All Highways Out Of Dauphin Are Closed

HIGHWAY CLOSURES DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER:

HIGHWAY 5 is closed from Dauphin to Grandview, from Dauphin to the Highway 10 junction, from Ste. Rose to the Highway 10 junction, from Ste. Rose to McCreary, and from Neepawa to the Trans-Canada Highway.

HIGHWAY 10 is closed from the North entrance of Riding Mountain to Clear Lake, and from the Ashville junction to Ethelbert.

HIGHWAY 20 is closed from Dauphin to Fork River, and from Dauphin to Ochre.

HIGHWAY 68 is closed from Ste. Rose to The Lake Manitoba Narrows.

HIGHWAY 6 is closed from Ashern to Grand Rapids.

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A Winter storm warning is in effect for many places in the Parkland. According to Environment Canada, an "extreme winter storm" will blast parts of southern Manitoba with upwards of 50cm of snow over the next couple of days, and we very well could see some of that.

The warning is in effect for the municipalities of Gilbert Plains; Grandview; Mossey River; Ethelbert; Roblin; Russell-Binscarth; and the rural municipalities of Dauphin; Lakeshore; and Riding Mountain West.

Very strong winds are expected as well. The warning states that wind gusts of over 100 km/h are possible in wind prone areas such as Riding Mountain.

Also keep in mind that the Trans-Canada Highway from Brandon to Winnipeg has been closed, and poor driving conditions have been reported on Highway 50 as well as stretches of Highway 16; 5; 6; and 68.

Blowing snow has also been reported on Highway 10 from Brandon to the North entrance of Riding Mountain.

Click here for the full winter storm warning statement, and for road conditions in Manitoba, click here.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Oct 11, 2019 - 5:15 am

The Conference Board of Canada’s initial fall numbers show slow growth for Manitoba’s economy.

According to the board, there are a number of contributing factors to the weak outlook.

One of the big factors is the number of large-scale construction projects are wrapping up in the province, meaning lots of the spending for those projects has already occurred. There were also weak wage gains, and lacking job growth.

In August, the Conference Board predicted that Manitoba’s economic GDP would grow .5 percent this year and .8 percent in 2020.

Despite the weak numbers, Premier Brian Pallister remains optimistic.

“The province is excited about getting our act together here in Manitoba on focused economic development. We have been achieving some really good results,” said Pallister. “Part of this has been on the eliminating of barriers of trade and encouraging better shopping but part of this is on attracting more capital.”

The Premier said he plans on bringing 40,000 new jobs to the province by the end of his term.

The Conference Board of Canada says the sad outlook for the province should turn around.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 11, 2019 - 5:00 am

The Ochre River Fire Department and Ochre River Recreation are hosting an open house and a gym grand opening at the Ochre River Fire Hall tonight.

The event will feature a barbecue, kid’s activities, and tours of the fire hall.

There will also be a silver collection and a canteen on site.

The festivities start at 6 pm and will go until 9 pm.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 10, 2019 - 2:38 pm

18-year-old Michael Chartrand, from Dauphin, appeared in court on Tuesday for the armed robbery in June at the Husky gas station in Dauphin.

On June 24th, a man walked in to the gas station with a long barreled gun, demanding money.

He struck two employees with the gun before fleeing with cash and cigarettes.

Chartrand will appear in court again on Tuesday, October 22nd.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 10, 2019 - 7:32 am

It's an event you'll be talking about until the cows come home.

The 41st annual Ste. Rose Hoof n' Holler Days weekend is taking place in the Cattle Capital of Manitoba.

"It had started out historically as a time of harvest when people are bringing cows home, and a time to wrap up the season, so now it's just kind of our family gathering weekend", explained Ashley Vandepoele, Vice President of the Hoof n' Holler Committee.

Unfortunately, due to the recent inclement weather, there have been some changes to the schedule for this year's celebration. The mudbog has been cancelled and Boo in Molgat Park has been rescheduled to Saturday, October 26th. In place of those events, some new ones have been added. There will be a kids Halloween dance party at the Ste. Rose Community Center tonight (Friday) from 6 pm to 8. Then on Saturday you can take the little ones to see Seanster and the Monsters at 3, and follow it up with the Game Show for Kids at the Ste. Rose Curling Rink starting at 4:30.

