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Dauphin's newly elected MLA will hold a spot in the provincial cabinet.

Ron Kostyshyn has been handed the agriculture portfolio by new Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew.

"It is a proud day today, and it is truly my honour and pleasure to be appointed Agriculture minister," Kostyshyn stated just prior to his official swearing-in to the cabinet.

It is a position that the Ethelbert native is familiar with, having served as Agriculture minister under then-Premier Greg Selinger from 2011 to 2016 when he was the MLA for Swan River. 

Kostyshyn was officially introduced as the new ag minister during a ceremony at The Leaf in Assiniboine Park on Wednesday, which also included Kinew being officially sworn in as the first-ever First Nations Premier of a province in Canadian history.

The Dauphin District Community Foundation always helps the community grow and thrive, but one local project decided to do some growing for them.

The Grow Project was spearheaded by Jason Beyette, who gathered up the resources needed to grow a crop and donate the funds entirely to the DDCF.

Beyette connected with farmers and businesses around Dauphin and grew 160 acres of canola just outside of Keld, which all came off the fields yesterday afternoon.

Going forward, Beyette is excited to do it all again next year.

"I think it could be a great opportunity for the foundation. Obviously, the hardest part about a growth project is getting the land. If there's someone in the community interested in donating a quarter or 80 acres to the foundation, they could contact the foundation office and let them know, and then it's just a matter of getting the input."

Kit Daley with the DDCF thinks that Beyette may be selling his efforts short in this project.

"We just are so deeply moved by the time and effort Jason put into this getting people on board. I find it funny when he says 'Just call the office and it's a matter of setting it up'. He's completely downplaying how much work and effort he put into getting all these companies on board, and we couldn't be more grateful"

Now it's just a matter of selling the canola, and this project will go from just growing in the fields to growing a strong, thriving community.

Another edition of the Fall Rotary Book Fair is right around the corner.

This year's book fair will run from November 8-11 at the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall.

Book fair co-ordinator and Dauphin Rotary member Jean-Louis Guillas says they are always appreciative of the support they receive from the community.

"The quality of the books that we get donated, and the volume, and then the willingness of people to keep coming back and buy books.  Because we do not have a full-fledged bookstore in the community, for many people this is their book shopping.  I encourage people to come and do their Christmas shopping."

Brand new for this year will be a Spirits and Sweets event, which will take place on the evening of November 10th. 

"We have nine different vendors coming with a variety of spirits.  And in partnership with Irving's Catering, we are going to have dessert samples.  So all of these will be samples, both the tastings and the desserts.  "

Guillas encourages anyone wanting to donate books to the fair to do so in advance.

"Donation bins are going to go out in front of the hall starting on October 27th.  And you can bring your books there.  The bins will be labeled Rotary books and will be out in front of the hall, and you can place your donations in there.  And that will give us the chance to sort them ahead of time and get them in the right category."

The book fair will begin at 9 a.m. on November 8th to 10th and at 1 p.m. on the 11th. 

This is Rotary Radio Week on 730 CKDM, as we profile some of the great work done by local Rotarians.  

A Manitoba judge has rejected a claim that the province's ban on homegrown non-medical cannabis is unconstitutional.

The case dates back to 2018 when the federal government decriminalized cannabis possession and allowed people to grow up to four plants at home for recreational use.

The Manitoba government enacted a law to ban homegrown recreational cannabis, saying the ban is an important part of the province's approach to regulating and controlling access.

Local pharmacist and Cannabis podcaster Trevor Shewfelt was disappointed with the decision by Court of King's Bench Justice Shauna McCarthy.

"Part of the federal law is that you can grow up to four plants in your house, and why is it fair that if I move to Yorkton I can (grow four plants) but I can not in Dauphin.  I also do not see the harm.  One argument that comes up all of the time is what if there are little kids in the house that go over to the plant and they start eating the leaves.  Won't it hurt them and won't they get high? And the answer to that is no. If you just eat the leaves off a cannabis plant, you are not getting high." 

Shewfelt says you have to de-carboxylate - or heat up - the leaves in order to get high from cannabis.

He adds though that all hope is not lost among those fighting the provincial legislation. 

"Jesse Lavoie and his TobaGrown group are planning on taking this to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary.  But faster is our new premier-designate Wab Kinew.  He could just end this and say that they are tired of fighting Jesse, so let's allow Manitobans to be like everyone else in the country, and just end it."

"Back in 2019, he even had a Facebook post saying that he was in favour of people being allowed to grow Cannabis in their own house." 

Shewfelt is joined by Jesse Lavoie on episode 67 of their podcast, which can be found online at ReeferMed.ca. 

The province is mandating that all healthcare staff working in hospitals, provincial care homes, and other healthcare facilities will have to start masking up again when dealing directly with patients, residents, and clients. 

