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It's the longest-running winter festival in Manitoba and it's set to return to The Pas on Wednesday.
The Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival is set for its 76th year and it runs up until Sunday evening. One of the biggest events is the dog sled race which features competitors from all over North America and it is always a hit. There is also a world-renowned craft show featuring vendors from across North America as well as the King & Queen Trapper and the Junior King & Queen Trapper.
Jenn Cooks is the past chairperson and she says the event organizers take great pride in making the event a must-attend.
"We have a board of directors that works diligently all year around," said Cooks. "It takes roughly 800 volunteer hours to put the festival together and it's all of the smiles from the kids that make it all worth it."
The five-day festival opens with the opening ceremonies on Wednesday at 12:15 at the Ice Palace. There is also a Bannock Slap Street Hockey Tournament and Skills Competition which takes place this weekend and the 'Pub Crawl' is Thursday evening at the Pas Regional Library starting at 5:00 p.m. You can also take part in helicopter rides and the OCN Blizzard will host a pancake breakfast and perogy lunch.
There is an admission fee for some events; however, no event is more than $15 to take part in and some are free. Another highlight of the festival is the Family Fun Day which is on Saturday from 11 to 2 at Kelsey School and it features games, food, and treats.
Event organizers would like to welcome everyone to attend the festival, one that welcomes thousands of visitors every year. You can also find out more information about the festival at Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The provincial government is continuing to try and help Manitoba's ailing healthcare system by making another investment to try and retain physicians, as well as train more.
The government is launching a new premium for physicians who offer extended hours in family medicine and pediatric clinics, as well as adding 80 physician training seats, and providing mental health support to doctors. Health Minister Audrey Gordon and Advanced Education and Training Minister Sarah Guillemard made the announcement today.
In a news release, Gordon says the government knows that physicians are an important part of healing the province's healthcare system.
“We recognize the enormous contributions of primary-care providers and pediatricians and the care they provide to Manitobans. Providing an incentive to extend clinic hours will make accessing care more convenient and timely, while taking pressure off emergency departments and urgent care centres so the health-care system functions more efficiently overall.”
Family medicine and pediatric clinics offering extended hours can receive a 20% premium on extended-hour billings. Eligible extended hours, which can be used to see existing patients or take walk-ins, are considered weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight, and weekends and recognized holidays from 7 a.m. to midnight.
President of Doctors Manitoba, Dr. Candice Bradshaw, says this is in direct response to advice the organization has offered on the behalf of Manitoba doctors.
"From an innovative and unique-in-Canada approach to help clinics with extending their hours, to a significant expansion in medical training, to new resources for supporting physician wellness and avoiding burnout, all three of these actions will help to support better access to medical care for Manitobans."
The Manitoba government will also provide funding for 40 new undergraduate physician-training seats, a 10-seat increase in the one-year international medical graduate program, and 30 seats in the two-year postgraduate medical education program for internationally educated medical students.
On top of these announcements, the government is contributing $450,000 to the Physician Peer Support Program run by Doctors Manitoba, in an effort to improve overall wellness and help reduce the risk of burnout.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Mountain Road will be closed in front of the DRCSS starting at 7 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, February 14th), while the city works to repair a water main break.
This is the second time in less than a week the City has closed this stretch of Mountain Road.
2nd Avenue NE, 3rd Avenue NE, and the school's parking lots will still have access to Mountain Road while work is being done.
The City asks that people avoid the area if possible.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Planning for the Gilbert Plains-Grandview Ag Society Fair and Rodeo is well underway, but the Ag Society is hoping they can find some help ahead of time.
They recently held their AGM, and President Kevin Boese says they're looking for more board members ahead of this year's event.
"We definitely need a few more board members to keep this thing going. We've got some very dedicated board members that have been on this fair board for, some of them close to 50 years, and they're looking to train somebody a little younger and maybe step back a little bit."
Boese says the board isn't a massive undertaking, saying they meet once a month to plan the fair, and it's always a good time when they meet.
"There's a lot of planning that goes on throughout the year, and we have a lot of fun doing that at our meetings. If anybody is looking to be part of a fun board and committee, it's not just that one weekend in July. Throughout the whole year, we do some things, we have a Christmas party, and it's a great event."
On top of more board members, the Ag Society's also looking for some more volunteers for the week of the fair.
"We have a great group of volunteers who always show up. Sometimes we wonder how we're going to get it done and then that week comes and a bunch of local people that have been helping for many years shows up and we appreciate that. But, you know, there's a lot of stuff going on, and we always need more volunteers for that week before."
This year's fair has also been pushed back a week because of conflicts, so it will be held the third weekend in July, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th. Boese says on top of all of their normal events, a third day of Chuckwagons has been added for this year's event.