As well, floats and vehicles for the parade on Saturday will now gather at the Ste. Rose Community Center, and the Coin in the Straw event takes place at the Ste. Rose Skating Rink on Sunday at 3. Something new you'll be able to take in during Hoof n' Holler this year is the Diamond Disc Dog show on Sunday with showtimes at noon and 2.

With a handful of new activities combined with events that have been welcomed back from the past, there's something for everyone in Ste. Rose this weekend.

"It's a ton of fun, most of the events are free of cost, so it's really a great time to get together with family, check out some fun stuff, the parade... there's a free movie night - there's all kinds of good things happening", said Vandepoele.

She also would like to give a huge thank you to the Ste. Rose Kinsmen Club who are an integral part of the weekend, as well as all of their sponsors and the wonderful support from the community.

If you'd like more information on the 41st annual Hoof n' Holler Days weekend in Ste. Rose, check out their facebook page.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Oct 10, 2019 - 5:10 am

The Dauphin Regional Health Centre was the recipient of a generous gift from the Compassionate Friends of South Western Manitoba.

The gift was a Cuddle Cot, a device used to give parents who lose a baby, more time with their child.

The Cuddle Cot is a bassinette, with a cooling pad built-in, that keeps the baby cold next to the mother, to preserve the baby and give the family more time to grieve.

The device was designed in an effort to help families grieve for the child as long as they need to.

Dauphin is only the third place in Manitoba to have access to a Cuddle Cot; the other places are Brandon and Winnipeg.

The Compassionate Friends of South Western Manitoba is a support group for parents who have lost a child. Chairperson Jim Vickers says they wanted to donate the Cuddle Cot to the DRHC to help parents have the chance to grieve properly.

Vickers adds that, obviously, the Compassionate Friends is an organization that no one wants to belong to, but if anyone needs them, they are there.

Anyone wanting to learn more about Compassionate Friends can go to their website.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 10, 2019 - 5:00 am

The City of Dauphin and All Net Municipal Solutions have partnered up to help distribute urgent messages out to the public.

The content of the messages would include boil water advisories and severe weather statements, or just a message that needs to distributed quickly.

The message will be sent out by text message, landline, or email and it’s up to the user to decide which platform or all, they would like to receive the message.

Deputy City Manager Renee Sigurdson says anyone can register.

Click here, call city hall at (204) 622-3200, or stop by city hall to do so.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 10, 2019 - 5:00 am

A group of volunteers from Gilbert Plains is fundraising to bring the community a splash park.

Cory Gulenchin is the Vice President of the Gilbert Plains Splash Park Committee and was on the Al Morning show yesterday.

He says it’s still going to be a while before the splash park is here.

“We fundraised last year up until now, probably about 47 thousand dollars and we still have a little while to go. Our top number is just over 400 thousand.”

Gulenchin says the splash park would be a big deal.

“I think it’s humungous, economic impact, I think it’s just going to go hand in hand with the golf course that’s there right now. There’s a wading pool that’s there right now and it’s a little bit dilapidated, I mean, it’s a great item to have down there at Centennial Park in Gilbert Plains, but it’s showing its wear after a few years. I really think that something like this (The splash park) needs to get done to boost (Gilbert Plains).”

To continue the fundraising, the group is holding a gala next Saturday, October 19^th. A single ticket is 50 dollars and includes cocktails, and dinner, while a VIP table for 8 people, also including appetizers and wine service costs 500 dollars.

Tickets can be purchased from the volunteers, as well as Family Foods, Gilbert Plains Pharmacy, Co-Op Agro Centre, and Gilbert Plains Fusion Credit Union.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 9, 2019 - 4:16 pm

With the first snow of the season upon us, it may be time to start thinking about winter tires.

While it is possible to make it through the winter with all-season tires, most safety experts do not recommend it because they don’t grip ice or snow enough to help stop efficiently.

Winter tires, studded or not, increase grip on snow and ice which improves stopping distance. The reason their grip is better is that they are made from a softer rubber.

When it comes to deciding between studded and studless winter tires, it’s all a matter of preference.

Jason Kindlein, the Manager of Denray Tire in Dauphin, says that he, personally, likes studded tires because of the little bit of extra traction they provide.

“If you put a good winter tire on, it’s definitely going to be better,” said Kindlein. “If you’re doing lots of highway driving, where you could be hitting that black ice, I think the studs are definitely an advantage.”

Just because the snow has already fallen, it doesn’t mean that it’s too late to install winter tires. Kindlein said that any time after the beginning of October is a good time.