An action plan is needed to address exposure to radon in Manitoba as it is a cause of lung cancer

On Thursday May 12, in Question Period, I asked the government what the plans are for addressing the high levels of radon in far too many homes in Manitoba. My question and the response is below.

Radon Exposure Levels
Action Plan to Address

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, each year radon–a radioactive gas and a major cause of lung cancer–is responsible for about 150 new lung cancer cases and 110 deaths in Manitoba.

Madam Speaker, 24 per cent of homes in Manitoba have high radon levels, second highest in Canada. Some communities are much higher: Brandon, 37 per cent; the region of Portage, Morden and Winkler, 44 per cent; the RM of Dauphin, 71 per cent; the RM of Harrison Park, 79 per cent.

The government needs to implement a major action plan to address this serious public health issue, including subsidizing the mitigation of homes to reduce radon levels.

I call on the government to act today. Will it?

Hon. Jeff Wharton (Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks): I certainly appreciate the question from the member.

And certainly, as we–as lead, we take radon very seriously too, as well, Madam Speaker. We know that 'radion' is a very–an issue that we will take seriously, and certainly, I would welcome the member from River Heights to have a discussion with me on the seriousness of it.

As a matter of fact, we–as homeowners, Madam Speaker, we have taken action as well. We've tested our home for radon. And I think Manitobans will be, obviously, wanting to test their homes for radon.

We want to make sure that gets done and working in non-partisan ways, we'll get it done, Madam Speaker.

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Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March. South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory. The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions. This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14. Manitoba ( red line ) started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then. South Dakota ( blue line ) has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4. Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations

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The Gerrard Report

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