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The Manitoba NDP has announced a plan to "fix rural healthcare" that they'll put into place if elected this fall.
The plan includes five steps to try and address some of the biggest issues facing healthcare in rural communities across the province.
NDP Leader Wab Kinew says healthcare is the biggest challenge facing rural communities right now.
"I think everyone in rural Manitoba has been so concerned with the increase in closures and the cuts. We've heard time and time again from people who say, we want healthcare in our communities, and we need better than what we're getting right now."
The plan includes a large focus on rural healthcare recruitment says Kinew.
"We know so many communities are being forced to step in and offer these resources directly, so we think the province should get involved."
On top of recruitment, the NDP is also committing to reducing rural ambulance wait times, increasing nurses and other allied health professionals, expanding access to specialists, and improving rural senior care.
The NDP also plans on reintroducing a grant program that would give medical students $12,000 in each of their four years of medical school. In return, those students would have to work for six months in an underserviced part of the province for each year they received the grant.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Two Winnipeg men are facing a number of charges after the Russell RCMP caught them with drugs and cash.
The RCMP received the report at 7:20 pm on Saturday, April 29th, that a suspicious vehicle was parked on Baker Road in Vista, Manitoba.
Officers searched the vehicle and found approximately 17 grams of cocaine, cannabis, a replica air pistol, more than $5000.00 in cash, and drug paraphernalia.
Tal Tufeld, 25, of Winnipeg has been charged with:
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Obstructing a Peace Officer
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Failing to Comply x3
- Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Selling (LGCA)
- He was remanded into custody.
Colin McMillan, 36, of Winnipeg, has been charged with:
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Selling (LGCA)
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
A 5-year-old child died in a car accident along Provincial Road 272 Friday Afternoon.
Police were called to the scene of a single-vehicle rollover, six kilometers south of Duck Bay around 4:25 pm on April 28th. Officers report that a pickup truck was traveling northbound when it left the road and collided with a row of trees before rolling.
The 38-year-old driver and a 32-year-old passenger, both from Pine Creek First Nation, were not injured. The child, who was not properly restrained, had been ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased on the scene.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Public Service Alliance of Canada announced overnight it has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Treasury Board covering more than 120-thousand federal government workers.
The nearly two-week-old national strike is over for public servants within four bargaining units, who are to return to work at 9 o'clock Eastern Time this morning or their next scheduled shift.
The union says the four-year deal includes wage increases totalling over 12 per cent.
It also claims it achieved significant new protections around remote work and contracting out.
But the strike is not over for members of the Canada Revenue Agency.
P-SAC says negotiations for the unit representing 35-thousand C-R-A workers continue.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Education Administration Amendment Act, also known as Bill-35 has received a less-than-passing grade from Manitoba teachers.
The bill looks to create a registry system to log cases of misconduct in school systems in a transparent and structured way.
The Manitoba Teachers Society raised some criticisms, noting that some of the terms in the bill are loosely worded, and could be detrimental to teachers, as reports could be filed leading to possible false allegations and incorrect punishment.
MTS states that performance should be under the purview of employers. Connecting these standards to the framework of misconduct and child safety could have the consequences of teacher suspension or removal of certification.
MTS' Nathan Martindale says that factors of the bill could cause harm to teachers, and to the students who look to become teachers.
"Why would university students, or those looking to get into this profession want to become teachers if they have this hanging over them, especially with the possibility of a complaint being lodged that's not really a complaint, and then their name gets dragged through the mud? So, we're a strong advocate for student safety, but we have to protect teachers in the process."
Martindale also noted that hearing panels around this bill are not composed of people who would be well-informed on the inner workings of the education system.
"It would be more useful if the panel that would be adjudicating this process was made up of teachers so they're familiar with what's happening in schools, and what teachers' jobs are, rather than the minority being teachers and the majority of the folks being from outside the school system."
In order to rectify the issues with the bill, MTS looks to get clear ideas of the wording in the bill, including definitions of "significant emotional harm", ensuring hearing panels have a majority of teachers and the right for a teacher to have representation during investigations.
Martindale stresses the importance of protecting students, and MTS agrees wholeheartedly with that fact, but the phrasing of Bill-35 had them describing it as "anti-teacher".
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys(MACA) has filed a grievance with the province after rejecting the final contract offer last week.
MACA members voted down the province's final contract offer, with 88% of members voting, and an overwhelming 94% of those that voted to reject the offer. The situation will not move to arbitration, which MACA says can take several months to start.
MACA President Erika Dolcetti says the province is falling behind when it comes to wages for crown attorneys, and because of it, many are leaving for other provinces.
"We are losing senior crowns at an exponential rate, we are unable to recruit, we have failed after failed competition, we have a number of vacancies, fairly fluid, but right now I think it's around 15 crown prosecutors that we are unable to fill, and we are just getting to a critical juncture."
Dolcetti continued, saying that it's feeding into a bigger issue.
"We are concerned that the public is going to be less safe with experienced prosecutors working out of the province right now."