Anyone interested in becoming a board member can reach out to the Ag Society on Facebook, or contact Boese at 204-647-6334.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Saskatchewan RCMP is asking for the public's help in locating three homicide suspects.
At around 4 a.m. on Friday, February 10th, RCMP responded to a report of a break-and-enter and a suspicious death at a residence about 20 km south of Esterhazy. When police got to the scene they found the male resident deceased, and the female resident was taken to the hospital with injuries.
The suspects stole three long-barreled firearms, a significant amount of ammunition, and a vehicle from the residence, however, the vehicle was found on fire nearby. The police have released the following descriptions of the suspects:
- Suspect #1:
- Male, believed to be in his 20's;
- Approximately 6' 2" tall
- 180-200 pounds, slender build
- Piercing/scar or absence of hair on left eyebrow;
- May have a lower stomach tattoo;
- Face was covered by a thin neck warmer/tube pulled up
- Wearing a black beanie-style head covering/hat
- Dark-coloured Carhartt/work-style jacket with a lighter-coloured "sherpa" style liner
- Suspect #2:
- Male, believed to be older than suspects #1 and #3
- Approximately 5' 11";
- Approximately 210 pounds;
- Face was covered by black balaclava
- Sparsely-haired moustache visible
- Tattoos:
- Small pointed tattoo near the corner of left eye (possibly a teardrop or arrow);
- Top of arched tattoo partially visible under facial covering near the top of the left cheekbone, under the left eye;
- Suspect #3:
- Male
- Shorter than suspects #1 and #2;
- Approximately 200-240 pounds;
- Face was covered by a thin neck warmer/tube pulled up
- Wearing a black beanie-style head covering/hat
- Wearing what is believed to have been a Red Dragon Apparel hoodie. There was a large Red Dragon logo on the front, no zipper;
If you believe you know who one or any of these individuals are, or have information to share related to these sketches, contact your nearest RCMP Detachment or police service immediately or call 310-RCMP in non-emergencies.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Yorkton Farm Toy is back for its 35th year as it takes place from 9 to 5 today at the Yorkton Auction Centre.
Featuring dozens of exhibitors from around Western Canada, there are hundreds of farm toys that are up for sale at the event which kicked off with a great first day yesterday. 100% of the proceeds from the event go to those in need and this year, all the funds will go to Adriaan. He's a basketball-loving, young man who lives in Langenburg with his family.
"It's emotional to hear Adriaan's story," said Mehrer. "If we can help out a little bit in some way, it feels like we have done our job.".
New this year is the tractor peddle races for the kids and there are also other activities taking place throughout the day and a canteen will be open. There is no charge to take part.
"It has always been great to work alongside the Yorkton Auction Centre," ended Mehrer.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The truck was located on Thursday on 7th Avenue Northeast in Dauphin. Officers then started surveilling the vehicle, and a short time later, they saw two males enter it and start it up.
As the two males were about to drive away, they were arrested without incident. The full details from the RCMP are below:
On February 9, 2023, officers with the Manitoba West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) located a stolen pickup truck on 7th Ave NE in Dauphin.
Officers established surveillance and within a short time, observed two males enter and start the vehicle.
As the suspects were about to drive away, officers pulled up on scene and arrested both suspects without incident.
Keanu Roulette, 26, and Jamie Desmarais, 22, both from Sandy Bay First Nation, were taken into custody. Upon search of the suspects and vehicle, officers located and seized over 200 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, two CO2 replica firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, body armor, a machete, a knife and drug trafficking paraphernalia.
Both suspects had outstanding warrants of arrest and were later remanded into custody on numerous drug and weapons-related charges.
RCMP urge anyone who may have any information regarding drugs or any other criminal activity, to please contact your local police agency or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
West District CREST continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
It looks like Wayne Jacobsen will be taking his family on the trip of a lifetime, sooner rather than later.
Jacobsen, of Neepawa, won $250,000.00 recently on the 'Crossword Premium' scratch ticket. He originally thought he won just $10,000, but when he showed his wife, she thought it was more.
Jacobsen took his ticket to the Neepawa Co-op Gas Bar and it was confirmed that he won a quarter of a million dollars. Wayne says he plans on taking his extended family to Mexico with the winnings.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After a little over three months in office, Mayor David Bosiak says he's really starting to settle into his new role.
He says there's been a lot to learn in a short period of time, but the people surrounding him have made the transition easy.
"It's been a learning curve. I knew going in that there was a lot of stuff in the blender, and that we have to figure out how that works. The thing that's been more interesting is getting a sense of the capacity at City Hall, both on the council side of the table, and on the admin side. So I've been very pleased to find out we've got a very capable administrative team, management and staff, and then the council has pretty much been onside, in the sense that we all want to think, or are thinking of the same kind of things going forward, so that's been the pleasant part of the first three months. Just getting a sense that we're all on the same team, all pulling in the same direction."
