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The Government of Manitoba has decided to make a change to the new crown land leasing program, after the initial changes brought backlash from producers.
The province announced Friday that they reversed a decision to make all expired leases go to auction, and will instead give producers the first right of renewal, meaning they could possibly transfer farms from generation to generation.
There are approximately 1,750 forage leaseholders in Manitoba, with the most of that land being in the Parkland.
The changes that came into effect on October 1st, reduced current lease maximums from 50 years to 15 years.
On Friday, the province said farmers who have legacy forage leases that expire before Dec. 31, 2034, will have the first right to renew until that date. After that, the leases go back to auction.
Producers with leases that expire after 2034 will continue under their current terms, and are not affected by the new rules.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The provincial government is supplying nine women’s resource centres with free period packs to commemorate International Day of the Girl.
Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires says the province allocated 4500 dollars for period packs that contain tampons, pads, and deodorant.
The packs are going out to Swan Valley Crisis Centre in Swan River, Lakeshore Women’s Resource Centre in Ashern, Interlake Women’s Resource Centre in Gimli, Women’s Safe Haven in Flin Flon, Women’s Resource Centre in Brandon, and Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre, North End Women’s Centre, Pluri-elles Manitoba, and West Central Women’s Resource Centre in Winnipeg.
October 11th has been International Day of the Girl since 2012 when the United Nations declared it.
The day was created to provide an opportunity to recognize young women around the world as important citizens and powerful voices of change.
Celebrations provide an opportunity to highlight the rights of girls, and to advocate for greater action and investment to enable girls to reach their full potential.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
If you can't make it out to vote on the 21st for the federal election, you can submit a vote in advance from now until Monday the 14th.
Voting hours are 9 to 9 each day. Below is a list of advance voting locations for residents in the Parkland:
Binscarth - Russell Leisure Centre - 529 Main St N in Russell.
Dauphin - Dauphin First United Church - 37 3rd Ave NW.
Ethelbert - Winnipegosis Curling Rink - 416 Princess Ave in Winnipegosis.
Gilbert Plains - Grandview Kinsmen Community Center - 111 Burrows St in Grandview.
Grandview - Grandview Kinsmen Community Center - 111 Burrows St in Grandview.
McCreary - McCreary Legion Hall - 431 1st Ave.
Minnedosa - Minnedosa Community Conference Centre - 63 Main St N.
Neepawa - Neepawa Drop-in Center - 310 Davidson St.
Roblin - Roblin & District Library - 123 1st Ave NW.
Rossburn - Waywayseecappo Complex - Building 5537 PTH45.
Russell - Russell Leisure Centre - 529 Main St N.
Ste. Rose du Lac - Sunrise Credit Union - 645 Central Ave.
Swan River - 700 Main St.
Winnipegosis - Winnipegosis Curling Rink - 416 Princess Ave.
If we don't have your town's advance voting location listed, check your voter information card. Otherwise see elections.ca or phone your nearest returning officer.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Dozens of dogs have been infected by canine distemper at the Moose Lake First Nation, south of The Pas.
Save A Dog Network Canada, out of Winnipeg, says they have received reports that 40 dogs have died from the virus, with another 50 dogs infected.
Distemper is an extremely contagious virus that affects the nervous, digestive, and respiratory system of infected animals.
Dr. Roxanne Neufeld, with the Dauphin Vet Clinic, says that distemper starts out with runny eyes, and a runny nose, then 1-3 weeks later; the infected animal will start having seizures, and have difficulty walking.
Save A Dog blames the outbreak on the lack of affordable vet care and vaccinations available in remote communities.
The outbreak at Moose Lake is the worst outbreak in a single community, that anyone who works for Save A Dog has ever seen.
If the outbreak continues to spread, the rescue organization says that the virus has the potential to wipe out “thousands” of dogs.
Another concern with the outbreak is the possibility of it spreading to wildlife – like foxes, coyotes, wolves, ferrets, skunks, and raccoons.
When it comes to the spread of the virus, Dr. Neufeld says that any dog that has been properly vaccinated has a good level of protection against viruses like distemper.
There is an emergency vet team scheduled to visit Moose Lake to vaccinate the dogs that can be saved, and euthanize the ones that can’t.
Dr. Neufeld adds that, while your dog may be properly vaccinated, it is a good idea to keep them away from any dog that is looking or acting sick.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
HIGHWAY CLOSURES DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER:
HIGHWAY 5 is closed from Dauphin to Grandview, from Dauphin to the Highway 10 junction, from Ste. Rose to the Highway 10 junction, from Ste. Rose to McCreary, and from Neepawa to the Trans-Canada Highway.
HIGHWAY 10 is closed from the North entrance of Riding Mountain to Clear Lake, and from the Ashville junction to Ethelbert.
HIGHWAY 20 is closed from Dauphin to Fork River, and from Dauphin to Ochre.
HIGHWAY 68 is closed from Ste. Rose to The Lake Manitoba Narrows.
HIGHWAY 6 is closed from Ashern to Grand Rapids.
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A Winter storm warning is in effect for many places in the Parkland. According to Environment Canada, an "extreme winter storm" will blast parts of southern Manitoba with upwards of 50cm of snow over the next couple of days, and we very well could see some of that.
