Thompson RCMP Looking For Arsonist

Thompson RCMP are looking for a man accused of setting fire to a business last week.

The business on Selkirk Avenue was completely engulfed in flames early Thursday morning.

Police have determined that the suspect filled up a water bottle with gasoline, then proceeded to walk to the nearby building to start it on fire.

The footage from the gas station has been released. Now Police are asking for the publics assistance in finding the suspect.

He is believed to have suffered severe burns to his hands.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jul 22, 2019 - 4:35 am

National Drowning Prevention Week is a week to highlight the dangers of drowning and water-related injuries and to draw attention to how to be safe when around the water so every trip is a round trip.

Christopher Love, with the Life Saving Society, says this week’s theme is backyard pools.

In Manitoba, statistically speaking, backyard pools isn’t an area that sees a high amount of drownings, but Love says we still need to talk about it to stop tragedies from happening.

Some tips to stay safe in a backyard pool are, know how to swim, don’t swim alone, supervise children, and kids under the age of 6 need to be within arm’s reach.

During the summer it’s always great to be at the lake and out boating, in addition to the backyard pool safety tips, Love says to wear your life jacket and stay sober.

In Manitoba, 86 per cent of boating deaths involved not wearing life jackets, and 58 per cent of boating deaths were intoxicated at the time of the incident.

The province averages around 22 drowning deaths per year.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 22, 2019 - 4:36 am

The Dauphin Friendship Centre will be hosting Dauphin's Got Talent on Wednesday.

The event will feature several local artists that will show off their stuff.

4:30 is when the event starts and it runs until 7:00 p.m. You can get a hot dog for just $2 and jumbo freezies will be on sale for just $1. They will also be handing out free watermelon.

"Everyone should definitely come out to enjoy this great entertainment at no charge," said Lindsay Sanderson, Program Coordinator at the Friendship Centre. "It's going to be in the open air, so I encourage everyone to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets."

There will be singing, dancing, instrumental performances and more. Already confirmed is Edward Klyne, Terra Matthews and more. Even if you haven't registered to perform, you will have the opportunity. On top of the scheduled performances, the mic will be open to anyone near the end of the event.

If you would like to perform, you're asked to call Lindsay at 638-5707 before Wednesday.

"Anyone is welcome to show off their talent," said Sanderson. "I encourage those wanting to perform, without a doubt give me a call."

The location is at 210 1st Avenue NE at the Friendship Centre's greenspace.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jul 22, 2019 - 4:00 am

Saturday morning around 9:40, Ste. Rose RCMP received a report of a missing 60-year-old man.

He had been camping at the Vakker Beach Campground on Lake Manitoba.

He was last seen in the evening on July 19th fishing in his boat out on the lake.

He didn’t return to his campsite and in the morning, local campers began a search for him out on the water.

RCMP Search and Rescue responded and determined the boater may have drifted across Lake Manitoba into the Ashern, Lundar area.

Manitoba Sustainable Development and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) assisted the RCMP in coordinating a land and air search.

Around 3 pm the JRCC found the boater through the air search and got him to the shore, where the RCMP’s search personnel met him.

The boater was in good spirits and didn’t sustain any injuries.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 21, 2019 - 12:11 pm

North of Gilbert Plains there’s a heritage site of some Ukrainian pioneers.

Eugene, who’s involved with the site, says it was the Negrych family’s home and they lived there until the ’90s.

Throughout the years, the Negryches never put hydro into their house, nothing changed. The log house they lived in still exists.

He says being at the site gives you a good impression of how these pioneers lived in the 1900s.

Eugene says the Negryches would have been the typical Ukrainian immigrant that settled at the time, building in the bush, creating firewood, and hunting game.

Tours are available and if you’d like to book one, you can call (204) 548-2519.

For more details, click here.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 20, 2019 - 9:33 am

High temperatures on Sunday, climbing on Monday and Tuesday has lead the province to issue an extended heat advisory.

Central and Northern Manitoba will experience the brunt of the heat. Manitoba identifies Flin Flon, The Pas, Norway House, Lynn Lake, Thompson and Grand Rapids as communities that will be affected by the heat.

The province says everyone is at risk for the effects of heat. Older adults, people with chronic illness and people living alone have a higher risk of heat illness, especially if they’re living in an urban area or don’t have air conditioning. Infants, young children, and people who work or exercise in the heat, are also at a greater risk.

In a press release, the province asks that you regularly check on neighbours, friends and older family members, especially those who are ill or living alone, to make sure they are cool and drinking water. Visiting is best because it is easier to identify signs of heat illness that could be missed over the phone.

Symptoms to watch out for that could signal your body may be overheating and at risk of heat illness or heat stroke include, headache, red, hot and dry skin, dizziness, confusion, nausea, rapid weak pulse, and a complete or partial loss of consciousness.

If these symptoms occur, find a cool place to be in and drink water.

Also in the press release, the province identifies a few ways to reduce the health effects of heat.

• drink lots of liquids, most importantly, water

• wear loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing and a wide-brimmed hat

• plan outdoor activities during cooler times of the day

• limit alcohol consumption

• avoid sun exposure and considering cancelling or rescheduling outdoor activities

• go to a cool place such as a mall, community centre, public library or place of worship

• take a cool shower or bath

• block the sun out by closing awnings, curtains or blinds during the day.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 20, 2019 - 6:32 am

Parks Canada was originally going to be spray patching this week, but due to the thunderstorms we've had, the dates have been changed.

The work will now start Monday, lasting until Wednesday, depending on the weather.

Spray patching will happen from the park’s south entrance and then 25 km northbound.

Spray patching is used to get rid of potholes.

The spray patching comes from the Government of Canada's 3 billion dollar investment into Parks Canada to support infrastructure work to heritage, visitor, waterway and highway assets located within national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas across Canada.

The work is part of a project that aims to ensure a safe, high-quality travelling experience for visitors.

While the work is ongoing, be prepared for single-lane alternating traffic, speed reductions to 60 km/hour in the construction zone with traffic control personnel on-site, and occasional delays of up to 20 minutes.

Crews will be working from 6:30 am - 9:30 pm.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Jul 19, 2019 - 10:29 am

The recently approved Quebec law prohibiting public servants from wearing religious symbols has drawn a lot of backlash.

The law bans people like teachers, police officers, lawyers, and other people in positions of power from wearing religious symbols, like headscarves and crosses, to work.

One major critic of the law is Premier Brian Pallister, who is inviting civil servants concerned about the law, to come work in Manitoba.

Pallister says the province has a shortage of bilingual civil servants and will reach out to public-sector workers in Quebec by sending letters to professional organizations, colleges, and training centres.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Jul 19, 2019 - 5:50 am

Waywayseecappo and the federal government have reached a settlement for 288 million dollars.

Waywayseecappo chief, Murray Clearsky says the settlement is about land that was surrendered in the 1800s.

“We call it a land surrender, but we never surrendered it. Being the agents of the day, the government surrendered our land and gave it to other communities to make other first nation communities, also took parts of our relatives, our families away from us and put them in different areas wherever they made communities.”

Waywayseecappo chief, Murray Clearsky says 92 per cent of their community voted in favour of accepting the money.

“A lot of our community members are very happy and after we had the designation vote, the count came in and we won by a majority, accepting the offer. There were tears, and some were actually crying. Myself, to have it settled, I had tears in my eyes, I had to hold them back. Everyone was so happy, tears of joy.”

Clearsky says they did an assessment on the lost land to find the value of the settlement.

Clearsky had been working on getting the settlement since 1991, adding he always had faith a settlement could be reached.