Accessibility Tools

This Monday is Earth Day, a time to reflect on the planet we call home, and the stewardship we carry over it.

Since the first one in 1970, the Earth Day movement has grown into one of the largest modern environmental movements across the planet.

The Theme this year is "The Planet vs Plastic", encouraging an effort to reduce plastic pollution for the health of humans, and the environment around us.

Every little bit counts, whether you're hiking alone and picking up litter, or organizing a larger effort.

A great example is the folks at Grandview Trails hosting a trail clean-up. Anyone can come out to the Museum in Grandview at 7 pm, where a walk will commence to pick up trash and make the area better for everyone.

April 22nd is the official date for Earth Day this year, but every day is a good time to plant a tree, reduce food waste, pick up litter, and make the earth a better place for everyone to live in.

To learn more about this global effort, visit Earthday.org

On the heels of a very successful trip to Portugal last fall, the Parkland Chamber of Commerce is planning another excursion this year - this time to Costa Rica.

Executive Director Stephen Chychota says it is going to be a great trip.

"There is part of the group that is going to be going on November 1st for what is called a pre-extension tour.  That group is going to be landing in San Jose on November 1st and taking part in going out to a jungle excursion, and seeing a research facility, and hanging out with some scientists, some of the wildlife that is there, and experiencing the jungle side of things.  That group will come back to San Jose on November 4th and then team up with the rest of the group that will be coming." 

So far, 38 people have signed up for the trip, with Chychota hoping they can get at least 40 people going.

He adds there is a great cancellation policy as well if you do sign up, but then can not go in the end.

"Here is a little bit of time where if you want to make sure that you save your seats - you can.  And if things do not work in the planning - so be it that is fine, you do have that time to drop out.  And then there is also a cancellation policy where you can get all of the funds that you have invested back by a certain date closer to the trip."

You can find more information or register online at www.parklandchamber.ca

There are a couple of events happening today if you are looking to pick up something to eat and want to support some great causes at the same time. 

Mackenzie Middle School's Ukrainian Program is hosting a fundraiser BBQ at the Dauphin Co-op Food Store from 11 am to 1:30 pm. There will be hotdogs, burgers, drinks, chips, and cookies available, with all proceeds going towards a field trip for the group to several Ukrainian heritage sites. 

And the Dauphin Royal Purple is hosting a Chili and Banock Fundraiser at the 8th Avenue Hall in Dauphin starting at 5:30. Tickets are only $15 each, and there is also a 50/50 draw and entertainment. Proceeds will help the Dauphin Royal Purple and the Manitoba Brain Injury Association.

It's time to prepare for one of Dauphin's biggest events of the year, as tickets are now on sale for Canada's National Ukrainian Festival.

Kayla Gillis, President of CNUF made the announcement earlier on Friday.

"We are very excited to announce that our day passes have officially gone on sale. You can purchase tickets now for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Our Friday passes will go on sale for $60 and Saturday and Sunday will both be $70."

Gillis also notes the line-up of performers will be coming in the next few weeks, and early prospects are promising a great show.

Purchasing tickets early is always a good practice. It not only shows organizers how many people are interested, but it also saves you money!

"As you guys all know, prices do go up at the gate. Starting just before the festival, which would be august 1st, the prices will go up. if you're looking for day passes, please get them in advanced."

You can purchase your tickets online at cnuf.ca, or by visiting the CNUF table at the Dauphin Kin Business Expo this weekend.

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival will return from August 2nd through 4th.

He has toured North America and around the world for around 40 years, and organizers of the Kin Club of Dauphin Business Expo are hoping to make him an annual guest of the event. 

Doodles the Clown, who is best known for his work on the Adam Sandler movie "Billy Madison" is among the entertainment lined up for this weekend's expo at the Parkland Recreation Complex. 

"We will keep the kids busy by doing some shows.  I have brought along a friend of mine who is a professional balloon artist, so we will be giving out free balloons to the kids - hats, swords, balloon dogs - you name it.  She can make anything in the world, and if she does not she says she can and she will try."

Doodles will have performances on both Saturday and Sunday at nnon, 2 and 4 pm on the stage in the curling rink, and will also be walking around throughout the weekend.

He is part of a strong lineup of performers, as organizer Candice Taylor explains.

"We have the Megan Bramley Memorial Steppers performing, as well as the MMF Indigenous Drumming Group.  There will be some Ukrainian Dancers hitting the stage on Sunday,  And we have a group coming in that has purchased a booth that will also be doing some CPR demonstrations." 

The Business Expo goes Saturday from 10-7 and noon to 5 on Sunday, with no admission cost to attend. 

CKDM's Alec Woolston and Justin Allin will be live on location at the Expo on Saturday.  

A Dauphin business on Main Street was the victim of theft earlier this week.

On the afternoon of April 17th, a report came into the RCMP of 2 men who'd stolen several electronics and fled in a black SUV, with a third suspect picked up shortly after.

The SUV was later stopped in Riding Mountain National Park, where the three suspects were arrested, and found to be carrying $12,000 worth of electronics.

Florin Chelu, 34; Remus Ion, 32; and Vasile Mazarche, 49 all face multiple theft charges and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime. They remain in custody at this time.

