More fines issued related to anti-lockdown rallies in Manitoba

Manitoba continues to hand out fines to attendees involved in anti-mask and anti-lockdown rallies across the province, as well as dozens of tickets for gatherings in private residences and outdoors.

Enforcement officers issued 123 warnings and 70 tickets between May 10 and 16, including 62 tickets for $1,296to individuals for various offences, the province said in its latest enforcement update on Tuesday.

Of those 62 individual tickets, 53 were related to gatherings, either outdoors or in private residences.

Gatherings in private residences are currently prohibited under provincial health orders. Outdoor gatherings were limited to a maximum of five as of May 8, down from a previous limit of 10.

A total of 22 tickets were handed out between May 10 and 16 to people who attended rallies in Winkler on May 1, at The Forks in Winnipeg on May 1 and 14, and at the Law Courts Building on May 3, according to the province's Tuesday update.

This comes in addition to 32 tickets related to those events that were announced last week.

About 150 people, most of them unmasked and not distanced, gathered outside the Law Courts in Winnipeg on May 3 in support of seven churches that have issued a legal challenge over provincialpublic health orders that restrict or prohibit religious services. Dozens of people have been fined in relation to the event, including 14 tickets announced this week.

Several anti-lockdown rallies have been held at The Forks in recent weeks, and this week the province announced six more tickets connected with the rally there on May 1.

Two more tickets were issued in connection to the Winkler rally on May 1.

The province said it continues to investigate the rallies and expects more fines to come in the near future.

Six individual tickets were also issued from May 10 to 16 for failing to self-isolate, the provincial update says. One was for unnecessary travel to northern Manitoba and two were issued to businesses designated as sole proprietorships.

Another five $298 tickets were issued to individuals for failing to wear a mask indoors, and three $5,000 tickets were handed out to businesses.

The combined value of all tickets issued last week is $96,842.

On Monday, Manitoba Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the province's health-care system is under "far too much strain," after weeks of daily case counts in the hundreds.

The province encourages Manitobans to report enforcement issues online or by calling a provincial line at 204-945-3744 or (toll-free) 1-866-626-4862.