Manitoba cranks up COVID-19 enforcement machine, hands out record 102 tickets

Manitobaenforcement of COVID-19 public health orders took a big jump in the past week with 102 tickets and 130 warnings the largest number of fines in one week since the start of the pandemic.

There were 96 ticketsfor$1,296 given toindividuals for various offences during the week of May 17-23, a Wednesday news release from the province said.

Of those, 88 tickets were forgatherings in private residences or outdoors, three were for failure to self-isolate, two were for unnecessary northern travel and three were given tobusiness owners: at Baba's House Ice Cream in Winnipeg, the UPS Store on Ellice Avenue in Winnipegand the Baldur Motor Hotel in Baldur.

Another six tickets, each for $298, were issued for not wearing a mask in indoor public places.

Current public health orders includea strict no-gathering rule. Only people from the same household can be together outdoors andvisitors are banned from any private residence unless a person lives alone, in which case they can still have one designated visitor.

The rules about visitingincludecampsites, which are considered private during the time they are rented. On Tuesday, the province saidconservation officers will be out enforcing the rules in provincial parks.

Businesses can operate at10 per cent of capacity and only one person per household can enter, though there are exceptions for people such as single parents and caregivers.

Rally tickets

The province said it is also continuing to investigate and follow up on rallies that violate the restrictions, which led to22 people being ticketed $1,296 each.

Those are part of the total 102 tickets from the past week, a provincial spokesperson said.

The 22 tickets were linked to events in Winnipeg, a provincial spokesperson said. The spokespersonwouldnot provide any specific details on who was fined, or what events were involved.

Since enforcement efforts began in April 2020, a total of 4,358 warnings and 1,526 tickets have been issued, resulting in more than$2.1 million in fines to businesses and individuals.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Justice says those who break the rules must face consequences.

At the same time, the spokesperson said,investigations take time to ensure theevidence is well-founded and documented.

Individuals and entities have the right to respond to the allegations and contest the charges in court, the spokesperson added.