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The Virden RCMP made an arrest after a short chase and a standoff on Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on New Year's Eve.

Officers responded to a call of a male with a knife who was in a home threatening residents in the community. When police arrived, the suspect had fled, but residents were able to identify him.

Police located the suspect's vehicle nearby, but he refused to stop when they tried to pull him over. After a short chase, the suspect stopped his vehicle and ran into a nearby residence where he barricaded himself inside.

Officers from the Blue Hills RCMP, Police Dog Services, and the Emergency Response Team (ERT) attended the scene to assist. A 13-year-old female and a 20-year-old male who were in the residence had to be extracted by police through a window.

Just after midnight on January 1, 2023, ERT officers were able to gain entry into the residence and place the suspect under arrest. 42-year-old Bruce Branth of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation has been remanded into custody and charged with:

  • Failing to comply with a release order x6
  • Assault with a weapon
  • Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
  • Resist/Obstruct a Peace Officer
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Two years ago, Isabella Kulak of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan, was shamed by a staff member of the school she attended for wearing a ribbon skirt.

Following this, the hashtag #Isupportbella started trending on social media. Indigenous people all over the world started posting photos of themselves in ribbon skirts in order to show support. As well, Bill S-219, An Act Respecting a National Ribbon Skirt Day, was put forth soon after. After the bill passed last month, January 4th, 2023, became the date for the first-ever National Ribbon Skirt Day.

In a release, Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs Organization, Jerry Daniels, said, "While the significance of the ribbon skirt is well known by many First Nations citizens, the events that led to the creation of this day clearly show there is much learning to be done about the sacredness and ceremonial importance of ribbon skirts. Today we honour young Isabella Kulak for her courage and resolve. We lift up all our relations who do what they can to raise awareness of our cultures, along with combatting racism and discrimination.”

Recognized by many First Nations people as unique and beautiful handmade works of art, ribbon skirts are traditionally warn by First Nations girls, women, Two Spirts, and gender-diverse people in ceremonies and during special events. They are often tied to a person's spirit name and colours and can also respresent an individual's identity, unique diversity, and strength.

The Southern Chiefs Organization invites everyone to take part in National Ribbon Skirt Day today by posting a picture of yourself in a ribbon skirt or ribbon shirt and tagging "SCO".

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Update: Myrna Driedger, the MLA for Roblin and the Speaker of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, has also announced that she will not be seeking re-election this year. Driedger made the announcement on her website today.

Driedger is now the eighth current PC MLA who has announced they will not be seeking re-election.

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Original Article Below:

Another Progressive Conservative MLA has announced they won't be running in this year's provincial election.

Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations Minister and MLA for Selkirk Alan Lagimodiere made the announcement on Twitter today. In the tweet, Lagimodiere cited family reasons, saying he needs to put his family first.

In the thread, Lagimodiere says that he will work alongside the next PC candidate for Selkirk during the election to ensure they win the riding. He was first elected in Selkirk in 2016 and assumed his role as Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations in July 2021.

Lagimodiere is the seventh PC MLA to announce they aren't seeking re-election, joining Agassiz MLA Eileen Clarke, and Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen.

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New Year's Eve had a tense moment for one person near The Pas, but thankfully a rescue team was able to overcome a unique and challenging situation to get them to safety.

Around 5 pm on New Year's Eve, RCMP in The Pas received a report of an 81-year-old female in need of emergency medical assistance. She was in a remote trappers cabin 48 kilometers south of The Pas that could only be accessed by snowmobile.

After assessing the situation, and with knowledge from a local elder, officers determined that a helicopter extraction was not possible. Instead, a rescue team of 2 RCMP officers, 2 paramedics, and a local area guide set off on RCMP snowmobiles with transport pods known as "snowbulances". They are designed to transport patients and medical equipment on snow.

Transports_Pods.jpg

[Photo provided by RCMP]

The 81-year-old female was later located and safely brought to hospital in stable condition. In a media release, A/Sgt. Colin Stark of The Pas RCMP said, “This was a unique and challenging situation due to the remoteness of the area ... The success of this rescue was directly related to good planning, excellent teamwork, and our partnerships with local knowledge experts.”

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You can expect some delays on your commute if you take Main Street North in Dauphin.

The City will be closing Main Street North between 6th Ave and 7th Ave to all traffic today (Wednesday, January 4th), starting at 7:30 a.m.

The work is to repair a water service, and the City asks that people use an alternate route.

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The Dauphin RCMP has made an arrest in a case that involves an aggravated assault on a child.

On New Year's Eve, the detachment responded to a report of a serious assault on a 6-year-old. They were told the assault had occurred days earlier but hadn't been reported to the police. The child was brought to the hospital with serious injuries, and police began investigating.

Yesterday, officers identified a suspect and arrested a 25-year-old from Dauphin for aggravated assault. He was remanded into custody. Police are not releasing the suspect's name to protect the child's identity.

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Canada welcomed more immigrants to the country in 2022 than any year in history, with 431,645 new permanent residents coming to Canada.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, announced Canada has reached that target, passing the record which was set last year. Before last year, the record for most newcomers to Canada in a year was set in 1913.

Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth and roughly 75% of Canada’s population growth says Minister Fraser. 

“Today marks an important milestone for Canada, setting a new record for newcomers welcomed in a single year. It is a testament to the strength and resilience of our country and its people. Newcomers play an essential role in filling labour shortages, bringing new perspectives and talents to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole. I am excited to see what the future holds and look forward to another historic year in 2023 as we continue to welcome newcomers."

