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The ongoing labour shortage has forced the Town of Swan River to temporarily suspend its stray animal program.

According to Derek Poole, chief administrative officer of the Town of Swan River, the program was mainly about giving traps to residents with stray animals around their properties and offering to help them catch the animals with the help of a by-law officer. Once it has been caught, the animal would then be transported to the local vet board building and they would be housed there until they're adopted.

Since they don't have enough staff to be able to look after the animals on evenings and weekends, the Town had no choice but to suspend it.

"A person can buy their own traps and deal with that animal... it's just [that] the Town is not providing those services right now," Poole said.

He also said that the Town will be meeting with the Swan Valley Vet Clinic and the Animal Protection League to discuss the matter in the coming weeks.

The program will remain suspended until an agreement on how captured animals will be cared for on evenings and weekends has been reached.

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The Parkland Horseman's Association was ready for its 28th annual Chuckwagon and Chariot Races to return to Ste. Rose this weekend, but mother nature had different plans. Due to the constant rain, the PHA Race Track in Ste. Rose couldn't be used this weekend according to Secretary Faye Soucy.

"Unfortunately, the grounds are still sopping wet. We tried to get in there to assess our track and everything, but everything is just way too wet." said Soucy, "We ended up getting our truck stuck. Just trying to get the lawn cut was impossible, getting the hay cut for the field was impossible, so we just weren't able to take care of our grounds."

Luckily, the McCreary Ag society stepped up and is letting PHA use their racetrack for the weekend, meaning the races can still take place.

"To keep the safety of our racers, and the safety of our horses at the utmost priority, we asked the Ag Society in McCreary if we might be able to piggyback onto their races and use their racetrack, and they were gracious enough to allow us to use their racetrack."

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UPDATE: Charles Gott has been safely located. 

The original article follows:

The Swan River RCMP is searching for a missing man from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. 32-year-old Charles Ray Edward Gott hasn't been seen since the end of June when he was briefly at a family member's house.

Gott is described as 5’6” and 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black jeans, a black and red short-sleeved shirt, and a black baseball cap. Both his family and the police are very concerned for his well-being.

If you have information, please call Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

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Health Canada has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. It's officially the first vaccine the country's regulator has approved for that age group and will be given in one-quarter doses.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic. it is now up to each province to expand eligibility however they see fit. 

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The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce's Tourism Rebate Incentive Program (TRIP), which took place from May 6th to May 16th, was a provincewide success this spring. According to them, more than 10,600 Manitobans took advantage of the program, spending $2.33 million on staycations and earning $1 million in rebates.

Stephen Chychota, executive director for the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, said that it was also successful here in the Parkland.

"We saw some pretty good uptake from... local residents, but also some other individuals from across the province coming to visit the area," Chychota said.

According to Stephen Chychota, about 350 rebates — which equates to $35,000 — were given back to Manitobans for staying at one of the 44 partnering hotels in the Parkland. He also felt that the money visitors spent while visiting the area certainly helped local businesses and estimated that — in total — visitors spent $50,000 to as much as $100,000 over the course of the program.

More information on TRIP's impact on Manitoba’s hospitality & tourism industries can be found on the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce website.

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Chuckwagon and Chariot Races return to McCreary tomorrow and Friday! The McCreary Ag Society puts on the races, and Treasurer Debbie Johnson says it's always an exciting event.

"There's lots of action. It's amazing to watch those horses run, and scary sometimes too, how close the carts come. It's exciting to watch."

Along with the races, there will also be a 50/50 draw, food, and beer gardens. The Fair Ground gates open at five, and the races start at six. Daily admission is $15 for adults, youth aged 6 to 17 only $10, and kids aged 5 & under are free. A 2-day pass is $25 for adults and $15 for youth.

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Whether he needed help picking something up, opening the door, getting something off the counter and everything in between, Fanta was there. Fanta was a black service dog and her dad was Alex Lytwyn of Winnipegosis.

Living with Cerebral Palsy, small tasks turn into enormous challenges for Alex. Entering the store isn't something he could normally do by himself; however, Fanta was always there to help him do so. Morning or night, Fanta spent four years being right by Alex's side, until she became ill about two months ago. 

Despite multiple visits to the vet, Fanta's illness had progressed too much and she passed away, one month ago on Tuesday, July 12. Lytwyn is remembering her as the best thing he has ever had in his life.

"She was my everything, she meant everything and more to me," said Lytwyn. "Her little tail wag would put a smile on my face. She did everything for me and life simply isn't the same without her."

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Alex matched with Fanta four years ago thru the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides. A moment that Alex is holding near and dear to his heart is when Fanta was in her last stages. One day when they got back from the vet, she would wait for Alex to come down the van ramp and she walked with Alex into the house together, despite having very little energy to do so. 

"We were lying down later and she was right beside me and she looked at me like she wanted to go for a walk," said Lytwyn. "It took a while to get her up but once we did, we went for a walk around the yard and we couldn't stop looking at each other. To me, we were thinking about all the great times we had together and I was feeling so thankful for everything she did for me."

Later that evening, Fanta put her head on Alex`s arm, gave him a kiss and took her last breath. 

"She will forever be in my heart, I will never forget Fanta," ended Lytwyn. 

Alex says getting a new service dog is off the table for now; however, he is open to getting one in the future after he takes some more time to remember Fanta.

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The Manitoba government is asking for your feedback on personal care home standards to better understand how to move forward on this issue.

They commissioned an independent review to understand what happened during a serious COVID-19 outbreak in a personal care home in October 2020 and reduce the likelihood of a similar event happening in the future.

A new online survey, which can be accessed here, was opened to collect the data and you have until July 29th to complete it.

More information can be found on the Province of Manitoba website.

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Mossey River Days returned last weekend and it was very well attended. There were lots of people out on the boulevard, the Charlie Major concert was sold out and the curling rink was full.

Rebecca Sahulka, a member of the Mossey River Volunteer Events Committee, said that it was a success.

"Lots of people came up to the volunteers thanking them for the night. Everybody said that they had such a great time," she added.

Rebecca Sahulka really enjoyed Emma Peterson's performance.

"[It] was absolutely amazing. She brought everybody onto the dance floor and that really got the night going... We definitely want her to come back again," she said.

Sahulka also said that many local businesses want to sponsor Mossey River Days again next year and that they're proud of how it went.

The plans for next year's Mossey River Days are expected to start next month.

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It's the 75th Anniversary of the Gilbert Plains Co-op and they're celebrating all week by giving back to their customers.

They have raffle prizes, coffee, donuts, and in-store specials all week long, and tomorrow, they have a BBQ from eleven to two.

Katelynn Musey from the Gilbert Plains Co-op Agro Centre says you'll have even more of a chance to save at the BBQ.

"We have the wheel and you can win five percent, ten percent, fifteen percent, and there'll also be one 75 percent on there for a chance to win a gift card."

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Tim Hortons' annual Camp Day fundraising campaign returns today. For the entire day, Tim Hortons will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from all hot coffee and iced coffee sales to Tim Hortons Foundation Camps to support sending youth from underserved communities to Tims Camps.

If you would like to support this year's Camp Day at the local Tim Hortons on Main St. S., you can:

  • Place an order for a hot or iced coffee in-store or through the Tim Hortons app
  • Order a Tim Hortons Take 12 — which includes 12 small coffees along with cups, dairy and sweeteners
  • Purchase a Camp Day bracelet for $2 or a pair of red and white camp-themed socks for $5
  • Use tap-to-give to donate $2 using your credit or debit card

More information, including ways to donate online, can be found on the Tim Hortons website.

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