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Having your furry canine in your vehicle is perfectly fine; having them on your lap in the driver's seat is not.

If you're caught, you can be fined under Section 95(3) of the Highway Traffic Act. If you're driving is affected because of the animal, you could be charged for Careless Driving under Section 188 of the HTA, and that's a more serious offence than Section 95(3).

Some officers believe driving with a pet on your lap is more distracting than talking on a cell phone.

That's because a pet interferes with the driver's ability to control the vehicle, react to hazards and it obstructs their view. 

The provincial government is considering a change to the tobacco tax.

The PST will drop to 7 per cent on July 1st and Manitoba has introduced the Tobacco Tax Amendment Act to keep the retail price of tobacco the same.

If passed, the tax on each cigarette would rise from 29.5 cents to 30 cents, fine cut tobacco would rise to 45.5 cents from 45, and raw leaf tobacco products would have a 27.5 cents tax, up from 27 cents.

Finance Minister Scott Fielding says this approach is consistent with what the federal government did when they reduced the GST.

The proposed amendments to The Tobacco Tax Act would come into effect on July 1 if the bill receives royal assent before the legislative assembly rises on June 3, or on Nov. 15 if it receives royal assent on or after July 1.

This chart gives a visual on how the change will affect tobacco prices:

Tobacco Tax Chart

As the May Long Weekend approaches, more and more boats will be hitting the water.

With more boats comes the need for people to know the safety tips and regulations for being on the water.

The operator of the boat has a zero tolerance for alcohol. The fine for driving a boat impaired is a minimum of $1000 for a first offence, the second and third times can result in jail time.

In Manitoba, in order to legally drink on a boat, it must have a permanent cooking facility, a sleeping cabin, and a toilet. The boat must also be anchored down.

Boaters must have all the necessary paperwork on board, including your operator’s card and proof of purchase. You could be charged $250 if you don’t.

There must be lifejackets for every person on board. The fine for not having PFD’s on board is $200 and it multiplies for each passenger not in possession of one.

Always make sure you have a First Aid Kit, as well as a kit full of emergency supplies.

And finally, driving a boat recklessly can not only hurt yourself and others, but it can also result in fines anywhere from $350 - $500.

Take these rules into consideration the next time you hit the water and have a good time.

The Northern Lights will be visible from everywhere in the Parkland over the next few days.

From May 14th to 16th, the Aurora will be most visible.

 

The Graduation Powwow is tomorrow from 10 til 2.

The powwow is a celebration of life and honours the grads from the MVSD and the ACC.

The graduates will be honoured by walking in front of the community coming in through the grand entry, later on, they’ll be honoured with gifts, and then the graduates will honour the community by giving a giveaway.

Carole Shankaruk, the indigenous education facilitator for the MVSD, says the graduation powwow is meant to bring communities together.

Over the lunch period, there will be entertainment. Desiree Dorion will be performing as well as the D-Town steppers, a square dancing group.

Shankaruk says the powwow is a big learning opportunity for both indigenous and non-indigenous people.

The RM of Alonsa would like to remind residents that there is still a burning ban in effect.

They have noticed some residents burning anyways and warn that fines will be issued if burning continues.

The ban has been in effect since late April and is in place to prevent wildfires.

Just before 9 pm last night the Dauphin Fire Department responded to a report of a grass fire.

The fire happened in the Keld area and lasted for about 5 hours.

A witness saw a vehicle driving away from the scene of the fire but unfortunately no license plate number was obtained.

Due to extremely dry conditions, the Dauphin Fire Department is asking people to be cautious when driving through grassy areas and to not throw cigarette butts out of car windows.

Anyone planning a burn in the RM of Dauphin is asked to make sure they have the necessary permit. Permits can be obtained through the RM.

Anyone with any information concerning the vehicle that was in the area at the time of the fire is asked to call the Dauphin RCMP.

The City of Dauphin officially declared May 20th-26th as Safe Grad Awareness Week.

Three DRCSS students, who are part of the grad planning committee, attended the City Council meeting last night for the proclamation.

Safe-Grads are an initiative originally proposed by MADD to make sure grads celebrate responsibly.

As part of Safe Grad Awareness Week, DRCSS grads will be hosting a fundraising barbeque on Saturday, May 25th from 10:30 to 4:30 at the Dauphin Marketplace Mall.

This week is Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign to make Canada's roads the safest in the world.

With this weekend being the long weekend, it'll see more people travelling which will cause more collisions.

The RCMP say whether you drive a car, motorcycle, bicycle or are a pedestrian, it’s important that you focus on the road, pay attention and be aware of changes in your surroundings at all times.

Julie Courchaine an RCMP media relations officer is asking people to buckle-up, put the phone down, drive sober and slow down.

All week, police vehicles will be stationed around the province to remind people that safe driving habits save lives and reduce injuries.

So far this year, there have been 15 fatal collisions causing 15 deaths.

Courchaine says all of the fatal collisions are preventable.

On Sunday around 2:30 in the afternoon in Brandon, emergency services helped save someone who was walking along the outside railing of the southbound 1st St. Bridge.

The woman was on the Assiniboine River side of the bridge.

Sergeant Kirby Sararas says the crisis negotiator team trains heavily for situations like these.

She says showing empathy and using active listening skills is the key to helping someone through a crisis.

Sararas says they prepare the best they can for these types of situations with knowledge and having as many people as they can.

Members from the Fire department and emergency services were also there to stand by with both an ambulance and water rescue equipment. 

A family member of the woman was also on scene speaking with her. 

By 4:00 pm the woman started to fatigue and slip. 

She required the assistance of officers to pull her over to safety. 

The woman was immediately taken to the hospital by ambulance where she was met by family.

In the morning around 9:30 on May 9th, Manitoba First Nations Police attempted a traffic stop on a suspect believed to be in the possession of weapons.

The suspect refused to pull over, causing a pursuit to begin.

After pulling into a driveway, the suspect ran from Police.

A vehicle check found a loaded sawed-off .22 rifle and a replica pellet gun, both were seized by the police.

The police conducted community checks and followed up on multiple tips but couldn’t locate the suspect.

The next day, May 10th Police were told the male suspect was at the Amaranth Beach area.

MFNP and the RCMP attended the area and saw a male wearing a black balaclava run into the marsh.

Police located the suspect, taking him into custody without incident.

Jeremy Gordon Whincup was arrested and charged with possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm while knowing possession is unauthorized, unsafe transportation of a firearm, possession of a weapon contrary to an Order (x3), and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

The accused is set to appear in court today.