tests were completed for First Nations who live on reserve and 41% of tests were completed for First Nations who live in urban or rural areas. Unlike the majority of cases in Manitoba, First Nations people are most likely to be infected through close contact to a known case of COVID-19. First Nation Contacts Of completed investigations currently available in PHIMS, there are 342 First Nations people that have been named as contacts over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic 71% of COVID-19 infections were a result of close contact to a positive COVID-19 case Discussion The epidemiological curve for COVID-19 in First Nations people in Manitoba is showing an ongoing concerning trend. Our families and connections across communities are a strength in many respects, but when it comes to COVID-19 the mobility and these connections can be a risk for spread. We continue to be very concerned about the number of cases occurring in the 60-69 year old age group and the increasing number of First Nations people in hospital with COVID-19. We are seeing a large cluster of cases with connections across communities related to traveling and visiting family, among other things. We also know that people often come to Winnipeg for a variety of reasons including visiting, shopping, and entertainment. There have been a growing number of cases and many more potential public exposures in restaurants, bars, casinos and shopping centers reported in the last couple of weeks. In order to respond to our current situation, we need to be much more careful about the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 in Winnipeg, and then the potential of bringing it back to our communities when we return. We need to be more cautious with non-essential travel to keep the risks lower for people who need to travel, for example for medical appointments. At this time, PRCT encourages the following actions: If travel to an Orange zone is necessary, keep the number of people traveling as low as possible and be diligent with physical distancing and hand hygiene and follow all measures such as mandatory non-medical masks that are in place. If you have family who live in other communities/ areas from you, consider ways to connect that are lower risk for spreading COVID-19: o Connect by phone or other social media platforms. o Only travel to visit in vehicles with people who live in your household. o Visit outside as much as possible. o Avoid sharing food/ serving dishes/ utensils/ condiments. o If you are visiting older relatives, limit your visiting with others, attendance at gatherings, and possibilities for public exposures prior to your visit so that you don’t unintentionally expose your relatives to COVID-19. If you are having Thanksgiving gatherings, it is strongly encouraged that this be with members of your own household only. Practice physical distancing measures and stay 2m/ 6ft away from people who are outside of your household. Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. Regularly clean commonly touched surfaces such as door handles and countertops. Wear non-medical masks when you are in places where physical distancing cannot be maintained (e.g. crowded stores or when using public/ community transportation services). Follow gathering size orders. At this time we encourage communities to consider lowering any gatherings to 10 people whether indoors or outdoors. Consider postponing any large gatherings or reducing the numbers who attend in person. Stay home and self-isolate if you have any new symptoms that could be from COVID-19, no matter how mild the symptoms are. Present for testing if your symptoms last for more than 24 hours. You can access testing by calling the health facility in your community, going to the RHA testing site closest to you, calling your health care provider, or use the Screening Tool available here https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/screening-tool/ to find out when/ where you can be tested. COVID-19 resources and links: Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Alert Levels https://manitobachiefs.com//PRCT-MB-First-Nations-COVID-Al School Division Reopening Plans http://www.manitoba.ca/covi/restoring/school-divisions.html Restoring Safe Schools: August 13 - School Settings Practice Guidance and Protocols https://www.gov.mb.ca//restoring/rss-practice-guidance.html Applying Current Public Health Orders and Guidance to Community Events https://manitobachiefs.com//PRCT-GUIDE-Applying-Current-Pu Public Health Considerations During COVID-19 for Sundance Leaders https://d5d8ad59-8391-4802-9f0a-f5f5d600d7e9.filesusr.com/ Manitoba government COVID-19 information https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/ Please visit any of the following websites for more information and resources on COVID-19: www.manitobachiefs.com www.scoinc.mb.ca www.mkonation.com www.fnhssm.com https://sharedhealthmb.ca/covid19/indigenous-health/ https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1581964230816/1581964277298

Looking for local harvesters! Contact Look North Stephanie Johnson at 204-271-0154 for more information!

MCN Advisory #11 October 8, 2020 Large family gatherings and visiting between households is not recommended. This will limit the paths the virus can travel in our community. Keep Thanksgiving celebrations small to avoid the potential for a super spreader event.

Northern Harvesters Market was a success at Kikiwak today. Fish, various kinds of honey and of course Alan McLauchlan's famous birch syrup were available for purchase

If you’re interested in buying fish & harvested food products such as syrups, honey and teas, from right here in our northern forests, join the CEDF, Look North, and Manitoba Commercial Fishers as they present the Northern Harvesters Market in Opaskywak Cree Nation Saturday, October 3rd at our new market location of the Kikiwak Parking lot from 11:30 till 4:30.

Looking to buy some Manitoba caught frozen Pickerel? We have leftover fish from our Northern Harvesters Market. $12 a pound call 204-778-4138 ext 254 or message us on facebook for more information. #looknorthmb