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The Dauphin Hospital Foundation is getting a holiday boost thanks to a very generous donation.

Dauphin resident Jim Mulligan donated $150,000 to the foundation and says it was something he and his late wife Judy had talked about. Mulligan says he's happy to help an organization that provides needed assistance to many healthcare projects and initiatives.

“I am pleased to be able to assist the Dauphin Hospital Foundation with their work. I believe the hospital, and healthcare, needs all the help it can get! I look forward to seeing the donation put to good use to assist healthcare staff on the tremendous work they do each and every day!”

Mulligan says he's not sure what the money is going to, but he knows the foundation will have a plan for it. Foundation Chair Greg Thompson was very appreciative of the donation.

“Mr. Mulligan is very community-minded and wanted to ensure that organizations like the Foundation can continue making a difference with various projects which assist the hospital, personal care home, and community health services. We can’t thank him enough!”

Police in Brandon had to be on their toes while responding to a disturbance earlier this week.

Brandon Police Service (BPS) got a report of a disturbance at a residence around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The caller said an intoxicated man was destroying property and refusing to cooperate when others tried to de-escalate the situation.

When police arrived on the scene, the man became aggressive toward them and threw a full beer bottle at the officers, no one was injured. The media release from BPS states that officers then used a conducted energy weapon (Taser) to gain compliance.

The man was arrested and taken into custody until he was sober. He's been charged with Assault with a Weapon and Assaulting a Peace Officer, and will appear in court on February 23rd.

The Parkland campus of Assiniboine Community College (ACC) will host an Applied Building Construction program starting on February 27th, 2023. This is offered through a partnership with Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology.

Enrollment in the six-month program will focus on Indigenous youth between the ages of 18 and 30 who are not currently in employment, education, or training. There are 15 spots open for the program and students who are accepted will have their tuition, textbooks, personal protective equipment, supplies, and tools, covered at no cost.

In a media release, Kevin Poirier, Dean of Trades at Assiniboine said, "the Applied Building Construction certificate program provides students in this region an opportunity to receive training in a field with in-demand career opportunities, supporting an industry need for skilled trades workers."

The program will be accredited with Apprenticeship Manitoba. If students meet certain goals including averaging 70% marks or better, they will receive credit for Level 1 in-school technical training and 900 hours in the Carpenter apprenticeship program.

ACC will host free information sessions about the Applied Building Construction program on Wednesday, January 11th, and Thursday, January 26th. There are also 2 more on Wednesday, February 1st, and Wednesday, February 8th. Register at https://assiniboine.net/programs/applied-building-construction

The province is reminding employers to make sure their workers have proper fall protection while working high up off the ground.

This comes after Norwin Roofing Ltd. out of Winnipeg was fined $24,000 for not ensuring one of their employees was equipped with proper fall protection while working at heights in an area where a guardrail had been removed.

On March 30th, 2020, a worker employed by the company was clearing debris off a roof near the mentioned area where a guardrail was removed. The worker fell approximately 20 feet, hitting a smaller roof portion on the way down. This resulted in fractures to the ribs and spine as well as internal injuries.

Officials from Workplace Safety and Health did an investigation and laid charges under the Workplace Safety and Health act. Norwin Roofing Ltd. pleaded guilty on December 12th.

More information can be found in the Manitoba Government media release here.

As the end of the Holiday season approaches, the Dauphin R.I.D.E. program is preparing for what has historically been its busiest night of the year. The program will run on New Year's Eve from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. but they're in need of more volunteers says Coordinator Sho-Sho Shuttleworth-Lafontaine.

"At this point, for New Year's Eve, we most likely don't have enough volunteers to provide rides for all the out-of-town callers that we get."

Shuttleworth-Lafontaine says a lot of volunteer hours get taken up by out-of-town rides, but the radius they can serve depends on the number of volunteers they have.

"Our volunteer numbers are down a bit this year than in the past years, so we're just reaching out, asking people, if you're available, give us a call and we'll tell you about volunteering with us. If anyone is interested in volunteering, they'll need a valid and current Manitoba Drivers license, and we can give them some paperwork to drop off with the RCMP to have a record check done."

Shuttleworth-Lafontaine says the RCMP has a really quick turnaround time for the program because they are associated. She also says that a personal vehicle isn't required, but if you are using one, fuel will be provided.

