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The day has finally arrived for Manitoba Municipal Elections. After months of campaigns, voters will be able to cast their votes for Mayor, Reeve, Councilor, and School Trustee from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. In Dauphin, voting for the city and R.M. is at the Dauphin Friendship Centre at 201, 1st Ave NE.

Both the City and RM of Dauphin have highly contested races, with David Bosiak and Kerri Riehl going head to head for Mayor, while there are 17 council candidates for 6 open spots.

The RM also has a race for the top position, as Tom Gibbs and Ernie Sirski are on the ballot for Reeve, and ten candidates will be looking to fill six spots on the council. A full list of candidates for the City and RM of Dauphin can be found here.

Here are a number of common questions that have come up as the election approaches:

What happens if you're in line when the polls close? While the polls are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. tonight, anyone in line, inside the building at that time will be eligible to vote, so if you're still in line at 8, make sure you don't leave the line.

What ID do I need to present to vote? You can either show one original piece of identification with your photo, name, and address, issued by a government agency, or Show two original pieces of authorized identification that together provide evidence of your name and current address. Both must have your name and at least one must have your current address.

I live in one municipality, and own property in another municipality. Can I vote in both municipal elections?  Yes, if you are qualified as a resident voter in one municipality, and are qualified as a non-resident property owner in another municipality, you can vote in both municipal elections.

For school division elections, if I don't reside in the school division, but own property - can I vote? No, for school division elections, you must be a resident of the school division to be eligible to vote. Non-resident property voters may only vote in municipal elections.

I own property in two wards in a municipality - Can I vote in both wards? No, you may only vote once in an election within a municipality. If you own property in two wards, you must notify the Senior Election Official of the ward where you would like to vote. If you do not choose a ward at least six weeks before Election Day, the Senior Election Official will choose one for you.

The provincial government has compiled a full list of frequently asked questions that can be viewed here. Tune into our Election Night Coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 26, 2022 - 5:30 am

The provincial government's looking for feedback on its Agricultural Crown Lands Program, and Manitoba Beef Producer (MBP) is hoping producers in the area will participate.

The survey is open until Friday, and it's a great opportunity for producers to bring issues to the forefront. MBP General Manager Carson Callum says it's an issue that producers have been facing for a while.

"This has been a contentious issue for MBP and many of our members over the last number of years since the modernization was put into effect, you know, a lot of detrimental changes happened. Really the current minister is looking to fix the issue."

This survey was going to be the main focus at the MBP District 13 Meeting that was postponed on Monday so Callum wanted to get the word out to producers before it was closed. That meeting has been rescheduled for November 7th at the Rotary Arena, and producers can register for it here.

"The deadline's looming here pretty quickly, so folks need to get their paper copy or do it online by the 28th. I strongly encourage folks that haven't taken part in it to do so, we need our voices to be heard, and we need as many numbers in the area of this particular topic to fill out the survey."

Callum says MBP is also available to help people out with the survey if they need a hand, as they know many producers live in areas with poor service.

"It's on the Engage Manitoba Website. We also have information posted on our website as well, and we encourage folks who have trouble filling it out online, they can call us at the office and one of my colleagues would help folks go through it and fill it out. Sometimes the Engage Manitoba Website can be confusing, especially if you're in a rural area with not great internet service, so if anybody needs assistance to complete it online, please call us here at the Manitoba Beef Producers office."

The survey can be found here, and Manitoba Beef Producers can be reached at 204-772-4542.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 25, 2022 - 8:40 pm

Broadband Communications North(BCN) serves over 50 rural, northern, and remote communities across the province, and they're expanding their services to Pine Creek First Nation and Lake Manitoba First Nation. Executive Director Jason Neepin says this new project is what BCN is all about.

"Broadband Communications North is an Indigenous-owned company. The board of directors is represented by the tribal councils within Manitoba. Our customers are Indigenous, they're the underserved communities in Northern Manitoba. The origin for BCN is through the Schoolnet Programs and the Telehealth Network, and over 20 years it's grown into one of Canada's largest Indigenous broadband networks."

Neepin says that the most important this is to get the best internet possible to remote communities, and they're going to continue working to try and improve the quality of the services they're able to offer.

"A lot of the fiber that we do have to communities is 1 Gigabit Per Second, whereas we would like to see at least 10 Gigabit Per Second. Ideally, we would like to have it like city internet at 100 Gigabit Per Second. So really we're dealing with one percent of the capacity of what the city has. We're making do with what we have, but we would like to be on equal footing."

Neepin says they've taken over the Pine Creek First Nation and Lake Manitoba First Nation projects from Clearsky Connections.

"We’ve taken over operations of their current agreements with Indigenous Services Canada and our expectation is that those two communities will be fully operational by the fall of 2023"

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 25, 2022 - 5:53 am

The Manitoba Ag Days Gives Back Program is accepting applications for this year's grants, which are going to rural community fire departments across the province.

On top of their normal scholarships which are given out each year, Ag Days Gives Back will be giving eight, $2000 Community Safety Grants. Teresa Vallotton, the Communications Coordinator for Manitoba Ag Days, says fire departments were the perfect choice to go with this year's show.

