Bear Safety At Dauphin Northgate Trails

A CKDM listener recently reported they saw a bear and two cubs at the Northgate trails south of Dauphin.

The Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club maintains the trail, and have offered some tips to help you stay safe when enjoying the outdoors.

Mick Lautt is a board member of the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club and has a background in adventure guiding and leadership. He says the best thing to do to avoid a negative encounter is to make your presence known.

“The vast majority of times bears will walk or run off the trails. They’re not interested in having an interaction with humans. The best thing you can do is let them know you’re coming, and not surprise them. The rule of thumb is to travel in groups; the rule for black bears is to travel in groups of 3 or more.”

He says wildlife is part of what makes the trails exciting, however if you do run into a bear, there are a few things to do.

“You want to stand tall on your bike, be as big as possible, and be present, but you also want to be calm. You don’t want to be threatening, and you certainly don’t want to be panicked and run or ride away. You want to stop where you are, call out and talk to the bear. Then you can slowly start to move out of their space and give them the ability to take their own time to move off the trail – they will move off the trail.”

Lautt mentions that there is no need to report bear sightings at the trails, and says the most important thing is to be cautious and respectful of the wildlife in the area.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: Sep 7, 2020 - 6:00 am

COVID-19 test sites in Prairie Mountain Health will be seeing reduced hours for the Labour Day long weekend.

Dauphin’s test site will be closed Saturday and Monday, but will be open on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The site in Swan River will be closed Saturday and Sunday, but is open on Monday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Brandon’s site at the Keystone Centre parking lot will be closed Sunday and Monday, but open Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. The site at the Town Centre parkade will be open all weekend long, on Saturday and Monday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., and on Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Public Health officials are reminding Manitobans that only people that are showing symptoms of the virus should get tested. A referral is no longer needed.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: Sep 7, 2020 - 5:25 am

Manitoba-born country music singer Lucille Starr has passed away at the age of 82.

Starr was born in St. Boniface, and was best known for her 1965 hit ‘The French Song’.

Lucille Starr’s family confirmed she died early on Friday after a long illness.

Starr was the first Canadian woman to perform at the famous Grand Ole Opry, and was the first Canadian woman inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: Sep 6, 2020 - 6:25 pm

Public health officials identified 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, and the vast majority are in Winnipeg.

17 cases are in the Winnipeg health region, with three in Prairie Mountain Health. Seven cases are in the Southern Health region, with 1 in the Interlake region, and 1 in the Northern health region.

Sept 6 COVID graph
(Image courtesy of the province of Manitoba)

The number of cases in the Dauphin health district is unchanged, where all 7 reported cases are listed as recovered.

Manitoba now has a total of 1,323 cases of COVID-19, with 409 active cases.

There are 13 people in hospital, and two are in intensive care. There have been 16 deaths in Manitoba because of the virus.

Manitobans are strongly encouraged to return to the fundamentals to help stop the spread of COVID-19. This means not going out while you feel ill, practising proper hand hygiene, covering your cough and physical distancing when you are with people outside your household. If you cannot physically distance, wear a mask.

Unless recommended by public health, only individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should go for testing.

Individuals with symptoms are asked to seek testing as soon as possible once symptoms are present.

The online assessment tool can be found here.

Be advised, the COVID testing sites in PMH are operating with some adjusted hours this long weekend.

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: Sep 6, 2020 - 1:23 pm

A wind warning has been issued for parts of southern Manitoba on Sunday, including Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg.

Wind gusts up to 90 km/h will develop this afternoon in the affected areas.

Damage to buildings (ex. to roof shingles and windows), may occur. High winds may toss loose objects or cause tree branches to break.

These gusty winds are expected to subside Sunday evening.

The wind warning is in effect for the following areas.

R.M. of Cartier incl. Elie St. Eustache and Springstein
R.M. of Dufferin incl. Carman Roseisle and Homewood
R.M. of Grey incl. St. Claude Elm Creek and Fannystelle
R.M. of Headingley
R.M. of Macdonald incl. Brunkild Starbuck and La Salle
R.M. of Portage la Prairie incl. St. Ambroise
R.M. of St. François Xavier

Special Weather Statement For Dauphin & Area

There is also a special weather statement in effect for Dauphin and surrounding areas, calling for an abrupt transition to Fall this Labour Day weekend.

Winds gusts up to 80 km/h are expected from the northwest this afternoon.

An Alberta Clipper passing across the prairies is bringing rain, gusty winds, and cooler temperatures. Environment Canada says a cooler air mass will entrench itself over Manitoba by Tuesday morning.

Widespread frost is possible in a number of locations in the Parkland on Tuesday morning.

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: Sep 6, 2020 - 8:51 am

Pubic health officials reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba on Saturday.

