Langruth Harvest Festival Was a Success

The Langruth Harvest Festival took place at the Sports Grounds on Saturday, October 1^st and it was very well attended.

Event Organizer Michelle Teichroeb says there were about three hundred people in attendance.

"The day was a little bit cooler, but kids don't seem to mind the cooler weather. They were on the run from activity to activity and just made the most of their day," she adds.

Teichroeb says that the hay bale climbing structure and bouncy castles were quite busy.

"New this year, we tried a tug-of-war with a firetruck. We had our local firetruck on site and we did a challenge to see how many people it took to pull the firetruck... It was a unique and fun thing to do," she adds.

Michelle Teichroeb went on to say that the canteen was busy all day long.

"I don't know if it was because it was cooler out, but it was a busy place. We had pulled pork sandwiches, poutine, french fries, hotdogs," she adds.

Teichroeb feels good that the festival was so well received.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 5, 2022 - 6:15 am

Smile Cookie Week was held at Tim Horton's from September 19th to the 25th and once again it received massive support from Dauphin and area.

After all the chips were counted, the Dauphin Tim Horton's sold over 46,000 cookies which resulted in a lot of dough for Maamawi Park and the 4 Seasons Tobaggon Run. They will receive just over $46,000 in proceeds.

The total amount of smile cookies sold at the Dauphin Tim's was the highest in Manitoba and the second highest in all of Canada. This is something that made franchise owner Greg Crisanti ecstatic.

"Yeah it was pretty amazing when we found out the news. A lot of hard work and volunteer hours went into it, we are extremely pleased and happy with a number so strong coming out of smile cookie week", commented Crisanti.

Crisanti says he, his staff, and lots of volunteers had blue and pink hands by the end of the week as a result of placing the eyes and the smile on each of the over 46,000 smile cookies sold.

Selling nearly 50,000 smile cookies is no easy task and one that can not be done alone. Crisanti is thankful for the remarkable support from local businesses who matched cookie sales, the hard work from volunteers, and one individual in particular.

"Stacey Penner [is a] huge supporter of smile cookie week ... without her pounding the pavement for us and tracking down some great community sponsors, we really wouldn't be able to bring in the numbers that we did", said Crisanti.

Smile Cookie Week 2023 will take place in May. The charity will be chosen in the near future.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Oct 5, 2022 - 6:11 am

The Parkland Chamber of Commerce hosted the RM of Dauphin Municipal Election Forum and Debate Tuesday night at the Aspen Lodge.

Eight of the ten council candidates were in attendance and had the opportunity to answer a number of questions and give their pitch to the public on why they deserve a vote. The main topics that were focused on during this portion were rural water, the growth of industry and population in the RM, and insuring there are recreational facilities available.

The two Reeve candidates, Tom Gibbs and Ernie Sirski, then took the stage for the debate portion of the evening. The reeve candidates touched on many of the same issues as the council candidates, also focusing on the importance of agriculture, and infrastructure to support the industry which is so important to the RM.

Reeve Candidates Forum

After the debate concluded, I had the chance to speak to both of the Reeve candidates about what they wanted to focus on during their campaign.

Sirski spoke about his background in agriculture and its importance in the community.

"For me it's agriculture, and again I don't care if it's conventional, organic, whether it's animal or plant-based, I think agriculture is going to continue to be the driving force of this municipality. We can talk all we want about recreation, we can talk about opportunities, but the reality is, agriculture is gonna continue to drive this municipality."

Gibbs talked about building relationships with the City of Dauphin and all the surrounding municipalities.

"When I first got on Council I went to an AMM convention and visited with other councilors and they said, how do you expect to draw business to your area when you can't get along with your closest neighbor? That really hit me hard, we had to improve our relations between the city and us, and we have."

The event was live streamed to the Parkland Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and can be viewed here. A full list of candidates for the City and RM of Dauphin in this years municipal election can be found here.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 9:13 pm

UPDATE: First Ave. NE has reopened. City of Dauphin crews had been on the scene since this morning, working to repair a water main break.

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Original Article: Crews are working to repair a water main break on First Ave. NE beside No Frills. The road is completely blocked in both directions up to First St. NE, and traffic is being detoured around the area.

There currently isn't a timeline for when the road will reopen.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 2:45 pm

UPDATE (Oct. 5^th, 9:48 p.m.): The special air quality statements have ended.

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Environment Canada has issued multiple special air quality statements for Dauphin and surrounding areas.

They are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

Environment Canada says that elevated pollution levels are expected or occurring and that forest fire smoke is gradually accumulating in a stagnant air mass over western Manitoba.

They say that conditions will improve through the day on Wednesday as a cold front pushes southwards and brings a brisk northerly wind to the area.

