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It was a return that was two years in the making but a very successful return, nonetheless.

Dauphin's Countryfest returned this past weekend with an all-Canadian lineup beginning on Thursday with 730CKDM's Exclusive Kick-off Party while Gord Bamford was up top leading into the wee hours of Monday morning.

Aaron Goodvin was a late addition to the festival and he performed Friday night after the Washboard Union had to drop out.

"The festival was fantastic, it definitely exceeded our expectations as board of directors," said Ann Ransom. "The people that came out did so in full support and everyone was smiling and having such a great time. It was a tremendous return."

Crowd sizes at the festival were down; however, Ransom says that was expected and didn't take away from anything. Now in the past, the festival has hinted at who will perform the following year. This year; however, that isn't the case. Ransom says they are in the process of finding performers for next year's festival which takes place from June 30 to July 2. 

"We do as board of directors have some work to see what direction we want to take the festival, smaller in size or gamble a bit and bring a big act in and see how it goes," said Ransom. 

Ransom says lineup announcements will begin over the next couple of months leading up to the fall. When it comes to tickets, they will also go on sale in the fall after some performers have been announced so fans have a better idea of who will be at the hill. You can find more about ticket information and everything about Countryfest at Dauphin's Countryfest

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On Friday afternoon, the RCMP seized 176 grams of cocaine, illicit cannabis, illicit prescription drugs, cash, a loaded rifle, unstamped cigarettes, and multiple drug trafficking paraphernalia items.

Officers from the Manitoba RCMP West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) conducted a traffic stop on 1st Street SE in Dauphin, as part of an ongoing investigation. During the search, they found cocaine, illicit prescription drugs, and cash.

An investigation led officers to a residence on 4th Avenue SE in Dauphin where the rest of the items were found. 

Katie Ann Schabler, 42, from Dauphin was arrested and charged with Possession for the purpose of trafficking x3, Possession of illicit cannabis, Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000, Unsafe storage of firearms, Possession of a firearm when knowing possession is unauthorized, Fail to comply, and charges under the Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act.

Schabler was arrested in April of 2021 on other drug charges and has a court date scheduled for February 9th, 2023 in relation to those charges. She was remanded into custody and an investigation by the West District CREST is underway.

You can officially throw your hat in the ring and register to run for council in October's municipal election. Registration opened last Thursday, and the Senior Election Official for the City and RM of Dauphin, Kirk Dawson says there's already been some interest.

You can get more information about running for councilor on the RM of Dauphin website or the City of Dauphin website. You can also pick up a hard copy of the information at City Hall or the RM office.

"If they have questions on that, or if they're a first-time candidate and want to sit down, I'm available as the Senior Election Official for both the City and the RM." said Dawson, "They're welcome to call me and I can walk them through the process."

You can reach Dawson by calling 204-572-0914, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has decided to temporarily adjust emergency department and hospital admission hours at several locations due to summer staffing challenges at a number of healthcare facilities in the PMH region. These challenges come as the result of vacancies, staff leaves and vacations. According to PMH, the move is necessary to ensure reliable and consistent health services for residents and visitors to the region.

In the Parkland region, the emergency department at Grandview Hospital will be significantly impacted by PMH's newly-unveiled Summer Operations Plan. Starting on July 8th, emergency department services will remain in place from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Overnight and weekend emergency department services will be temporarily suspended.

Healthcare facilities run by PMH in Treherne, Melita and Souris will be impacted by the Summer Operations Plan as well. More information on those can be found here.

PMH also wants to stress that people should still call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Ambulance services will continue to provide emergency response to all areas of PMH. Everyone making 9-1-1 calls will be transported to the nearest open emergency department.

Those with non-emergency health questions can call Health Links-Info Santé at 1-888-315-9257 to speak with a nurse.

The Gilbert Plains-Grandview Ag Society is ready for the return of their Annual Fair & Rodeo this weekend. They're returning in full force this year according to Ag Society President Kevin Boese.

"Everything is a little bit back to normal, how it was the last time we had a fair way back in 2019, we just encourage everyone to come in, have a good time, and be responsible," Said Boese, "There might even be more events than there was in the past, it's a jam-packed weekend."

The weekend is absolutely packed with events, including the Parade at 3 on Friday, the Rodeo at 7 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. See the full schedule on the Ag Society website here.

Al Gains will be bringing the Al Morning Show to Gilbert Plains this Friday to get you ready for the weekend. He'll be at Integra Tire from 8 to 11.

Gypsumville RCMP responded to a fatal single-vehicle rollover in the RM of Grahamdale on Thursday evening.

