WINNIPEG — Shared Health issued an urgent call Friday to surgical patients who require bloodwork to get it done before Dynacare stops collecting blood at noon today — three days before lab workers are set to go on strike.

The company, which conducts blood tests at 22 outlets in Winnipeg, Brandon and surrounding communities, is locked in a contract battle with the union that represents its 350 workers.

Health officials warned that any disruption would significantly impair the health-care system.

Shared Health said Friday its officials, as well as regional health authorities, CancerCare Manitoba and the government have been working together to prepare for the walkout.

Pats 6, Wheat Kings 3

First Period

1. Regina, Mieyette 1 (unassisted) 5:34.

2. Regina, Moore 1 (unassisted) 7:52.

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Public Insurance is getting strict about its winter tire program after years in which customers used it to buy other types of tires.

As of Oct. 1, only tires that are “designed and marketed solely for winter driving conditions, including snow and ice,” will be eligible for financing through the public insurer.

Currently, all-weather, all-season, four-season and year-round tires are included in the program, which allows MPI clients to pay the cost in monthly instalments. The program, established in 2014, offers financing for up to $2,000, plus interest.

In an email to retailers, MPI says the program is being changed so it “helps ensure customers receive the full winter-driving safety benefits associated with dedicated winter tires.”

ISTANBUL — A Turkish cargo ship with 10 crew aboard sank Wednesday after a collision with a tanker off Istanbul, with no immediate signs of survivors, Turkish authorities said.

A lifeboat and other debris belonging to the Tugberk Imamoglu have been found, but there is no sign of the crew, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said in a statement.

“There are 10 seafarers on board, including the captain,” Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said. “They are all Turkish. We can say that the sinking occurred rapidly in 11 minutes. No one has been found alive.”

The ship collided with the Turkish-flagged tanker Alsu in the Marmara Sea at 3 a.m., the statement said. An emergency signal was received from the Tugberk Imamoglu and the first rescue craft reached the site 4:10 a.m.

WINNIPEG — The union for Manitoba Crown attorneys is applauding an arbitrator’s decision to approve the admission of an expert report on workload issues at an upcoming grievance hearing with the province.

The ruling, by arbitrator Michael Werier, involves a report commissioned by the Manitoba Association of Crown attorneys that expands on a 2023 survey of union members about workload and health issues.

“The decision to admit the survey of our membership allows us to properly make our case about the conditions our members face,” association president Michael Desautels said in a news release.

“As the decision makes clear, the use of this kind of expert opinion is well established in Canadian labour law. It was unfortunate that the government felt the need to litigate this issue in the first place.”

The Manitoba Association of Optometrists is bringing a mobile clinic to Brandon today and offering walk-in eye appointments for children and families.

The clinic will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the WestVic Common parking lot outside FYidoctors for parents who want their children to get an eye exam before school starts, the association said in a news release Monday.

In addition to eye examinations, residents are invited to attend a community barbecue from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with face painting and additional child eye-care resources.

» The Brandon Sun

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