The warning is in effect for the municipalities of Gilbert Plains; Grandview; Mossey River; Ethelbert; Roblin; Russell-Binscarth; and the rural municipalities of Dauphin; Lakeshore; and Riding Mountain West.
Very strong winds are expected as well. The warning states that wind gusts of over 100 km/h are possible in wind prone areas such as Riding Mountain.
Also keep in mind that the Trans-Canada Highway from Brandon to Winnipeg has been closed, and poor driving conditions have been reported on Highway 50 as well as stretches of Highway 16; 5; 6; and 68.
Blowing snow has also been reported on Highway 10 from Brandon to the North entrance of Riding Mountain.
Click here for the full winter storm warning statement, and for road conditions in Manitoba, click here.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Conference Board of Canada’s initial fall numbers show slow growth for Manitoba’s economy.
According to the board, there are a number of contributing factors to the weak outlook.
One of the big factors is the number of large-scale construction projects are wrapping up in the province, meaning lots of the spending for those projects has already occurred. There were also weak wage gains, and lacking job growth.
In August, the Conference Board predicted that Manitoba’s economic GDP would grow .5 percent this year and .8 percent in 2020.
Despite the weak numbers, Premier Brian Pallister remains optimistic.
“The province is excited about getting our act together here in Manitoba on focused economic development. We have been achieving some really good results,” said Pallister. “Part of this has been on the eliminating of barriers of trade and encouraging better shopping but part of this is on attracting more capital.”
The Premier said he plans on bringing 40,000 new jobs to the province by the end of his term.
The Conference Board of Canada says the sad outlook for the province should turn around.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Ochre River Fire Department and Ochre River Recreation are hosting an open house and a gym grand opening at the Ochre River Fire Hall tonight.
The event will feature a barbecue, kid’s activities, and tours of the fire hall.
There will also be a silver collection and a canteen on site.
The festivities start at 6 pm and will go until 9 pm.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
18-year-old Michael Chartrand, from Dauphin, appeared in court on Tuesday for the armed robbery in June at the Husky gas station in Dauphin.
On June 24th, a man walked in to the gas station with a long barreled gun, demanding money.
He struck two employees with the gun before fleeing with cash and cigarettes.
Chartrand will appear in court again on Tuesday, October 22nd.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
It's an event you'll be talking about until the cows come home.
The 41st annual Ste. Rose Hoof n' Holler Days weekend is taking place in the Cattle Capital of Manitoba.
"It had started out historically as a time of harvest when people are bringing cows home, and a time to wrap up the season, so now it's just kind of our family gathering weekend", explained Ashley Vandepoele, Vice President of the Hoof n' Holler Committee.
Unfortunately, due to the recent inclement weather, there have been some changes to the schedule for this year's celebration. The mudbog has been cancelled and Boo in Molgat Park has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 26th. In place of those events, some new ones have been added. There will be a kids Halloween dance party at the Ste. Rose Community Center tonight (Friday) from 6 pm to 8. Then on Saturday you can take the little ones to see Seanster and the Monsters at 3, and follow it up with the Game Show for Kids at the Ste. Rose Curling Rink starting at 4:30.
As well, floats and vehicles for the parade on Saturday will now gather at the Ste. Rose Community Center, and the Coin in the Straw event takes place at the Ste. Rose Skating Rink on Sunday at 3. Something new you'll be able to take in during Hoof n' Holler this year is the Diamond Disc Dog show on Sunday with showtimes at noon and 2.
With a handful of new activities combined with events that have been welcomed back from the past, there's something for everyone in Ste. Rose this weekend.
"It's a ton of fun, most of the events are free of cost, so it's really a great time to get together with family, check out some fun stuff, the parade... there's a free movie night - there's all kinds of good things happening", said Vandepoele.
She also would like to give a huge thank you to the Ste. Rose Kinsmen Club who are an integral part of the weekend, as well as all of their sponsors and the wonderful support from the community.
If you'd like more information on the 41st annual Hoof n' Holler Days weekend in Ste. Rose, check out their facebook page.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Dauphin Regional Health Centre was the recipient of a generous gift from the Compassionate Friends of South Western Manitoba.
The gift was a Cuddle Cot, a device used to give parents who lose a baby, more time with their child.
The Cuddle Cot is a bassinette, with a cooling pad built-in, that keeps the baby cold next to the mother, to preserve the baby and give the family more time to grieve.
The device was designed in an effort to help families grieve for the child as long as they need to.
Dauphin is only the third place in Manitoba to have access to a Cuddle Cot; the other places are Brandon and Winnipeg.
The Compassionate Friends of South Western Manitoba is a support group for parents who have lost a child. Chairperson Jim Vickers says they wanted to donate the Cuddle Cot to the DRHC to help parents have the chance to grieve properly.
Vickers adds that, obviously, the Compassionate Friends is an organization that no one wants to belong to, but if anyone needs them, they are there.
Anyone wanting to learn more about Compassionate Friends can go to their website.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The City of Dauphin and All Net Municipal Solutions have partnered up to help distribute urgent messages out to the public.
The content of the messages would include boil water advisories and severe weather statements, or just a message that needs to distributed quickly.
The message will be sent out by text message, landline, or email and it’s up to the user to decide which platform or all, they would like to receive the message.
Deputy City Manager Renee Sigurdson says anyone can register.
Click here, call city hall at (204) 622-3200, or stop by city hall to do so.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
