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Since the federal legalization of cannabis in 2018, a few provinces have held some differences in the law.

The federal government proposed that a household could grow up to 4 cannabis plants per household, but Manitoba, Nunavut and Quebec all set a provincial law that prohibited this.

After lobbying by pro-cannabis advocates, The NDP government is looking to amend this, allowing people to grow cannabis at home.

Premier Kinew has spoken on adjacent matters in the past, looking to loosen the rules on consuption in provincial parks saying “I think the (ban in) provincial parks, we’d take a look at, just because—let’s be realistic—people are smoking weed in provincial parks as it is right now,”.

His commitment to follow through was welcomed by Jesse Lavoie, an activist who lost a court battle against the ban last year.

Lavoie rejected the previous government’s concerns about safety, saying the concerns did not materialize when medical marijuana was legalized earlier.

A bill to enact this change is expected in the coming days, but it's not clear whether it will be passed into law in the near future.

A provincial project procured some funds for a particular pest problem.

Manitoba's "Squeal On Pigs" program is in its second year, and has received $2.6 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Manitoba Pork, in partnership with the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba, and collaboration with Manitoba’s agricultural sector, was pleased to announce this funding during the Wild Pig Summit, which is currently taking place in Brandon.

This new funding will be a sizeable boon to the organization, furthering its capabilities of tracking and trapping wild pigs.

This funding will help develop new methods of tracking, like DNA detection in water supplies, or support existing methods like thermal imagining drones.

Squeal On Pigs Director Dr. Wanye Lee is confident this problem will not last long in Manitoba.

"I know it will take some time, but i think we can eradicate them from Manitoba. We have to persevere and be diligent, but I think it's possible."

The Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project, later rebranded as Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, was announced in January 2022 as a partnership between the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba, and Manitoba Pork, through funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

 If you're looking to make a report on a wild pig, visit squealonpigsmb.org or give them a call at 1-833-SPOT PIG.

The Parkland Chamber of Commerce has received funding through the Canada Summer Job Grant to add someone to their team for the summer months.

Executive Director Stephen Chychota says they are looking for someone to help with event co-ordinating over the course of the summer.

"Specifically on the street fair and dance, so if anybody wants to have some fun and work on that project.  It is very easy, there is a checklist and they can run through it.  They are part of the team and we are all going to work closely together."

Chychota says the application deadline is coming up quickly.

"We are hoping to close things up on May 3rd because it would be nice to have someone in place for the middle of May.  And then they can also see a part of our lunch series and hopefully catch a couple of those as we wrap that season up.  The sooner the better, but obviously we will keep it open until the right candidate comes along."

Interested individuals under the age of 30 can either drop off a resume at the Chamber office or email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The April lunch and learn through the Parkland Chamber of Commerce will focus on volunteerism.

It is set for next Tuesday, April 30th at the Watson Arts Centre. 

Carissa Caruk-Ganczar with the Chamber says this event will be slightly different from previous lunch and learns. 

"This is an opportunity where we are going to have interaction with our participants, we can have some good table discussions, talk about some information, and come up with some tools.  A lot of our chamber members are not only businesses but also non-profit organizations.  So this is one of those topics that is a concern for a lot of organizations in our community."

Caruk-Ganczar explains plenty of good discussion during the event.

"How are recruiting people, how are we retaining people, as well as all kinds of organizations looking for board members.  We will have a good discussion about what is working, what is not working among our organizations.  We are going to dig into some of the trends and research happening across Canada, as well as some tips and tactics to think about and how do we shift some of our direction, how we are doing those things, how we may pull together resources and organizations, and what can we do to have those conversations."

Caruk-Ganczar feels we have a strong volunteer base across the region.

"We have great organizations and events, but even now post-pandemic we are seeing some of that shift as far as behaviour.  Also, how do we incorporate more youth or newcomers to our community.  And we will take a look at who else we are missing out there that might be wanting to get involved and what do we need to do to welcome them in a little bit more as well."

This lunch and learn is limited to 40 participants.

Chamber members interested in taking part are encouraged to register as soon as possible through the Chamber's website.   

Gilbert Plains Municipality will host a special public hearing regarding their 2024 budget tonight

A special council meeting will begin at 6:30, with the public hearing slated to get underway at 7 - all at the Richardson Pioneer Community Hall. 

Copies of the financial plan can be picked up during the day at the Municipal Office in Gilbert Plains, and will also be available during tonight's meeting. 

A 20-year-old faces a slew of charges following an alleged shooting last Thursday at a business on the Lake St Martin First Nation.

Gypsumville RCMP as well as emergency services were called after 8 pm last Thursday.

They found an injured 34-year-old man who was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. 

Among the 13 charges laid against 20-year-old Memphis Beardy were aggravated assault, disguise with intent, and 10 firearms or weapons-related offences. 

The Province is spending some green on being more green to commemorate Earth Day 2024.

A grant of $230,000 for the Green Action Centre will help advance climate action on adaptation planning, the circular economy, active transportation and outreach initiatives across Manitoba.

Climate Change Connection received $100,000 to advance awareness and action on climate change across Manitoba.

The Manitoba Eco-Network received $60,000 to help further inner-city climate adaptation work in Winnipeg through the Climate Safe, Green City project.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Tracy Schmidt was proud to announce this return of funding after previous government cuts.

Provincial inspectors were onsite as drilling began at the Imperial Oil pipeline repair site last Friday.

Inspectors will be regularly monitoring the drilling operation to ensure all regulations and environmental protection measures are followed.

Imperial Oil has informed the province the repair operation will focus on bringing one line back into service first so the flow of fuel can be partially restored while repairs to the second line are completed.

The repair work remains on schedule and is expected to be completed by mid-June.

Provincial inspectors were onsite as drilling began at the Imperial Oil pipeline repair site last Friday, and will continue to regularly monitor the drilling operation to ensure all regulations and environmental protection measures are followed.

A 38-year-old man faces several charges following an incident earlier this month on the Ebb & Flow First Nation.

Just after 3:30 am on April 13th, RCMP in Ste Rose were called regarding an alleged assault at a home on the reserve. 

When they arrived, they heard gunshots coming from behind the home and were told that a male suspect, who was possibly intoxicated by drugs, had just left the scene. 

Several branches of the RCMP, including the police dog service and the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, tracked a suspect for about 2.5 km through bush, fields, and marshland, before finally making an arrest and seizing a loaded rifle and chambered rounds. 

Travis Malcolm remains in custody, facing charges of assault, possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes, and reckless discharge of a firearm. 

The Town of Neepawa has announced a partial road closure for tomorrow.

They say Hamilton Street between Mountain Avenue and the Town office will be closed between 8 am and 5 pm on Tuesday

The closure is so crews can work on a planned water connection in that area.

The town adds there will be no access for parking, and motorists are asked to avoid the area and find alternate routes. 

Anyone with questions can contact the town office at 204-476-7600

It's that time of the year again.

The city of Dauphin launches its annual yard waste collection campaign on Tuesday with collection in Day one areas.

Yard waste will be collected every two weeks according to the collection schedule, with residents encouraged to place their yard waste into the special green bins, and then place those bins on the curb on your scheduled collection day.

If you do not have a special green yard waste bin, you are encouraged to contact the city to arrange to get one.

Items that can be placed in your yard waste bins for collection include grass clippings, leaves, pine needles and pine cones, small branches, wood chips, and sawdust.