Four cases are in the Prairie Mountain Health region. Ten cases are in the Winnipeg health region; 3 are in the Interlake region, and 4 are in the Southern Health region.

There are currently 426 active cases in Manitoba. Thirteen people are in hospital, with two in intensive care.

The number of deaths in Manitoba due to COVID-19 is 16.

There have been a total of 1,294 cases in the province.

None of today’s cases are in the Dauphin health district.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, click here.

Details: Contributed by Matt Hamel; Published: Sep 5, 2020 - 1:31 pm

A special weather statement has been issued for the Parkland, calling for a quick transition to cooler temperatures over the next few days.

Environment Canada is advising of an abrupt transition to fall weather this weekend, with wind gusts up to 90km as well as the risk of frost for Southern Manitoba.

The advisory is in effect for the following areas:

Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville
Grandview Mun. incl. Valley River Res.
Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River
Mun. of Ethelbert incl. Garland
Mun. of Roblin incl. Makaroff Shortdale and Bield
Mun. of Russell-Binscarth incl. Gambler Res.
R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Ochre River and Makinak
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides
R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: Sep 4, 2020 - 6:01 pm

Nine new cases of COVID-19 were announced today, with only 1 new case in Prairie Mountain Health.

Of the new cases today, none are in the Dauphin health district.

2 of today’s cases are in the Southern Health region, but are not connected to the Bethesda Place care home in Steinbach.

Manitoba now has 1,273 cases, with 422 active and 835 recovered. No new deaths have been reported.

With the long weekend ahead of us, health officials are reminding Manitoban’s to take steps in minimizing the spread of COVID-19 – washing your hands, physical distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home if you’re sick.

The next news conference will be held Tuesday, Sept. 8, where Dr. Brent Roussin will give a full provincial update. For more information about COVID-19, click here.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: Sep 4, 2020 - 1:25 pm

The new school year starts on Tuesday, however not everyone will be returning to the classroom.

The Mountain View School Division has adapted plans to make things as COVID-19 friendly as possible, and that includes the use of remote learning.

MVSD Superintendent Dan Ward says remote learning will be offered to any student that has underlying health issues, provided they have a recommendation from their physician.

“We’re asking parents that would like to access remote learning for their kids to seek advice from their health care provider, and if there’s a need for a child to learn from home they have to get a note from their doctor, and we will set that child up for remote learning.”

Remote learning is also available if a student in the MVSD has a family member with an underlying health issue. In that case, a medical note is still required before being accepted for remote learning options.

The MVSD Superintendent says those who are required to learn from home will get additional support from school counsellors, teachers, youth support workers, and social workers.

Students will also have the option to use the divisions ‘Device Loan Out Program,’ giving them access to any devices they need for classes, as well as free Wi-Fi.

When it comes to immunocompromised teachers, the division will assess the best way for teachers to remain working.

“It could be a whole range of things. In some instances where it’s possible, it may be moving the work site, and in other situations, it may be offering teacher’s advice in terms of how to access benefits like sick leave, or short term and long term disability leave. It’s not a one size fits all.”

Ward says there is also a provincial homeschooling option for parents and students, as well as an independent study option.

More information can be found on the MVSD website.

Details: Contributed by Tess Kovach; Published: Sep 4, 2020 - 12:40 pm

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) virtually met with Parkland municipalities this week.

AMM President Ralph Groening met with the RM of Alonsa, Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman, Town of Swan River, Grandview Municipality, Gilbert Plains Municipality, RM of Dauphin, and the City of Dauphin.

“The intent of the visits are simply for us to develop a better sense of the concerns that these municipalities are working through and to find better ways to lobby and advocate on their behalf.”

Groening was joined in the Zoom calls by Vice-Presidents Kam Blight and Brad Saluk, Parkland District Directors Ron Kostyshyn and Jim Manchur, and Executive Director Denys Volkov.

Kostyshyn, who’s also the Reeve of Mossey River Municipality, says COVID-19 impacts and recent healthcare disruptions in the region were prominently featured in the discussions.

“This pandemic has certainly underscored the importance of maintaining services in local communities and building capacity closer to home, ensuring health resources in every community.”

Manchur, who’s a councillor with Gilbert Plains, says poor cell coverage and spotty broadband Internet was another topic brought up in the discussions.

“Several councils highlighted the need for an accelerated provincial broadband strategy. Connecting communities is vital for pursuing economic growth and investment opportunities, especially as more Manitobans are working from home and local businesses are relying more on e-commerce during this pandemic.”

Groening adds that municipalities shared their frustrations in the delay of the second phase of the federal-provincial-municipal economic development program that helps communities deal with infrastructure challenges and rural crime and concerns with policing costs were also brought up during the Zoom calls.

The AMM represents all 137 municipalities in Manitoba.