A 19-year-old female from Lake St. Martin First Nation was pronounced deceased on the scene. The four other occupants, two females aged 18 and 24, and two males aged 24 and 27, all from Lake St. Martin First Nation, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Gypsumville RCMP along with the Criminal Collision Investigation Team and a Forensic Traffic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.

After two years without events, people across the Parkland region were excited to partake in the many events that took place over the Canada Day long weekend. 

The long-awaited return of Dauphin's Countryfest took over the hill. There was a party atmosphere that uplifted everyone who visited the site. The all-Canadian lineup featured many artists from right here in Manitoba, including Desiree Dorion, Kendra Kay, and Doc Walker. The vendors returned to the hill, selling everything from poutine to perogies.

Dean Brody 

The Dauphin Fair returned to the fairgrounds as well. There were rides and food galore, as well as a demolition derby. First place went to Branden Bilay from Dauphin and Ryan Gamache from Ste. Rose came in second. As part of the fair, there was also a parade that started on River Ave. W. — near the RCMP building — and went down Main St.

City of Dauphin Float

Li Festival di Mitchif happened in Roblin over the weekend as well. Métis culture was on full display at the event.

Li Festival di Mitchif

Source: Facebook/Northwest Métis Council Inc. - Manitoba Métis Federation

Ground beef has officially been added to the exemption list for Health Canada's warning labels for high saturated fat, sodium, and sugar contents. When the label announcement was made, ground beef was one of the only whole food ingredients that weren't exempt from the labels.

Canadian Cattlemen's Association launched a website called dontlabelmybeef.ca where people could have their voice heard in support of Canadian Ground Beef. Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Carson Callum said the website was a huge success.

"It's just really great news," Said Callum, "It's such a nutrient-dense protein, and this allows beef producers to continue to provide for Canadians."

Health Canada is introducing the labels to help Canadians make healthier choices, Callum said the labels would unfairly group ground beef with highly processed, pre-packaged foods, and it didn't take other health benefits of the product into account.

Dean Cooley joined the Murray Chevrolet dealership in Brandon in 1986 as a sales associate and just two years later, he was named sales manager at the dealership.

Seven years later in 1995, a great opportunity presented itself for Cooley and it was one that he certainly couldn't pass up. On May 1 of 1995, Dean officially took over the Chevrolet dealership in Dauphin and since, it has been Dean Cooley GM. Dean says moving to Dauphin was a tremendous decision and that things have gone very well over the past 27 years.

So it's been Dean Cooley GM for 27 years but just recently, Dean received his 25-year Milestone Award from General Motors for being a dealer for 25 years. Cooley says getting this award is very special to him and he wants to thank all of his hardworking staff for everything they do. 

"We've seen tremendous support from the area, people continue to buy vehicles," said Cooley. "We have such a great group here and that's what makes this dealership successful."

During his time in Dauphin, Dean Cooley GM has been the top-selling Chevrolet/GMC pickup dealership in the province on multiple occasions and they have also been awarded the President's Award (Triple Crown) several times. The award is only given to a very small percentage of dealerships across the country. Another highlight was the completion of their new facility which is located on Main Street South and most recently, Dean's daughter and son have moved to Dauphin and have started working in the family business. 

So if you're in the market for purchasing a new or pre-owned vehicle, Cooley says his staff is always ready to help.

"We are a locally owned and locally staffed group," said Cooley. "We love our customers and we try to do our best every day. We always want to make sure we're doing the right thing."

Dean also took over Dauphin Ford on May 1, 2021. 

Health Canada says certain specialized baby formula is expected to be in short supply throughout the summer.

The affected formulas are intended for infants with food allergies and some medical conditions.

Issues at a Michigan plant that produces baby formula for Abbott Nutrition are part of the issue. The company makes the popular Similac and Alimentum formula brands.

Health Canada says there is no shortage of regular formula in Canada.

The Municipality of McCreary has issued a boil water advisory. Public Works were forced to shut off water to homes due to a water main break, but it has since been restored. The advisory is being issued to protect the health of residents, since distribution depressurization can compromise the safety of the water.

Until further notice, all water used for consumption should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before it is used for:
• Drinking and ice-making
• Beverage preparation, such as infant formula
• Preparing food; including washing fruits and vegetables
• Brushing teeth
• Feeding pets

It is not necessary to boil tap water used for other household purposes, such as laundry or washing dishes. Adults and older children that are able to avoid swallowing the water can wash, bathe, or shower. Young children should be sponge bathed.

For more information, call the Municipality of McCreary at 204-835-2309.