Fair Returns To Gilbert Plains

Kevin Boese says they've had years to prepare and finally, the Gilbert Plains-Grandview Ag Society will host its fair and rodeo this weekend in Gilbert Plains.

The event -- which was last run in 2019 -- is a staple in the community and it all begins with the parade Friday afternoon at 3. Friday's schedule also includes the petting zoo from 4 to 9 and the beer gardens will be open from 4 to 1 a.m., with entertainment featuring Dave Greene and karaoke.

Kevin says this event has been a long time coming.

"Everyone is so excited, we have the tents up and everything is ready to roll," said Boese. "The parade is an incredible way to start the fair and we can't wait to get things going."

Chariots and chuckwagons take centre stage at 3 on Saturday and the rodeo begins at 7 p.m. There are over 200 competitors in the rodeo this year so it's going to be packed and is sure to be the hit of the weekend.

"We're using the Heartland Rodeo Association so it'll be great," said Boese.

Kevin said his favourite event is bull riding which takes place Sunday afternoon. Adult admission is $10 Friday, $15 Saturday and $10 on Sunday. You can save some money by buying a weekend pass for just $25. 6 to 17-year-olds are $7 Friday, $7 Saturday and $7 Sunday. Kids five and under are free.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 8, 2022 - 9:00 am

The Dauphin Farmer's Market opens today. It's located just across from the Dauphin Active Living Centre and will run every Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. until September 28^th. They sell many products, including produce, baked goods, jams, jellies, maple syrup and even hypoallergenic body-care products.

According to Joyce Huska, coordinator of the Farmer’s Market, the main focus of the market is to provide a service for the community while promoting local and homemade products.

"I think it's something that serves us well in the community... For so many people that maybe ... are no longer able to [garden], it serves a purpose for them. They still get a chance to have some fresh food," Huska said.

She also wants to remind people to bring their own bags, since they won't be providing any.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 8, 2022 - 6:00 am

The Manitoba Farmer Wellness program has only been around for a year, but CAO Gerry Friesen says they're already seeing an increase in the number of people using it.

The program offers six free counseling sessions to farmers and their family members. It started in the fall as a not-for-profit, to fill a gap in long-term mental health care for farmers and their families.

"The counselors we have under our program are all ones that are familiar with the intricacies and the different challenges that farmers have." Said Friesen, "That provides the farmers and their families the comfort to know that when they start talking about things to a counselor, they'll understand what they're actually talking about."

The program has four counselors to choose from, and farmers or their family members can go on the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Website and read about the counselors, so they can choose one that works for them.

Everything is kept anonymous, and the counselor's contact information can be found on the website so someone looking for support can reach out directly to them.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Jul 8, 2022 - 5:40 am

Prairie Mountain Health has announced that the emergency department at the Roblin Health Centre will be open on weekends only. That means that it will only be open from Saturday at 8:30 a.m. until Monday at 8:30 a.m. every week. There will be no emergency department on weekdays.

The main exception is that it will be open this Friday, July 8th at 8:00 p.m. and will remain open until Monday, July 11th at 8:30 a.m.

During the suspension of services, those requiring emergency medical attention are being encouraged to call the Roblin Health Centre at 204-937-2142 to determine the nearest open emergency department.

In the event of a life-threatening or serious health emergency, you should still call 9-1-1.

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

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 7, 2022 - 3:38 pm

The City of Dauphin is currently replacing the sidewalk on Main St. S. — in the southbound direction — from 10th Ave. S.W. to 12th Ave. S.W.

The work is expected to take a couple of weeks to complete.

Only one lane is open to traffic on that portion of the road and the speed limit has been reduced to 30 km/h when workers are present

For more information, call the City of Dauphin at 204-622-3200.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 7, 2022 - 1:27 pm

The City of Winnipeg cracked down on pet safety on July 1. A new bylaw includes rules that prohibit pet owners from chaining or housing dogs outside for extended periods, and dogs need to be supervised when they are outside.

