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Manitoba Ag Days has announced the recipients of their annual Ag Days Gives Back program. Each year, Ag Days gives 100% of the 50/50 funds raised at their show to agricultural organizations and communities throughout the province.
You still have time to purchase a ticket here, or by calling the Ag Days office at (204) 866-4400. Ticket sales will stop at 4:00 PM on January 20th, with the winner being drawn at 4:30 PM the same day.
There are 15 Community Improvement recipients this year that will each get $1,000. The recipients in each region are:
- North-East Region
- St. Eustache Minor Hockey – St. Eustache, MB
- St. Francois Xavier Community Club – St. Francois, MB
- North-West Region
- Silverton Community Centre – Silverton, MB
- Gilbert Plains Recreational Complex – Gilbert Plains, MB
- McCreary Centennial Arena – McCreary, MB
- South East Region
- Lloyd Orchard Community Arena – Miami, MB
- Sanford Community Rink – Sanford, MB
- Centre Recreatif de St. Leon – St. Leon, MB
- South-West Region
- Doc Bonar Arena - Deloraine, MB
- Neepawa Curling Club – Neepawa, MB
- Wawanesa Recreation Centre – Wawanesa, MB
- Heartland Multiplex – Macgregor, MB
- Strathclair Rink – Strathclair, MB
- Goodlands Community Rink – Goodlands, MB
- Angusville Community Centre – Angusville, MB
There is also $13,000 given out for Agriculture Youth Education and Leadership. The recipients are:
- Agriculture in the Classroom - Manitoba $10,000
- ACC Diploma Scholarship - Stephanie Manning $1,000
- U of M’s Diploma Scholarship - George J. Meggison $1,000
- U of M’s Degree Scholarship - Nyla Hacault $1,000
For more information about Manitoba Ag Days visit their website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
First, it was a snowfall warning and now, an extreme cold warning is in effect.
Cold, arctic air spread over the Prairies overnight as a ridge of high-pressure tracks through the region.
Overnight lows in the low -20s combined with winds of 20 to 30 km/h are producing extreme wind chill values near -40 this morning.
These extreme wind chills will moderate slightly during the day Wednesday but will return again tonight for several regions.
A system moving through the area on Thursday will push warmer air through the region and bring an end to the extreme cold warnings.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
UPDATE: Maurice Merrick has been found and arrested while the RCMP are still searching for Jordan Chartrand and Mitchell Hunter.
On Monday the RCMP were called to a house in Portage La Prairie for reports of an armed robbery.
Three male suspects entered the house with one of them holding a shotgun and one male carrying bear spray. The residents of the house were forced into their basement and sprayed with bear spray.
The three suspects stole multiple items and fled the scene before officers arrived.
Upon arrival, the Mounties searched the area but could not find the three men but recovered the gun in a yard nearby.
All three suspects have been identified and have warrants out for their arrest.
The suspects are:
- Maurice Merrick of Portage La Prairie who is 29 years old and is described as 5’11”, 130lbs with black hair and brown eyes and is wanted for:
- 2 counts of Robbery with a firearm
- 2 counts of pointing a firearm
- Break and Enter
- 2 counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm
- 2 counts of administering a noxious substance
- 2 counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- 3 counts of weapons possession contrary to an order
- Jordan Chartrand who is 27 and is described as 5’5”, 120lbs with black hair and brown eyes and is wanted for:
- 2 counts of robbery with a firearm
- Break and Enter
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm
- 2 counts of administering a noxious substance
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Weapons possession contrary to an order
- Mitchell Hunter who is 38 and described as 5’11lbs, 205lbs with black hair and brown eyes and is wanted for:
- 2 counts of robbery with a firearm
- Break and Enter
Portage La Prairie RCMP is asking for the public’s help in finding these men. If you have any information on where they may be you are asked to call Portage La Prairie RCMP at 204-857-8767 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or you can submit a secure tip online here.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Today at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg, Premier Heather Stefanson welcomed three new members as well as a well-respected former member into her provincial cabinet.
During the announcement today, she unveiled new reframed portfolios to address the challenges posed by COVID-19, a plan for economic growth and recovery, and a better focus on the priorities of all Manitobans.
A few of the changes to the cabinet include:
- Eileen Clarke (MLA for Agassiz) is returning to cabinet as Minister of Municipal Relations.
- Derek Johnson (MLA for Interlake-Gimli) is the new Minister of Agriculture, he is taking over for Ralph Eichler who is no longer in cabinet.
- Wayne Ewasko (MLA for Lac du Bonnet) as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning.
- Scott Johnston (MLA for Assiniboia) comes into the cabinet and will lead the new Department of Seniors and Long-term Care.
- Audrey Gordon (MLA for Southdale) will lead the reframed health portfolio as Minister of Health.