Anyone looking for more information or interested in volunteering for the program can call 204-638-1463, or message Dauphin R.I.D.E. on Facebook.

Early Christmas Morning, Officers from the Neepawa, Spruce Plains, and Minnedosa RCMP detachments responded to the Hotel Fire in Gladstone.

When police arrived, fire departments were already on the scene fighting the fire, so officers, with the help of a local resident, began evacuating buildings connected to the hotel. Officers were then told one of the hotel residents had not been seen and was potentially still inside.

Once the fire was extinguished, remains were found inside. The identification of the deceased individual is pending an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Office of the Fire Commissioner is investigating the cause of the fire.

Gladstone Fire

Travel conditions may be a little bit dicey today as there are a number of freezing rain warnings issued in Manitoba.

Environment Canada has issued freezing rain warnings for a large chunk of Southern Manitoba including Minnedosa - Riding Mountain National Park and Ste. Rose - McCreary - Alonsa - Gladstone.

At the moment, there are no warnings at all for Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis.

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[Image - public alerts map for Manitoba at 12:15 pm today]

All the red you see in the above photo are regions where freezing rain warnings have been issued. The outlying region in red is the Swan River - Duck Mountain - Porcupine Provincial Forest region where a snowfall warning remains in effect. The region right below it is Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis where no warnings are currently in effect.

Chief Cornell McLean of Lake Manitoba First Nation hit it big on Monday and is returning from a trip to Minnesota with $1,376,617.44 US.

McLean and his wife Lisa were at Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen, Minnesota, when he hit the jackpot in the Dancing Drums Explosion slot machine. We have reached out to McLean for further comment about what he plans to do with the winnings.

WOW! This HUGE jackpot winner of $1.3 million yesterday had a VERY Merry Christmas and will have a VERY Happy New Year! 💸 Congratulations, from all of us at Shooting Star!! 👏✨

Posted by Shooting Star Casino on Tuesday, December 27, 2022

If you are retired, looking for some extra work, or just looking for something to do, the Mountain View School Division (MVSD) has lots of openings for school bus drivers.

Lori Slepicka, Secretary-Treasurer for MVSD, says a handful of their drivers have retired, so the school division is looking to fill the vacant spots. There are a variety of shifts and routes available from being a casual driver on weekends and field trips, to one of the full-time routes. Slepicka says the full-time routes require just a couple of hours in the morning and afternoon on school days to pick up and drop off kids at school.

"Bus driving is a great opportunity if you're trying to find work-life balance, or an add-on job to farming or if you're self-employed and need that steady paycheque coming in," commented Slepicka.

Outside of the time commitment, drivers need at least a Class 2 license and must attend school bus driver training. Conveniently, MVSD has an opportunity for you to complete that training next month from Friday, January 13th to Sunday, January 15th.

Candidates will get help in obtaining their Class 2 license and will be prepped for the written and physical tests as well. The deadline to apply is Monday, January 9th. You can submit a resume or application at the school division office in Dauphin or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"Our bus drivers are often our unsung heroes, they're the first face that the children see when they head off to get their education and it's probably the last face they see before they go home for the day. It's an important role."

 

UPDATE:

One person is dead and 15 people are now without a home after the fire which burnt down the Gladstone Hotel early Sunday morning.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The historic Gladstone Hotel was destroyed by a fire early Christmas Morning.

Crews were called to the fire early Sunday morning and were on the scene until past 9 a.m. Reports say that crews were able to save the adjacent Galloway building and several apartments connected to it.

The MLA for Agassiz, Eileen Clarke, made a post about the devastating fire.

Sunday, December 25,2022 Merry Christmas Friends and Family This will not be the post I expected to share today, on...

Posted by Eileen Clarke on Sunday, December 25, 2022

The Municipality of Westlake-Gladstone has a volunteer fire department.

Update: The snowfall warning for Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis is over. The one issued for Swan River - Duck Mountain - Porcupine Provincial Forest Area remains in effect.

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A Snowfall warning has been issued for communities across the Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis area, as well as the Swan River - Duck Mountain - Porcupine Provincial Forest area.

Around 10 to 15 cm of snow is expected across the region, starting early this evening, and continuing through the night. The snow will continue on Wednesday, but accumulations will be much less with only a couple cm expected.