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Dauphin’s Countryfest is expanding its borders and adding a new project in Thunder Bay, Ontario called Country on the Bay.
Ann Ransom, Countryfest president says that the organization does more than just their annual Dauphin summer festival by putting on concerts around Manitoba and Saskatchewan, as well as helping with other music festivals in the prairies.
The organizers of Country on the Bay in Thunder Bay reached out to Countryfest asking for assistance to help put on the festival, and Ransom says it was an easy decision.
“We looked at it a little bit further and went this is a great opportunity to diversify our revenue opportunities, it’s a good thing for our organization, and for Dauphin, and for our brand,” said Ransom.
Ransom added that participating in other festivals and expanding the brand generates a lot of clout in the industry, which allows them to buy more talent.
While Countryfest might be looking to other festivals for revenue opportunities, Ransom says Countryfest is still very much Dauphin centric.
“We are still local, we are still a not-for-profit organization, it’s still out of Dauphin,” said Ransom. “The nice thing is we’ve got 31 years of experience in this organization, and that’s seen throughout the industry as quite reputable.”
Ransom went on to say that the Country on the Bay festival is a way to put Dauphin on the map.
“It’s a different market, being able to showcase what we can do, and the talent that we have in Dauphin, and spreading out a bit,” said Ransom “We’re excited about the new partnership, and the new opportunities it will bring.”
The lineup for Country on the Bay includes Toby Keith, Terri Clark, Gord Bamford, High Valley, Hunter Brothers, The Roadhammers, The Reklaws, and The Washboard Union.
Pre-sale tickets are on sale today, and regular tickets go on sale tomorrow.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
A fire burned down the main building for Sandy Bay Child and Family Services on Sunday.
The chief of Sandy Bay First Nation said that the incident occurred sometime before 5 am yesterday morning.
Sandy Bay fire crews battled the fire for four hours with the assistance of the Alonsa and Langruth fire departments.
Around two dozen staff members were based out of the building which housed administration, family enhancement programs, and social workers' offices.
The chief added that the building was a central hub for the Sandy Bay CFS and that he did not know the exact extent of the damage, or what was recovered.
To contact staff who worked at the main office, First Nations members are asked to call the Winnipeg office at 204-856-2030. According to a Facebook post, messages will be relayed and calls will be returned within a reasonable time.
The cause of the fire is still unknown as the provincial fire commissioner’s office is still investigating.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
With the holiday season upon us, the RCMP are reminding Manitobans of the importance of driving sober.
The Holiday Checkstop Program has been running since the start of December and the stats from December 1st to 8th have been released:
26 people were charged with a criminal code impaired driving offence, 15 alcohol or drug related tiered administrative roadside suspensions were handed out, 141 charges were handed out under the Highway Traffic Act, and 34 written warnings were issued. Overall, 3,700 vehicle were checked, and the highest blood/alcohol reading was 0.23.
From the beginning of the year until now, alcohol is suspected to be a factor in 27 fatal collisions.
In Dauphin on Fridays, Saturdays, and New Year's Eve, the Dauphin RIDE program will be running. If you need a ride, call 204-638-5707.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
New impaired driving consequences are now in effect and anyone caught driving while impaired will face tougher consequences.
If a driver registers a "warning", which is a blood alcohol level between .05 and .079 or fails a drug screening test, their license will be suspended immediately for at least 3 days for a first offence. As well, you'll be slapped with an administrative penalty of $400 and your vehicle will be impounded for 72 hours. The length of the license suspension and vehicle impoundment go up with each offence.
Drivers who register a blood-alcohol level over .08, or a blood drug concentration higher than five nanograms of THC will have their license suspended for 3 months and their vehicle impounded. They'll also have to use an ignition interlock for a year and pay a $700 fine plus a $50 driver's license reinstatement fee.
On top of all that, if your license is suspended two or more times within a 10 year period, you'll have to complete the Impaired Driver Program at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba at your own expense. Your Driver Safety Rating will also be ruined.
You can find more details on impaired driving consequences here.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Manitoba First Nations Police Service has taken one of the province’s most wanted off of the streets.
On Friday afternoon, police attempted to make a traffic stop on the Sandy Bay First Nation, when the car took off.
Police said a car chase followed and lasted for around 30 minutes before the vehicle stopped and the two people in the car fled on foot.
