Blood donations

With concerns over the Zika virus, Canadian Blood Services is calling for people going on vacations this spring to donate blood before they leave. Donors who have travelled outside of Canada, the U.S. or Europe are disqualified to give blood for 21 days after returning to Canada to minimize the risk of the Zika virus entering the blood supply. The organization is also seeking new donors in place of those who can’t donate due to travel.

 

Breakfast delivery

Winnipeg-based food delivery service, SkipTheDishes, has launched a breakfast delivery pilot program. Forty restaurants will participate including Stella’s Cafe and Bakery, Falafel Place and Nook and Cranny. The pilot program will only be available in Winnipeg to start but will expand to other cities if successful.

 

Kinew comment

The University of Winnipeg says Wab Kinew, the provincial NDP candidate and associate vice-president of indigenous affairs, has done positive work for the university, refusing to comment on his homophobic and misogynistic tweets he’s been in controversy over. The former hip hop artist is on leave from U of W until the day of the provincial election, April 19.

 

Animal rights lecture

Brock University’s Dr. John Sorenson, an animal rights advocate and author of Constructing Ecoterrorism, is speaking at the University of Winnipeg on Wed., March 23, at 12:30 p.m., in Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall. Dr. Sorensen researches the ways that corporate propaganda uses “politics of fear” to undermine animal rights groups and activism. The lecture is hosted by the U of W’s department of sociology.

 

Vote compass

An online tool used to help voters align with political parties during elections is coming to Manitoba for first time. Vote Compass asks 30 public policy questions and suggests which party most aligns with your beliefs based on your answers. The tool was developed Vox Pop Labs and has been used in 17 different elections in Canada at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, as well as in elections in the United States and Australia. Go to votecompass.cbc.ca/manitoba/ to use the tool.

 

Welcome Place overflow

Welcome Place has opened two overflow locations to help Syrian refugees settle in Winnipeg. The organization typically finds permanent housing for clients within 10 to 14 days after arriving here but takes longer for larger families. The agency will operate one overflow location until the end of June while the other is due to close at the end of March.

Published in Volume 70, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 17, 2016)