MANITOBAN UMSU general election set Manitoba opens applications for March 6-7 for new plastic V health card Milan Lukes, staff
package being Thursday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. Thirteen positions are available to be filled in the upcoming election, consisting of executive positions and community representatives. Executive positions include the president, vice-president university affairs, vice-president external affairs, vice-president student life and vicepresident finance and operations. The community representative positions consist of an Indigenous, international, 2SLGBTQIA+, women’s community, accessibility, mature and part-time, racialized and Black students’ representative. The responsibilities and duties of each position can be found in UMSU’s governance
and operations manual. The UMSU election manual states that the nomination package will require the candidate’s name and contact information, a signed acknowledgement accepting the nomination, confirmation from the university that the nominee is an UMSU member, a $50 deposit and a signed document indicating the name that each candidate wishes to appear on the ballot. Students wishing to run for an executive position will also require the first and last names, signatures, faculties, years and student ID numbers of a minimum of 100 students that are UMSU members. They will also need to Cont’d p. 3 / provide
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oting for the 2025-26 University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) annual general election will occur from Thursday, March 6 at 8 a.m. until Friday, March 7 at 5 p.m. The final timeline of the upcoming election was presented during the Jan. 16 UMSU board of directors meeting. The timeline presentation was prepared by chief electoral officer Jodie Smith and was presented by Christopher Yendt, interim chairperson of the board, as Smith was unable to attend the meeting. The nomination period for students wishing to run in the election starts on Monday, Feb. 3 at 9 a.m. with the deadline to submit the nomination
UMSU chair and governance administrative coordinator resign
photo / Milan Lukes / staff
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See story on p.3
Past chairperson of UMSU’s board of directors, Nicholas Lu (left), pictured during the Dec. 5 board meeting. Christopher Yendt (right) has since served as interim chairperson following Lu’s resignation.
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Modernized plastic card featuring northern lights to arrive within coming months Taycie Adeoti, staff Manitobans are now able to apply online for an updated plastic health card that will eventually replace the existing paper health card. This update was announced by Health, Seniors and Longterm Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Innovation and New Technology Minister, Mike Moroz on Jan. 15. Although Premier Wab Kinew initially announced that applications for a new card would be available in December 2024, he said plans were delayed due to the Canada Post strike. In a provincial news release, Asagwara stated, “our government has been working hard to move our health-care system into the modern era and we’re thankful to Manitobans’ patience as we take time to get this process right.” The delivery of updated health cards might face delays due to the high demand for the initiative, according to Asagwara. However, Asagwara emphasized that the government remains committed to ensuring every Manitoban receives their card as part of this modernization effort. In September 2024, the government initiated a poll for the design of the new card. The winning design features an image of the northern lights, beating other potential designs that showcased a bison and a polar bear. Asagwara claims that Manitobans applying for the updated plastic health card can expect them to be delivered within the next few
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months. Meanwhile, the current paper health card will remain valid and will continue to be accepted by healthcare facilities. Manitoba and Alberta are the last provinces and territories within Canada that continue to use paper health cards. There is also a plan to have a digital health card that can be accessed on smartphones in the future. Youth and children who are listed on family health cards will now receive their own card to align with other jurisdictions across Canada, according to a provincial news release. A provincial spokesperson said that the government chose to ask Manitobans to apply for the card, rather than simply mailing them to everybody, because many people have old addresses on their file, as reported by CBC. The health card application also requires individuals to indicate their preferred official language. Those applying for their first health card will now automatically receive the updated plastic card, with mail and in-person pick-up options being available. The total cost of the initiative remains unclear, but is estimated that the production cost per card is below $1.67, which was the cost of Manitoba’s COVID-19 vaccination card, claimed an official in the communications branch to CBC. Manitobans can apply for the plastic health card online at gov.mb.ca/health.
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