Accessibility Tools

The Dauphin Fire Department is on scene putting out a fire that started in a wooded area, just north of Dauphin, off Road 108W.

Reports are that it rekindled from yesterday's fire at that location.

We will continue to follow this and have updates when they become available.

Around 167 customers in the Ethlebert area now have power.
 
The area experienced an unscheduled power outage this morning, but Manitoba Hydro has since restored the power.
 

Yesterday afternoon the Dauphin Fire department responded to two fire calls.

The first one was the rekindling of the fire from the weekend out at Stoney Point.

A change in the direction of the wind caused it to start up again.

The second fire took place in a yard, where a pole shed, camper and car were on fire.

Winds then carried embers across to an unoccupied two story house which caught on fire.

The fire originated in some long grass where workers had created sparks by accident when they struck a sledgehammer to adjust a ramp.

The sparks ignited the grass and rapidly spread.

There were no injuries and the department got the fire under control and extinguished by 4:00 this morning.

The Dauphin Food Bank is in dire need of land to grow a crop for 2019.

Last year the organization raised approximately $24,000 thanks to the harvest of a soybean crop.

1/3 of proceeds went to the Food For Thought Program, which provided hot meals twice a week to Dauphin students.

This year the food bank has been unable to secure any land to repeat the success.

Last year's crop covered the rising cost of the Christmas hamper program and without that income, the program will struggle.

This past Christmas, 476 hampers were needed for Dauphin and area.

If you know of some land that could be leased for the cause, contact Robin Gambler at 638-5707

A Gimli resident is one of 12 to receive the Order of Manitoba.

Robert Kristjanson has served on the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary for 35 years.

Kristjanson created public awareness about the growing algae problem on Lake Winnipeg.

“It goes all the way back to when we were fight the waters from the United States and that goes all the way back to then when we first got started. Of course I have been so about water.  To me if we don’t have good water, we won’t have fish and when we see this algae had got started it just about floored us.  I did everything I could.”

He has been a commercial fisher in the Interlake region for 70 years and volunteer with various local community groups.

Kristjanson will receive the honour in July at a special ceremony at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Rossburn is no longer under a boil water advisory.

It was started back on May 7 when the community’s water treatment plant suffered a line break.

 

Fires continue to break out today around Dauphin.
 
Right now a massive brush fire is burning just one mile north and two miles east of Dauphin at Road 147 N and Road 108 W.
 
The Dauphin Fire Department is on scene and a call for all additional members to attend.
 
Earlier a grass fire broke out again north of Dauphin off Stoney Point Beach Road.

We'll keep you updated as information becomes available.
A grass fire has broken out again north of Dauphin  off Stoney Point Beach Road.
 
The Dauphin Fire Department is currently on scene.
 
We'll keep you updated as information becomes available.
.

Four grass fires and one house fire kept the Dauphin Fire Department busy all weekend.

The first fire broke out Saturday afternoon after 2:30, and was a large grass fire by Stoney Point which was coming close to a home. Ochre River and Sifton Fire Departments were called in to help with the wide spread of the fire. The wind conditions pushed the fire on both sides of the Wilson River.  This fire was deliberately set and without a permit.

Cam Abrey, Fire Chief, noted there was a second fire in Vermillion Park

“Just after 5:00 p.m., we had a grass fire here within the City of Dauphin in Vermillion Park. So while we’re still at the fire at Stoney Point, three youth from the City of Dauphin stopped in at the fire hall to report that there was a patch of grass on fire.  We dispatched another truck over to that area in Vermillion Park just on the west side of Vermillion River and they quickly extinguished that fire. Thanks to the three boys that came in and reported that; it was quickly contained.”

When the crew returned from Stoney Point, they were dispatched again at 10:50 p.m. to go and assist Sifton with a fire near the old rail bed by the community pasture. Both fire departments battled the blaze until 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Abrey went to check on Stoney Point later on in the afternoon and found someone set a second fire on the south side of the Vermillion River. There was a risk of it jumping the dyke and damaging cottages, so Dauphin contacted Ochre River Fire Department again to help them with some back burn techniques to control the fire.

While battling this blaze, a call came in about a structure fire in the Dauphin in the northeast end. A single car detached garage was engulfed in flames and spread to the home.  The basement and attic in the home were in flames.  The fire was put out at 11:00 p.m. and there were no injuries.  There are no estimates at this time as to the amount of damage but the fire was deemed as accidental electrical, stemming from the garage.

Once again, there were no permits issued for any of the grass fires set this weekend and anyone burning without a permit is subject to fines under the Wildfires Act in the Province of Manitoba. Anyone with any information on any of the grass fires that were lit this week is asked to call the Dauphin Fire Department or Dauphin RCMP.

Helping to feed those in need is something the Dauphin Food Bank works hard at.

The organization goes all year round.

Robin Gambler, Chair for the group, tells us the details of the upcoming AGM.

“It’s at Parkland Crossing in the cafeteria tonight at 7:00 p.m.”

There currently aren't any open board member positions, but the organization is always looking for volunteers.

With the warm weather in tow, gardeners are anxious to get planting and the food bank is promoting their Grow and Row initiative.

Gambler tells us how this works.

“We’re hoping that people with large gardens will grow a row of carrots, potatoes or cucumbers and donate them, because a lot of our clients, when they come in, that’s such a treat; having fresh vegetables from a garden. A lot of them rent and not all landlords allow gardens.”

Fresh produce is accepted any time at the food bank; however they must follow strict food guidelines and can’t accept any homemade baking or canning.

If anyone is looking to volunteer with the food bank or find out how they can help, come to the meeting tonight and learn what it's all about.

Local businesses are fed up with the amount of shoplifting that is happening.

Bruce Kozak, owner of Pass the Pop, has seen it happening too much lately.

“From what I’ve seen, there are definitely groups of people going around shoplifting and causing trouble in town. They’re usually together as family, so like mother, daughter or mother, sister or it could be like girlfriend and boyfriend combination, but they are definitely going in pairs."

Sherri Gardner, owner of Super Thrifty Pharmacy, has had a variety of different things taken.

“We’ve noticed it more now because we have cameras everywhere so we’re watching. We’ve had people steal almost $300 in clothing, and we’ve had people steal hair dyes and make up; and it’s been happening more and more.  We’ve just been really vigilant in watching the cameras.”

Gardiner had to install cabinets to lock up makeup because the theft of it was getting so bad, she was losing money and had to quit selling it for a month.

Both Kozak and Gardiner said it’s hard for businesses to recover losses and unfortunately it makes the prices of merchandise go up that much more because businesses can’t lose money and stay in business.

Kozak noted that a lot of businesses don’t know what they can do when they catch a shoplifter, because they don’t want to be breaking the law.

Businesses are encouraged to come to a meeting put on by Riehl Securities tomorrow at noon in the Lion’s Den.