Manitoba launching vaccine lottery with $2M in prizes to promote COVID-19 immunizations
The Manitoba government is launching a new lottery to encourage Manitobans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
Premier Brian Pallister and Manny Atwal, president and CEO of Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday, noting the province will award nearly $2 million in cash and scholarships through this lottery.
“This lottery gives Manitobans a reason to move faster to roll up their sleeves, not once, but twice,” the premier said.
Over the summer, Manitoba will hold two lottery draws.
Manitobans are automatically entered when they receive their vaccine.
“You do not have to apply or enter to be eligible,” Atwal said.
“Every person who is immunized will automatically be entered.”
All Manitobans aged 12 years of age and older who have received at least one dose on or before Aug. 2 will be eligible for the first draw, and all Manitobans aged 12 and older who have received two doses on or before Sept. 6 will be eligible for the second.
Each lottery draw will award:
- Three $100,000 prizes in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, excluding Churchill;
- A $100,000 prize in each of the remaining regional health authorities, which includes Prairie Mountain Health, Southern Health- Santé Sud, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority; and the Northern Regional Health Authority, including Churchill; and
- 10 draws of $25,000 for scholarships for people aged 12 to 17.
Each lottery will be held once the province enters all of the eligible immunizations as of the vaccine deadline into its database.
Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries will be responsible for conducting the lotteries, with a third-party auditor providing additional oversight.
“There are still some technical details to work through and some important steps for us to take to ensure an appropriate, secure, and legal process is implemented,” Atwal said.
The province notes a process has been put in place to make sure all the information used for the draw is protected and secure.
Any Manitoban who does not want to be part of the lottery will be able to opt-out. The province will provide information on this process in the near future.
NDP WANTS INVESTMENT IN HEALTH-CARE
NDP Leader Wab Kinew says this lottery shows the province’s “misplaced priorities,” as it is putting money towards a lottery giveaway as opposed to helping address ICU capacity.
“Every time we’ve moved into a lockdown here in Manitoba we’ve been told, ‘We have to do this to buy time for our health-care system,’ and yet Mr. Pallister and the PC cabinet seem to do everything except invest in our health-care system throughout this pandemic,” he said.
Kinew said Wednesday’s announcement is another sign that the government can find resources to do the things they want to do and think will be popular.
However, he said, the province doesn’t seem to find the resources to do the “heavy lifting of the work that we all know is going to be the most important thing to get us through the pandemic, which is to fix the crisis in our health-care system right now, the crisis in our ICUs.”
He said the government’s top job should be to make health-care investments and come up with a plan to fix the situation in the province’s ICUs.
Kinew noted the province needs to continue to supply Manitobans with trusted information from trusted sources to encourage them to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.