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The number of Canadian railway accidents increased by seven per cent last year to 11-hundred-and-70.
But there were fewer fatalities at 57. That's compared to 76 a year earlier.
The Transportation Safety Board says the number of serious injuries rose from 65 to 91. Most of these accidents happened at crossings.
Accidents involving dangerous goods increased nine per cent to 125, with six resulting in the release of dangerous materials.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Update:
This morning at approximately 2:50, Dauphin RCMP and the Emergency Response Team attended a residence on Jackson Street in Dauphin to execute a search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
While officers were arresting five people, the residence caught on fire.
Everyone escaped the house unharmed, and the neighbouring homes were evacuated.
The Office of the Fire Commissioner is on the scene and an investigation is ongoing.
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The Dauphin Fire Department responded to a fire around 3 this morning.
The home on Jackson Street is a total loss and one of the neighbouring properties suffered some heat damage to the siding.
The department says there are no injuries or estimates on the damages at this time.
Crews remained on scene until around 5:30 to make sure all hot spots were extinguished.
The investigation is being conducted by the MB Office of the Fire Commissioner.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Parkland Humane Society will be building a cat patio in the spring.
The cat patio will be an addition to the shelter off of cat room 3.
It’ll allow the cats to get out of their room and have some fresh air.
The patio will be protected from the elements and should be usable from April to September once it’s ready.
They are looking for donations, they need about 1200 dollars.
If you are interested in donating, contact the Parkland Humane Society at 638-6966, mail a cheque, or drop off a donation.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Brad Michaleski says this year’s provincial budget will have an overall positive tone.
Our local MLA will be in Winnipeg as the budget is released around three this afternoon.
“It’s going to be steady as it goes. In terms of the course the government is taking they’ve been pretty focused on fixing the finances and repairing the services. I think the overall theme of that budget is going to be much in line with the actions the government has been taking over the last number of years."
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Scott Fielding said there is still significant work ahead to fix the province’s finances and return to a balanced budget.
Michaleski continues, “If I go back a year or two there was a lot of concern with the fiscal state of the province. There was a lot of concern being expressed in terms of the health care system, how it was operating, and wait times were a big issue, availability of service was a big issue. But since then, the people that I’m talking to, they see what we’re doing as a government. We’re acting in a very responsible way.”
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
On February 26th, Brandon Police charged a 33-year-old man from Brandon with child abandonment.
The man had been asked by a mother of two kids to look after them for a short period of time.
When the mother returned, the man was gone and the kids, aged 4 and 7, had been left alone at home.
The 37-year-old mother of the children has also been charged with child abandonment due to the same incident.
They will both appear in Brandon Court on April 15th, 2019.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Winnipeg-based Richardson International has been blocked from exporting canola to China, and that’s going to have an impact here in the Parkland
“It’s a big part of the farm economy here. I would say most big farmers grow three crops; wheat, canola, and beans, in rotation. So probably a third to half of the acres would be canola,” said Jack Bremner.
“Some guys figuring the price is going to go up in the spring, which it usually does, and they held off selling their canola. Now they are stuck with it, I guess. I’ve got a buddy who has five semi loads and he would have lost 10 or 12 thousand dollars. It takes a lot of money out of your bottom line. That’s where it comes off of.”
The Canola Council of Canada says the blocked exports to China, the destination for about 40 per cent of Canada's canola exports, hurts the entire value chain of industries involved in the market.
They also say there is no clear evidence that diplomatic friction between the two countries is related to the Chinese tech giant Huawei dispute.
But FarmLink senior market analyst Neil Townsend says he thinks there is a definite link to the Huawei case.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says there is no scientific basis for the Chinese government's allegation that some imports from Canada were contaminated with pests or bacteria.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
On March 4th, around 1 in the afternoon Thompson RCMP were called to a house on Ash St. after three males forced their way into the home.
The men approached the house, asked to be let in and forced their way in when they were denied entry by the homeowner.
The occupants of the house, two adults and a child, escaped through the back and called the police.
The suspects fled before the RCMP showed up. All occupants were unharmed.
An injured dog was found in the backyard, it’s believed the dog was injured by the suspects. After being transported by animal services to a veterinary, the dog succumbed to its injuries.
The suspects are described as, a young male, approximately 6’0, 200lbs, wearing a grey toque with a red stripe, a grey jacket and winter boots, and the other two are described as male, dressed in dark clothing. All of the suspects are described as Indigenous in appearance, and one of the suspects has a tattoo of a teardrop on his face.
Thompson RCMP along with the Forensic Identification Unit are continuing the investigation.
The Thompson RCMP are asking anyone with information to contact the RCMP at 204-677-6909, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Birtle Tire & Auto has been deemed a total loss after a structure fire yesterday morning.
More than 30 firefighters and five trucks from Birtle, Shoal Lake, Miniota and the Monarch Valley Hutterite colony were on scene to battle the blaze which started just before 10:00.
At around 3:00 p.m., the crew was able to extinguish the fire but it was a total loss at that point.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze and the office of the fire commissioner is investigating the cause of the fire.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
In 2018 the Dauphin Public Library use rose by 1624 people compared to 2017.
They had a total of 64848 people last year.
The library experienced the largest increase in people using their computers and other electronic materials.
Jean Louis-Guillas says the increase could be from their efforts to diversify their programming.
The music nights are a huge hit and their children’s programs are busier as well.
He believes the numbers will rise again this year after a great start in January and February.
He thinks people should use the library because it’s part of a healthy lifestyle, it’ll keep your mind busy, and your tax dollars help pay for the library.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
In the province’s third quarter fiscal report the government promoted their transformation of the healthcare system.
Local MLA Brad Michaleski stresses that the even with a projected reduction in the deficit they are still working hard to reform the system. “The services aren’t being compromised by this fiscal discipline. When we talk about spending for families and healthcare, education, the spending has been increasing through time.”
Finance Minister Scott Fielding says per capita health spending continues to exceed the national average and the money invested in health continues to increase every year.
Michaleski says the province is currently undertaking the most substantial health-care transformation in a long time. “We’re looking at the health departments, how they operate, how they function, and that can be said across a number of departments. So it's about spending money wisely and making sure that our frontline services are maintained and if not enhanced.” He continues, “It’s not impossible to do. If you apply sound management principles to how departments operate, you can effectively reduce deficit spending.”
All provincial government departments, except for healthcare, are projecting to be within budget.
In the government’s report, they say the Department of Health, Seniors and Active Living is projecting to be 3.5 per cent below budget.
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says for the past two years, the Federal government has increased health care transfers while the Pallister government has decreased its share of spending. He says federal health funds have increased by $56-million dollars, while the province’s health increase is at $50-million. That means six million dollars is being re-directed to general revenue.
In terms of myths that there are health care cuts, Michaleski says that is completely false.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
