Accessibility Tools

LISTEN LIVE 

NewsNow

Swan River is getting some support for community safety and crime prevention programs from the provincial government.

The government is investing $50,000 that was "derived from the proceeds of crime." Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen made the announcement this morning, saying in a news release that the RCMP says security cameras are one thing that would be beneficial.

"Our government is pleased to provide this funding to Swan River toward the purchase of surveillance camera equipment, helping to strengthen the community’s crime prevention efforts, including the work of its Citizens on Patrol Program."

The new equipment will help the RCMP Identify suspects, act as a deterrent, and preserve evidence to assist prosecutions says Goertzen.

In the same release, Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson says they're thankful to the government for the funding.

"Our community will use the resources to procure equipment and set up a camera surveillance system in an effort to deter crime, provide further evidence to our local law enforcement teams, and protect our citizens and their properties."

The money is a part of the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, which has given out more than $24.5 million since its inception in 2009. The program seizes and liquidates criminal assets, and redirects funding to projects and initiatives designed to protect Manitobans and enhance public safety.

Details

Students at Barker School in Dauphin got a special performance by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet(RWB) School‘s Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program earlier this week.

The program is in the midst of its On the Edge Tour, performing 12 times, in 12 days, in 12 different communities. Program Director Vanessa Leonard says this tour is a great way for them to share what they do with the entire province.

"We bring a mixed repertoire performance, which means that there's quite a few different styles of dance. So we have the classical ballet dance, there is some contemporary dance in it as well, along with some flamenco and tango dancing, and neoclassical dancing. So it is a range of pieces that are put together to form the show."

This is the first full in-person On the Edge Tour the school is doing, as the pandemic made it so they had to go virtual the last few years.

Leonard says there are opportunities for dance lovers across the province at RWB, and that's something they want to show students while on tour.

"It's important for students from all over, to know that we have this little gem in Winnipeg, at that there is a school, there's an inspiring young dancer, there is a school that has student housing where you can come and train if ballet is a dream of yours. So hopefully we spark those little dreams within some kids at the schools, and also within some performances that we do for communities."

Dauphin was the third stop on the tour, with shows in Winkler and Portage on Monday and Tuesday. The tour left Dauphin immediately after Wednesday morning's show, heading to Grand Rapids for a performance yesterday, and then to Thompson for another show today.

After stops in Gillam, Wabowden, Moose Lake, and the Pas, the tour will be finishing off in Swan Valley, Pine Creek, and Brandon next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Details

That 'Winter Storm Warning' that has resulted in a ton of snow for the Parkland has now come to an end.

Snowy conditions are expected to continue until Friday morning before the sun returns.

Looking at the weather forecast over the weekend, temperatures are near the high single-digits and temperatures are expected to reach double digits during the middle of next week.

Details

A recent road condition report states Highway 19 and the Rolling River Road within Riding Mountain National Park of Canada are closed to vehicle traffic as a result of poor weather conditions.

Travel is not advised on any of the other roads throughout the Riding Mountains, as winter conditions have left a great deal of snow and ice in their wake.

Emergency services may not be available in the closed portions of the Mountains.  

Details

Last night at 1:35 am, the Dauphin RCMP was attempting to locate a 15-year-old male who was wanted by police and believed to be in possession of a firearm.
 
This belief turned out to be correct.
 
Officers in an unmarked police vehicle, observed the suspect, along with a 19-year-old male, exit a residence located on 5th Avenue NE in Dauphin.
 
As the vehicle approached the duo, they began to flee. The 15-year-old then pulled out a gun and fired at the unmarked vehicle. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
 
The suspects fled to their residence and barricaded themselves inside, where officers surrounded the house and called for backup.

RCMP Emergency Response Team arrived and entered the home, where 5 suspects were taken into custody.

The scene is being held as officers draft a warrant to thoroughly search the premise. the five suspects currently remain in police custody.

Details

Cannabis can be a confusing concept. THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, 420, there are a lot of terms to learn.

Luckily, a locally made podcast called "Reefer Medness", produced in our CKDM studios, explores a huge range of topics on cannabis, and looks to answer almost any question

The show is hosted by registered nurse Kirk Nyquist and pharmacist Trevor Shewfelt, and together with a wide variety of special guests, they explore the mechanisms of cannabis, what it does, and how it affects society.

The series recently released its 100th episode, with 101 coming out shortly, and as host Kirk Nyquist details, the show covers "reefer madness", medicine, and more.

"We've explored driving under the influence of cannabis, taxation of cannabis, cannabis and chronic pain, we've explored cannabis and migraine headaches, we've explored the "madness" of cannabis and the stigma behind it. and we've explored Cannabis as an exit drug."

Cannabis was often seen as an entry drug, or gateway drug, to harder substances. On the podcast, Nyquist dives deep into where this idea is flawed, and how the opposite is true.

 "One of the old tropes was that cannabis was an entry drug, the idea that if children started smoking cannabis, they'd be heroin addicts by the end of their life. While with actual fact, that's been discredited. There's a group of caregivers that are using it as an exit drug, meaning cannabis, when prescribed to a person to people who use narcotics, actually lowers the expenses of the narcotics, because people use less."

4/20, a widely observed cannabis-related "holiday", was a big topic of discussion with Nyquist. He commented how the origins of the day had a focus on legalizing or decriminalizing the drug, but also noted that the meaning of 4/20 has changed since cannabis became legal.