"This year the show will be focusing on both physical and mental health. That's the connection that we wanted to pursue to support the fire departments this year. In the past, last year we had supported various community development projects, and two years ago we supported childcare centers. So as you can see we're trying to reach these funds into the community at large, and support the growth of those rural communities."

Vallotton says there are a few requirements for departments to be eligible to apply.

"These $2000 grants can be used for anything that the department wishes. So it might be something physical like equipment, or it might be something like training. That can all be outlined in the application. There is a requirement for an Ag producer to support the application, there's a requirement that there are community funds matching the request from Ag Days, and the Maximum project value is $50,000."

Everything you need to know about the Ag Days Gives Back Program, including the link to the application can be found here. The application deadline for this year's event is November 15th.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 25, 2022 - 5:50 am

The Dauphin RCMP say the second suspect in Friday's assault of one of their officers has turned himself in. The 16-year-old from Dauphin has been charged with resisting arrest and issued an appearance notice for a future date in Dauphin Provincial Court.

Around 1:30 on Friday, the officer spotted two suspects in an ongoing Possession of a Stolen Vehicle and Flight from the Police investigation. When he informed the pair they were under arrest, they started attacking him.

The officer used pepper spray, and with the help of a passerby, was able to take one suspect into custody, but the second was able to get away. The Dauphin RCMP thanks the public for their help with the investigation.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 24, 2022 - 3:15 pm

UPDATE: Environment Canada has ended the Winter Storm Warning that's been in effect since yesterday afternoon.

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Original article, posted on Oct 23, 2022, at 4:37 p.m. below:

Environment Canada has issued multiple winter storm warnings for Dauphin and surrounding areas.

They are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

• Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis
• Swan River - Duck Mountain - Porcupine Provincial Forest

According to Environment Canada, hazardous winter conditions are expected.

They say that a Colorado Low moving through the eastern Prairies will bring a period of rain and freezing rain followed by heavy snow to parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and that freezing rain will develop on Sunday night and then transition to heavy snow on Monday morning.

They also say that accumulating freezing rain is possible along both the Trans-Canada Highway and Yellowhead Highway corridors overnight and that anywhere between 10 and 20 cm of snow can be expected.

In addition, Environment Canada recommends postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve, since surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become difficult to navigate due to accumulating snow, adding that people should prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions.

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Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos

Published: Oct 24, 2022 - 2:29 pm

On Friday afternoon, the Dauphin RCMP responded to a report of a stabbing at a residence in the city. Police attended the scene and found a male with non-life-threatening injuries.

51-year-old Roberta Simpson, from Dauphin, was arrested nearby and charged with aggravated assault. Simpson was released from custody and will appear in Dauphin Provincial Court at a later date.

Anyone with information regarding this, or any other crime, is asked to call Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5020, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or provide a secure tip online here.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 24, 2022 - 9:07 am

A family from Duck Bay is back home after the taping of Family Feud.

After a successful virtual audition, Joyce Delaronde, Harold Delaronde, Lisa Delaronde, Noah Delaronde, and Sydney Cable will be featured on the December 7th show. Their audition was about a month ago and the family has already spent a few days in Toronto for the taping of the show.

Harold says it was such a thrilling experience and he can't wait for the time that everyone can watch.

"It was extremely exciting, it was a bit of a whirlwind," said Delaronde. "Jerry D made all of us pretty nervous. It was super neat, especially since I grew up watching Family Feud."

Representing their hometown of Duck Bay, Harold says this experience is one that the family will never forget.

"I felt such a sense of pride to see our name and then Duck Bay under," said Delaronde. "It's honestly still sinking in, it was such a special moment for the entire family."

You'll be able to watch their episode on December 7 on CBC and by heading to Family Feud.

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Contributed by Darnell Duff

Published: Oct 24, 2022 - 7:00 am

The ground has been broken and concrete's been poured on a new affordable housing fourplex at Parkland Crossing. The project is expected to be complete in February and Wayne Olson, the Community Minister at the Church of Christ, says there will hopefully be more buildings to come in the future.

"It takes a lot of money to do these things. We are a very very small congregation, so having money and people gifting us and finding funding for the project to carry on. We will keep looking for more money to come in to help build. We would like to do three more fourplexes in the next few years if we can. That's our goal and we'll keep looking for funding opportunities so we can build more affordable housing units."

While the building itself won't be complete until late this winter, Parkland Crossing has started taking applications for the units.

"There is an application process for people to go through. We rent to a variety of people, in our facility right now we have 20 apartments and 34 rooming house rooms that we rent out. The process will be very much the same, they will come in and fill out an application."

The fourplex will be all two-bedroom units, and Olson says it's perfect for seniors having trouble keeping up with the rising cost of living, young families just starting out, or single parents with small children.

"People can come in, our business office is open from ten to four every day, and they can get applications from there. If you just want to find out more information about the project you can talk to myself, Wayne Olson, or Jaimie Harvey, or if you know some of the members of the Church of Christ you can talk to any of them, they will all be updated on what's happening. Don't be scared to give us a call, we'd be glad to share information."

Parkland Crossing is located at 220 Whitmore Ave. W in Dauphin, and the office phone number is (204) 638-3333.

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Contributed by Sam Brownell

Published: Oct 24, 2022 - 6:00 am

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Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos

Published: Oct 22, 2022 - 7:22 am