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A strong month of June propelled CN Rail and CP Rail to move record quantities of grain in the second quarter of 2020.
CN Rail is on pace to move a record shipment of grain this crop year as well, following the record movements in June and the quarter.
In total this crop year, CN has moved 26.9 million tonnes of grain, up from 26.5 million at this point last year.
Between January and June, CN Rail moved 15 million tonnes of grain, 8.15 million tonnes of that in the second quarter, and 2.7 million tonnes in the month of June, for a fourth consecutive monthly high.
Canadian Pacific Railway moved slightly more grain in the second quarter, shipping 8.41 million tonnes and 2.76 million tonnes in June.
The railway says it was their best three-month stretch since 7.9 million tonnes was moved in the fourth quarter, and it was the best June in six years when they moved 2.4 million tonnes.
The country's railways have ramped up shipments of Western grain by using larger hopper cars and trains while customers have been investing in elevator networks to accommodate 8,500-foot trains.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Canadian Red Cross is looking for volunteers for the Dauphin Personal Disaster Assistance (PDA) Team.
Annie Papadakis, emergency management coordinator for Canadian Red Cross, says the team provides support for individuals and families after personal disasters.
“So what our local Dauphin team does is they’re prepared to respond to any personal small-scale disaster that people may have in the community in accordance with house fires.”
The team helps families assess their needs after the fire, and can provide them with necessities like food, clothing, hygiene products, and hotel rooms.
For more information, and to apply to become a volunteer, click here or call 1-844-818-2155.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party is calling on multiple levels of government to act quickly and provide emergency disaster assistance for communities in western Manitoba.
Dougald Lamont tells CKDM he’d like to see the provincial and federal government work together to help flooded communities recover.
“We’re talking about really big bills that municipalities don’t have the money for. We also need help for individuals, families, and businesses so they can get back on their feet. The province needs to step up right away, and so does the federal government.”
Lamont tells CKDM he hopes the provincial government “steps up quickly and doesn’t delay,” adding, “this is an emergency, and people need help right now.”
The MLA for St. Boniface visited some of the affected areas over the weekend, and gave an example of the grim situation one Minnedosa woman is facing.
“I was in the house of a woman who lost everything, and her insurance was capped out at $5,000. The insurance company said they don’t cover overland flooding — but she’s basically lost her entire house and it’s going to cost $100,000 to replace that.”
(Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont visits areas in Westman affected by flooding)
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said on Monday it’s too soon to announce any financial assistance, as we still don’t know the full extent of the damage. He is encouraging affected Manitobans to send in damage claims at this time.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Dauphin RCMP has released more details about an attempted robbery on Saturday night at the Gilbert Plains Hotel.
Police say a woman armed with a knife entered the bar and demanded cash from the till.
Hotel owner Bernie Fillion tells CKDM he refused to hand over any money, and yelled out for help from some bystanders, at which point the suspect ran out the back door.
Once police arrived, bystanders pointed officers in the direction of the suspect, who was found nearby still in possession of the knife.
When she refused commands to drop the knife, officers used a taser to apprehend the suspect.
She was later taken to hospital for minor injuries before being released back into police custody.
41-year-old Jeananne Jubenville of Dauphin is charged with Robbery, Disguised with Intent and Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose.
She will appear in a Dauphin court on September 8.
The investigation is ongoing.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
A new online course is coming to Assiniboine Community College (ACC)
ACC is expanding its course selection with a new Cannabis Industry Specialization program.
The part-time program will focus on the business side of cannabis production, including the complexities of cannabis legalization and the medical and recreational use of cannabis in Canadian society.
The program will begin on July 18th and will be available online only.
For more information about the course, click here.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Public health officials have identified no new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, keeping Manitoba at a total of 325 cases.
This is the 7th straight day that the province has reported no new cases, and there is still no one in the hospital because of the novel coronavirus.
There are 11 active cases in Manitoba at this time, and 307 people have recovered from the virus.
The number of deaths remains at 7.
