Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - December 18, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A1 SCU.MB.CA/MYMORTGAGE ?Annual Percentage Rate. *Rates subject to change. Restrictions apply, see us for details. R E S I D E N T I A L M O R T G A G E 1.95%*5-YEAR CLOSED(apr ?) winnipeg.ca/extrastuff Got extra stuff over the holidays? . take it to a 4R Winnipeg Depot for free . take it to a community recycling location for free If you have too much recycling for your cart: . contact 311 and request a special pickup for a fee If you have too much garbage for your cart: PERFECT AS A GIFT, to honour loved ones, or to mark a special occasion.qaumajuq Adopt a shelf of art in /visible-vaultNEW INUIT ART CENTRE OPENING 2021 CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: A FEW FLURRIES. HIGH -2 - LOW -15 � FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020 FOUNDED IN 1872 A STAIN ON OUR GAME The life and destructive legacy of Graham James THE Spencers work from home, only leave for essential errands, and in the spring, shrunk their family of four's bubble. They've done everything right and followed all the provincially mandat- ed rules - but they still contracted COVID-19. The Spencers - not their real name, to protect their children's pri- vacy - decided they would not take additional risks when the school year began Sept. 8, knowing their circle would grow to an unknown extent. They swapped visits with grandpar- ents, dinner parties and extracurricu- lar activities for their children's educa- tion and well-being in public school. "Our bubble is our kids' school, that's where all the contact happens," the father said during a phone call on recently, while experiencing extreme fatigue in quarantine with his family. The Spencers are convinced their oldest child brought home the virus from school. Earlier this month, the Spencers received a school exposure letter that identified a positive case in their old- est child's class. That same day, the parents started to experience symp- toms. The father had flu-like signs, including a slight fever and headache; his partner lost her ability to smell. The couple got tested the follow- ing day, and within 48 hours, learned they were positive for the virus. The family listened to public health advice and waited to test their kids, who were and remain asymptomatic, in case they developed symptoms. Then, they found out both a classmate of their oldest child and that student's sibling had tested positive, prompting the Spencers to get their kids tested. Only their oldest, who was identi- fied as a close contact of another school exposure announced days later, tested positive for the virus. During the first two weeks of December, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority issued notices about four COVID-19 cases in the build- ing. No notice was sent out about the oldest Spencer child; including that case, the Free Press has confirmed there have been at least three cases connected to one classroom. Child brought COVID home from school: parents MAGGIE MACINTOSH The police and the predator Part 5 of Free Press series examines difficulties officers faced in investigating Graham James and the wall of silence that continues to surround the sex abuse scandal / C1-4 Manitoba deficit in $2-B range, less than expected A FTER GOING on a wild roller-coaster ride since the pre-pandemic budget in March, Manitoba's deficit is expected to be nearly $1 billion lower than the $2.9 billion projected in September, the province said Thursday. Finance Minister Scott Fielding released an updated outlook for the 2020-21 fiscal year that shows the projected deficit is $2.048 billion. Before the budget was tabled March 19, a week after the World Health Organization declared CO- VID-19 a pandemic, the province was on track to have a deficit of $220 million. While the deficit will be nearly 10 times that amount, thanks to lost tax revenue and escalating bills associ- ated with responding to the pandemic, it's a rosier picture than the almost $3-billion deficit the province forecast in September. It's nowhere near the $5-billion, worst-case-scenario defi- cit the government predicted earlier this year. In the spring, the Manitoba legislature approved supplementary borrowing of $5 billion to address pandemic funding needs. The province credits its improved financial outlook to receiving federal transfer supports of $648 million, to offset nearly 20 per cent of the $3.2 billion the government said it has promised to spend on the health, social and economic impacts of the pandemic. "We are striving for balance," Premier Brian Pallister said at a news conference with Fielding. NDP Leader Wab Kinew accused Pallister of failing to prepare for a second wave of the pandemic while holding onto "an austerity agenda." "For the premier to come out and make it seem like a good news story when his cuts and failure to prepare have caused this second wave to be so damaging to our province, just shows how out of touch he is," Kinew told reporters. Fielding said the two financial priorities are to protect Manitobans and help businesses that have been af- fected by COVID-19. The government will spend $633 million more on health care than what it had initially bud- geted. It plans to continue spending to support individuals and businesses even as the COVID-19 vaccines roll out, he said. Pallister said Manitoba has "the most generous programs per capita, outside of some programs in P.E.I., in Canada" to support small businesses, and is working on a strategy with the business community to introduce another $50 million in funding. "I think that what the vast majority of our small business people would like is that we beat COVID together, so they can get back to doing what they do best, which is providing goods and services to Manitobans," the premier said. CAROL SANDERS The world is his oyster Winnipeg entrepreneur says pandemic has spawned interest in home mushroom-growing kits / D1 ? SCHOOL, CONTINUED ON A2 ? DEFICIT, CONTINUED ON A2 ICE TIME... AT YOUR OWN RISK Community centre operators feared their staff would be tasked with enforcing physical distancing rules. Not so, says the city / B1 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE A_01_Dec-18-20_FP_01.indd A1 2020-12-17 9:44 PM ;