City To Decide If It Will Have By-Election

At The City of Dauphin Council Meeting tonight, a decision will be made on whether or not a by-election will be held after the passing of Mayor Allen Dowhan.

While a By-election would normally take place, a recent Temporary Order in Manitoba gives the council the option to not hold a by-election due to public health concerns related due to the pandemic.

If Council decides to move forward and hold a by-election, the earliest date of the election would be December 14^th.

According to the Municipal Act, if there’s no by-election, a current councillor would be appointed. The timeframe would depend on the approval of the Minister of Municipal Relations.

730 CKDM will be at tonight’s Council meeting, and will have more information as it comes.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 4, 2021 - 12:33 pm

There are some walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Dauphin this week.

Pfizer and Moderna are being offered on Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Ukrainian Orthodox Hall located at 304 Whitmore Avenue east.

The hall is also having walk-ins on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

There’s also an opportunity to get vaccinated at the Dauphin and District Food Bank on Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Food Bank is located at 220 Whitmore Avenue west.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 4, 2021 - 11:06 am

For this year’s Fire Prevention Week, the province is focusing on ensuring Manitobans know the distinct sounds smoke and carbon monoxide alarms make.

The government of Manitoba recommends testing alarms to make sure everyone in the home will know what the sounds mean.

The province is giving some tips to keep people safe:

A continuous set of three loud beeps means smoke or fire. Get out, call 9-1-1 and stay out

A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and needs to be changed

All smoke alarms need to be replaced after 10 years

Chirping that continues after the battery has been replaced means the alarm is at the end of its life and the unit needs to be replaced

It’s a good idea to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms meet the needs of all your family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities

Knowing what the sound of your alarm means can save you, your home, and your family.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 4, 2021 - 5:00 am

Dauphin’s Fall Clean-up campaign starts on Monday.

This is an opportunity for people to get rid of things like garden waste, grass, leaves and tree branches.

City crews will start with the Day 4 area, and reverse through the remainder of the four-day cycle.

Director of Public Works, Mike VanAlstyne talked about how to prepare for pickup.

“Materials should be piled parallel and placed neatly in the back lane for pickup. If you don’t have a back lane, materials should be placed on the boulevard near the curb.”

If waste is bagged it must be in a biodegradable bag. No plastic or garbage will be accepted.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 3, 2021 - 5:00 am

With the Countryfest Cinema facing losses due to the pandemic, a group of community members have stepped up, taking matters to the field.

The group decided early in the year to start facilitating a project to help a vital part of Dauphin make it through these trying times.

The group decided the best course of action would be to harvest Soybeans to be sold.

Project Coordinator Michelle Mazurkewich reflected on the process of the harvest,

“We started looking into holding this back in January, just to help provide funds to the Cinema because they had been impacted by COVID-19 and so we started organizing the group who took part in it and it all started with securing the land, so Brad and Lori Michaleski were gracious enough to donate the land. Then from there, we just reached out to a number of input providers who were also able to donate towards the cause.”

Michelle says the beans were combined last week and are ready to be contracted for sale in November.

On average, the field of dreams group harvested 30-40 bushels per acre of soybeans.

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Mazurkewich noted none of this could have been possible without the following sponsors and individuals:

Brad and Lori Michaleski, Brian and Cindy Michaleski, Eugene Kolida, Pioneer Brand Seeds, Bayer, Cargill, Dauphin CO-OP, Gilbert Plains CO-OP, Love & Persson Group, Johnston and Company, C.L.U. Enterprises, Ryan Mazurkewich and Repromap, Terry And Michael Kolida and Bob Thompson.

Details: Contributed by Noah Fuchs; Published: Oct 3, 2021 - 5:00 am

On September 22nd, the province announced plans to launch Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery Community Roundtables.

Winnipeg, Selkirk, Brandon, Thompson and the Morden/Winkler areas were all mentioned in the press release.

The Parkland was notably absent from these roundtable sessions scheduled to take place from September 20th to October 5th.

Provincial NDP Leader Wab Kinew says this is a big missed opportunity for the PC government,

"I think this is a bad oversight because the Parkland people in the area know full well, that issues around addictions, around opioids, it's been very damaging, and it seems to have only gotten worse during the pandemic." Kinew carried on, "At the same time, folks in Dauphin, in Swan, in the surrounding communities, I think have started to come up with a lot of good local solutions to dealing with the addictions crisis, and I think the government is making a mistake by not setting up a specific time and place for people in the region to present both the challenges but also the solutions that they're bringing forward."