Dolcetti says the province hasn't truly been fully staffed with crown prosecutors since there were 75 added by the province in 2009.
"A file today is very different than a file in 2009. A homicide in 2009 did not often involve hundreds of hours of video that we have to review, 20 thousand pages or more of phone dumps that a crown needs to review, and quite frankly they've just become more complicated."
With Manitoba setting a record number of homicides in 2022, with 93, and pay not reflecting the workload, Dolcetti says burnout is also becoming a major issue.
"We do not have enough crown prosecutors right now to do the amount of work that's coming through our doors, are crowns reviewing the 20 thousand pages of phone dumps, are crowns reviewing the hundred-plus hours of video? There's not enough time in the day to do that. What happening is files are going to be prosecuted as thoroughly as the public would want, and we don't want very serious criminals on the street."
Dolcetti says that MACA is looking for a fair contract, as the province is falling behind provinces like Saskatchewan, which used to be the most comparable province, while smaller provinces are starting to catch up to Manitoba.
"Nova Scotia, which we've always traditionally been ahead of, will be leapfrogging where we are. Nova Scotia in 2021, had 24 homicides in their entire province, I can tell you right now I'm carrying about 12 myself."
Dolcetti says crown attorneys do the job because they love it, but they don't have the resources to do it properly.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Up to $110 million dollars could be announced to expand high-demand camp sights.
Demand for campsites that feature cabins and yurts has been in increasingly high demand and Manitoba's Minister of Natural Resources Greg Nesbitt looks to announce a 10-year plan that could address the well-needed growth.
A government-commissioned report was completed in December to get a grasp of the scale of growth needed. The report recommended more camping opportunities, including the luxury camping options of yurts and cabins.
Nesbitt also noted that while fees will not increase initially, some raises in the future could be likely.
The official announcement of the year's capital plan for parks, including new yurts, is scheduled to come before the May long weekend.
Public consultation on longer-term plans to improve parks across the province is slated to start later this year.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
A night of historical Ukrainian folk music, dance, and heritage is coming to Dauphin.
This Sunday, April 30th, Kozak Siromaha brings the traditional sounds of the Cossacks from his home in Ukraine on the banks of the Dnipro River and shares them with the world.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium will be the host of musical stylings, hopak martial dance, and saber fencing talents based on traditions that date back over a thousand years.
In addition to his music, Kozak Siromaha brings a lot of Cossack legends, interesting facts, and unbelievable stories to share with his audience.
Our Contact for the event Oleksandra Berdnyk says that it's a great event, with a great price for a great cause.
"He helps the Ukrainian army, humanitarian aid, and people in those areas. it's an incredible chance for Dauphin to hear real Ukrainian music. The price to come is $30 dollars, not expensive, and children up to 18 years old are free"
This tour will also be going to Brandon, Winnipeg, and across several provinces.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or pre-purchased online.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
St. George's Ukrainian Church has made a $3,200 dollar donation to the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund, which will help the organization continue to bring families fleeing Ukraine to the area.
$1,450 of the donation was raised during the church's fundraising fish fry, while the other $1,750 was actually what the Fund had paid to the church for a room rental.
The Family Fund has been renting a room in the church to hold English classes for the families, and the Church decided to donate that money back to the fund, so it could continue helping the cause.
Jim Perchaluk, the President of the Ukrainian Folk Arts Centre, says the recent money from the church has come at the perfect time.
"Over the last little while we had a number of families from Ukraine come into our community, looking for assistance to settle in the community, and with our limited funds, this donation just hits at a time that we can help those people out with the basic necessities of life."
Over the last 14 months, the Family Fund has helped bring 35 families, including more than 100 people, to the area, and Perchaluk says the families have settled in really well.
"We know from our experience with the other families that are here, they're all quick to find jobs in the community, and become independent very quickly. This money is a necessity to give them some food on the table, and clothing to get them settled in our community."
You can get more information about the Fund, by calling Larry at 204-648-5904.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Winnipegosis RCMP seized drugs, cash, and a weapon while executing a search warrant on Wednesday.
As part of an ongoing investigation, officers from the Winnipegosis RCMP, along with assistance from the Emergency Response Unit and Police Dog Services, executed a search warrant at a residence on Edward Street in Winnipegosis.
During the search, police found approximately 260 grams of meth, cannabis, illicit pills, cash, a crossbow, and drug-related paraphernalia.
Two suspects, a 57-year-old male and a 55-year-old female, were arrested. The pair were released from custody for a court date on June 27th in Dauphin.
The investigation is still ongoing.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Dauphin Fire Department was dispatched to a couple of garbage container fires this morning.
Around 5:30, fire fighters found two garbage containers on fire. One was out front of the Co-op grocery store and the other was outside of the nearby Smoke Smart store.
Both fires were extinguished quickly.
If anyone has any information about the incident, you are asked to contact the Dauphin RCMP detachment at 204-622-5050.
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- Contributed by 730 CKDM
