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The Manitoba Government announced this morning the steps they are taking to help relieve the surgical and diagnostic backlog from the delays due to the pandemic.
Among the announcements made by Health Minister Audrey Gordon today were:
- Improvements to expand the Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg which will increase surgery capacity by up to 1,000 more surgeries per year.
- An investment of $400,000 to increase the number of assessments completed by the Spine Assessment Clinic at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre
- The purchase and installation of a new mobile CT Unit and two new mobile MRI units in Winnipeg that'll add more than 11,600 CT scans and 7,200 MRIs annually
- The expansion of services at Misericordia’s cataract program
Minister Gordon also announced that the pilot project for Spine surgeries in North Dakota is underway and so far nine Manitobans have received their surgery with many additional scheduled in the coming weeks.
These improvements and expansions will help with over 1,000 extra surgeries in the province but are not expected to be in place until the end of the year.
For more on the announcement, you can find the full release on the Governments website here.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
UPDATE: The road closure that was in effect has been cleared and all traffic can resume as usual.
The City of Dauphin is working to repair a water main break on 1st Avenue NE and 3rd Street NE. The Intersection is closed to all traffic until the break is repaired. Traffic in the area will need to detour.
According to the city, water main breaks take around 6 hours to repair on average.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski announced yesterday that five local organizations are receiving funds from the Manitoba Arts Council (MAC) and through the Manitoba Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund from the provincial government.
The funding will total $241,600 and the recipients of this year's funding in Dauphin are:
- Dauphin’s Countryfest
- Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival
- Fort Dauphin Museum
- Dauphin Rail Museum
- Zirka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
The grants were a part of the winter intake for the Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund which are individual grants that provide support to organizations that operate all across the province to enhance the arts and culture sector in their communities.
The government of Manitoba recognizes that these past few years have been an extreme challenge for many of these groups due to the COVID-19 pandemic and these grants are part of the government’s commitment to growing our way out of the pandemic and helping organizations that need a boost as we transition back to a more normal Manitoba.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
The Manitoba Government announced this afternoon they have awarded the contract for the design of the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Rivers Dam on Lake Wahtopanah to KGS Group Limited. Unprecedented water levels in the summer of 2020 saw 80 people evacuated from their homes due to worries that the 60-year-old dam wouldn't be able to hold the record water levels.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk made the announcement today.
As a government, we want residents in these communities and all Manitobans to be safe and have confidence in their local infrastructure. That is why we are investing in this critical infrastructure to make sure the Rivers Dam is properly engineered and built safely and to provincial and national standards
There was some interim repair work that has been working well, completed on the dam last year, but this new project will bring the dam up to current standards so it will be safe during extreme flood events.
Construction is expected to start next year, and take around three years to complete.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Prairie Mountain Health has announced some changes to Covid-19 testing sites and respiratory clinics across the health region.
- The Dauphin testing site location, located at 301 Main Street North (former Potoski Medical Clinic), will not have its hours of operation change and will remain Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
- Brandon’s Van Horne drive-through site will see a change regarding hours of operation effective April 1st. The new hours of operation effective April 1 are Monday to Friday 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
- 7th Street Health Access Centre walk-up testing location in Brandon will also see a change of hours of operation effective April 1. The new hours of operation will be Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For more information on testing clinics in the health region head to Prairie Mountain Health's website here.
Meanwhile, there will be some closures of Respiratory Clinics in the region and they are as follows:
- Effective April 8, the remaining Respiratory Clinics that have been operating in Brandon and Dauphin will close.
- Effective April 8, joint COVID testing sites and Respiratory Clinics located in Neepawa and Russell will close (at the end of that day).
You can get more information about the respiratory clinics on the Prairie Mountain Health website here.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives is hosting three Start your Grazing Plan Workshops. The first one is at the Brooksdale Farm on April 12th, the next is at the Ericksdale Community Center on April 13th, and the last is at the Grandview Kinsmen Community Center on April 14th.
MBFI General Manager Mary-Jane Orr said they are very excited about the speaker they have for the events.
Our main speaker is Steeve Kenyon from Greener Pastures, who comes out from Alberta where him and his wife opperate a diverse family farm that focuses on using grazing management as a tool to improve the quality and productivity of their pastures.
The workshops will also feature optional hands-on training for participants. You can find all the information you need about the workshops, and register for the events here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The RCMP in Manitoba has released information about their Project Divergent which was set up to prevent international drugs from being smuggled into Canada.
During the bust the RCMP along with multiple other police forces worldwide were able to seize the following:
- 110 kilos of cocaine
- 41.4 kilos of methamphetamine
- 3 kilos of fentanyl
- .5 kilos of MDMA
- 14 handguns
- 5 assault-style rifles, and
- More than $445,000 in Canadian currency
In total, the following 22 people have been charged with numerous offences:
- Enrico Funk, 29, from Freidensruh, Manitoba
- Artjom Gotting, 32, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Nathaniel Cabal, 31, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Trinh Ducthang Dinh, 31, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Zuhair Mohammad-Zarif, 27, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Jesse James Whyte, 26, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Damion Patrick Ryan, 41, from Ottawa, Ontario
- Kelvin Lee Nelson, 27, from Burnaby, BC
- Mazin Nzar Zandy, 24, from Burnaby, BC
- Andre Omar Steele, 41, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Brittany Girardeau, 28, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Albert Theodore Jansen, 39, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Sharon Jonatanson, 66, from Libau, Manitoba
- Scott Matthew Jonatanson, 27, from Libau, Manitoba
- Caitlin Jones, 22, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Owen James Quesnel, 33, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- William Solomon Gooding, 24, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Brian Christopher Yakimoski, 28, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Jeffrey David Gaudet, 32, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Dylan Durval South, 28, from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Meanwhile, Kiefer Michael Kramar from Winnipeg and Denis Ivziku from BC are at large and currently evading arrest.