A female suspect was arrested rather quickly, but it took a 10 minute foot chase to catch the other suspect.
MFNPS say the suspect was wanted by both the First Nations Police and the RCMP on several outstanding warrants.
29-year-old Edward Sutherland, was taken into custody with charges pending.
The female suspect is also awaiting charges.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Dauphin Regional Health Centre Palliative Care Redevelopment Project has received a donation from Cargill Limited and additional backing from Corteva Agriscience.
The donation is for 2,500 dollars.
The Palliative Care Redevelopment Project is over half-way done.
All thanks to donations, the Dauphin Hospital Foundation has been able to purchase two of four new beds and they’re in use, and all four palliative care rooms have been painted and redecorated.
To complete the initial project, they need to purchase the last two beds.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Government of Manitoba says the province’s deficit is running lower than expected.
The finance department released new figures that show the province is expecting to have a deficit of $350 million for the fiscal year that ends in March.
The $350 million is $10 million lower than the government had predicted in the budget last spring.
Finance Minister Scott Fielding cites that health-care spending is above budget, but spending for other departments is lower than anticipated.
A big factor in the lower deficit is a decrease in spending for infrastructure in areas like housing and education.
The PC government has vowed to have the budget balanced by 2022-23, and Minister Fielding says these numbers show that the province is on track to do that.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
A Brandon police officer was stabbed in the head with a hypodermic needle by a woman who said that she wanted to kill him.
The stabbing occurred last night just after 8 pm after police were called to a disturbance at a home in the city.
The first officer on the scene said he heard a woman screaming from inside. He was met inside by a 25-year-old woman wielding a hypodermic needle filled with an unknown fluid.
The woman then proceeded to attack the officer, and stab him in the head.
As the fight went on, the woman said she wanted to kill the officer, she then urged others in the home to do the same.
The officer was able to get the woman under control until backup came and arrested the woman.
The suspect was scheduled to be in court this morning.
The officer was taken to hospital and later released. He is receiving treatment for exposure to potentially hazardous fluids.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Between October 2018, when cannabis was legalized, and September 2019, Canadians spent 908 million dollars on legal cannabis.
Statistics Canada says that works out to 24 dollars per person.
In Manitoba, just over 56 million dollars was spent which works out to 41 dollars per person.
Demand for legal weed was the highest in Yukon where sales per person were at 103 dollars, while BC was lowest at 10 dollars per person.
Ontario spent the most money on legal weed at 216 million dollars, followed by Alberta at 195 million and Quebec with 194 million dollars spent.
The 56 million Manitobans spent ranks 5th highest total and 2nd highest in western Canada.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Yesterday the Municipality of Ethelbert held a by-election for the head of council.
Voter turnout was 50 per cent.
David Andres was elected with 192 votes, Ken Shewchuk had 176, and Robin Rody had 8.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Premier Brian Pallister has long been a critic of Quebec’s controversial religious symbols law, now he is saying he may intervene in a possible court battle over it.
Pallister delivered his annual state of the province speech yesterday, and in it, he said Quebec’s ban on religious symbols being worn by civil servants is detrimental to Canada’s reputation internationally.
Quebec’s Bill 21 bans civil servants like teachers, lawyers, and any officers who carry a weapon, from wearing a religious symbol while on duty. The law applies to any object from any religion, excluding religious tattoos or hairstyles like Rastafarian dreadlocks.
Bill 21 was officially passed in June of this year.
The law has been met by a lot of criticism, with a lot of people saying it’s against the Charter.
The Premier has already started an ad campaign to try and encourage public-sector employees affected by the law to come and work in Manitoba.
In his state of the province speech, Pallister said the law needs to be fought with the same spirit that Canadian soldiers showed during the World Wars.
“Manitobans always have – at Vimy Ridge, on the beach at Normandy, in the deserts of Afghanistan and, yes, in the legislature and in the House of Commons. We do not stand back when other people’s rights are threatened,” said Pallister.
Pallister went on to say that, if the case ends up in the Supreme Court, the province will likely seek intervener status.
Court challenges have already been filed in Quebec to try and get rid of the ban of religious symbols, but the Quebec Court of Appeal rejected requests yesterday to suspend parts of it until a full court hearing is held.
NDP leader Wab Kinew said he would back Manitoba intervening.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
