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A traffic stop by the Portage la Prairie RCMP General Investigation Section led to an arrest and a seizure of 1 kilogram of drugs.

At a traffic stop on Fisher Avenue East in Portage, a driver refused to Identify himself, which led to his arrest.

A search of the driver and vehicle was conducted and officers located a large quantity of cash and approximately one kilogram of suspected methamphetamine and cocaine.

It was quickly discovered that the driver was wanted on an outstanding warrant of arrest.

Bjarne Roussin, 44, has been charged with two accounts of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, and Obstructing a Peace Officer.

He remains in custody at this time. Portage la Prairie RCMP continues to investigate.

The case of a Dauphin man charged after a traffic stop earlier this summer was back in provincial court earlier this week. 

Back on June 13th, RCMP pulled over a vehicle that they witnessed speeding on Main Street. 

Two men were inside at the time along with a strong smell of alcohol. 

A search of the vehicle turned up a large bag of unmarked cigarettes, along with a homemade gun with a bayonet attached, used and unused ammunition, several cell phones, and cash.

37-year-old Christopher Bilay faces a number of charges including Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm. 

He remains in custody and is due back in court on August 29th. 

The Northwest region is slightly behind the provincial average when it comes to harvest. 

The latest crop report shows harvest is about 13 percent complete across Manitoba, with the Northwest region reporting about 5 percent being finished. 

Harvest of spring cereals has begun in some parts of the region and appears to be more advanced in the Dauphin area, while fall rye and winter wheat harvest is approximately 95 percent wrapped up across the region. 

Most canola is reported as podding and maturing across the area.

Temperatures reached 30 degrees or warmer at times throughout the week across the entire region, with Swan River recording the warmest temperature at 32.0 degrees.

At the opposite end, Ruhthenia recorded the coldest low over the past seven days, getting down one evening to a chilly 3.9 degrees. 

Scattered showers, strong winds, and smoke did impact harvest operations at times over the past week, but precipitation levels varied across the region from as high as 18.4 mm in Birch River, to as low as 1.4 mm in Amaranth.

Dauphin received 3.4 mm of rain over the past week. 

The province's Chief Medical Examiner has called for an inquest into the December 2021 death of a man from the Sandy Bay First Nation.

31-year-old Marlon Whincup was fatally shot by RCMP along Highway 16 neat Westbourne. 

According to a release by the Chief Medical Examiner's office, Mounties were investigating reports of a stabbing in the area and came upon Whincup, who was carrying a machete and reportedly acting erratically.

The release adds that police discharged a firearm while trying to subdue Whincup, hitting him in the neck and chest. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy determined he died as a result of the gunshot wounds.

The inquest was called due to Whincup dying as a result of the use of force by a peace officer, which is a requirement under the Fatality Inquiries Act. 

It will also determine the circumstances leading up to Whincup's death, as well as what can be done to prevent similar deaths from happening in the future. 

The Winnipegosis RCMP are on the hunt for a man wanted for Sexual Assault.

37-year-old Joey Richard Delaronde is a part of Manitoba's most wanted. His possible locations are Winnipeg, Dauphin or Camperville. He has a tear drop under his right eye and he stands in at 5 foot 10, 190 pounds.

If you have any idea where Joey is, you're asked to call the RCMP as soon as possible. You're also reminded to never try to apprehend the person yourself. 

Dauphin's Selo Ukraina site is playing host this week to the Crocus Girl Guides 2023 National Camp. 

Over 500 Guides, Pathfinders, and Rangers from across the country are taking part in the week-long camp, which kicked off Sunday night. 

The event, which is held to share the sisterhood of guiding and reigniting the camping spirit among participants, also includes components surrounding nature and emergency preparedness. 

Participants will be both in the city and in the R-M  to engage in a number of activities not only associated with the girl guides movement but also centered around the local Indigenous and Ukrainian culture. 

That includes the opportunity to learn about Ukrainian dancing and creating their own Pysanka, as well as Indigenous dancing and medicine wheel creation. 

Geocaching, mountain biking, and exploring Riding Mountain National Park are among some of the other activities being offered to participants. 

The initial list of regions in Western Canada designated for the 2023 livestock tax deferral has been released by the federal government. There are 19 rural municipalities in Manitoba on the list along with 98 in Saskatchewan, 56 in Alberta, and 62 in British Columbia.

So far, none of the locations on the list are ones in the Parkland, but depending on conditions, some could be added to the list in the future.

The RMs in Manitoba that are on the list include:

  • Dufferin
  • Grey
  • Lorne
  • Louise
  • Macdonald
  • Montcalm
  • Morris
  • Norfolk-Treherne
  • North Norfolk
  • Pembina
  • Portage la Prairie
  • Rhineland
  • Roland
  • St. Laurent
  • Stanley
  • Thompson
  • Victoria
  • WestLake-Gladstone
  • Woodlands

The livestock tax deferral lets livestock producers who have to sell all or part of their breeding herd due to drought or extreme moisture, to defer some of their income from sales until the next year.

