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Rural internet and better cellphone service are on the way to Manitoba after an agreement between the province and Xplornet Communications Inc was finalized and will provide internet to nearly 30 First Nations along with over 350 rural and northern communities.
Central Services Minister Reg Helwer made the announcement of the partnership this morning and said the province recognizes the benefits of getting reliable internet to these communities. The agreement will see around 125,000 Manitobans in over 350 communities get connected through broadband. Much of the infrastructure to be used will be Manitoba Hydro's fibre-optic network.
Xplornet said it will work closely with businesses, local governments and First Nations to ensure the residents' needs are heard.
Helwer says the work could be completed within two-and-a-half years.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
A man that was reported missing in Brandon has been found dead.
42-year-old Dale Stewart was last seen leaving his home last Tuesday and he was reported missing by police the next day.
On Monday, Brandon police released a statement saying he was found dead on Saturday in the rural municipality of North Cypress-Langford.
An investigation is ongoing; however, the death does not appear to be suspicious.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The outbreak at the Benito Personal Care Home has been declared over by public health officials.
However, it was an outbreak that claimed the lives of seven people. 25 cases in all were attributed to the outbreak, 19 of the cases were non-staff with the remaining six being staff members.
While this outbreak is over, an outbreak continues at the Russell Personal Care Home. Exact numbers aren't available at this time.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Public Health officials identified 86 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba today.
Dauphin has two active cases of COVID-19
The test positivity is at 5.1% provincially.
Case breakdown for today's numbers:
11 are in the Prairie Mountain Health Region
5 are in the Interlake/Eastern Health region
10 are in the Northern Health region
are in the Southern Health region
30 are in the Winnipeg Health region
The numbers of active cases in other Parkland health districts are:
Riding Mountain (0), Swan River (10), Duck Mountain (4), Porcupine Mountain (63), Agassiz Mountain (10), Asessippi (7), Little Saskatchewan (4), Whitemud (7). Brandon has 43 active cases.
In the Interlake, the Eriksdale/Ashern health district has 5 active cases. The Fisher/Peguis district has 5 active cases.
There are 1,493 active COVID-19 cases in the province.
98 Manitobans are hospitalized with active COVID-19.
19 Manitobans are in intensive care units with active COVID-19.
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- Contributed by Caed Malowany
There was damage to the exterior of a business in the 200 block of Main Street North with some smoke damage extending to the interior as the Dauphin Fire Department was dispatched to a fire on Monday morning.
Upon their arrival, a metal dumpster and a smaller rolling garbage were both on fire and the flames were extending up along the exterior of the building, with the fire beginning to extend in through a boarded-over window.
Crews were able to knock down the fire and the cause is suspicious in nature and remains under investigation.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Dauphin RCMP at 622-5050.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Following an explosion in Brandon two years ago that killed a 63-year-old woman, jury selection will begin on Monday after a man was accused of killing the woman who was his wife.
Following the Oct. 2019 explosion in Brandon's east end, Robert Hughes faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Betty Hughes.
When emergency services arrived on the scene on October 22, 2019, they found the front of the home in ruins, with household items strewn across the front yard.
The force of the blast also caused the two side walls of the home to buckle outward.
63-year-old Betty Hughes was later found dead in the home. Her husband Robert, who was also 63 at the time, was pulled from the rubble and taken to hospital. A short time later, Robert was charged with second-degree murder.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin chapter of Habitat For Humanity will start construction on another house on 7th Avenue Northeast in the coming weeks.
When the build is complete, Chantel Flett and her 3 children aged 10, 12, and 16 will call it home. In a press release from Dauphin's Habitat For Humanity Chapter, Flett said:
“We have lived in Dauphin for over 10 years and this is home to us. I grew up in Duck Bay where I was raised by my Mother and Grandpa. I have been renting for over 10 years and now feel ready to own my first home. In 2009 I went to Assiniboine Community College (ACC) to take Early Childhood Education. I graduated and worked at several locations in Dauphin.” said Chantel. “In 2015, I accepted a full time position at Little Steps Headstart as an instructor. All the while raising my children and providing the necessities to raise a family with security and love. I am currently enrolled in a two year Human Resource program at ACC in addition to my full time job and volunteering to complete the 500 hours of sweat equity with Habitat. My children and I are excited to soon take part and build a home to call our own.”
The Dauphin Chapter also hired Trent Kohan to be the site manager for the project. That name may be familiar to you as Kohan grew up in the Parkland and recently relocated back to the Dauphin area. He was previously in Edmonton where he built over 400 homes.
The homes constructed by Habitat For Humanity provide homeownership opportunities to people who normally would not qualify for a conventional mortgage.
"The lot is actually in a prime location, it's close to downtown shopping and is close to a couple of schools in the area", commented Rodney Juba, Chairperson for Habitat For Humanity Dauphin.
The build has been a long time coming as the COVID-19 pandemic caused the price of construction materials to go through the roof at times. Juba says he and the board also did not want to approach their business sponsors for fundraising dollars while the businesses themselves may have been struggling to stay open.
"The community is very generous and we're hoping that we can get donations, especially donations in kind for materials and labour."
If your business would like to make a donation of funds, equipment, building supplies or talent, you can get in touch with board member Nancy Tregunna at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call her after 4:30 pm at 204-647-4846.
Individuals who would like to personally donate funds can go to Habitat Manitoba's website. You may also reach out to any board member.
As the build proceeds, Rodney Juba says the Dauphin chapter will be reaching out to the community for donations.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Gas prices have been at a record high recently but drivers could see some relief at the pumps Sunday.
According to gas analyst Dan McTeague, the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, the prices in Manitoba and Saskatchewan could drop ten cents a litre on Sunday.
This comes after the price of oil fell 13 cents to below 70 dollars U.S. a barrel on Friday.
The drop would be the biggest single-day drop he has seen since 2009.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
The province has planned a community deer hunt as part of its emergency response to the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a deer near Lake Of The Prairies in October.
Until December 12th, permitted hunters are allowed to harvest mule and white-tailed deer in the temporary CWD containment zone but any animal taken must be sent in for testing. You can find a map of places to drop off samples, here.
Local landowners and Indigenous communities that actively hunt in the area will be allowed to participate, but will need a special permit from the CWD hunter check-station in the Roblin Conservation Officers district yard, at Highway 83 South. Hours are 8 am to 8 pm on weekends and noon to 8 pm on weekdays.
Earlier this month the province put a hunting ban in parts of Game Hunting Area 22 which includes Binscarth, Rossburn, and an area north of Minnedosa.
If you have any questions, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1-800-214-6497. For more information, visit the Manitoba Government's CWD webpage.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
In-person classes will once again be offered at the University of Manitoba in the coming winter term and students and staff will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend.
The university also said unvaccinated employees and students who have not received an approved exemption will be placed on unpaid leave or deregistered from in-person classes this winter. There will not be any COVID-19 rapid testing alternatives available.
School officials say these measures highlight the university's commitment to the health and safety of the community.
According to U of M, 81 per cent of its students and 72 per cent of its employees have uploaded proof of vaccination so far.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The MLA for Dauphin Brad Michaleski has announced that he is taking an extended medical leave at the recommendation of his doctor.
He will not be present for the remainder of the fall legislative session in Winnipeg.
The leave is not related to Covid-19 and the MLA’s constituency office will remain open to serve the people of Dauphin.
No further comments will be provided by Michaleski and his family asks for privacy at this time.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
