Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinic

This spring, the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre is opening a RAAM clinic on Higgins Avenue, which will provide culturally safe healthcare for Indigenous people. Manitoba has six RAAM clinics, two of which are in Winnipeg. The Province announced $893,000 in funding for the new clinic, which is expected to see up to 2,300 patient visits per year.

Local Black History Month events

The Black History Month Celebration Committee has planned a series of events to celebrate Black History Month this February. The theme is “Black Resistance: Remember, Recognize and Educate.” The event slate begins with a breakfast at city hall, a free trip to the Manitoba Museum this Friday, Feb. 3, and other activities, such as trivia, a movie night, cooking classes, basketball and a youth debate and research challenge.

Carbon Tax Relief Fund cheques

Premier Heather Stefanson is introducing a $200 million Carbon Tax Relief Fund to support 700,000 Manitobans with the rising costs of food and transportation. The funding is available for seniors, singles and couples over the age of 18, with or without children, who lived in the province on or before Dec. 31, 2021 and whose family net income that year was less than $175,000. The province is providing $225 cheques for singles and $375 for couples.

Community tree-planting program

The City of Winnipeg announced a $7 million investment to plant 71,000 new trees. The Province will allocate $180,000 to the Home Grown grant to facilitate the community’s involvement in tree planting. Non-profit organizations in Winnipeg will be able to apply for up to $20,000 and receive guidance from an arborist. The City expects to plant 14,000 trees this year, and priority will be given to communities with higher poverty rates.

McLaren Hotel transforms

Equal Housing Initiative, a non-profit organization, is investing $12 million to renovate the McLaren Hotel – two floors at a time – to help people experiencing houselessness, mental-health issues, addictions and trauma. Currently, the 150 people living in the hotel could be evicted at any time. The McLaren Supportive Housing Initiative plans to lease rooms to tenants, paid for by Employment and Income Assistance (EIA), and include 24-hour support from students in social work, psychology and healthcare practicums.

Sexual-assault nurse examiner program expands

The Manitoba Nurses Union and provincial NDP have criticized Manitoba’s sexual-assault nurse-examiner program, which trains nurses to handle criminal evidence following sexual assaults. Due to a staff shortage at the Health Sciences Centre, survivors were sent home and instructed to not wipe or shower themselves before they could be examined. Monika Warren, chief operating officer provincial health services and chief nursing officer for Shared Health, says more nurses are being trained and positions filled.

Published in Volume 77, Number 17 of The Uniter (February 2, 2023)