Manitoba Announces 4-3-2-One Great Summer Re-Opening Plan

The Manitoba government has launched its safe summer reopening path with more openings and fewer restrictions for Manitobans beginning by Canada Day. The 4-3-2-One Great Summer Reopening Path sets out a path for more openings and fewer restrictions as vaccination levels rise over the course of the summer. It focuses on the four reopening categories, three summer holiday milestones for phasing out COVID-19 restrictions, and the two public health responsibilities Manitobans must continue to follow to ensure the province can reopen and stay open.

These include:

  • -four reopening categories – gathering and socializing, travel and tourism, shopping and services, and dining out and entertainment;
  • -three holiday milestones – Canada Day, August Long Weekend and Labour Day; and
  • -two public health responsibilities – getting vaccinated and following public health orders that lower the risk of COVID-19.

Key to reopening safely is Manitoba’s collective progress in getting vaccinated and reducing COVID-19 spread in communities and hospitals. Each holiday milestone for reopening will have a one-dose and two-dose immunization goal to guide progress in keeping Manitobans safe.

The immunization targets are:

  • -over 70 per cent of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over 25 per have received their second dose by Canada Day;
  • -75 per cent or greater of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over 50 per have received their second dose by the August long weekend; and
  • -80 per cent or greater of all Manitobans aged 12 and over have received their first dose and over 75 per have received their second dose by Labour Day.

To view the Province’s news release on the reopening plan, please click HERE.

Current Restrictions:

On June 12th, Manitoba extended the current public health order that will remain in effective until Saturday, June 26th. One change was made to the current restrictions:

  • -outdoor gatherings of up to 5 people are allowed on private property and public spaces.

The MHBA received confirmation from the Manitoba Government that the current restriction allowing only one person per household to enter a business does not apply to non-retail businesses. These restrictions do not apply to show homes or sales offices. We remind all members that our recommendation remains that show homes and sales office should be accessible by appointment only at this time.

These restrictions do apply for members with a retail component/show room that is accessible to the public. These businesses are required to ensure that only one person per household is allowed to enter your retail operation.

To view the Province’s news release on the current health order, please click HERE.

Preventative Measures:

The MHBA reminds members that your continued vigilance in taking the appropriate steps to ensure proper preventative measures are vitally important at this time. Eligibility for accessing a vaccine has been frequently expanding, so please encourage your staff to consider getting fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

Collectively, Manitoba’s residential construction industry must continue to take as many preventative measures as possible to help protect their employees and help ensure business continuity against COVID-19.

Our industry must also demonstrate the protocols, as the public, our workers, and the government are definitely watching. Companies that do not implement these measures are not only putting their own business activities at risk, they are putting all residential construction activities at risk.

The MHBA strongly recommends that all of our members implement these measures, whether in your offices, showrooms, worksites or show homes.

  • -If any employee or trade has any flu-like symptoms, no matter how minor, have them stay home;
  • -Limit the number of trades working at one time on your worksites and have your trades strictly adhere to this directive;
  • -Practice social distancing measures in all of your workplaces and worksites;
  • -Keep hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes stocked and available if possible;
  • -Have workers sanitize their hands frequently during the day;
  • -Have show homes available only by appointment to ensure your company is following the Public Health Authority’s guidelines;
  • -Continue to be diligent in implementing the COVID-19 precautions that were implemented for show homes during the 2021 Spring Parade of Homes. This includes ensuring all visitors fill out the pre-screening questionnaire as contact tracing is critically important in light of the current situation.
  • -The use of masks are mandatory for all visitors and agents at show homes as per the Public Health order;
  • -Enable those staff who can work from home to do so;
  • -Disinfect frequently used surfaces (Door knobs, countertops, handrails, etc.) on a regular basis;
  • -Post signage at entrances to worksites, your business and show home/rooms asking those who have recently travelled internationally or those who have any flu-like symptoms to not enter;
  • -Avoid greetings that involve touching, including shaking hands;
  • -Wash your hands properly and frequently; and
  • -Provide disposable towels/napkins should people wash their hands in your show home/workplace. Please do not use reusable (regular) towels in your bathrooms.

Please share this update and discuss these important measures with your staff. Site Supervisors should also share and discuss this information with all trades on site.

Impact on construction sites:

Construction continues to be deemed essential to the economy and gathering limits do not apply to workplaces. Workplaces such as construction sites (both new and renovation) must continue to follow sector specific guidance. (Please see the “Preventative Measures”).

Impact on suppliers:

Businesses supporting and serving the construction industry continue to be deemed essential to the economy and may continue to operate. Those suppliers with retail stores/show rooms open to the general public must continue to limit their store/show room capacity to 10% or up to 100 patrons, whichever is lower.

Impact on City of Winnipeg Inspections:

The City of Winnipeg has suspended inspections in occupied buildings and homes since October 19th and will remain in effect. This suspension has no impact on new construction. The City of Winnipeg will keep appointments currently scheduled and facilitate through Google Duo or FaceTime, but will pause scheduling any new in-person inspections until approved to do so.

At this time, the City does not know how long the suspension will be in place. They indicate that it is dependent on how long the increased provincial restrictions remain in place.

The City of Winnipeg has re-assessed AVI program requirements with the goal of meeting the needs of the Inspections team and making the program easier to use for builders.

Effective immediately, when submitting a request for an AVI, the declaration and basic floor plan are all that’s required to be uploaded. We have removed plan submission requirements for HVAC (ductwork), electrical device locations & circuitry, and egress window dimensions. Underground plumbing drawings are the only additional requirement for all underground work.

The revised program information and checklist have now been updated on Winnipeg.ca:

www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/inspections/Residential/AlternateVideoInspections.stm www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/Documents/inspections/Residential/AlternatVideoInspections/Alternate-Video-Inspections-Applicant-Checklist.pdf

Please note that Inspectors may take longer during inspections, to ask more questions, or request to see some of the features that were previously submitted in drawings.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Marcia Fifer at the City of Winnipeg via email at [email protected]

Impact on offices:

Are masks required in office settings?

Mask requirements will apply to any location where the general public has access. If a meeting occurs in a workplace, to which the general public would not have access, the workplace must follow sector-specific guidance but would not be subject to the new mask requirement.

How will mask use requirements apply to small meetings?  

Mask requirements will apply to any location where the general public has access. If a meeting occurs in a workplace, to which the general public would not have access, the workplace must follow sector-specific guidance but would not be subject to the new mask requirement.

Impact on MHBA’s Office and Operations:

Since September 28th and until further notice, the MHBA offices remain closed to the public. The following measures will remain in place:

No visitors to the office;

  • -No in-person meetings at the office;
  • -Work-from-home and/or work rotation scheduling in place for all staff;
  • -Physical distancing required for staff who are in the office.

MHBA COVID-19 Resources for Members:

As the COVID-19 event continues to unfold, the MHBA has set up a dedicated web page, https://www.homebuilders.mb.ca/mhba-covid-19-resource-page/, to ensure you have quick access to important information necessary to help you and your businesses navigate this tumultuous time.

This dedicated page includes links to the MHBA’s COVID-19 updates, plus a variety of health and business resources and will be updated as new information and resources are made available. We will still continue providing updates to you via email as new information becomes available to keep you as informed as possible.

CSAM has also updated its resource page with additional information. You can visit the CSAM page at https://www.constructionsafety.ca/covid-19-and-manitobas-construction-industry/ 

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