Province Focusing On Rural Crime

1.9 million dollars is being invested annually to expand the RCMP’s crime reduction and enforcement teams.

The goal of this move is to improve public safety for rural Manitobans.

Serious, prolific offenders and drug dealers are the focus of crime reduction teams.

The four member team in the north is receiving funding to expand to six members, while funding will be used to create two new teams of five members in the east and west districts.

Funding will also add four members to the D Division Enforcement Team, that targets criminal organizations and street gangs that traffic drugs and guns in Manitoba.

The RCMP has almost 1000 sworn police officers across Manitoba.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Nov 27, 2019 - 5:00 am

If you receive an emergency alert text on your phone today, don’t freak out.

Alert Ready, Canada’s national emergency alert system, is scheduled for a public test for today.

Manitobans are scheduled to receive the alert at 1:55 this afternoon.

During the system’s first test in May of 2018, only 60 percent of Manitobans received the alert.

When asked about the issues with the reach of the test, the company that operates the test-Pelmorex, said that one LTE compatible smartphones will receive the alerts.

The system is designed to send out rapid messages to citizens in the event of an imminent threat to public safety, such as a natural disaster.

All phones sold in the country since April 6^th of this year should be public alerting compatible.

The alerts will also be sent over TV and radio.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 27, 2019 - 5:00 am

The man charged with manslaughter in a 2018 incident in Swan River has been sentenced.

43-year-old Norman Brass was sentenced to 5 and half years in prison in a Dauphin courtroom yesterday.

Brass admitted to being responsible for the death of a 36-year-old man at a home in Swan River in February of 2018.

Due to the time that Brass has already served, he only has 2 years and 8 months left.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 26, 2019 - 3:11 pm

Teamsters Canada and Canadian National Railway have reached a tentative agreement to renew the collective agreement for over 3,000 conductors, trainpersons, and yard workers.

Normal operations at CN will resume Wednesday at 6 am local time across the country.

The details of the agreement, which has yet to be ratified by union members, are not yet available.

The federal government faced backlash from premiers and industry leaders to resolve the week-long strike, through mediation, arbitration, or back-to-work-legislation, as they were concerns about lost profits and a propane shortage in Quebec.

The government responded by saying the best way to stop the strike would be by talking at the bargaining table.

Teamsters Canada thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for respecting worker’s right to strike. They also thanked Labour Minister Tassi and Transport Minister Garneau for their assistance in reaching the deal.

Teamsters Canada president Francois Laporte said that previous governments routinely violated workers’ right to strike when it came to the rail industry.

“This government remained calm and focused in helping parties reach an agreement, and it worked,” said Laporte.

The chief executive of CN JJ Ruest thanked railway customers for their patience and support during the strike and said that the railway is preparing to resume full operations as soon as possible.

Although the strike was only a week long, the impact was rather strong. Nutrien Ltd announced that they were temporarily shutting down and laying off 550 employees from their largest potash mine in Saskatchewan for two weeks, due to the strike.

The railway workers had decided to strike over concerns about long-hours, fatigue, and what they considered as dangerous working conditions.

CN rejected the union’s claim that the strike was revolved around concerns over workplace health and safety, saying that is was actually about worker compensation.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 26, 2019 - 9:01 am

The Government of Manitoba announced that it will provide more than $400 million to municipalities across the province for emergency response and damage prevention measures to better protect Manitobans.

Premier Pallister made the announcement during an address to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) annual convention in Brandon.

“Our greatest duty as a government is to keep Manitobans safe. It is a duty we all share and a duty we take very seriously,” said Pallister.

The government is rolling out a new public safety communications system to replace the province’s outdated system. The new system will allow emergency personnel, conservation officers, and forest-fire crews a better communication tool that will enable them to work more efficiently and safer.

Pallister noted that the new system is set to cost $380 million and the cost will not be borne by municipalities, which will alleviate the financial burden on local governments. He added that adding the new public safety communications service will cost close to $20 million a year when it comes online in 2021.

The province previously announced a new digital two-way mobile radio system that is promised to provide better coverage over a more secure network. The radio system is expected to be fully functional by 2021 to replace FleetNet, which is currently used by municipalities, emergency services, as well as the VHF radio system used by conservation officers and forest-fighting crews.

AMM President, Ralph Groening said that the association commends the government for committing to fully fund the annual operating costs of the new communications system.

“Reliable communications technology is vital for saving lives, keeping first responders safe and protecting local communities in times of an emergency, said Groening. “This commitment allows municipalities to focus on these priorities through reduced red tape and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars for the benefit of all.”

Pallister also announced a one-time capital investment of up to $45 million for damage prevention and climate resiliency measures, allocated in three equal portions:

-$15 million for municipalities within the capital region,

-$15 million for municipalities outside the capital region, and

-$15 million for previously identified provincial priorities to provide greater protection.

The $45 million will be redistributed from next year’s budget, previously earmarked for the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel.

Pallister said that the government is continuing to work to complete the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel, but a lack of progress has delayed the project.

The province also committed to investing an additional $3 million for spring flood preparedness, to be spent according to the priorities of the AMM and the Winnipeg Metro Region.

