Manitoba Minute: Ankle Bracelets, Security Rebates, and a Classroom Cellphone Ban

Manitoba Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Manitoba politics.

This Week In Manitoba:

• The Province is reinstating the use of ankle bracelets to monitor individuals accused of crimes after being released on bail. The program will start in Winnipeg with 100 GPS devices to track repeat offenders, aiming to reduce breaches of bail conditions and prevent escalating crimes. The government plans to expand the program across Manitoba and will assess its effectiveness. The program will cost $2.9 million over two years.
  
  
• A cellphone ban will be implemented this fall for all Kindergarten to grade 8 students across the province, while high school students will be encouraged to use technology responsibly rather than facing a complete ban. The policy aims to reduce distractions in classrooms and improve student focus. Schools will have the flexibility to decide how to enforce the ban, with exemptions allowed for medical reasons or educational purposes. Manitoba is the last province in Western Canada to introduce such restrictions in schools.
  
  
• The Manitoba government is expanding its home security rebate program with an additional $1.5 million in funding, allowing more residents to receive rebates for purchasing security systems. Initially launched with $500,000, the program quickly reached its cap due to high demand, prompting the government to increase the total funding to $2 million. Homeowners, renters, and small business owners can now apply for a $300 rebate on security equipment bought after September 1st, 2023. Premier Wab Kinew expects nearly 10,000 Manitobans to benefit from the program with this new funding.

Last Week In Manitoba:

• The Province committed to adding 68 transitional beds in various healthcare facilities to help ease pressure on overwhelmed emergency departments. These beds will temporarily house patients discharged from the ER while they wait for long-term placement. Although aimed primarily at seniors, the beds will also accommodate other patients, including those awaiting physiotherapy or at risk of homelessness.
  
  
• The Manitoba government allocated over $500,000 to three programs designed to keep families together and prevent children from entering the child welfare system. This funding includes $183,000 for the Grandmother’s Council Program, which uses Indigenous knowledge to support families, $150,000 for the Islamic Social Services Association to hire a social worker and counsellor, and $200,000 for Acorn Family Place's Wrap Around Program.
  
  
• The life of Tina Fontaine, a young girl murdered in Winnipeg ten years ago, was commemorated with significant funding for Tina’s Safe Haven. The Manitoba government allocated $986,000 to support this 24-hour drop-in center, which offers essential services to at-risk youth. Fontaine, who went missing and was found dead in 2014, became a symbol of the movement that led to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The funding includes $400,000 from the federal National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence for health services and $586,000 from the provincial government for operational costs.