November 23, 2005
The Manitoba government today made available provincial guidelines that will assist local governments with planning and preparing for an influenza pandemic.
“At this time, there is not an influenza pandemic in Canada nor the world, but it is important to be prepared and ready to respond in the event one does occur,” said Health Minister Tim Sale. “An influenza pandemic would be much more than just a problem for the health-care system – it would affect all of our society.”
“Municipal governments will play an important role in preparing their communities to respond to and recover from this type of emergency,” said Scott Smith, minister responsible for the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization. “Unlike other hazards in Manitoba, a pandemic represents some unique challenges that may not be addressed in a municipality’s existing emergency plan.”
The guidelines are intended to assist local governments with the task of planning and preparing for a pandemic. They raise potential problems and provide suggestions for dealing with the problems.
Emergency planning for a pandemic is a high priority for the Manitoba government. The recent throne speech announced that new legislation will be introduced to enhance the capacity to deal with emergencies.
A copy of the municipal planning guidelines is available on the Internet at:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/odm/pandemic
or by calling 1-204-945-1444.- 30 -
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