The department for Manitoba Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery was created in January of this year.

Its mandate includes mental health and substance-use policy, planning, program supports, broader health promotion and prevention programs.

Details: Contributed by Noah Fuchs; Published: Oct 2, 2021 - 8:21 am

Zebra mussels were recently found in Lake Manitoba.

The cause of the zebra mussel invasion is people not properly decontaminating their boats or other water equipment.

This could cause several issues for the lake.

A well-known issue with zebra mussels is that they rapidly coat water intake pipes, which is a problem for drinking water treatment plants, and any other industry that’s pulling water out of the lake through a pipe.

Zebra mussels also affect local fish populations, as they coat some of the reefs that fish try to lay their eggs in.

Candace Parks, Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist with the Manitoba Government says it’s hard to tell what this invasion means for the lake, but it could be similar to the situation in Lake Winnipeg.

“From Lake Winnipeg, what we have been seeing is higher aquatic plant growth, beaches are being fouled with zebra mussel shells washing up on shore, I think people expect to see also zebra mussels clogging their water intakes, or their watercraft intakes, there will be more cost, more gas consumption for watercraft users.”

Candace says this invasion was preventable.

“Zebra mussels would have never made it to Lake Manitoba on their own, it would have taken human help to move them to this lake.”

Candace goes over the protocol requirements for using your watercraft in lakes.

“In addition to doing Clean Drain Dry, which is the legal general requirement, you must also decontaminate your watercraft or any gear that you put in the water. The fine is $2,542 for the failure to decontaminate a watercraft or water-related equipment that’s come out of a control zone or invaded water body.”

You can self-decontaminate using hot water, but if you can’t do it yourself you can visit government of Manitoba stations until the end of October.

“We have situated these watercraft inspection stations on highway pinch points. So if someone’s travelling from Lake Winnipeg we aligned our station on highway 6 for example, so people would have to pass by us. Just so people know it’s a legal requirement to stop at these stations.”

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

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 2, 2021 - 5:01 am

Virden RCMP seized drugs and weapons during a traffic stop on Highway 1.

On September 25th, a vehicle was stopped and searched; officers then found and seized open liquor, batons, bear spray, and approximately 28 grams of Crystal Meth.

The 21-year-old female driver from Brandon was wanted on an outstanding warrant and was arrested.

She is also facing additional charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of a Weapon Dangerous to Public Peace x4, and several charges under the Highway Traffic Act.

The 26-year-old male passenger from Brandon was arrested and is facing charges of Possession for Trafficking, Possession of a Weapon Dangerous to Public Peace x4, Public Mischief and Failing to Comply with Conditions x3.

They were both released and are scheduled to appear in court in Brandon on December 21st.

Details: Contributed by Noah Fuchs; Published: Oct 1, 2021 - 12:28 pm

Dr. Brent Roussin has announced that additional public health orders are being implemented for unvaccinated Manitobans.

He says gathering sizes will be reduced when unvaccinated people are present.

“This includes limiting households to guests from one other household for private indoor gatherings when an unvaccinated person who’s eligible (For the vaccine) is present on that property. This even applies if the unvaccinated person lives at that location.”

When it comes to outdoor gatherings on private property, gathering sizes will be limited to 10 when any unvaccinated people who are eligible for the vaccine are present.

Indoor public gatherings are being reduced to 25 people or 25 percent capacity, whichever is lower when any unvaccinated people who are eligible for the vaccine are present.

Outdoor public gatherings are being reduced to 50 people, regardless of immunization status.

The COVID-19 response level on the province’s Pandemic Response System is being raised to restricted orange from caution yellow to reflect the increased severity of the risk.

Roussin says the move to the restricted orange level won't affect schools.

The new orders will come into effect on Tuesday, Oct. 5th at 12:01 a.m.

There is an additional one-week grace period for weddings and funerals already scheduled.

Details: Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson; Published: Oct 1, 2021 - 12:04 pm

Dauphin RCMP is looking for a man who stopped a sexual assault last year.

On July 14th of this year, the Dauphin RCMP received a report of a sexual assault on an adult man that happened between October 7th - 11th, 2020, at the Fair Grounds.

The investigation has determined that while the sexual assault was happening, an unknown man showed up and stopped the incident.

The suspect fled, and the unknown man spoke to the victim briefly.

Dauphin RCMP is looking for this unknown man and asking anyone who has information about the incident to call Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5020.