Another rule prohibits pets from being left unattended in vehicles when it is 22 degrees Celsius or warmer, or minus 10 degrees Celsius or colder. The city said it does not apply to running vehicles with working air conditioning or heating systems.

When it comes to bylaws in Dauphin surrounding pet safety, you must have your dog on a leash at all times when you're not on your property. So if you go to your backyard that is fenced in, it is okay to leave your dog off-leash so they can run around. However, as soon as you leave your property, it is mandatory that your dog is on a leash unless you go to the off-leash dog park right across from the old Brewers Diamond in Dauphin.

You must also have a licence for your dogs and cats, they can be purchased at City Hall if you haven't received one yet. When applying for a licence, you must submit the following.

• Name & address of the owner;
• Description & Breed of the dog or cat;
• Certificate from Veterinarian confirming animal has been spayed or neutered, if applicable;
• Proof that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies within two (2) years of the date of application for the licence.

The licence fees are as follows:
$30 for every spayed or neutered dog/cat and
$45 for every other dog/cat.

Your animal wearing their licence is critical because on the chance they run away, the Animal Control Officer can be in touch with you. On that note, any dog or cat running at large will be picked up and taken to the Animal Pound and will be released only upon payment of the capture fee, pound fees, purchase of current licence and any other applicable fees.

If a dog or cat is not claimed within three business days, it may be humanely euthanized or put up for adoption, at the sole discretion of the City of Dauphin.

"We've been catching a lot of cats lately and many are going missing," said Todd Tarrant, Animal Control Officer. "My suggestion is don't let your cats or dogs outside of your house unless they are tied up. Also if it's dark, stay outside with them for a few minutes."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 7, 2022 - 12:00 pm

The Dauphin fair was a huge success last weekend, and the numbers were there to prove it. According to Ag Society President Terron Stykalo, it was the best fair on record as far as the number of people that showed up.

"The amount of people that came in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was astronomical."Said Stykalo, "Our Demo Derby had a great turnout, of course Canada Day on Friday the grounds were packed all day long. I think overall the Ag Society can chalk this up to a huge win."

Stykalo wants to thank everyone who helped make the fair what it was, from all the Ag Society members to the volunteers that helped run all the events and everyone that showed up to take in the festivities.

Fair Parade

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Jul 7, 2022 - 5:30 am

Education and athletics are two things that Brooke White is extremely passionate about.

For the Ste. Rose native the baseball season is underway as she plays with her hometown U18 team. She also recently just played in high school provincials with the Ste. Rose Celtics where they came up just short in their two games. While baseball is in full swing, Brooke's days as a high school student have been numbered.

White has graduated with honours and as she embarks on her university journey, she's getting some help as she received more than $6,000 in scholarships even though she only applied for a couple of scholarships. Brooke averaged 97% in the classroom throughout her four years of high school and considering how busy her schedule is, Brooke is proud of herself.

"It felt really good, it feels like all of my hard work paid off," said White. "I certainly wasn't expecting to get so much money so I'm really happy. I'm thankful and grateful."

Brooks was recently accepted into the faculty of science at the University of Manitoba and she is planning on beginning her studying in September in physiotherapy."

Being awarded $6,000 was a special feeling for Brooke but it was a memorial scholarship in honour of Brittany Pettit that she won that meant the most. Brooke's mom was best friends with Brittany so it was an emotional presentation.

"It meant a lot," said White. "When I got it, I saw my mom crying in the crowd, I'm honoured to have been presented with the scholarship."

To wrap up what was an extremely positive evening for Brooke, she also won the Governor Generals' medal and that's thanks to her great marks in the classroom.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 7, 2022 - 5:00 am

The status of the Centennial Arena -- home to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Swan Valley Stampeders -- is in question moving forward.

The Town of Swan River is holding a public consultation tonight at 8 in the arena's lobby. The biggest question to be answered coming out of the consultation is whether they will renovate the current facility or build a brand new one.