For the latest information on COVID-19 in Manitoba, click here.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
This past year Ag in the Classroom (AITC) reached 2,102,844 students, which is an increase of 110 per cent compared to the previous year.
Sue Clayton, Executive Director of AITC Manitoba and Vice-Chairperson of AITC Canada, says Manitoba saw a big jump in the number of students reached as well.
She attributes the nationwide jump to having all 10 provinces on board with AITC.
“So that definitely helps with the numbers and also more of a move to online resources for teachers. We still go into classrooms and we still run professional development days for teachers off-site and we still invite teachers to bring students to off-site programs, like field trips. But, we made more of a move to online resources and, so that was good in light of what’s happened with COVID, we’re able to pivot quite quickly.”
AITC Manitoba reached 37,968 students in the province this past year.
At AITC Canada’s AGM four new board executive officers were elected, including Sue Clayton as Vice-Chairperson. For Clayton, this means being involved in more strategic things at the national level, including being the chair of an advisory group.
“We’ll be inviting some people to be part of an advisory group to the national organization. People that are outside of the Agriculture in the Classroom organization to make sure that we understand exactly what it is, that’s needed in the classroom and what people in the industry have to offer to make sure that we’re doing the best we can for agriculture education across the country.”
This upcoming school year is bringing some uncertainty as to what capacity Ag in the Classroom will be in the classroom. With a vision at the national level to get agriculture into every classroom, inspiring every student, improving online resources is a must. It’s been a slow movement raising the money in order to develop hands-on, engaging, online activities for students. Specifically in Manitoba, AITC created a COVID resource for high school students, as well as having other resources available on their website. Clayton says they’re developing resources to launch in the fall because she doubts they’ll be able to do classroom visits right away. Work is being done to expand on programs, over 50 “Snap Ag Sheets” are available online, and the teacher matrix is being expanded.
“We’re just trying to develop more online tools and activities and virtual experiences. So, that’s really what our focus is for the fall and there’s going to be a lot of exciting things coming up in the next few months.”
Clayton says their website is a great place for teachers and parents to find resources to teach their students or kids more about how our food is grown and the safe food supply we have in Canada.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The provincial government says a recent change to land-use categories in Duck Mountain Provincial Park, and Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, will ensure the protection and sustainability of over 6,000 hectares of land.
Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard says the move will enhance protection for rare and at-risk species and habitats in our provincial parks.
In Duck Mountain Provincial Park, 951 hectares have changed from resource management to back-country land-use category, which is meant to ensure the protection of rare plant species in the park.
The conservation minister also says that adding these lands to Manitoba’s network of protected and conserved areas has increased the area of the province set aside for biodiversity conservation to 11.1%.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The past few days have seen floodwaters slowly recede in southwest Manitoba, but many evacuees must continue to wait before they can return home.
A total of 80 people have been evacuated from the Riverdale municipality, after the province lost confidence that the Rivers Dam would hold while facing historically high water levels.
Manitoba’s Infrastructure Minister says engineers must first inspect the dam before the evacuation order can be lifted — but the water level is still too high for them to do the inspection.
Many surrounding municipalities have experienced extensive damage to homes, businesses, and roads.
As municipalities calculate the extent of the damage, many will be looking to the province for an official announcement on a disaster financial assistance program.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Newly released court documents allege Bowsman Manitoba’s Corey Hurren threatened to cause death or bodily harm to the Prime Minister.
The Mounties say the man charged with ramming his truck through a gate at Rideau Hall on Thursday was armed with two shotguns, a rifle, handgun, and a banned high-capacity magazine.
Hurren faces 22 charges, most of which are related to weapons.
His next court date is set for July 17.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
Manitoba RCMP are reminding drivers that a dirty windshield, isn’t a good excuse for going 59 km/h over the speed limit.
Police say a 26-year-old driver was caught doing 129 km/h in a 70 zone on Highway 6 through Eriksdale.
He apparently told officers he couldn’t see the speed limit sign because his windshield "was dirty with bugs and stuff.”
The driver was fined $822 and will have to undergo a license review with MPI.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
