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The Jack Winters Trial wrapped up at the Dauphin Courthouse last night, but the decision has been reserved for April 24th.

A reserved decision is common and means while the trial has come to an end, the Judge will take some time to consider the matter before issuing the judgment.

The trial, which was in session for two weeks at the end of last October, was scheduled for another four days this week but ended a day early.

As reported earlier, Winters is facing a number of charges related to a fatal collision that took the life of four-year-old Quinn and six-year-old Oksana Dutchyshen in August 2019, in the RM of Dauphin.

The Dauphin Library will be hosting a Cryptozoology display over the next few days, and all are welcome to check out the strange and fantastic collection that will be there.

Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated.

Cryptids, creatures in this study that you might be aware of are things like bigfoot or the loch ness monster, but this display has a much more local focus.

John Warms, the curator of this collection, has found many sightings and signs of quite a few Manitoba Based cryptids. 

"Two of the dozens and dozens of sketches that have been made, only 2 are not from Manitoba. The bulk of everything I have here is seen in Manitoba most of it seen by multiple observers. It was most gratifying as I was collecting these stories, to find that there was corroboration between what many different communities saw."

Some of the creatures featured on this display range from replicas of giant beavers, giant northern frogs, a platypus in Lake Manitoba, and sketches of Plesiosaurs in some of the larger Manitoban lakes.

John is looking forward to showing off his many findings to everyone that's interested.

"I would just like the world to enjoy what we have that we're not that aware of, because so many of these animals live so secretly. but there's an explanation for each one. the more I learn about them, the impossibilities seem to disappear."

If you want to see these findings for yourself, the display will be in Dauphn on Thursday, March 23rd from 3 to 7 pm, and on Friday, March 24th from 9:30 am to 4 pm.

The new RM of Dauphin council has been in office for nearly five months, and they're really starting to settle in.

Five of the seven members of the council, including Reeve Ernie Sirski, are new, and that comes with some changes says Sirski.

"I have some learning to do, and I can honestly say I have not learned everything yet, but it's been interesting, it's been fun. I've gotten to know the staff, I've got to see how municipal politics and municipalities in general work."

Sirski says that having the mix of two incumbent councillors, Ron Ryz and Midge Sametz, and four new councillors, Tammy Koshowski, Todd Buguski, Ken Shewchuk and Ken Plustwa, has been great for the council.

"The two incumbents are great because one of them is the former Reeve, and the other incumbent is the former deputy Reeve, so they bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the table." says Sirski, "The other thing that the new people bring is a new bunch of ideas as to what we can do as a municipality, and how we can move this municipality forward."

Sirski says an important role for the new members of the council is to learn why things are done the way they are and help move the community forward.

"Dealing with hands on municipal stuff is a little different, but we're there to serve the people, and that's what we should do. So there's no real surprises, just learning the system of municipal politics."

Years after a 28-year-old male was murdered in the Birdtail Sioux First Nation, suspect Cherisse Mckay has been remanded into custody on charges of manslaughter.

The original 911 call was about concerns about an adult male who was in cardiac arrest.

When police arrived at the scene, it was discovered that the 28-year-old male was deceased, but from an apparent stab wound rather than heart complications.

Manitoba First Nations Police Service, along with RCMP Major Crime Services, continue to investigate.

For our original coverage of this story from 2019, click here.

The Manitoba Hydrologic Forecast Centre has released its March Flood Outlook, and lakes in the area are operating near normal levels right now.

Dauphin Lake is currently at 854.70 ft. which is slightly above normal for this time of year and sits at the top end of the operating range, well below the flood protection level. After spring runoff, the lake level is expected to rise above the operating range but will remain below the flood protection level.

Lake Winnipegosis is currently at 830.50 ft. which is 0.2 ft. above normal for this time of year. After spring runoff, the lake level is expected to be near normal levels.

Lake Manitoba is currently sitting at 811.6 ft, which is slightly below normal for this time of year, and within its operating range. After spring runoff, the lake level is expected to be within the operating range.

The full March 2023 Flood Outlook Report can be found on the province's website here.

Manitoba's minimum wage will be going up more than expected come October 1st.

In August 2022, the province announced three coming minimum wage increases, including one next Saturday, April 1st, to $14.15 an hour, and another on October 1st, 2023 to $15 an hour.

However, the government also introduced a new minimum wage calculation formula, that takes into account inflation. Thanks to this formula, the provincial minimum wage will now be increasing to $15.30 an hour on October 1st, 2023.

The provincial government also implemented a Small Business Minimum Wage Adjustment Program in October 2022, to help small businesses adjust to the change. The government says they've streamlined the application process for the program.