If anyone has any information about their whereabouts they are asked to call the RCMP at 204-983-5420.
The Manitoba RCMP would like to thank their partners for their assistance in this bust including:
- Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia
- BC RCMP
- Quebec RCMP
- National Division RCMP in Ontario
- RCMP Liaison Officers in Bogota, Colombia; Rome, Italy; Washington; and Los Angeles
- Winkler Police Service
- Homeland Security Investigations out of Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Ontario Provincial Police, Biker Enforcement Unit, which also includes officers from the Ottawa Police Service
- Colombian National Police
- Hellenic Police in Greece
- Health Canada
- Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC)
- Forensic Accounting Management Group (FAMG)
- Public Prosecution Service of Canada
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Plenty of hot and sunny days are on the way but so are those pesky ticks.
Ticks are out and about when the temperature reaches +5 which is expected to later this week. Roxane Plett from the Dauphin and Ste. Rose Vet Clinic says the time is nearing when you should start checking your pets every day for ticks that could latch on to them.
There are also a few options to keep ticks off your pets.
"There are pills that can be given that when the tick latches on, it will kill the tick," said Plett. "There is also some repellent that deters the tick from latching on. Something I would stay away from are collars, they aren't great."
Roxane says the staff at the clinic is available to answer any questions you have when it comes to keeping your animals tick-free. You can call the Dauphin Vet Clinic at 638-3044 or the Ste. Rose location at 447-2701. If you do spot a tick, gently get ahold of the tick and pull it off. Follow that by washing your hands.
"We worry about the deer tick most here. They are very small and you'll usually see them in the brush, they transmit Lyme disease and we're always worried about that," she added. "Most commonly you should check your pets ears, armpit area and around their head."
If you are planning on going out for a walk, you can prepare and make sure you're ahead of the game.
"We have some great products that work for up to 12 weeks that will help to prevent ticks," added Plett. "The best bet is to stop in at the clinic and we will gladly help you pick the best product for your pet, we'll get you covered."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin City Council held its second meeting of the month tonight. Here are some highlights from the meeting.
- Dauphin Fire Department Cheif Cam Abrey gave a recap of their 2021 Year in Review. A recap of that review can be found here.
- As part of the City Managers report:
- The city has moved its facilities to mask friendly, following the province lifting mask mandates on March 15th
- The city met with members from the Pine Creek and Ebb and Flow First Nation to discuss the Municipal Development and Services Agreement on March 24th. Following the meeting, a partnership between the two first nations and Petro Canada was announced. Information about the announcement can be found here.
- The City is working to reach an agreement with Riding Mountain National Park regarding the Edwards Lake Water Agreement. Edwards creek has been the city’s water source since the 1930s. Talks have been stalled for a number of reasons, but the City Manager spoke about the new progress made.
On March 17 the Director of Public Works and Operations and I met with four representatives of Riding Mountain National Park to resume the process to work toward an agreement. We reviewed reports regarding the existence and condition of the pipe diversion infrastructure as well as the general characteristics of Edwards Lake and the watershed. It was identified that the city will require an Impact Assessment of the infrastructure in the lake/creek prior to continuing work on the Agreement. Therefore, we are working with RMNP to determine the type of Impact Assessment required and which consultants can perform that type of work. We will continue to work with RMNP toward the agreement.
- In the ICT Managers report, they announced the city's new website is complete, and information has been transferred, but there is still some work left before it is launched.
- The city staff still needs to be trained on website alterations, and the staff will still need to alter any of the transferred information before the site is launched.
The next Dauphin City Council meeting is scheduled for April 11th. You can watch it on the City of Dauphin YouTube page here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Early Sunday morning, Swan River RCMP got a report that a man had been shot at a house in Benito. There were four people at the house when the door was kicked in and three people entered with Firearms.
The robbers demanded money and jewelry, tied up the four occupants, and ransacked the house. One of the victims, a 26-year-old male was shot, while the other three were assaulted. The man that was shot was rushed to the hospital where he remains in stable condition.
According to the police, some of the individuals were known to each other. There were a number of belongings, including a vehicle, stolen from the house. An investigation is currently underway.
If you have information, please call Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Manitoba will no longer be providing daily COVID updates. Instead, the province will be releasing a weekly report on Thursday, updating the public on what the week's numbers are.
According to top public health officials, the daily case numbers were no longer accurate once the fast-spreading Omicron Variant made it impossible for the province to keep up with testing. The province has taken down both its online dashboard and its website used to break down cases by location.
The next weekly COVID Update will be released on March 31. Weekly updates can be found here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