A panel of representatives from the AMM, Winnipeg Metro Region, and the province, including the Climate and Green office, will decide where the money will be spent.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 26, 2019 - 5:00 am

The Government of Manitoba announced it will add 100 supportive recovery beds to the provincial health-care system as part of an effort to strengthen mental health and addiction services.

Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cam Friesen said that the government is committed to improving mental health and addictions services so that Manitobans going through recovery get the support they need and successfully transition back into the community.

“By adding 100 new supportive housing beds, we will give Manitobans who have completed treatment a better chance of successfully rebuilding their lives.

Studies have shown that supportive recovery housing is successful in reducing relapse rates by providing people with stable housing and a safe place to live when they have completed addictions treatment.

The Request for Proposals will be posted by the end of the year, and it will focus on both rural and urban areas to expand system capacity. Successful organizations will receive funding to contribute to capital and operational costs, with awards being finalized in the spring.

There are seven organizations that currently receive funding to provide supportive recovery housing to a total of 174 people per year. Friesen said that the additional investment will be determined via the tendering process, and will address the increasing demand for service.

The initiative was first promised during the summer as part of the government’s Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan.

Both the VIRGO and Illicit Drug Task Force cited the need to add beds to help meet the demand in rural and urban areas.

“Today’s announcement reflects our continuing all-of-government approach to support those living with substance use and addictions issues,” said Friesen. “We will continue to provide that help with additional and enhanced services that help Manitobans struggling with mental health and addictions with further investments in the days ahead.”

The province has invested approximately $20.6 million into improving mental health and addictions services this year, including making 12 announcements in a 7-week span.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 25, 2019 - 1:18 pm

A 59-year-old man, who was driving his tractor, is dead after a pickup truck collided with him from behind on Road 130 North near Arborg early Saturday evening.

An investigation by Arborg RCMP determined that the 50-year-old driver of the pickup truck was travelling at a high speed while impaired, and hit the tractor from behind which caused the tractor driver to be ejected from his seat. As part of the ongoing investigation, they'll examine the lights on the tractor, and whether poor visibility was a factor.

The driver of the pickup truck wasn't injured in the collision, but was arrested and then released on several court-imposed conditions. He'll be in court at a later date to answer to charges including Impaired Operation of a Conveyance Causing Death.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Nov 25, 2019 - 5:37 am

The Government of Manitoba laid out its plan for their next four years in the throne speech last week.

Dauphin City Manager, Sharla Griffiths says that the City is excited about some of the proposed plans.

The proposals the City is excited for were the creation of 40,000 new jobs province-wide, the elimination of Sunday and Holiday shopping restrictions.

“New jobs create a strong economy, and that is beneficial for all Manitobans,” said Griffiths.

When it comes to shopping restrictions, Griffiths said that the city’s bylaws mirror what the province allows. She added that she expects the city to review that bylaw to see what changes they can make to continue mirroring the province.

Griffiths added that the section of the throne speech concentrated on municipalities wasn’t particularly strong, but the mention of increased funding for infrastructure in the province was another thing the city is looking forward to.

The city has a few projects that they would like to see partly or completely funded by the province, such as the expansion of the city’s lagoon.

“We’re hoping that we’ll see some come to the City of Dauphin through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program,” said Griffiths.

The city is also hoping to continue the redevelopment of Main Street South.

Griffiths continued to say that it’s great to see the province describe a Climate and Green Plan.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Nov 25, 2019 - 5:00 am

Manitoba Families was notified, on Friday, of a security breach to the Southern First Nations Network of Care’s computers.

Eight agencies, including the West Region Child and Family Services, were attacked by a virus targeting computer systems earlier in the week.

As soon as the province knew, steps were taken so the provincial systems and information were safe.

SFNNC and their agencies have put together contingency plans to continue their support and protection of the children and families in their care.

The province is offering technical support as well as other resources.

Due to the system being down, the agency will have to manually access information for 4000 children.

The extent of information that could be at risk is still being determined.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security is investigating.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Nov 25, 2019 - 5:00 am

This weekend, the Dauphin Rec Services is putting on Free Family Weekend at the rec complex.

Tamara Kolida says they received a grant from Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal to offer free programming throughout the winter.

“We know that it can be a tough time of year for a lot of families with Christmas and the expenses, and the cold temperatures isolate people, so we want to get them out.”

Kolida says they want everyone to get into the holiday spirit.

“There are no barriers here, everyone can come to this. Everything is free, so there’s holding back nobody, we want everyone to enjoy these activities and get to see our facilities. A lot of people, because for some people it’s expensive to swim, skate, and go to the movies.”

There are two activities today, free skate this morning at the Rotary Arena from 9 to noon, and then there’s a free family swim at the Kinsmen Aquatic Center from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Tomorrow you can take in the free family movie at the Countryfest Community Cinema with the doors opening at 9:30, showtime is 10 am, featuring the movie: Abominable. Then enjoy a free family skate at Credit Union Place from noon to 1:30. From 2 to 4 pm there are free arts, crafts, and cookie decorating at the Parkland Rec Complex Aspen Lodge and free photos with Santa and the Grinch, the rec services ask that you bring your own camera.