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Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and Families Minister Rochelle Squires announced Friday that the province is providing more than $150,000 to Samaritan House’s Safe and Warm Shelter to operate an overflow warming space this winter to meet increased demand for emergency housing.

Premier Stefanson says that the announcement builds on the province's ongoing efforts to help make communities safe by addressing and preventing homelessness with new investments for community organizations that support our most vulnerable citizens.

“We recognize there is an urgent need for additional support. We are listening and we are acting,” Stefanson adds.

According to the premier, Samaritan House provides emergency shelter services for people experiencing homelessness in Brandon and provides bedding, food, and toiletries.

She says that the new funding will enable Samaritan House to create a warming space where individuals can stay when the shelter is at capacity, ensuring that everyone has a safe place to spend the night.

Minister Rochelle Squires says that the provincial government understands that as winter approaches, unhoused individuals in Manitoba face increased risk due to a lack of appropriate shelter.

“The funding announced... will ensure Samaritan House’s Safe and Warm Shelter in Brandon will not have to turn anyone away,” Squires adds.

More information can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.

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Former Cabinet Minister and NDP MLA Ron Kostyshyn will run again for the Manitoba NDP in the 2023 provincial election.

The party says that he will be nominated as the candidate in Dauphin this weekend, joined by Leader Wab Kinew and supporters.

Ron Kostyshyn says that he wants to make life better for families in the Parkland.

"Over the last few years, I’ve seen how PC cuts have damaged our health care system and how their changes to Crown land leases have hurt cattle ranchers. I’m ready to fight on behalf of my community, alongside Wab Kinew, to fix health care and make life more affordable for Dauphin families,” Kostyshyn adds.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew says that Kostyshyn brings years of experience and expertise to their team.

"He's committed to serving the people of Dauphin and Manitoba and he’s excited about what the next NDP government can do for families,” Kinew adds.

Ron Kostyshyn was first elected as MLA of Swan River in 2011 and served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, and Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. Prior to and following his time with the provincial government, Kostyshyn served as the Reeve of the Mossey River Municipality. He finished his term prior to the most recent municipal elections.

Kostyshyn was born and raised in rural Manitoba, and his family has operated a cattle ranch for decades. He has sat on the board of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, the Manitoba Conservation Commission, and various other local organizations.

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A Winnipeg resident is facing major charges after he had more than three million contraband cigarettes confiscated. The number is the largest seizure from a single person in Manitoba's history.

After an investigation that was dubbed 'Project Shark', more than 3.4 million cigarettes were confiscated. The cigarettes represent more than $1 million in lost tobacco tax revenue to the province, according to a release.

Police also seized more than $3,000 in cash, a personal truck and a utility trailer from the person who had the bulk of the cigarettes. Five other adults face a variety of charges under the Tobacco Tax Act, the Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act and the Criminal Code, the province says, and face more than $4 million in financial tax penalties.

Three Winnipeg convenience stores are also facing charges and they have had their retail tobacco licences suspended. They include Royal Supermarket on Wellington Avenue, Honey Convenience on Provencher Boulevard and Muncheez on Dufferin Avenue.

Fines under the tax acts are up to $10,000 and up to six months in jail, as well as a potential triple tax penalty. 

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Elder and Knowledge Keeper Clarence Nepinak, a member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe, also known as Pine Creek First Nation, has passed away at the age of 73, after a months-long battle with bone and colon cancer.

Nepinak, along with his wife Barbara, were known for their commitment to preserving and advancing indigenous culture. The couple was both inducted into the Order of Manitoba in 2019 for their work.

Nepinak was a member of the Standing Indigenous Advisory Council at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which works to identify processes and ideas for more meaningful engagement.

According to Chief Derek Nepinak of Pine Creek First Nation, a distant relative of Clarence, he would still make regular trips to the community for teachings and ceremonies, even as his health deteriorated.