More information about that program can be found on the provincial government's website.

Dauphin and the surrounding area are about to see a big boost in funding from the Arts, Culture and Sports in Community (ACSC) fund, which invests $50 million dollars throughout the province. 

In a press release, it's stated that four local organizations are receiving funding:

  • The 2020 Dauphin Manitoba Summer Games Committee is receiving $250,000 for Athletics Facility Upgrades
  • Dauphin Countryfest is receiving $23,343 for Facility Washroom Repairs
  • Parkland regional library is receiving $25,000 for the Grandview Library Relocation
  • McCreary Minor Ball is receiving $25,000 for Ball Diamond Fencing

Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski is excited to see how much these bolstering funds can do for the community.

“I’m so thrilled to see these funds going to some great local initiatives,” said MLA Michaleski. “These projects will foster creativity and innovation in local arts, culture and sports initiatives in Dauphin now and for generations to come.”

The ACSC program grants up to 50 percent of eligible expenses to a maximum of $5 million per project.

The ACSC fund looks to distribute $100 million dollars over three years to various organizations that meet their criteria in applications. Applicants were assessed on their financial planning, community impact and need, and relevance to the fund's goals.

There are still chances for local community organizations to apply.

Small Capital and Special Initiatives intake closes on April 17, Large Capital intake closes on April 24 and the next Community Celebrations intake closes on June 15.

If you think your organization or an organization you know may be eligible, please reach out to MLA Brad Michaleski at 204-701-0238 for more information.

More information on the Arts, Culture and Sport in Community fund can be found at manitoba.ca/acsc.

McGlare Campbell has been safely located. The RCMP thanks the public and the media for their assistance.

ORIGINAL STORY BELOW FROM MARCH 10TH, 2023:

The Dauphin RCMP have issued a Missing Person Report for 15-year-old McGlare Campbell of Dauphin.

Campbell was last seen around 2:30 am on March 6th at his home in Dauphin.

He's described as 5'2", 125 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes, and was wearing grey sweatpants, a black jacket, and red shoes.

Anyone with information on Campbell's whereabouts should call Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5020; Crime Stoppers, anonymously at 1-800-222-8477; or via a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

CN Railway and Unifor, the Union representing around 3000 railway employees, have reached a tentative labour agreement, avoiding a possible strike.

Unifor Local 100 and Unifor Council 4000 are made up of mechanics, intermodal, and clerical workers, and the two groups have been working without a contract since the start of the new year.

The members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action earlier this month if a new deal wasn't reached. Talks started back in October of last year, and the two sides have met on several occasions.

No details of the new deal will be released publically until ratification votes have taken place, which Unifor says will be held in the near future.

President and CEO of CN, Tracy Robinson, says in a statement on CN's website, that the company stays committed to improving working conditions.

"We are very pleased to have reached these tentative agreements. CN has always been committed to achieving negotiated settlements to improve the conditions of this important group of employees as we continue our essential work moving the North American economy. We look forward to future collaboration with Unifor."

After the strike action vote earlier this month, CN put out a statement saying they had contingency plans in place, to ensure that operations wouldn't be effected by a strike.

RCMP in The Pas are searching for 22-year-old Jayden Mercredi. The details are below:

On March 8, 2023, at approximately 7:25 pm, The Pas RCMP received a report of a missing 22-year-old male from the community.

Jayden Mercredi, 22, last spoke to his family in January, 2023.

All attempts to locate Mercredi have turned up negative and police are concerned for his well-being.

Mercredi is described as 5’10” tall, 180 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Jayden Mercredi, please call The Pas RCMP at 204-627-6204, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair is returning to the Keystone Centre in Brandon, from Monday to Saturday next week.

The fair is the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba's flagship event and features six days' worth of great activities. General Manager of Provincial Ex, Mark Humphries, says this year's event will feature past favourites and some new ones.

"We're offering a new food court this year, it's called the Royal Food Court, which will be in the Manitoba Room, which is a little different, it's new for us. Obviously most of the entertainment this year will be different from years gone by. We've got of course the standards there, everybody would like to see the canine display so Woof Jocks are back, and some of the real old favourites are there."

Humphries says ultimately, they're just excited to have everyone back for this year's event.

"Most of all we're looking forward to seeing smiles. This year our event slogan is 'Show Us Your Smiles.' We've had a couple of years with masks hiding all those beautiful shots of pearly whites, and kids grinning from ear to ear, so most of all we're looking forward to seeing everybody enjoy the show."

The full week's schedule can be found on Provincial Exhibitions website here.