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Manitoba Public Insurance is making it easier for those impacted by the tornado that touched down near Alonsa to make vehicle damage claims.
A dedicated team of adjusters are set up to process total loss claims for affected area residents on a priority basis.
If you were impacted you are encouraged to call 1-800-665-2410 to report your claims.
MPI vehicle damage estimators are also in the area today and tomorrow to identify damaged vehicles and prepare initial damage estimates on-site.
MPI also works with local municipalities in rural Manitoba to establish temporary service locations in rural arenas and parking lots when required. Doing so ensures local service is provided in a timely and convenient manner to the hardest hit rural locations affected by summer storms.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Parkland is under both a special air quality statement and a special weather statement.
The smoke is coming from forest fires from Alberta and BC.
The northwesterly flow of smoke will remain in place for the next couple days and smoke will continue to impact air quality into the weekend.
Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
In areas affected by smoke from wildland fires, Manitobans are encouraged to:
- limit outdoor activity and/or strenuous physical activity; if breathing becomes difficult or uncomfortable, stop or reduce the activity
- reduce exposure to smoke by staying indoors or moving to areas with cleaner air, as conditions can vary dramatically by area
- turn off furnaces and air-conditioning units that may draw smoke indoors
- keep indoor air cleaner by avoiding smoking or burning other materials.
Very high temperatures are going to stick around the area through the weekend with Monday remaining hot.
Overnight low temperatures will remain elevated through the weekend giving little respite from the heat. The humidity will be moderate throughout and the winds light, but the UV index will be high.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
There are only a couple more days to register for this weekend’s Vanguard Catalyst Credit Union Manitoba Mudrun before it takes over the Selo Ukraina site this weekend.
Registration closes tomorrow at midnight.
Amber Duncan, the regional coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, says this is the second time the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba has partnered with the event.
“The Mudrun this year is supporting the Alzheimer Society because we are the charity of choice, and that runs two consecutive years. All the funds raised through our Mud run warriors goes to us and it funds programs like Minds in Motion, Education sessions, helps out with our quilt projects, and so much more! It’s a great opportunity to make a difference in the communities across Manitoba.”
Since its start, the Manitoba Mudrun has raised over $250,000 towards active living initiatives in the Parkland Region.
Late Bird registration is $111 and closes August 10th at Midnight.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Garrison Settee is the new Grand Chief of the First Nations in the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (M.K.O).
Settee defeated challenger Ted Bland, who is a former Chief from York factory. Settee replaces outgoing Chief Sheila North, who was the first woman to serve as Grand Chief.
The vote took place yesterday, during the second day of the M.K.O general assembly in Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Settee received 53 of the 89 votes that were cast.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
A 72-year-old man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries yesterday afternoon after his semi-trailer collided with a train, and then caught fire.
The incident occured a little before one o'clock on highway 16 near Gladstone.
RCMP say the cause of the crash has not been determined.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Smoke is in the air and it’s coming from forest fires in Alberta and BC.
This smoke is causing locally poor air quality and reduced visibility in parts of the province.
A special air quality statement has been issued by Environment Canada for everywhere south of Riding Mountain National Park. No statement has been issued for Dauphin, yet.
The smoke will likely persist today and tonight in parts of southwestern Manitoba.
Individuals can experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
If your home is not air-conditioned, be sure the house doesn't get too warm when doors and windows are closed to keep out smoke. Exposure to too much heat can also result in illness.
In general, wearing a mask is not the best way to protect your health during a smoke event. In fact, masks may lead to a false sense of security, which may encourage increased physical activity and time spent outdoors, meaning increased exposure to smoke. They can also make breathing more difficult.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The store is built, everyone's excited, and now we can put a date on when the brand new Liquor Mart will open up in Dauphin.
"Barring any unforeseen issues, of course, we're aiming to have our soft launch on the weekend of August 17," said Laurel Trotter, Communications Officer for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. "Then we'll have our "Grand Opening" event in the first week or two of September once everything is settled in, and we have everything running smoothly."
Compared to the current LM location, the new one will be 1200 square-feet larger, which means you might be able to get your hands on something you couldn't at the old location.
"That's going to allow us to bring in some more exciting products to feature on the shelves," said Trotter.
At some current LM's, a "Growler Bar" is featured which allows the customers to pour their own craft beers. Trotter doesn't expect that to happen for now, but it may down the road.
