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Wintery precipitation is coming to the Parkland and is expected to last until Sunday.
A Colorado low will cross the northern plains and with it will be periods of snow and freezing drizzle.
Long periods of freezing drizzle, leading to icy sidewalks and roads are very possible.
Most areas will experience a mix of precipitation until late Saturday when it will shift to snow.
We won’t face the worst of the storm as the heaviest snow and strongest winds will be experienced in the US in the Dakotas.
Areas near the US – Canada border could see more than 10 cm of snow.
The storm will be gone from the area by the middle of Sunday.
The communities under the weather statement are:
- Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville
- Grandview Mun. incl. Valley River Res.
- Mossey River Mun. incl. Winnipegosis and Fork River
- Mun. of Ethelbert incl. Garland
- Mun. of Roblin incl. Makaroff Shortdale and Bield
- Mun. of Russell-Binscarth incl. Gambler Res.
- R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River
- R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Ochre River and Makinak
- R.M. of Lakeshore incl. Rorketon and Toutes Aides
- R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park
- Details
- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
On Wednesday at around 12:45, Dauphin RCMP responded to a farm accident near the intersection of Road 114 West and Road 168 North, in the RM of Dauphin.
A 40-year-old male, from the RM of Dauphin, was caught in a large piece of farming equipment and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Workplace Safety and Health has been advised.
RCMP continue to investigate.
- Details
- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Travis Stewart and Sharon Basaraba are the 2 new town councillors in Gilbert Plains after Wednesday's by-election.
Stewart received 187 votes and Basaraba got 161.
The third candidate, Steven Perih, came in 3rd with 131 votes.
- Details
- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Five of Manitoba’s commodity groups are discussing the possibility of amalgamating their organizations.
The Manitoba Corn Growers Association, Manitoba Flax Growers Association, the National Sunflower Association of Canada, Winter Cereals Manitoba, and the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association are proposing to become the Manitoba Crop Alliance.
Before officially merging, members of the five organizations will vote in-person at each organization’s AGMs at CropConnect in February.
Darcelle Graham, executive director of the National Sunflower Association of Canada, says that the vote must be “all or none”, meaning that each organization needs to have two-thirds of their members present at the AGMs to vote in favour of the amalgamation for it to go forward.
Graham says that the idea for the organizations to merge just made sense.
“Growers grow more than one crop, so they’re not just a member of a single organization, they are likely members of at least two or more organizations currently,” said Graham. “The goal is to bring members together, and look at developing a working relationship that would be efficient, effective, and advantageous for our farmer members.”
Producers looking to learn more about the process and procedures of the amalgamation before the AGM can take in an online webinar meeting on Thursday, December 12.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Manitoba Public Insurance is establishing an independent Claim Dispute Tribunal to speed up the appeal process.
Physical damage claim issues and liability disputes for customers will be resolved quickly with the CDT.
The CDT will not be handling bodily injury appeals.
MPI expects the CDT to be fully operational in late 2020.
Claimants won’t have to worry about knowing whether or not they can go the CDT because MPI will let them know if the decision is eligible for a CDT review.
Decisions will be rendered within 90 days in most cases.
MPI currently deals with about 200 thousand physical damage claims each year and based on the current amount of disputes, the CDT is anticipated to review about 700 applications per year.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
1.9 million dollars is being invested annually to expand the RCMP’s crime reduction and enforcement teams.
The goal of this move is to improve public safety for rural Manitobans.
Serious, prolific offenders and drug dealers are the focus of crime reduction teams.
The four member team in the north is receiving funding to expand to six members, while funding will be used to create two new teams of five members in the east and west districts.
Funding will also add four members to the D Division Enforcement Team, that targets criminal organizations and street gangs that traffic drugs and guns in Manitoba.
The RCMP has almost 1000 sworn police officers across Manitoba.
- Details
- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
If you receive an emergency alert text on your phone today, don’t freak out.
Alert Ready, Canada’s national emergency alert system, is scheduled for a public test for today.
Manitobans are scheduled to receive the alert at 1:55 this afternoon.
During the system’s first test in May of 2018, only 60 percent of Manitobans received the alert.
When asked about the issues with the reach of the test, the company that operates the test-Pelmorex, said that one LTE compatible smartphones will receive the alerts.
The system is designed to send out rapid messages to citizens in the event of an imminent threat to public safety, such as a natural disaster.
All phones sold in the country since April 6th of this year should be public alerting compatible.
The alerts will also be sent over TV and radio.
- Details
- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The man charged with manslaughter in a 2018 incident in Swan River has been sentenced.
43-year-old Norman Brass was sentenced to 5 and half years in prison in a Dauphin courtroom yesterday.
Brass admitted to being responsible for the death of a 36-year-old man at a home in Swan River in February of 2018.
Due to the time that Brass has already served, he only has 2 years and 8 months left.
- Details
- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Teamsters Canada and Canadian National Railway have reached a tentative agreement to renew the collective agreement for over 3,000 conductors, trainpersons, and yard workers.
