The province will provide new supports for individuals and organizations facing bedbug infestations. This new support will also help build a coalition of municipalities, health authorities, business groups and other key stakeholders to establish a provincewide approach, Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors Minister Jim Rondeau announced at a bedbug symposium. A total of $770,000 in provincial funding has been allocated for the first year of the plan.
“Bedbugs can cause a great deal of stress and financial hardship for those affected,” said Rondeau. “They are not exclusive to any one area or group of people. Everyone in our communities will have a role to play in finding affordable solutions.”
The strategy will provide qualifying organizations with access to specialized materials to help combat bedbugs at low cost. Items such as mattress and box-spring encasements, specialized laundry bags and insect monitors will be included.
A grant program will also be introduced to assist not-for-profit community organizations in their education, management and prevention efforts.
“This is a great step forward in the battle against bedbugs in our city and province and I’m pleased to support it,” said Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz. “Our staff will work alongside the province and other organizations to ensure the most-effective response to this issue.”
A marketing campaign focusing on prevention and eradication will begin in the coming weeks, said Rondeau. Brochures, posters, fact sheets and a bedbug website are being developed to provide information on how to prevent and identify infestations, and what steps to take when an infestation occurs including how to prepare living areas for treatment.
A bedbug phone line will also be established to offer information to Manitobans. Calls will be tracked to help evaluate the bedbug situation throughout the province, the minister said.
“In recent years, bedbugs infestations have been growing in number all across North America including Manitoba,” said Mario Lopes of the Professional Property Managers Association. “The provincial strategy is going to help property managers and others to address this problem and limit the spread of these pests.”