Officers continue to search for a fourth male suspect who is believed to be traveling back to Ontario in a 2011 black Chevy Equinox with an Ontario license plate of DAVB 271.

If you have info on this break-in or have spotted the Ontario-bound vehicle, call the Dauphin detachment a 204-622-5020, or Crimestoppers anonymously by phone or online.

The two men accused in the stabbing death of a man this past January in Swan River have had a new court date set,

40-year-old Tryone Guiboche and 29-year-old Dean Bell are both charged with manslaughter and are due back in court on June 5th. 

And a Swan River man arrested in connection with two break-ins at the same residence last September has also appeared in court again.

37-year-old Jeremy Gingras is accused of assaulting the homeowner and stealing items during both instances, and then vandalizing two parked vehicles and windows of a business, and is due back in Dauphin court on Monday.

Getting behind the wheel after getting intoxicated is something no one should do, but a CAA survey reveals many people ignore that fact.

This Saturday is the 20th of April, widely recognized by cannabis enthusiasts as "420", a celebratory day, and CAA ran a survey asking individuals about their habits of consuming cannabis (specifically edibles) and getting behind the wheel.

Ewald Friesen From CAA ran some of the numbers on this, which have changed substantially since legalization.

"This is important because we have a general rise in the amount of new people using cannabis. We also have a 36% increase in people who already do use cannabis using it a little bit more frequently due to its availability. Now, why that's important to road safety is because of these new users, edibles are often the preferred choice... we wanted to know if people are using this safely, and if they're using it behind the wheel"

According to the survey findings, at least 34% of people have tried cannabis for the first time in the wake of legalization.

The survey narrowed it down a bit more to people who identify as "cannabis-impaired drivers" and 27% of them said they consumed edibles before getting behind the wheel.

"The big issue here is that when it comes to edibles there's a lot of unknowns. It depends on your body type, and how you metabolize it, it can depend on how high your tolerance is. So what happens is folks will pop and edible, and they'll wait a couple of hours because they're concerned about safety, and then we'll get behind the wheel and then snap it kicks in."

The paradox of this survey was the statistics around the public perception of this problem. 

89% percent of respondents said driving high is a serious issue, but despite this fact, 67% of them also said they do it anyway.

Another thing that many of the survey takers were unaware of was the penalties. Driving high will net the same consequences as driving drunk.

That can range from suspensions, demerits, and in the case of an accident, criminal charges.

We all share the road, and everyone wants a good time. But make sure to make a plan, have a safe ride, and never drive under any influence.

To see more of CAA's findings on these topics, Be sure to visit caa.ca.

ne Parkland municipality is among 10 across the province that will be receiving funding to help improve emergency preparedness in the future. 

Mossey River Municipality is getting $13,108 towards the purchase of VHF Radios. 

Over $240 thousand dollars is being made available through the Mitigation and Preparedness Program through the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. 

Municipalities affected by spring flooding in 2023 were eligible to apply for this round of MPP funding. 

Since it ws launched in 2020, $3.7 million in MPP support has been provided to 120 projects across the province. 

McCreary is hosting the sweetest event of the season, as this weekend is the Manitoba Maple Syrup festival!

The festival features sugar bush tours, teaching people about maple syrup production, and according to Pam Little, The festival's President, so much more!

"In town, we have taffy on snow, no maple taffy which is a big hit. That's put on by one of our producers, Claude Desrosiers. we have a maple syrup pancake breakfast, which is a fundraiser for our Marlin's baseball, we have a makers market on saturday hosted by Burrows Trail Arts Council, and we have some children and youth activities hosted by Prairie Mountain Health and Dead Ox Trailblazers"

You can also expect to see a wide variety of live music and a delicious maple dessert competition, which will be served to the public after judging at the Maple Tea. 

Little notes that its a great bargain for a weekend too.

"The $5 pass, it's for the full 2 days. if just want to come to the market, it's $3, if you just want to come to the old-time dance its $10. But I mean it's a steal of a deal at $5 for the whole festival"

So if you're looking to sweeten up your weekend plans, you won't want to miss the Annual Maple Syrup Festival!

Tell your friends about the bus coming down the mountain.

Posted by McCreary's Manitoba Maple Syrup Festival on Tuesday, April 9, 2024

"Adventure From Here On Out" has been the slogan for Tourism Dauphin for a while now, and that mindset has not gone unnoticed.

Wednesday night, Dauphin's Economic development manager  Martijn Van Luijn was proud to accept the award for Marketing Campaign of the Year from Travel Manitoba

"It really says a lot about who we are. First of all, there's a lot to do here. The word 'Adventure' can mean a lot of different things. Whether it's culture, or sport, or festivals, or outdoors, whatever it may be. And 'From Here On Out' means we don't define ourselves by borders. There's so many things to do in our region, so why would we exclusively talk about dauphin? we promote everything!"

Untitled_design_-_2024-04-18T181905.487.jpg

Martijn humbly accepted this prize on behalf of the city, offering recognition to the team behind this project at city hall, and across the entire community.

"Campaigns like this are never done alone. we have a committee, representatives from the community, and industry. This is a joint effort and I'd really like to thank everyone that's been a part of it. It's been Awesome."

With a wildly busy summer ahead, there is sure to be much adventure in Dauphin, and across the Parkland.