They also say that individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath and that children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.

Anyone with health questions or concerns can contact their health care provider or call Health Links-Info Santé at 1-888-315-9257.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 1:21 pm

The Manitoba Métis Federation released a statement with regards to the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Gender diverse people.

The statement follows:

October 4th marks the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Gender diverse people. Today, we honour those who lost their lives and the families and communities who grieve for their lost loved ones.

In March 2021, the Manitoba Métis Federation announced the Pey Key Way Ta Hin (Bring Me Home) program, providing $10,000 in rewards for information leading to locating missing individuals. It’s heartbreaking, but in so many cases the families know they aren’t going to find their loved ones alive,” said David Chartrand, President of the MMF. “The name of this program gives these lost loved ones their voices back and reminds us that they are still missing and want to come home.”

The RCMP asks anyone with information to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or their local police of jurisdiction. Information can also be provided anonymously through Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by secure tip online at manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 11:26 am

Dauphin RCMP are looking to identify three suspects in an assault involving a weapon on Oak Street in Dauphin on Monday, October 3rd.

A group of teenagers were walking down Oak Street around 5:45 pm when one of them, a male, started to hit a vehicle with a sword. An individual confronted the male which resulted in the individual getting struck with the sword. The individual then attended Dauphin Hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The three suspects are:

A teenage male, 17-19 years old, approximately 6 feet tall with a slim build and dirty blonde shoulder-length hair.
A teenage male, approximately 6 feet tall with a slim build and dirty blonde shoulder-length hair.
A teenage female wearing a red top, with light colour hair with green streaks.

The full release from the RCMP is below:

On October 3^rd, 2022, at approximately 6:05pm, Dauphin RCMP responded to a report of an adult male attending Dauphin Hospital with stab wounds.

Officers were advised that approximately 5:45pm, a group of teenagers were walking on Oak Street when a teenage male began hitting a vehicle with a sword. The victim confronted the teenage male resulting in a physical altercation and the victim being struck with the sword. The victim was able to obtain possession of the sword before the suspect fled the area. The victim was treated at hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Police are working to identify three suspects:

A teenage male, 17-19 years old, approximately 6 feet tall with a slim build with dirty blond shoulder length hair
A teenage male approximately 6 feet tall with a slim build with dirty blond shoulder length hair
A teenage female wearing a red top, light color hair with green streaks

RCMP are asking anyone who may have any information regarding this incident to contact the Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5050, call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com or text “TIPMAN” plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 9:33 am

The Portage la Prairie RCMP responded to a robbery and kidnapping in the RM of Westlake-Gladstone. Two males were traveling in a truck with a camper when they stopped for the night on Provincial Road 227, off highway 16.

One victim, a 33-year-old male, was sleeping in the truck when around 4:30 a.m. three males opened the door and yelled at him to get out. The suspects threatened the victim with a firearm, and as they were fleeing the scene in the truck, ran him over. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The suspects know there was another person in the camper when they fled. Officers found the camper and truck near the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 50. The suspects had fled the scene and the victim, a 69-year-old male, was safe inside the camper.

Police are asking anyone with information to please call Portage la Prairie RCMP at 204-857-4445, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or a secure tip online here.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 9:28 am

The Town of Swan River wants to remind residents that flushing or putting anything other than human waste and greywater down the drain is prohibited.

They say that large items like disposable diapers, clothing and towels have been making their way into the sewer system and are causing problems by jamming pumps and limiting their pumping capacity within their sewage lift stations.

They also want to remind residents never to dump hazardous materials like paint and solvents into the sewer system, since they could damage its piping, pumping and dumping zones.

According to the Town, it's important that people cooperate to avoid potentially costly or dangerous situations.

Anyone interested in learning more can call the Town Office at 204-734-4586.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 6:18 am

People are being asked to remove all flowers, solar lights, solar panels and memorial decorative items they wish to keep from the Birchwood Cemetery in Swan River before Saturday, October 15^th.

A general fall clean-up will commence at the cemetery on Monday, October 17^th, which will include the removal of such items, including ones that aren't mounted directly to the headstone or base stone.

The Birchwood Cemetery is making this request to prevent possible damage to memorial keepsakes throughout the winter months.

Memorial items may be replaced at the headstone after May 1^st, 2023.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 4, 2022 - 6:08 am

The City of Dauphin is working on a new City Development Plan, and they're looking for public feedback as part of the latest step in the process. The City is hosting a Public Open House on Thursday, October 6th at City Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. and people can come and go as they want throughout the evening.

They hosted multiple events looking for public input in the spring, and now, their consultants have come back with a draft plan. Economic Development Manager Martijn van Luijn says they want they plan to represent what the people of Dauphin want to see in their city.