"Today, 4/20 brings forward the concept that cannabis is medicine and the federal government is ignoring it. A lot of emphasis is placed on the fact that cannabis is recreationally legal, so lets just go get our cannabis from the budtender. Unfortunately, budtenders are by law not allowed to discuss cannabis as medicine."

With the podcast celebrating the success of its first 100 episodes, it's likely there will be even more interesting, investigative, and informative episodes to come. 

If you're looking to learn nearly anything about cannabis, check out the Reefer Medness Website for a full list of topics and episodes.

Details

The largest walkout against a single employer in Canadian history started yesterday, and while some effects can already be seen, only time will tell how other services could be affected.

In the agriculture industry, there are a number of services that could be affected by the strike. Keystone Agricultural Producers(KAP) President, Jill Verwey, says there are definitely a few areas of concern for the industry.

"I think the big impact is certainly on a couple of areas. One would be any of the programming that is offered through AAFC. AgriInvest, AgriStability, some of the skills programming, certainly the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Any of the programming through there will certainly be impacted."

Verwey says the Canadian Grain Commission, will also be affected by the strike, as a number of their workers are represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). She says it's very likely there will be a delay in some grain shipments, and depending on the length of the strike, it could result in some backlogs.

Verwey says that immigration as a whole could also be affected by the strike, and that will lead to issues within the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.

"We're right in the middle of spring, so any impact on the temporary foreign worker program would have some impacts on farmers. Particularly getting workers in this spring."

Verwey says the longer the strike lasts, the greater these impacts will become.

"If it's dragged out over a long period of time, then those impacts have a snowballing effect. In the end, if it's a long-term situation, it trickles down to if we have backlogs, then we have farmers that are unable to move grain, and worse case, then you have restrictions on cashflow, and farmer's ability to market the rest of their 2022 grain, and the ability to purchase inputs for this year."

Verwey says KAP has expressed its concerns to both the federal government, and PSAC, and they hope the two sides will keep an open dialogue and set up contingency plans to minimize negative impacts.

Details

Prairie Mountain Health has postponed tomorrow's Career Expo in Swan River due to the weather.

The expo in Swan River will now be held on Wednesday, May 17th at Swan River Regional Secondary School, from 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

The career expo made its first stop in Dauphin yesterday, with stops planned in Swan River(May 17), Russell(April 27), Virden(May 2), Killarney(May 4), Brandon(May 9), and Neepawa(May 10).

Details

Update #2 posted on April 19 at 2:37 pm

Highway 83 between Russell and Roblin has now reopened. All highways throughout the parkland are currently listed as either partially or fully snow-covered.

---

Update #1 posted on April 19 at 10:35 am

The winter storm means constantly changing road conditions this morning, most recently, causing the closure of Highway 83 between Russell and Roblin.

Before heading out on the road today, check out the Parkview Autoglass Road Conditions Tab for the most up-to-date road conditions.

---

Original Article posted on April 19 at 9:21 am

While Dauphin didn't see as much snow as expected overnight, the Winter Storm Warning is still in effect.

Environment Canada's still calling for anywhere from 15 to 40 cm of snow between today and tomorrow. They say that the snow will be the heaviest today, but will continue into tomorrow in most areas.

Most highways in the area are being reported as partially or fully snow-covered right now, with the exception of Highway 10 between Ethelbert and Pine River, as well as Highway 20 between Provincial Road 271 and Pine Creek, which are reported as bare.

The Winter Storm Watch is also reporting wind as strong as 50 gusting to 70 throughout the day today, which can produce periods of blowing snow, and make visibility poor while driving.

Details

Police are releasing more information from the investigation into the death of 37-year-old James Vernon Giesbrecht from Brandon.

An investigation has been underway for months after human remains were discovered on the outskirts of the City of Brandon. In January, RCMP identified the remains as belonging to Giesbrecht.

Toward the end of March, the investigation revealed that Giesbrecht's death was connected to a grey 2007 Honda Accord that had been seen in the Brandon area in October. The vehicle was stolen from Regina.

Now, police say the investigation is at a point where they can release more information about the investigation, and the following update was issued this morning.

Update 2 – Major Crime Services investigating homicide in western Manitoba

The investigation into the homicide of James Vernon Giesbrecht is now at a place where police can release further information relating to the 2007 Honda Accord and where the remains of the victim were located.

Giesbrecht’s remains were located in the trunk of the burned out Honda Accord. The burned vehicle was located on October 13, 2022, just south of the intersection of Road 108 West and Road 51 North in the RM of Cornwallis. A complete forensic examination has taken place on the vehicle, with the assistance of a Forensic Anthropologist from the Brandon University Department of Anthropology. Police located physical evidence that has been sent to the Forensic Laboratory for forensic DNA testing.

Additional searches in relation to the homicide have taken place, which have helped police collect further evidence in this investigation. However, investigators are still looking to the public to provide any information they may have in relation to this incident by calling the Major Crime Services Tip Line at 1-431-489-8110.

Giesbrecht investigation Blue Hills RCMPGiesbrecht investigation[4809], Blue Hills RCMP

Details

Update

According to the Manitoba Hydro Outage map, power has been restored to the area.

---

Manitoba Hydro is reporting a number of power outages in southwestern Manitoba, including one along Highway 50.

Many customers are currently being affected by an outage that spans a large area south of Brandon, and areas west of Portage La Prairie.

Hydro says that crews are out working to restore power as quickly as possible, and anyone with a power outage should report it online here, and the Manitoba Hydro Outage Map can be found here.

Details

More News