By 2036, immigrants will represent up to 30% of Canada’s population, compared with 20.7% in 2011. Canada’s aging population means that the worker-to-retiree ratio is expected to shift from seven to one 50 years ago to two to one by 2035.

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John Carpay, the president of the Alberta-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), is facing charges after a police investigation into an alleged attempt at intimidating a Manitoba judge.

In June of 2021, Carpay admitted to hiring a private investigator to try and catch Manitoba Chief Justice, Glen Joyal, violating COVID-19 public health orders. This was while Joyal was presiding over a court challenge brought about by seven Manitoba churches against the province's COVID-19 restrictions. The churches were being represented by JCCF.

Jump forward to last week when Winnipeg police issued an arrest warrant for Carpay, who immediately turned himself in to Calgary police. Carpay, who was released on bail, faces charges including intimidation of a justice system participant and obstruction of justice. None of the charges have been proven in court.

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Two men have been arrested in relation to the Homicide that occurred on Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation on Friday.

On Friday, Wasagaming RCMP responded to a report of an unresponsive male at a residence in the community. When officers arrived they discovered a deceased 54-year-old male, and RCMP Major Crimes Services opened an investigation.

During the investigation, it was discovered that a 24-year-old female was also injured in the same incident and transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

29-year-old Trevor Wyatt Gabriel Bone and 21-year-old Dakota Daniel William Bone, both from Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation, have been remanded into custody and charged with 2nd Degree Murder and Aggravated Assault.

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The first baby to be born at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre this year arrived just over five hours into 2023.

Prairie Mountain Health Announced that Major Donald Franklin Beardy was delivered at 5:18 a.m. on January 1st, 2023 to parents Vanessa Fleury and Cam Beardy of Dauphin. Major weighed in at 9 pounds 0 ounces.

Management and Staff of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre and Prairie Mountain Health extend their congratulations and best wishes to the parents and their new baby!

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Insurance fraud is an issue that can really cost ratepayers, and Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) works to ensure that doesn't happen.

During 2022, the MPI Special Investigations Unit (SIU), investigated thousands of claims, saving millions for ratepayers says Marnie Kacher, Chief Operations Officer for MPI.

“Our SIU team works tirelessly to investigate suspicious claims in order to ensure the right claims are paid and for the right amount. Thanks to their dedicated efforts in 2022, MPI closed nearly 3,000 investigations, which resulted in claims savings of over $14 million for customers.”

MPI has compiled a list of the top five fraudulent claims, in which the SIU was able to save ratepayers almost half a million dollars. The top five feature lies about stolen vehicles, exaggerated injury claims, and inconsistencies between police reports and insurance claims.

Claim 1: After reporting to both police and MPI that their car had been stolen, this policyholder signed a sworn statement that the vehicle had been stolen and destroyed by fire.

When the car was found, there was a plastic container used to hold laundry detergent pods nearby. Further investigation found that the claimant and the vehicle were seen at a gas station earlier in the day, filling up the container with gasoline.

When confronted, the person confessed that the fire was an accident and the vehicle wasn't stolen. The claim was denied, saving ratepayers approximately $24,400.

Claim 2: After having their vehicle hit while another driver was changing lanes, a policyholder was deemed eligible to receive income replacement benefits and personal care assistance through MPI’s Personal Injury Protection Plan, based on the extent of their injuries.

The person claimed their injuries included a concussion, headaches, dizziness, back, knee, and neck pain, an ankle injury, and more. They reported that their ailments were so severe that they could not open water bottles, or lift a pen, and had limited mobility due to balance issues, nausea, and full-body pain. They claimed they could barely get out of bed.

An investigation was initiated, and surveillance showed the person was walking long distances, including shopping for hours at several stores, lifting bags of groceries, and driving a motorcycle on multiple occasions.

Based on the investigation, the individual was informed that their benefits would be terminated, saving ratepayers more than $300,000.

Claim 3: The claimant says they returned to their vehicle and found that it had been damaged by a semi-truck, and said the other driver had already reported the incident to MPI.

SIU's investigation determined that the two people were known to each other, and often interacted on social media. A search of the vehicle also found jugs of coolant and oil in the back seat, and after a full inspection, it was discovered that the engine had seized due to a lack of oil.

The second driver confirmed they intentionally hit the vehicle with a rented moving truck when interviewed, and the claimant later admitted to staging the incident. The claim was denied, saving ratepayers more than $50,000.

Claim 4: After a single-vehicle rollover, three intoxicated people were found by law enforcement outside of the vehicle with no way to determine who had been driving, though the vehicle was registered to one of the individual's spouses.

One of the individuals was arrested for intoxication and held overnight. They were released the next day without any charges.

A few days later, the person that had been arrested opened a claim with MPI saying they had hit a rut and lost control, leading to the rollover. They also claimed that they were alone and hadn't consumed any drugs or alcohol in the past 24 hours.

The claim was denied due to the false statement provided, saving ratepayers an estimated $62,000.

Claim 5: A person claimed that their vehicle had been stolen from their work while they were working an overnight shift. They told police they were only in possession of one set of keys after losing the second set.

While filing their claim with MPI, they stated that they still had both sets at the time of the theft. The vehicle was found, and the immobilizer was functioning as designed. Additionally, the investigation found that the vehicle ignition was not manipulated or damaged.

As both sets of keys were determined to be in the customer’s possession despite the initial conflicting reports, the claim was denied, saving MPI’s ratepayers over $38,000.

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