Manitoba Health says the mandate goes into effect as of tomorrow and also includes home care workers and other staff providing care services operated by regional health authorities. 

Masks will continue to be optional but recommended for visitors to healthcare sites, while other community-based health settings, such as doctors’ offices or supportive housing, will continue to be able to decide how and when masks may be used based on the needs of their clients, patients, and staff.

The government says this approach will help reduce the risk of spreading a respiratory virus from a health-care worker to a vulnerable patient, resident, or client, particularly those who are more at risk of severe illness. 

Minnedosa's main street was the scene of a very aggressive car chase.

In the early hours of October 14th, Minnedosa RCMP received a report that a male was being chased in his vehicle down Main Street.

The chasing vehicle reportedly slammed into the victim's vehicle several times, leaving it inoperable.

Further investigation determined that a 53-year-old male from Minnedosa saw an unattended campfire at Minnedosa Beach.

He parked his SUV to put out the fire, at which point a vehicle pulled up and flashed its lights at the male.

The male got in his vehicle and left, but the vehicle followed him. He sped up in an attempt to get away, but the chasing vehicle sped up as well, ramming into the SUV multiple times.

The suspect then got into the victim’s vehicle and was able to get it operational. He drove it into a fence in a back alley off Main Street, damaging it significantly.

The suspect then stole personal items from the vehicle and returned to his vehicle, which was also non-operational, where police located him.

He was also found to be on conditions not to possess weapons.

A 21-year-old male from Minnedosa is charged with Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose, Assault with a Weapon, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Unlawful Transportation of Cannabis, Unlawful Transportation of Liquor, and Breach of a Protection Order.

Luckily, The victim was not physically injured during the incident.

Today (October 16) is the start of Rotary Radio Week on 730 CKDM.

Throughout the week, we will be profiling members of the local Dauphin Rotary Club, as well as some of the great work that the club does throughout the region.

Carolyn Coulson-Clark was encouraged to attend a Rotary meeting as a guest after attending their Book Fair last fall. 

She says there are two things in particular about Rotary that she likes. 

"I think that the events that they host and organize are great for the community.  They are a lot of fun to attend and a lot of fun to participate in.  And I think the proceeds are donated to really good causes that benefit the community in a lot of ways." 

She has advice for anyone who is considering joining the Rotary Club.

"I would say come and join us at a meeting as a guest.  There is no obligation.  Just meet the people, they are a great bunch of people who are really positive and welcoming, and you can see what Rotary is all about. "

Their next meeting is October 17th at noon at the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall. 

The third edition of Fusion Credit Union's Community Infusion competition is coming to a close later this week. 

The program, which was first introduced back in 2021, focuses on economic development as a means of positively affecting the community. 

Ideas could include elements such as job creation or opportunities, community engagement, small business and entrepreneurial support.

Proposals began to be submitted back in May of this year, which was eventually reduced to a list of five finalists. 

Those entrepreneurs will now pitch their business concept to a panel of judges and a live audience during a free event this Wednesday night at the Dome building in Brandon.

It begins at 6 pm, with a share of $30,000 in grant funding up for grabs. 

According to gasbuddy.com, gasoline prices continue to fall in Manitoba.

Their latest survey of gas stations across the province shows the average price for a litre of regular dropped another 1.6 cents in the past week to 155.99 cents a litre. 

That is also 8.2 cents a litre cheaper than one month ago, and 28.4 cents a litre cheaper than on this day exactly one year ago.

Here in Dauphin, we saw a substantial drop at the pump in the past week, with the price now sitting at around 155.9 cents a litre across the city. 

Across the country, the national average price also fell 1.3 cents in the past week to 153.92 cents a litre. 

A 53-year-old man has been charged following the theft of power tools from a business in Grandview.

Dauphin RCMP received a report on October 2nd about a male suspect breaking into a business in the community the night before, and stealing several items, icluding several Husqvarna Chainsaws. 

A search warrant was executed on a residence in the RM of Ethelbert on October 13th, which turned up a total of eight chainsaws, as well as other power tools, and an ATV that was reported stolen from the RM of Dauphin. 

Officers deployed a taser during their efforts to take the homeowner into custody, who originally resisted arrest. 

 Marc Andre Dorais faces several charges, including break & enter, theft, possession of stolen property, and resisting police. 

He is slated to appear in Dauphin Provincial court today. 

A Crane River man is facing several charges after being stopped in Portage la Prairie last week. 

On October 8 at about 11:30 a.m., officers stopped a vehicle on 6th Avenue NE and when they approached the vehicle, Cannabis could be seen inside the vehicle. After a search, a can of bear spray was found under the driver's seat.

The 27-year-old was arrested and he faces a Possession of Weapon for Dangerous Purpose charge and he also received a $672 ticket for Consuming Cannabis in a Vehicle on a Roadway. He has been released and is set to appear in a courtroom at a later date.