Royal Albert to reopen in September?

Change is keyword in move to define infill boundaries

After 40 years of sprawl, Winnipeg is trying to grow up — but first, it will have to update its rules on infill development in mature neighbourhoods.

Winnipeg’s footprint grew three times faster than its population from 1971 to 2011, city documents show. For the last five years, 15 per cent of growth has been infill development in older neighbourhoods — a whiplash change that’s sparked concerns about different rules for different neighbourhoods and too much change, too fast.

While many infill developments are approved by city hall despite community opposition, Charleswood residents were able to block a 100-foot lot from being split early this summer.

“The lack of consistency and the imprecise guidelines is the most important thing,” River Heights resident Ann Hodges said. “There are criteria that are meant to be used.

‘It’s ridiculous’: Leisure Guide website belly flops on swim lesson day

Karly Mooney got up early Tuesday to dive in front of her computer, hoping to snag a swimming lesson spot for her son.

WRHA directs three care homes to accommodate surge of hospital patients

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has directed three long-term care centres to make space for hospital patients, citing “exceptionally high demand for care across the health-care system.”

“Riverview Health Centre, Deer Lodge Centre and Misericordia Health Centre have been asked to identify additional temporary capacity for patients who no longer require an acute-care hospital bed but continue to need an appropriate level of care before they can transition to their next care setting,” a WRHA spokesperson told the Free Press Thursday.

“This whole-of-system response will help create additional capacity in acute-care hospitals, supporting patient flow and timely access to emergency departments and other hospital services.”

The spokesperson described the measures as part of “standard surge protocol,” atypical and temporary, but did not provide a timeline of how long patients would be staying at the health-care centres.

Despite outbreaks, Winnipeg care-home residents allowed to leave, visit families

When an email from the personal care home where Marie Tremblay’s mother lives landed in her inbox with the subject line “holiday season visitation,” her mind started racing.

Tremblay’s mom is a resident at Park Manor Personal Care Home in Transcona, where an outbreak of COVID-19 has infected 73 residents and 37 staff. Twenty-two residents have died due to the disease.

“They’ve asked families not to go in there during COVID; it’s bad enough with staff getting it. So, I haven’t gone in to visit her since the lockdown,” Tremblay said Friday.

In a follow-up email to Tremblay, the chief executive officer explained he was obligated to inform families that the regional health authority has set guidelines for out-of-home visits, or a “social pass,” despite the home strongly discouraging such visits.