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The extreme weather conditions that rolled across much of southwestern Manitoba wreaked havoc on powerlines and poles, downing hydro services for thousands of people.
Luckily, severe snow storms seem to be behind us for the season, but it may not mean the end of power issues.
We spoke with Manitoba Hydro's Bruce Owen, who explained that the snow melt and wet conditions can still cause outages, but not from physically knocking the poles down.
"We also see at this time of year, pole fires. The accumulation of moisture, the freezing, and the thawing particularly in older or cracked insulators create a situation where the electricity travels and grounds itself through the pole and lights it on fire."
He also mentioned that the best way to be ready in extreme weather conditions is to have a plan and a pre-packed kit ready.
"A flashlight, blankets, bottled water, and some dried food or canned food that you don't have to heat. The key to this having something you know is there. Should it be a spring rain or a late fall snowstorm, the key is that you can stay warm, and have a supply of materials readily at hand."
The power issues that plagued much of the southwest corner of the province were all resolved by the weekend, but with the tumultuous conditions that frequent Manitoba, preparing for any situation is key to keeping safe when the weather turns.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The Winnipegosis Historical Society(WHS) recently received a $14,000 grant to help them digitize their filing system.
The money is from the provincial government's Community Museum Project Support Program and will help WHS continue the work they've already done. WHS President Jo Bunka says it's a huge project, but it's also an important one.
"If you know anything about museums, we have a lot of files, because we hold the things that we do in public trust. So we have to keep a record of how we obtained things, what things are, what is the history of the artifacts and belongings that have come under our care."
Bunka says they've been keeping these detailed records since they opened in 1985, so there is nearly 40 years' worth of files to digitize. Once the work is done, it will give WHS a chance to share its collection with even more people.
"When this project is completed, you would be able to go online through this data-based program, and actually research that item."
However, Bunka says the project is about more than just accessibility.
"In some ways, it's almost a security step, because it will preserve the information that we've gathered for a much longer time."
Bunka says that the work began last year when they hired someone who had taken a collection management course at the University of Manitoba. She says the same person will be hired this summer to continue that work.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Eco-friendly activities will be taking place this weekend to commemorate the 53rd annual Earth Day.
The Dauphin Active Living Center and the Parkland Chapter Citizens' Climate Lobby will be hosting environmentally-minded events.
Climate lobby member Esther Fyk mentions that the event will run from 2-4 on Sunday the 23rd and there will be tutorials on making micro gardens and more.
"There will also be free draws, the whole thing is free. We will have the seeds there to make seed bombs, and there will be E-bikes there as well"
If you're looking to learn how to reduce your carbon footprint, be more active for the environment, or just have some veggies growing indoors all winter, this Earth Day event should cover all these topics and more.
Every year since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22nd, and it's been recognized as one of the largest global efforts to raise awareness about the effects of climate change.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Three individuals have been charged after a youth in Dauphin opened fire on an unmarked police vehicle.
Five arrests were made in total in the early hours of April 20th, after the teen that shot at police barricaded themself in a house with four other individuals.
An emergency response team showed up shortly and arrested the five individuals, but two were later released without charges.
The search conducted resulted in several non-restricted firearms being seized, as well as several magazines that had supposedly been modified into prohibited devices.
Storm Gabriel (19), Jayden Peters, (19), and a 15-year-old male, all from Dauphin, have been charged with numerous firearm-related offenses in addition to other charges from previous firearm-related incidents in the city.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Swan River is getting some support for community safety and crime prevention programs from the provincial government.
The government is investing $50,000 that was "derived from the proceeds of crime." Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen made the announcement this morning, saying in a news release that the RCMP says security cameras are one thing that would be beneficial.
"Our government is pleased to provide this funding to Swan River toward the purchase of surveillance camera equipment, helping to strengthen the community’s crime prevention efforts, including the work of its Citizens on Patrol Program."
The new equipment will help the RCMP Identify suspects, act as a deterrent, and preserve evidence to assist prosecutions says Goertzen.
In the same release, Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson says they're thankful to the government for the funding.
"Our community will use the resources to procure equipment and set up a camera surveillance system in an effort to deter crime, provide further evidence to our local law enforcement teams, and protect our citizens and their properties."
The money is a part of the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, which has given out more than $24.5 million since its inception in 2009. The program seizes and liquidates criminal assets, and redirects funding to projects and initiatives designed to protect Manitobans and enhance public safety.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Students at Barker School in Dauphin got a special performance by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet(RWB) School‘s Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program earlier this week.
The program is in the midst of its On the Edge Tour, performing 12 times, in 12 days, in 12 different communities. Program Director Vanessa Leonard says this tour is a great way for them to share what they do with the entire province.
"We bring a mixed repertoire performance, which means that there's quite a few different styles of dance. So we have the classical ballet dance, there is some contemporary dance in it as well, along with some flamenco and tango dancing, and neoclassical dancing. So it is a range of pieces that are put together to form the show."
This is the first full in-person On the Edge Tour the school is doing, as the pandemic made it so they had to go virtual the last few years.
Leonard says there are opportunities for dance lovers across the province at RWB, and that's something they want to show students while on tour.