"I don't think it's in the plans as of yet," said Trotter. "But, we're always looking for new opportunities. I think they want to see how the new location goes before they make any additional changes."
With the opening of the new store, you can also expect things to work a little bit differently... but don't worry, it's all to benefit the customer.
"It's going to have a single-lane checkout, so folks all funnel through the same lane, and everyone will find it progresses through the line quicker that way," said Trotter. "There will also be a sampling station so people can taste different products on the weekend."
Not only is every customer excited to get the chance to shop at a brand new store that'll feature a bigger selection, but each and every employee is excited about the transition as well.
"The employees are not only excited to work in the new building, but they really want to show it off to all of the customers," said Trotter. "Everyone's really excited for the doors to open. I really think it's going to be really energizing for everyone in the Parkland when the doors open."
The first stock shipment has already arrived for the new location.
"We're really looking forward to opening up next weekend," added Trotter.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The province is helping first responders improve communication when they go into rural areas.
They are upgrading the province’s public safety communications service with Bell Mobility who will be responsible for end-to-end service delivery and the ownership and operation of towers, radios and antennae, as well as other needed infrastructure.
Dauphin Fire Chief Cam Abrey says the new equipment will replace the outdated FleetNet system.
“Emergency services in Manitoba operate on a trunked radio system that’s known as the FleetNet system and that includes RCMP, EMS, Fire Services. There are a great number of services on the Fleet Net System. However, the system is quite antiquated. Parts availability for MTS to keep that system up and running has become rarer and rarer. As Premier Pallister said in his media release, they were even buying parts off of EBay in order to keep the system running.”
Abrey says the new system will help first responders connect with dispatch and others while in areas normally lacking in coverage.
“This new system is going to replace all of that. it’s going to have greater coverage, greater reliability, and better interoperability between RCMP, and EMS, and Fire so that we can all communicate with each other as we are responding to incidents.”
The new equipment will include radios with GPS, which can track the location of first responders to improve their safety. Advanced radio encryption will ensure police operations are secure and the equipment will be compatible with other systems outside of Manitoba to enable co-ordination during emergencies.
Total project costs for the replacement of the public safety communications service is expected to be $380 million.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Heat warnings in the Parkland are anticipated this afternoon or tomorrow.
Western Saskatchewan is currently under them and the heat is expected to build eastward over the next few days.
Heat warnings will likely be expanded to eastern regions later today.
The hottest temperatures will show up on Friday and Saturday with high temperatures soaring into the mid-thirties to even a few upper thirties.
Temperatures are expected to return to normal early next week.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The tornado over the weekend brought the issue of cell coverage in rural Manitoba to everyone’s attention.
Many people in the RM of Alonsa were not able to take proper precautions because they did not receive any kind of alert or information about the weather risks.
Alonsa Reeve Stan Asham shares with us how over time cell reception in the Interlake is getting worse over time.
“We haven’t had cell service, about the middle of May we noticed and now it’s down to nothing. We used to get service from across the lake. I live north of the beach and I would get cell service, sometimes from the Ebb and Flow tower and sometimes the one at the first nations across the lake. But I could always text, but now I can’t even do that.”
Asham says there were a number of problems that came from not having the service available in an emergency.
“That was devastating not to have that service when that storm came along. People weren’t warned, they never got warnings on their cell phones, you know, they are supposed to beep when the warning comes. There was none of that to warn and people were trying to get ahold of the people at the beach who just had their cell phones. They saw it coming and never had much time to get out of there. Some of them did. Two people, the owner of the beach and some other guy rode it out. But they’re lucky.”
Around May and June, a good number of customers had no cell service for 6 weeks after cell towers near Amaranth and Ebb and Flow were being upgraded.
One of the reasons for lack of service, according to Bell MTS, is that they have been upgrading the network in the Amaranth and Ebb and Flow area with LTE Advanced. The new towers have reduced coverage compared to older HSPA technology.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
A blaze on an acreage outside of Brandon caused a lot of damage.
The fire started on Monday in the rural municipality of Cornwallis when a car backfired.
There were hundreds of old cars sitting in tall grass so the fire got out of control.
The fire started after an owner tried to start one of them and it backfired.
It took a lot of time to fully extinguish the blaze and no one was injured.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