The list of renovations needing to be made starts with the arena's ring slab as the 34" wide section of the concrete at the sides of the rink is shifting which is causing issues. The current dehumidification system is smaller than needed which will lead to early deterioration of the building and impact space comfort and energy usage.

When it comes to the structure of the building, wall cross bracing will need to be inspected and replaced where needed and the roof will also need to be fixed. The estimated cost for renovations will be around $5 to 6 million dollars.

The Centennial Arena's current size is 38,807 sq. ft. To replace the facility with one of a similar size, the price would be upwards of $ 20 million dollars or more.

Lance Jacobson is the Mayor of Swan River and he says these consultations are much needed.

"We haven't had a lot of feedback but we are getting a better understanding of what the community wants," he said. "This is a big job so we're going to make sure we do it right."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 6, 2022 - 12:30 pm

UPDATE: The remaining weather alerts have ended.

The previous update follows:

As of 3:31 p.m., the severe thunderstorm warning has ended for the R.M. of Alonsa incl. Ebb and Flow Res. and Sandy Bay Res. and the Mun. of WestLake-Gladstone incl. Plumas and Langruth.

As of 3:20 p.m., the severe thunderstorm watch has ended for the following communities:

Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville
Grandview Mun. incl. Valley River Res.
Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River
Mun. of Ethelbert incl. Garland
Mun. of Roblin incl. Makaroff Shortdale and Bield
Mun. of Russell-Binscarth incl. Gambler Res.
R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Ochre River and Makinak
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides
R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park

As of 2:47 p.m., the severe thunderstorm warning has ended for the Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River and the R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides.

The third update follows:

At 1:52 p.m., Environment Canada issued a serve thunderstorm warning for the Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River and the R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides.

As of 1:37 p.m., the severe thunderstorm warning has ended for R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park.

More information on the severe thunderstorm warning mentioned above can be found here.

At 1:38 p.m., Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the R.M. of Alonsa incl. Ebb and Flow Res. and Sandy Bay Res.

As of 12:29 p.m., a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for the following communities:

Mun. of Glenella-Lansdowne incl. Arden and Tenby
Mun. of McCreary incl. Norgate
Mun. of Ste. Rose incl. Laurier
Mun. of WestLake-Gladstone incl. Plumas and Langruth
R.M. of Alonsa incl. Ebb and Flow Res. and Sandy Bay Res.

More information on the severe thunderstorm watch mentioned above can be found here.

The second update follows:

At 1:16 p.m., Environment Canada replaced the tornado warning for the R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park with a severe thunderstorm warning.

They are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing strong wind gusts and nickel to ping pong ball size hail.

More information can be found on the Environment Canada website.

The first update follows:

At 12:49 p.m., Environment Canada issued a tornado warning for the R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park.

They are tracking a severe thunderstorm that is possibly producing a tornado. They also said that damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall are also possible.

More information can be found on the Environment Canada website.

The original article follows:

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Dauphin and the surrounding areas.

It is currently in effect for the following communities:

Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville
Grandview Mun. incl. Valley River Res.
Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River
Mun. of Ethelbert incl. Garland
Mun. of Roblin incl. Makaroff Shortdale and Bield
Mun. of Russell-Binscarth incl. Gambler Res.
R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Ochre River and Makinak
R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides
R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park

According to Environment Canada, conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, damaging hail and heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected today in advance of a weak low-pressure system. They also said that some of these thunderstorms may be severe.

More information can be found on the Environment Canada website.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 6, 2022 - 12:19 pm

After a two-year hiatus, Mossey River Days will return to the streets of Winnipegosis this weekend. The festival — running this Thursday through Sunday — will feature a two-man-best-ball golf tournament, a live Charlie Major concert, numerous family-friendly activities along the boulevard, a pride pancake breakfast, a steak dinner, and more. The complete event schedule can be found here.

Rebecca Sahulka, a member of the Mossey River Volunteer Events Committee, is excited to have Mossey River Days back. According to her, they're trying to get people out of their homes and into the community. She also said that the Charlie Major concert should bring people to the festival and that there will also be lots of different food trucks.