- Sarah Guillemard (MLA for Fort Richmond) takes on the new role of Minister of Mental Health and Community Wellness.
- Doyle Piwniuk (MLA for Turtle Mountain) as Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Among the ministers that stay in their positions in cabinet is Alan Lagimodiere (MLA for Selkirk) who remains Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations.
The Premier ended her changes by thanking former ministers Ralph Eichler and Cathy Cox for their outstanding service and dedication to the people of Manitoba in their various cabinet positions since 2016.
For a full list of the cabinet today head to the Government of Manitoba's website here.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Those affected by the 2011 flood of Lake Manitoba could be entitled to part of a settlement from the province. In 2011, the Manitoba government diverted water away from the Assiniboine River to reduce the risk of flooding in Winnipeg.
On Thursday, a Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench order approved an $85.5 million settlement agreement for anyone who had businesses or owned personal property like cabins that were affected by the floods.
Those on First Nations are not entitled to money from this settlement because three years ago, the courts approved a separate, $90 million settlement for members of the four First Nation affected.
Anyone affected has until April, 14th to make a claim.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
City of Dauphin Crews are currently clearing priority roads and sidewalks which will continue into the evening.
Crews will be clearing Main Street and the downtown business area tonight. They ask that no one park on the roads until they are cleared.
More information can be found here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the Alzheimer’s Society of Manitoba is helping raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia they cover and where to get the help or resources you may need once you, a family member, or a friend is diagnosed with the disease.
The society says that they are raising awareness of all the resources that they offer including educational services to help residents of the province when they find out a diagnosis has happened.
These resources include:
- The society has six regional offices in order to serve the entire province and to help residents avoid having to only travel to Winnipeg for assistance.
- Many of the services are now online through zoom and can be found on their website here.
- They have recently hired a new regional coordinator for the Parkland whose name is Geoff VanMackelbergh. He can be reached at 204-638-4483 or by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Manitoba Alzheimer’s Society would like to encourage those who have recently received a diagnosis or had a family member/friend receive one to reach out to them in order to get the help and support they may need from all the different resources they offer.
The society hopes that getting the word out about these services will help end the stigma behind Alzheimer’s and the different forms of dementia.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
The Dauphin Healthcare Auxiliary announced in a news release that they have unanimously voted to dissolve operations after 120 Years. Auxiliary President Sharon Derhousoff talked about how hard the decision was to make.
“It is certainly with mixed emotions that we announce the end of a tremendous chapter of history that involves the Dauphin Health Care Auxiliary. On the one hand, very emotional that the organization realized it could no longer adequately support the acts of charity and kindness it has been known for over generations. On the other hand, we celebrate a legacy of so many positive accomplishments and cherish those memories and we do so with tremendous pride and a smile”
The decision ultimately came because of difficulty to fundraise over the past few years and an aging membership with a lack of new members. It has been known for several months that this was going to be the outcome, but Derhousoff says there were some things that had to be taken care of first.
“We’ve had to notify groups and organizations regarding some of the initiatives we had on the go. Some of these include the closure of the Hospital Gift Shop; advising the Mountain View School Division that there would no longer be a student bursary as well as advising the DRHC that the Auxiliary would no longer be participating in the Meals on Wheels program. We also had some contracts on vending machines to wind down. Plus, of course, we needed to do official accounting to properly close our books.”
As a final act of generosity, the Auxiliary will be splitting its remaining funds between the Dauphin Regional Health Centre and the Dauphin Personal Care Home.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Health Canada has approved the use of Pfizer's anti-viral treatment, Paxlovid. The prescription-only pill can be given to people 18 and older who have tested positive and are viewed as high risk of having severe outcomes.
There are very specific instructions from Health Canada on who the treatment can be given to, and when. In Pfizer's randomized study of over 380 patients, the pill proved to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89% in the group that received the pill within three days of showing symptoms.
With thousands of people hospitalized across the country and over 1000 in ICUs, this treatment could significantly reduce the strain on the healthcare system. More information about the approval of the treatment is expected in a press conference today.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Heavy snowfall is currently heading through Saskatchewan and is expected to hit southern Manitoba tonight.
10 to 15 cm in total is expected over most of the region. However, communities in the Manitoba Parklands could see total local accumulations approach or exceed the 20 cm mark by the time this system moves on.
The bulk of the snow will begin to taper off during the pre-dawn hours Tuesday morning in eastern Saskatchewan, and lessen over western Manitoba later Tuesday morning, with the Red River Valley and points east following Tuesday afternoon.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Manitoba-made Crown Royal has been named Canada's best whisky and Canadian Whisky of the Year at the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards.
A panel of nine experts gave the awards to the brand's Noble Collection Winter Wheat at the 12th annual event.
Crown Royal is distilled on a 145-hectare property along the shores of Lake Winnipeg in Gimli.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