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The City of Dauphin received a rating of 5 Blooms and a special mention for Cultural Conservation: Celebration of Ukrainian Heritage during the 2022 Communities in Bloom (CiB) National/International Symposium and Awards Ceremonies in Victoria, B.C.

CiB Committee Chair Patti Eilers says that Dauphin earned a score of 83.55 out of 100 points.

"We gained another one-and-a-half points from our other competition that we were in... This is a high-level competition because it's international," she adds. 

The City of Dauphin participated in the CiB International Challenge Small category along with Glaslough, Ireland; Ingria, Italy; Lewisburg, W. Va., U.S.A.; Sussex, N.B., Canada; and Velika Polona, Slovenia.

Over the summer, trained volunteer judges travelled to participating communities to evaluate the overall contributions of municipal council and departments; industry; businesses, and the private sector – including volunteer efforts – regarding the following criteria: Community Appearance, Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Tree Management, Landscape, and Plant & Floral Displays.

CiB judges Susan Ellis and Alex Pearl say that Dauphin is very clearly a multi-cultural community, with its Ukrainian roots proudly preserved and honoured at Selo Ukraina and the Ukrainian Heritage Village.

"From the warm, traditional welcome ceremonies by children who presented visitors with gifts of bread, salt and wheat, to an afternoon street fair where food, clothing, jewellery and crafts were on display amidst cultural music and dance performances, Dauphin proudly celebrates its history, and builds solidly on its strengths for the future,” they add.

A complete list of results can be found here.

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The federal government is sending out one-time GST credit payments to more than 11 million eligible Canadians today, to support those most affected by inflation.

Those who received the GST credit in October will be receiving the additional one-time payment. The one-time payment will double the GST credit amount that eligible individuals get in six months.

The amount received is based on each family's situation and adjusted family net income in 2021.

If you are single, payments will be up to:

  • $234 (no children)
  • $387 (with 1 child)
  • $467 (with 2 children)
  • $548 (with 3 children)
  • $628 (with 4 children)

If you are married or have a common-law partner, payments will be up to:

  • $306 (no children)
  • $387 (with 1 child)
  • $467 (with 2 children)
  • $548 (with 3 children)
  • $628 (with 4 children)
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The new Reeve and Council for the RM of Dauphin were sworn into their new roles at the RM office last night.

Ernie Sirski takes over the role of Reeve, winning a close election with 458 votes, to Tob Gibbs's 383. Sirski says he looks forward to getting to work with the new council, and he thinks the mix of experience and new councilors will help with the process.

"I have no problem at all thinking they're going to be a great asset to this municipality. Like I've said all along and I'll repeat this again we've got youth, we've got incumbents, and we've got experience, and that combination can be nothing but great for this municipality."

The experienced side of the council comes with former Reeve Ron Ryz, who was elected with 516 votes, and former Deputy Reeve Midge Sametz who collected 540 votes. The council is filled out with Tammy Koshowsky (596 votes), Todd Boguski (546 votes), Ken Shewchuk (431 votes), and Ken Plustwa (426 votes).

The council will have orientation next week, and their first Council Meeting will be Tuesday, November 15th. The new council will also be heading to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Convention later this month.

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Health Canada has authorized an updated version of Moderna's COVID-19 booster vaccine.

The new bivalent shot targets the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants and is meant to be used as a booster dose for those aged 18 years and older.

It comes two months after Health Canada authorized a bivalent booster from Moderna that targeted the Omicron BA.1 subvariant and the original strain.

Health Canada says a bivalent booster triggers "a strong immune response" against both of the more recent Omicron subvariants, as well as the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strains.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) says Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 are the dominant strains in circulation.

They feature several key mutations from the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, leading NACI to strongly recommend bivalent boosters that target Omicron.

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The Manitoba RCMP have released the monthly police-reported crime statistics for September.

The statistics compare the number of crimes that were reported to police in September of this year with the number of those reported in September of last year.

According to a news release on the law enforcement agency's website, the Manitoba West District — which includes Dauphin — reported decreases in crimes against people and drug enforcement, while crimes against property and common police activities both increased.