Normal operations at CN will resume Wednesday at 6 am local time across the country.
The details of the agreement, which has yet to be ratified by union members, are not yet available.
The federal government faced backlash from premiers and industry leaders to resolve the week-long strike, through mediation, arbitration, or back-to-work-legislation, as they were concerns about lost profits and a propane shortage in Quebec.
The government responded by saying the best way to stop the strike would be by talking at the bargaining table.
Teamsters Canada thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for respecting worker’s right to strike. They also thanked Labour Minister Tassi and Transport Minister Garneau for their assistance in reaching the deal.
Teamsters Canada president Francois Laporte said that previous governments routinely violated workers’ right to strike when it came to the rail industry.
“This government remained calm and focused in helping parties reach an agreement, and it worked,” said Laporte.
The chief executive of CN JJ Ruest thanked railway customers for their patience and support during the strike and said that the railway is preparing to resume full operations as soon as possible.
Although the strike was only a week long, the impact was rather strong. Nutrien Ltd announced that they were temporarily shutting down and laying off 550 employees from their largest potash mine in Saskatchewan for two weeks, due to the strike.
The railway workers had decided to strike over concerns about long-hours, fatigue, and what they considered as dangerous working conditions.
CN rejected the union’s claim that the strike was revolved around concerns over workplace health and safety, saying that is was actually about worker compensation.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Government of Manitoba announced that it will provide more than $400 million to municipalities across the province for emergency response and damage prevention measures to better protect Manitobans.
Premier Pallister made the announcement during an address to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) annual convention in Brandon.
“Our greatest duty as a government is to keep Manitobans safe. It is a duty we all share and a duty we take very seriously,” said Pallister.
The government is rolling out a new public safety communications system to replace the province’s outdated system. The new system will allow emergency personnel, conservation officers, and forest-fire crews a better communication tool that will enable them to work more efficiently and safer.
Pallister noted that the new system is set to cost $380 million and the cost will not be borne by municipalities, which will alleviate the financial burden on local governments. He added that adding the new public safety communications service will cost close to $20 million a year when it comes online in 2021.
The province previously announced a new digital two-way mobile radio system that is promised to provide better coverage over a more secure network. The radio system is expected to be fully functional by 2021 to replace FleetNet, which is currently used by municipalities, emergency services, as well as the VHF radio system used by conservation officers and forest-fighting crews.
AMM President, Ralph Groening said that the association commends the government for committing to fully fund the annual operating costs of the new communications system.
“Reliable communications technology is vital for saving lives, keeping first responders safe and protecting local communities in times of an emergency, said Groening. “This commitment allows municipalities to focus on these priorities through reduced red tape and more efficient use of taxpayer dollars for the benefit of all.”
Pallister also announced a one-time capital investment of up to $45 million for damage prevention and climate resiliency measures, allocated in three equal portions:
-$15 million for municipalities within the capital region,
-$15 million for municipalities outside the capital region, and
-$15 million for previously identified provincial priorities to provide greater protection.
The $45 million will be redistributed from next year’s budget, previously earmarked for the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel.
Pallister said that the government is continuing to work to complete the Lake Manitoba Outlet Channel, but a lack of progress has delayed the project.
The province also committed to investing an additional $3 million for spring flood preparedness, to be spent according to the priorities of the AMM and the Winnipeg Metro Region.
A panel of representatives from the AMM, Winnipeg Metro Region, and the province, including the Climate and Green office, will decide where the money will be spent.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Government of Manitoba announced it will add 100 supportive recovery beds to the provincial health-care system as part of an effort to strengthen mental health and addiction services.
Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cam Friesen said that the government is committed to improving mental health and addictions services so that Manitobans going through recovery get the support they need and successfully transition back into the community.
“By adding 100 new supportive housing beds, we will give Manitobans who have completed treatment a better chance of successfully rebuilding their lives.
Studies have shown that supportive recovery housing is successful in reducing relapse rates by providing people with stable housing and a safe place to live when they have completed addictions treatment.
The Request for Proposals will be posted by the end of the year, and it will focus on both rural and urban areas to expand system capacity. Successful organizations will receive funding to contribute to capital and operational costs, with awards being finalized in the spring.
There are seven organizations that currently receive funding to provide supportive recovery housing to a total of 174 people per year. Friesen said that the additional investment will be determined via the tendering process, and will address the increasing demand for service.
The initiative was first promised during the summer as part of the government’s Safer Streets, Safer Lives Action Plan.
Both the VIRGO and Illicit Drug Task Force cited the need to add beds to help meet the demand in rural and urban areas.
“Today’s announcement reflects our continuing all-of-government approach to support those living with substance use and addictions issues,” said Friesen. “We will continue to provide that help with additional and enhanced services that help Manitobans struggling with mental health and addictions with further investments in the days ahead.”
The province has invested approximately $20.6 million into improving mental health and addictions services this year, including making 12 announcements in a 7-week span.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