Ukraine's 32nd Independence Day will be taking place, and Dauphin will be holding a few events to commemorate the day.

On August 24th, 1991, Ukraine declared itself an independent nation from the Soviet Union, and this has been celebrated annually since that time.

Stephen Jaddock is helping organize the events, and he wants to recognize the significance of the day.

"Given the current situation in Ukraine, it's even more important to get people out to celebrate that. We want to invite members of the public to be there, and to give organizations and groups a chance to say a brief speech and welcoming comments on the occasion of Ukrainian independence day."

Over the lunch hour from 11-2, CNUF will be hosting a BBQ selling Kuba burgers, and taking donations for their work.

Later at 7 pm, a gathering will take place in front of city hall where local dignitaries will present some speeches for the independence day celebration.

Everyone is encouraged to come out and show their support for this event, and afterward, the festivities continue.

Ukrainian newcomers will be hosting a social meeting in Vermillion Park at 8 pm. They'll be bringing an assortment of traditional Ukrainian food to show their appreciation for the welcoming hospitality shown by the citizens of Dauphin

Considering the outstanding attendance that was seen at the vigil held on a -20c night earlier this year, both city hall and Vermillion Park are going to be some busy venues.

Be sure to be there, 7 pm at city hall, and don't forget to bring your Ukrainian flag to show your support!

Amelia Rempel, a Métis student from Portage La Prairie who has been living in Dauphin for the past year, will head back to the University of the Arts London (UAL) in the United Kingdom in September. The university is the top arts school in the world for undergraduates.  

After her first year in which she finished with distinction (the highest mark you can get), Rempel was selected to attend Wimbledon College at UAL where she will specialize in costume design.

For her final project to finish up her first year, Rempel made a dress based off of a character she created called "The Wanderer". With the dress, Rempel hopes to bring more attention to the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

"She (The Wanderer) is cursed to forever walk North America, witnessing the tragedies of these women, and as she walks across North America, the stories are put on to her dress. The dress is made out of the articles I've found on the internet about these women, and as she walks across Canada, her dress just gets heavier and heavier because of how many women have gone missing", explained Rempel.

She also noted that during her time in London, she discovered that a lot of people are unaware of Canada's residential school history. When her dress was one of two to be selected to be put on display, it was seen by over two-million people. Thanks to this, she was given lots of opportunities to spread the knowledge of residential schools in Canada.

"When my dress was on display, I got a lot of people asking me questions on what it's about, and as I was explaining to them, they're like 'oh my goodness that's horrible.' This is something from our past that we can't erase, but we have to acknowledge it in order to move forward."

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[Image - "The Wanderer" dress, created by Amelia Rempel]

To graduate your first year at UAL with distinction is no easy accomplishment but Rempel says her family background has helped her a lot.  

"When I was younger, my parents and my aunts & uncles would always enter in costume contests every halloween. So they would make their own costumes from scratch about a month before halloween and we would always do it at our house. So I was always around a lot of creativity growing up."

Rempel also mentioned she has always liked drawing and sketching and that she always knew that art was something she wanted to pursue. She was then introduced to the world of cosplay (dressing up as a character in a movie, tv show, or video game) and the passion for making costumes blossomed from there.

"I loved it so much I decided that it was a career I wanted to pursue."

If you want to see the dress and meet the artist, Amelia Rempel, you can do so this thursday (August 24th) at the Métis Community Centre at 101, 11th ave SW in Dauphin, starting at 5:30. Admission is $5 and all proceeds from it will go to Rempel to help her cover tuition and living costs, which are quite high, especially in the UK. Refreshments and a light meal will be served as well.

"The dress will be on display and I'll have a chance to talk about it and what inspired me."

Those who are unable to make it to the event can support Rempel by making a donation to her GoFundMe page.

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A single-vehicle roll has left a woman dead just south of duck bay.

at 4:15 pm, Winnipegosis RCMP responded to the accident that took place on Provincial Road 272.

When Officers arrived on the scene, they observed that a pickup truck, with one female occupant, had left the roadway, entered the ditch, and rolled.

The 31-year-old driver, from Pine Creek First Nation, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased on the scene.
Winnipegosis RCMP continues to investigate.

No evidence of human remains was found during a four-week excavation of a church basement at a former residential school in the Parkland area. 

Last year, ground-penetrating radar was used in the basement of the Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Catholic church on the site of the former Pine Creek Residential School, which detected fourteen anomalies.

An archeological team from the University of Brandon was hired by the Minegoziibe Anishinabe First Nation to do the excavation earlier this summer.

Chief Derek Nepinak says the result does not mark the end of their ``truth-finding project.''

The Pine Creek School was run by the Roman Catholic church and was operated from 1890 to 1969.