Downtown security network enables arrest of robbery suspect

Downtown Security Network and Downtown Watch teamed up when a robbery suspect was apprehended. Police issued a description of the suspect of a Jan. 17 robbery. Participating businesses in the Downtown Security Network scanned their security cameras for information. The Convention Centre caught the suspect on tape. That evening, Downtown Watch ambassadors recognized the suspect and alerted the police. The Downtown Security Network allows members to immediately communicate so that extra precautions are taken to prevent crimes. Downtown Watch ambassadors patrol downtown in red and black outfits and offer SafeWalks to help people feel more comfortable.

New birth centre to be developed in south Winnipeg

Health minister Theresa Oswald announced that Manitoba will invest over $3.5 million to develop a birth centre on the corner of St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s roads. It’s expected to be constructed by spring 2011. This new centre will provide women with access to a range of services throughout pregnancy and into early parenting. The free-standing birth centre will provide an environment to support natural childbirth outside of a hospital or the home, and will include a primary-care clinic, four birthing rooms and education, counselling and administrative areas.

MS Society supporters streak (their hair)

The Manitoba chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is hosting “Streak for MS” to boost interest in the Manitoba Lotteries MS Walk. For a minimum $5 donation, streakers will get a red clip-in streak to put in their hair to generate awareness. Streaking will take place at Polo Park Shopping Centre Bay court on Friday, Jan. 29 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Manitoba Lotteries MS Walk will be held on April 18 and 25 and May 16 and 31. Registration for the walk is free. The MS Society provides services to people with Multiple Sclerosis and funds research to find the cause and cure.

 

Province launches new project to help Manitobans quit smoking

Manitoba is launching a new stop-smoking project to help people kick the addiction as part of the province’s tobacco-control strategy. This new strategy gives the information and support needed to make choices on tobacco use. The new two-year, $280,000 project will give resources and training to four agencies working to help smokers quit, and will be co-ordinated by the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance (MANTRA). The province is also developing a teaching resource called Back Off Tobacco that will help teachers include age-appropriate lessons about tobacco use. This resource will help students develop the skills they need to say no to tobacco.

Winnipeggers an honest bunch, study finds

Winnipeggers refuse to bend the rules – even if it would go unnoticed, a study suggests. Probe Research, a Manitoba firm, conducted a survey with 600 city dwellers about integrity. They found that the majority of Winnipeggers would try to return a lost wallet to its owner. “The fact that over 95 per cent of people say that they would try to contact the owner of a lost wallet really speaks to people’s sense of honesty and fair play,” Probe researcher Curtis Brown told CBC News. However, according to their research, when it comes to padding a résumé or running a red light, people aged 18-34 would be more likely to bend the rules.

Published in Volume 64, Number 17 of The Uniter (January 28, 2010)