ACC Welcomes New Parkland Campus Director

Assiniboine Community College has announced the appointment of Valerie McInnes as the new director of the Parkland Campus.

This comes after the retirement of long-time campus director, Gabe Mercier.

McInnes is entering this role with more than five years of experience at Assiniboine, and 32 years in education.

“It is with great excitement that I return to the Parkland campus, continuing my commitment to Assiniboine’s vision.”

Throughout her career in education, McInnes has worked as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, guidance counsellor, and administrator. She got her Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba and is currently working to complete her Masters of Education at Brandon University, with a focus on educational leadership.

“I look forward to bringing my experiences, knowledge, and passion to my new role, to create an engaging, supportive learning environment for both students and staff.”

McInnes says she knows the Parkland Campus offers an exceptional college experience close to home for those in the region.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 11:38 am

The City of Dauphin has begun work to remove several trees from the city that have been identified with Dutch Elm Disease.

A provincial inspector visited Dauphin earlier this month and discovered 19 trees and one firewood pile which need to be removed.

The City is partnering with Dauphin Recreation Services to complete the removal.

Every year, the city receives a list of trees that need to be removed. Last year, the list identified more than 200 trees needing to be removed.

Dutch Elm Disease is caused by a fungus that kills American elm trees. The fungus is mainly spread from elm to elm by native elm bark beetles when they feed in the canopy of elms and overwinter under the bark at the base of the trees.

Details: Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 10:41 am

Around 24 kilometers of Provincial Trunk Highway 20, south of Duck Bay is going to be restored thanks to investments from the provincial and federal governments.

A thin lift overlay of bituminous pavement will be added to the highway between Provincial Road 271 and 272.

The Government of Canada will invest over $2 million, and the government of Manitoba will also contribute more than $2 million to the project.

PTH 39 from PR 392 eastward, south of Snow Lake, and PR 280 near Thompson are also being restored.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 8:11 am

Over the past few summers bear encounters have been more frequently reported in Manitoba.

A bear made its way into the city of Dauphin yesterday, which is something that happens once or twice a year according to Janine Wilmot, a Human-wildlife conflict biologist with the Government of Manitoba.

“That’s definitely not a location where you’d be expecting to encounter a black bear, so whenever you’re outside make sure to be aware of your surroundings because you never know when these things might happen.”

Wilmot adds that bears have a great sense of smell, and are motivated by their stomachs.

“Really important to try to make sure you don’t have any potential food attractants in your yard. We don’t want to give black bears a reason to come into your yard, or to linger in those areas, or to return.”

Wilmot says that if you’re walking a dog it’s good to keep it on a short leash in case of a bear or any other wildlife that you might encounter.

“If you do encounter a black bear, step one is to just stop, remain calm and assess the situation. If the bear is not aware of your presence you can simply leave the area quietly, keeping an eye on the bear as you leave the area, making sure its behavior doesn’t change, trying to back away the way that you came.”

She adds that if you see defensive behavior it’s an indicator that you’re too close. She says in that situation you can slowly back away and talk to the bear in a calm, reassuring tone, and slowly leave the area.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 5:01 am

The province is monitoring 23 new fires reported over the weekend, with no communities at direct risk of fire.

There are currently 128 active fires in the province.

Impacted hydro lines along the east shore of Lake Winnipeg have been restored.

Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi still have no power. Although a partial patrol of this line was conducted, fires are still burning in this area and no estimation of restoration can be given at this time.

The Manitoba Emergency Control Centre is working with BellMTS, RCMP, and the Manitoba Wildfire Service at Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids First Nations to maintain communications in the area.

Evacuees from Red Sucker Lake First Nation in northeast Manitoba started returning home on Monday after being evacuated due to wildfires, but over 2 thousand people from four other First Nations are still stuck.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 5:00 am

Pfizer and Moderna Walk-ins are taking place today at Dauphin’s Supersite, starting at 11:00 a.m.

There’s also a Moderna walk-in clinic tomorrow that starts at 11:00 a.m.

The clinics run until 6:00 p.m. or until allotted doses are used.

Scheduled appointments can also be made by calling 1-844-626-8222.

The site, which is located at the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall at 304 Whitmore Avenue east, will be closed from July 29^th until August 3^rd because of the long weekend.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 27, 2021 - 5:00 am

Manitoba is close to hitting its third goal on the 4-3-2-One great summer reopening path.

The next goal is for 80 percent of eligible Manitobans to have their first dose and 75 percent to have their second.

Currently, 78.7 percent of eligible Manitobans have had at least one dose and 66.5 percent have had two doses.

Dr. Brent Roussin says we’re getting closer to a post-pandemic Manitoba with each passing day.

“This is going to be a Manitoba with public health guidelines, rather than public health restrictions. This Manitoba won’t be reporting cases daily so we need to start adjusting and getting used to not hearing daily case counts on COVID-19.”

The demand for the Manitoba physical immunization card continues to be high. All cards requested by July 11^th have been mailed out and additional card stock has been secured and printing has resumed.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 26, 2021 - 2:41 pm

The Manitoba Government is extending the state of emergency.

Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler made the announcement today.

“As we continue towards our government’s safe summer reopening plan to allow for fewer restrictions and further rebuild our economy, we need Manitobans to continue to follow the fundamentals and get vaccinated to ensure we keep on a positive trajectory to a post-pandemic Manitoba.”

The extension goes into effect today, Monday, July 26^th at 4 p.m. for a period of 30 days.

The state of emergency was first declared on March 20^th, 2020, by the powers set out in section 10(1) and 10(2) of the Emergency Measures Act.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Jul 26, 2021 - 2:27 pm

A criminal charge of voyeurism against a Brandon police officer will not be going to trial after the Crown entered a stay of proceedings.

The officer was accused of secretly recording images of someone for a sexual purpose.

The Crown stayed the charge in June, about a month before a trial was set to begin in Brandon.

Manitoba's Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, which is mandated to investigate all serious incidents involving police officers, filed the charge in May 2020.

Both the IIU and Brandon Police Service said at the time the officer will not be identified to protect the identity of the complainant.

Details: Published: Jul 26, 2021 - 1:57 pm

On July 23, 2021, at approximately 11:40 pm, Lundar RCMP responded to a report of a head-on collision on Highway 6, approximately 10 kilometres south of St. Laurent. When officers arrived on scene, there was a vehicle in the ditch and another vehicle in the middle of the highway. Both had significant front-end damage.

The 28-year-old female driver of the vehicle in the ditch was pronounced deceased on scene. The 33-year-old female driver of the vehicle on the highway was transported to hospital with serious physical injuries. Both drivers were from Winnipeg and were the lone occupants of their vehicles.

Initial investigation has shown that the 28-year-old female was travelling southbound on Highway 6 and the 33-year-old female was travelling northbound when they collided in the southbound lane.