Overall common police activities increased by 11% (650 to 724), with the largest increase being seen in reports of a suspicious person, vehicle, or property — up 51% (248 to 375). The largest decreases were in missing person reports, which were down 31% (86 to 59), and in breach of peace reports, which were down 20% (134 to 107).

Crimes against people decreased overall by 19% (410 to 332), with assaults decreasing by 23% (251 to 193) and reports of robbery, extortion, harassment, or threats falling by 16% (132 to 111). However, sexual assaults were up 21% (19 to 23).

There was a 33% increase in property crimes overall (720 to 961 occurrences), with reports of possession of stolen goods representing the largest increase at 140% (20 to 48), followed by reports of theft over $5,000 rising by 82% (67 to 122) and break and enters going up by 53% (92 to 141). The only decrease noted was in arsons, which fell by 7% (15 to 14).

Furthermore, drug enforcement was down by 25% overall (60 to 45).

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Ukrainian Folk Arts Centre President Jim Perchaluk gave an update Tuesday on behalf of the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

According to Perchaluk, the fund is now directly supporting 20 families from Ukraine and there are a number of citizens from Ukraine who have relocated to the Parkland to work on farms and/or reside with family.

"Our support to 20 families has definitely exceeded our initial expectations when the fund first started last April at which time we had planned to assist two or three families. With the generosity of the people throughout the Parkland and Province of Manitoba, we have received cash donations along with many donations in kind such as housing, household furniture, clothing, and bikes to support 20 families," he adds.

Perchaluk went on to say that their support group of volunteers has provided transportation to Dauphin from Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, along with rides to the grocery store, bank, work, medical appointments, and English classes.

"A great example of the excellent support services provided by the fund, with a financial contribution from the Dauphin and District Community Foundation, is the set-up and funding of English classes two evenings a week to assist in the learning of our language," he adds.

Jim Perchaluk says that they have been able to welcome and support 56 people from Ukraine and most of the 31 adults who have arrived and are able to work are finding jobs in Dauphin.

"There are 25 children who are either in our schools or day care and many [are] participating in dance or swimming lessons. All are quickly adapting to our Canadian life and are very appreciative of the support and opportunities that are being provided by the fund and community," he adds.

According to Perchaluk, total expenses to date from the fund for the Ukrainian families in the Parkland have been $133,000 and another $142,000 has been allocated to complete their commitment to the 20 families.

"When the fund first started accepting families, we made a commitment to the first 12 families to provide financial support for 12 months of housing, 6 months of transportation, and 3 months [of] food and incidentals. Once we went beyond acceptance of the first 12 families, we had to scale back our financial support to stay within our financial means, therefore our financial commitment to the latest families [was] for 3 months of food and housing, plus support services," he adds.

Perchaluk notes that the fund has been maxed out financially with regard to its commitment to help support the 20 families that have already settled in Dauphin.

"Support to additional families will depend upon new donations to the fund," he adds.

Receipts for income tax purposes will be provided in the next several weeks to all those who have made cash donations.

Anyone interested in learning more can call Larry Hrytsay at 204-648-5904.

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UPDATE (Nov. 2nd, 2:51 p.m.): The dangerous person alert that was issued in relation to a homicide that occurred in Melville, Sask. earlier today has been cancelled.

An update posted to the Saskatchewan RCMP's Twitter profile can be found below.

Update contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos

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RCMP in Saskatchewan have released a Dangerous Person Alert regarding a homicide in Melville, Saskatchewan, which involved a firearm.

Two suspects are believed to be involved and there is no description of them available. The location and direction of travel of the suspects is currently unknown. A vehicle that may have been involved has been located abandoned on Highway 10 near Duff, Saskatchewan.

Authorities advise travellers to not pick up hitch hikers and be cautious of someone asking for a ride, or suspicious persons on a property. We will keep an eye out for updates as information becomes available.

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