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Manitoba Infrastructure is increasing the flow from the Shellmouth Reservoir.
They are increasing it by about 120 cubic feet per second to 750 on Thursday.
This increase will raise Assiniboine River water levels by less than half a foot downstream of the Shellmouth Dam.
It’s part of the annual fall and winter draw-down to make room for anticipated spring run-off from the upper Assiniboine River.
The province will issue the first flood outlook in the very near future.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
On Saturday the Coldest Night of the Year event will take place.
There are two options for the walk, 2km and 5km. The longer 5km distance will take you from Parkland Crossing to the Dauphin Friendship Centre and back.
Jamie Harvey, director of Parkland Crossing, says it’s a fun event because you get to spend time with the other participants, let people know that you care about the community, have a good supper afterwards, and it meets a need in Dauphin.
During the summer, there are more homeless people with the number reaching 65 to 80.
To join the event you have to either pay the 40 dollar registration fee or raise 150 dollars.
Even though it's called the Coldest Night of the Year, the forecast is looking like it won't be extremely cold on Saturday. That's not to say don't dress warm, because the temperature will still be below 0.
To register, click here.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Last year the Red Cross supported many families in the Dauphin area.
Annie Papadakis, the Coordinator of Emergency Management in the Westman Region, shares how much the Personal Disaster Team helped.
“It’s a pretty small team but he we had eight calls that were received from folks that were affected by stuff like house fires or a personal disaster of another sort. From that, there were 13 beneficiaries, and we had just a little bit over 14 hours of volunteering their time that was dedicated to helping those individuals.”
Volunteers also gave out six hygiene kits, six teddy bears, and 11 blankets.
“Teddy bears are such an important part of responding to personal disasters. Because when people are in a time of shock, when they are in a time of need, and in a time of distress, having that comfort and that comfort item can really help people get through that tough moment that they are facing.”
Last year was pretty average. Papadakis says volunteers can expect to be called out once every one and a half to two months.
The Dauphin area is also looking to recruit at least six new volunteers this year. If you want to help families in their time of need, you can apply by going to redcross.ca/heroesWantedMB.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Yesterday at the Selo Hall there was the Manitoba Snowshoe Run for 5 and 10 km distances.
The race was a fundraiser for the Dauphin Rotary Club’s active living find. They expected 30-40 people to come out for the race.
Brian Buyers, race director, says the day was perfect and when they get into the trees there was no wind chill.
They used the trails that will be used for the 2020 Manitoba Games. For the longer distance, once they are done touring the bike trails, they went through the bush to see potential trails.
He’s looking forward to doing this more.
“Hopefully we keep this event going every year. If everyone keeps supporting it, we’ll keep doing it every year.”
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a memorial land donation near Riding Mountain National Park.
418 acres of land has been donated.
The not-for-profit group is celebrating the generous support of Bob Mickelson Conservation Lands.
The property consists of grasslands, wetlands, forests, and even a lake, all of which are home to many different species of plants and wildlife.
Forests located within the Bob Mickelson Conservation Lands enhance the property’s diversity by providing nesting cover, feeding and breeding grounds for many birds, amphibians and mammals, such as moose and elk.
The property is home to several waterfowl species and species at risk, including Canada Warbler, eastern wood-pewee, bobolink and northern leopard frog.
According to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the conservation of these lands is both an honour to the memory of Bob Mickelson and a benefit to all Canadians.
With this 418 acre plot of land, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has conserved 19071 acres of land as part of 83 different projects in and around RMNP.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Beth Naylor Collection, in the Russell area, is receiving funding from the provincial government.
The funding of $6,760 will be used to purchase a travel trailer to transport the Beth Naylor Historic Clothing Collection to different places for the public to view.
The collection began when Miss Naylor started collecting clothing in the late 1930s when she was given a black dress by Mrs. John McMillan. Since then the collection has grown to some 600 pieces.
In the province's release, they say the collection opens a window to the past and into the lives of the people who lived there.
“I know how important this collection of historic clothing is to residents of the Russell area, but indeed to our entire province,” said Greg Nesbitt, MLA for Riding Mountain Constituency.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The City of Dauphin has been dealing with clogged pipes because of kitchen grease.
Bill Brenner says that over the past few years they have had considerably more issues with the buildup of fats and oils in the city’s sanitary pipes.
He says the increase in issues costs the city.
“It’s getting there. We have to send out our sewer jet to clean them. And obviously the more we have to send it out the more it’s going to cost us. Because running that equipment does cost money, they don’t operate for free. And it takes away from staff doing other work as well when we have to go out and clean these pipes.”
Hot grease solidifies as it cools, which over time starts to clog the pipes as more and more collects.
Businesses like hotels and restaurants mostly cause the problem.
“Residential areas will play some part, because as you know, most people will put grease and oil down the drain. But because it’s not a huge amount at any one time, it’s usually not an issue. It’s not in the residential areas where we’re having issues. It’s in the commercial areas more that we’re having issues with it.”
Dauphin’s building inspector will be contacting businesses around town in the next few weeks to make sure the proper care is being taken to collect grease and fats before it gets into the system.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Update: As of Sunday evening all 37 oil cars are still at the site, as well as a pool of oil that has still not been cleaned.
In addition, the owner of the property where the train derailed has not been contacted for compensation.
According to a spokesperson from Manitoba Sustainable Development, there is no risk of contamination for the Assiniboine River.
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Cleanup is underway for a train derailment SE of St. Lazare near Wattsview.
It happened around 3:30 this morning.
According to reports, there are 37 oil cars with a partial leak.
There are no reports of a fire or any injuries.
We'll keep you updated as more information comes in.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Anglers can fish without getting a licence this long weekend.
It’s the Winter Family Fishing Weekend.
Be aware that conservation limits will apply, and a federal licence will still be required to fish in national parks.
Anglers should be sure conditions are safe before venturing onto the ice, always let someone know where they are fishing and wear appropriate clothing for an enjoyable ice fishing experience.
For more information on fishing regulations in Manitoba, view the Manitoba Anglers’ Guide at www.manitobafisheries.com.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Riding Mountain National Park will be a busy spot over the Louis Riel long weekend.
Richard Dupuis says they are trying to encourage people to get out and about for the weekend, see some sculptures, partake in activities for the long weekend, and get some fresh air.
The four snow sculptures are placed at the opening of the oTENTiks, one near the opening of the park to welcome people into Wasagaming, and two are in downtown Wasagaming.
Most activities will be around the skating rink behind the visitor’s centre, friends of RMNP, or the lake house.
For a full list of activities, click here.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
City of Dauphin crews have been dealing with slightly more water main breaks than average.
Bill Brenner says it’s not surprising because of the recent extreme cold.
“We can’t say with any surety that we’re done. I would suspect that we’re going to have more. We had another one that started last night, so we have two right now that we are looking to fix.”
Brenner says Dauphin has over 70 kilometres of water pipes alone underground so they never know when a leak might happen.
If you do notice water running down the street give the city a call at their emergency number, 622- 3202.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