"It's important for students from all over, to know that we have this little gem in Winnipeg, at that there is a school, there's an inspiring young dancer, there is a school that has student housing where you can come and train if ballet is a dream of yours. So hopefully we spark those little dreams within some kids at the schools, and also within some performances that we do for communities."
Dauphin was the third stop on the tour, with shows in Winkler and Portage on Monday and Tuesday. The tour left Dauphin immediately after Wednesday morning's show, heading to Grand Rapids for a performance yesterday, and then to Thompson for another show today.
After stops in Gillam, Wabowden, Moose Lake, and the Pas, the tour will be finishing off in Swan Valley, Pine Creek, and Brandon next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
That 'Winter Storm Warning' that has resulted in a ton of snow for the Parkland has now come to an end.
Snowy conditions are expected to continue until Friday morning before the sun returns.
Looking at the weather forecast over the weekend, temperatures are near the high single-digits and temperatures are expected to reach double digits during the middle of next week.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A recent road condition report states Highway 19 and the Rolling River Road within Riding Mountain National Park of Canada are closed to vehicle traffic as a result of poor weather conditions.
Travel is not advised on any of the other roads throughout the Riding Mountains, as winter conditions have left a great deal of snow and ice in their wake.
Emergency services may not be available in the closed portions of the Mountains.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
RCMP Emergency Response Team arrived and entered the home, where 5 suspects were taken into custody.
The scene is being held as officers draft a warrant to thoroughly search the premise. the five suspects currently remain in police custody.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Cannabis can be a confusing concept. THC, CBD, CBN, CBG, 420, there are a lot of terms to learn.
Luckily, a locally made podcast called "Reefer Medness", produced in our CKDM studios, explores a huge range of topics on cannabis, and looks to answer almost any question
The show is hosted by registered nurse Kirk Nyquist and pharmacist Trevor Shewfelt, and together with a wide variety of special guests, they explore the mechanisms of cannabis, what it does, and how it affects society.
The series recently released its 100th episode, with 101 coming out shortly, and as host Kirk Nyquist details, the show covers "reefer madness", medicine, and more.
"We've explored driving under the influence of cannabis, taxation of cannabis, cannabis and chronic pain, we've explored cannabis and migraine headaches, we've explored the "madness" of cannabis and the stigma behind it. and we've explored Cannabis as an exit drug."
Cannabis was often seen as an entry drug, or gateway drug, to harder substances. On the podcast, Nyquist dives deep into where this idea is flawed, and how the opposite is true.
"One of the old tropes was that cannabis was an entry drug, the idea that if children started smoking cannabis, they'd be heroin addicts by the end of their life. While with actual fact, that's been discredited. There's a group of caregivers that are using it as an exit drug, meaning cannabis, when prescribed to a person to people who use narcotics, actually lowers the expenses of the narcotics, because people use less."
4/20, a widely observed cannabis-related "holiday", was a big topic of discussion with Nyquist. He commented how the origins of the day had a focus on legalizing or decriminalizing the drug, but also noted that the meaning of 4/20 has changed since cannabis became legal.
"Today, 4/20 brings forward the concept that cannabis is medicine and the federal government is ignoring it. A lot of emphasis is placed on the fact that cannabis is recreationally legal, so lets just go get our cannabis from the budtender. Unfortunately, budtenders are by law not allowed to discuss cannabis as medicine."
With the podcast celebrating the success of its first 100 episodes, it's likely there will be even more interesting, investigative, and informative episodes to come.
If you're looking to learn nearly anything about cannabis, check out the Reefer Medness Website for a full list of topics and episodes.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The largest walkout against a single employer in Canadian history started yesterday, and while some effects can already be seen, only time will tell how other services could be affected.
In the agriculture industry, there are a number of services that could be affected by the strike. Keystone Agricultural Producers(KAP) President, Jill Verwey, says there are definitely a few areas of concern for the industry.
"I think the big impact is certainly on a couple of areas. One would be any of the programming that is offered through AAFC. AgriInvest, AgriStability, some of the skills programming, certainly the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Any of the programming through there will certainly be impacted."
Verwey says the Canadian Grain Commission, will also be affected by the strike, as a number of their workers are represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). She says it's very likely there will be a delay in some grain shipments, and depending on the length of the strike, it could result in some backlogs.
Verwey says that immigration as a whole could also be affected by the strike, and that will lead to issues within the Temporary Foreign Workers Program.
"We're right in the middle of spring, so any impact on the temporary foreign worker program would have some impacts on farmers. Particularly getting workers in this spring."
Verwey says the longer the strike lasts, the greater these impacts will become.
"If it's dragged out over a long period of time, then those impacts have a snowballing effect. In the end, if it's a long-term situation, it trickles down to if we have backlogs, then we have farmers that are unable to move grain, and worse case, then you have restrictions on cashflow, and farmer's ability to market the rest of their 2022 grain, and the ability to purchase inputs for this year."
Verwey says KAP has expressed its concerns to both the federal government, and PSAC, and they hope the two sides will keep an open dialogue and set up contingency plans to minimize negative impacts.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