Bosiak says that there's an interesting dynamic when it comes to the council, as there are three experienced, and three first-time councilors.
"The three incumbents have all been there for a while and understand what's going on. So we've been relying on them a little bit for some of the protocols and process type of things. Also, provide us a little bit of the backend information on projects that are in the works, or things that the city has had on their books for a while and we're now getting down to dealing with."
He says the new councilors bring the experience of their own to the table as well.
"There's a really interesting mix. You know we have a councilor who was employed by the city on a contract for many years as a safety officer, or as our EMO coordinator, Councilor Daley. And then you've got another councilor, Councilor Sobering, who also was employed by the city on a contract as our efficiency and energy advocate. So it's really great to have that mix. Another real positive surprise is Councilor Ray coming in with a really astute point of view on things. He's generally been a little bit quiet but analyzing and very engaged in all the committees and things he's been involved with."
One of the important roles of a councilor is sitting on committees, and Bosiak says he's trying to take a different approach when it comes to committees.
"I've really encouraged the council to try and look at where the organization fits in the city's future, and where the city plays a role in helping the organization in its future. Not to be critical, but to actually analyze where the most efficiency is. And I use that in a number of ways, but mostly, efficient use of time for the council and for the organization, efficient use of resources if the council is in fact funding some of these organizations, and then the efficiency of time of the collective. The whole notion of, are they achieving their mandate, if they are, great, how can the city continue to support that, and if not, how can the city help them to better achieve it."
Bosiak says it's not about restructuring or elimination of committees if it's not necessary, but that is an option if that's what the collective think needs to happen.
"In the current realities of tight budgets and inflation and everything else, it's not that the city doesn't want to fund organizations, it wants to make sure that whatever funding or supports that the city provides, be it staff time, council time, or funding, that it's used as effectively as it possibly can be."
As far as looking into the near future, Bosiak says there is a lot of work that the last council was working on, that's being finalized now.
"What we know from past councils mandates, the whole notion of the support for the enhancements to the lagoon, our sewer system, and the Main Street South Highway redevelopment stuff. That's very complicated and we're right in the middle of finalizing a lot of the details on those two things. So if all goes well, that's what's likely going to be happening this summer."
Bosiak says those projects aren't the only thing to look forward to, however, as the city gets ready to celebrate its 125th anniversary.
"This is also Dauphin's 125th Birthday, so we're trying to do a little bit of planning and work with the Museum, the Arts Centre, the Train Museum, the Historical Society, and others, to try and figure out what we do for our 125th Birthday. That's something that we can really latch on to."
Bosiak finished by talking about the financial situation of the city, and how the area has dealt with finances through the pandemic.
"Just the notion of, we're coming out of the pandemic, we're learning how to live in a world that's been affected by a global situation. So we're figuring that out, the impacts of inflation and all of those other things are impacting our budgeting process for this year. The summaries from last year's budget are looking like we probably are going to be really close to having no deficit or no major surplus, but we're not in the situation like other municipalities that were really blindsided by inflation and things from last year and are dealing with some significant budget deficits from their 2022 operations."
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Russell RCMP seized 920 grams of cocaine and meth, along with a number of guns from a home in Rossburn last weekend.
Russell RCMP received a report of a break-and-enter in progress at a home on Main Street in Rossburn, just after 3 a.m. last Friday, February 3rd. One of the suspects had forcefully broken into the home, but they fled on foot when the resident called the police.
Police patrolled the area and arrested a 32-year-old male from Winnipeg, who said he was with the other suspect, and they were just trying to seek shelter from the cold. Police continued their search, with help from Police Dog Services, but they weren't able to find the other suspect.
The 32-year-old suspect, who was believed to be under the influence of drugs, was lodged in cells overnight and released without a charge the next morning.
Later that day, February 4th, police received more information that led to them drafting a search warrant for a residence on Crocus Road in Rossburn.
When police executed the search warrant, they found 188 grams of cocaine, 732 grams of meth, two loaded restricted firearms, ammunition, cell phones, and other drug-related paraphernalia.
Police arrested a 23-year-old female and a 25-year-old male, both from Winnipeg. They were taken into custody and later released for court scheduled for May 23, 2023, in Rossburn. An investigation is underway.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Manitoba government is bringing back province-wide Grade 12 exams in English and math starting in the 2023-24 school year.
The tests were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not been administered since 2020. The reason being that the mixture of in-class and remote learning led to students not receiving equal access to learning and instruction.
Last August, the government had announced plans for less-formal assessments of student achievement in Grade 10. Education Minister Wayne Ewasko says the school system will soon have both.
He says reviving the final exams will be a good way to gauge whether the assessments in the earlier grade are working and if students are improving.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
