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Premier Heather Stefanson was in Swan River yesterday to announce that a CT Scanner will be coming to the Swan Valley Health Centre.

The community raised over one million dollars towards bringing in the scanner, and the Provincial Government will be putting up the remaining two million. Stefanson spoke about the goal of bringing healthcare closer to home during an impromptu stop at the Parkland Chamber of Commerce Street Fair earlier today.

"We've always wanted to ensure that we have healthcare closer to home for everybody." Said Stefanson, "The community of Swan River came together and put some of their own funds together for it, and so we're just topping it up with our two million."

The Swan Valley Health Centre serves a population of 14,000 in the Swan Valley region. Currently, patients in the region are transported via ambulance or travel on their own to Dauphin, Brandon, or Winnipeg to obtain CT scans.

"It will help the entire Parkland Region I think as well." Said Stefanson, "What we don't want is people having to travel all the way to Winnipeg or Brandon, or elsewhere, we want to have the CT Scanner there for those to be able to get their diagnostics closer to home. We've had a challenge obviously, as people in other Provinces have across the Country with surgical and diagnostic backlogs so this will help alleviate the pressures on the waitlist."

 The announcement comes a day after Health Minister Audrey Gordon was in Dauphin to announce a Retinal Specialist Pilot Project.

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The Northwest Round Up and Exhibition returns to Swan River today and will go on until Sunday, July 31st.

The festival kicks off today at 4:30 p.m. with a barbecue, beer gardens, and chuckwagon & chariot races. There will also be a parade tomorrow at 10 a.m. and a pancake breakfast will take place at 7:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. In addition, there will be many events, activities and lots of food.

Austen Anderson, president of the Swan River Valley Ag Society, said that it's really special to people in the Valley.

"It's kind of like Swan River's weekend... People hold their family reunions this weekend and have people come and visit them... so to showcase our community and... have a big event like this, [that] makes me really proud," he added.

Anderson also said that only cash will be accepted at the gate and that admission will be $20 for adults, $10 for kids aged 5-12, and free for kids under 5.

The complete schedule of events can be found on the Swan River Valley Agricultural Society Facebook page.

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Although it won't be as intense as the heat wave that scorched Manitoba not too long ago, this weekend's forecast is calling for hot weather.

Because of this, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) wants to help you stay safe during extended periods of heat.

ECCC Meteorologist Terri Lang says that the effects of heat are cumulative and that it's important to stay out of the heat as much as possible.

"You can take a day of heat, but when it's a couple [of] days long and the temperatures aren't cooling off overnight, you don't get rested [and] your body can't recover, that's when the effects of heat start to pile up," she added.

According to Lang, people should seek air-conditioned spaces or go to places like pools and spray parks to cool off.

She also said that those who need to get work done outdoors should try to get it done in the morning or in the evening, since morning and evening temperatures are generally lower than afternoon temperatures, and that covering your skin with loose light-coloured clothing can also help.

Terri Lang then stressed that it's very important to stay hydrated and that people should drink as much water as they possibly can.

Furthermore, those without air conditioning in their homes are still able to get some relief from the heat, as well as the humidity.

"Get a bowl of ice and put it in front of a fan and have the fan [blow] on you. That will help. You can also put your feet into cold water or ice water. That will help cool you off," Terri Lang added.

She also said that people could try sleeping in the basement because, since cold air sinks, the lowest part of the house is generally the coolest.

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The Manitoba Government has announced the launch of a Retinal Specialist Pilot Project in Dauphin. Previously, the service this project will provide was only available in Winnipeg for Parkland residents.

“There was increased concern and anxiety expressed by our patients, particularly over the past two years, regarding travel to appointments in Winnipeg,” said Dr. Kara Vanderheyden, optometrist, Ashcroft Vision Care.

This project will bring a retinal specialist to Dauphin once a month to perform injections, a service that many had to travel to Winnipeg monthly to receive. The services will be provided at Ashcroft Vision Care, and Health Minister Audrey Gordon said there is an opportunity to expand services in the future.

"One of the reasons we're saying this is a pilot, and the pilot will initially benefit a certain number of individuals, is so that we can test demand, and look at how often we have to bring those specialists in," said Gordon outside Ashcroft Vision Centre this afternoon. "So in the pilot, it may be one day, but once the program is fully up and running it may be more."

Retinal specialists diagnose retinal diseases and treat a wide variety of eye conditions including age-related macular degeneration, hereditary diseases of the eye, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and cancers of the eye. The program will be able to serve 60 to 80 patients per visit.

"Not all patients have to have injections every month, so we should be able to accommodate most patients in this area from having to go to Winnipeg, that is the goal of this project." Said Dr. Vanderheyden

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The Winnipegosis RCMP has made an arrest in relation to the death of a 51-year-old man on Pine Creek First Nation on June 23rd.

40-year-old Sheryl Leeann Thompson has been arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder. She appeared in court in Swan River yesterday and was remanded into custody to appear in Dauphin court on August 9th.

On June 23rd, Winnipegosis RCMP responded to a report that a man had been stabbed at a residence on Pine Creek First Nation. When they arrived, they found the victim with life-threatening injuries. He was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

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A traffic stop in the 300 block of Railway Ave. in Dauphin on Thursday night led to RCMP finding cocaine and purple down. The Dauphin RCMP, along with the RCMP West District Crime Enforcement team made the traffic stop as part of an ongoing investigation.

A 31-year-old female from Dauphin was found to have approximately .66 grams of purple down and 2.77 grams of cocaine. Purple down is a highly dangerous drug that's a mixture of fentanyl, carfentanyl, often heroin, and can be cut with other drugs as well.

She was charged with Possession of Cocaine and Possession of a Controlled Substance, and has been released from custody with a court date.

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Provincial data shows that the water quality at beaches in the Parkland region is acceptable for recreational use.

The province's water quality testing shows that the levels of E. coli found in the water at Sifton Beach, Rainbow Beach and Ochre Beach are well below the acceptable limit of 200 E. coli per 100 mL. Moreover, there are currently no algae blooms at these beaches.

This comes in contrast to the high E. coli levels and algae blooms found at other beaches in the province. The water at Oak Lake Beach — which is located in the Westman region — had an unacceptably high level of Cyanobacteria caused by an algae bloom, whereas Spruce Sands Beach on Lake Winnipeg had to be closed on July 19th and 20th due to extremely high E. coli levels caused by a sewage spill.

According to the Manitoba Environment, Climate and Parks website, E. coli itself does not generally cause illness, but when it is present in large numbers, the risk of becoming ill from other organisms is elevated. It also said that in the presence of an algae bloom, swimmers should not swim in the water, drink the water or eat fish from it that appear to be unhealthy. In addition, boiling or chlorinating the water will not make it safe.

More information on the water quality at Manitoba beaches can be found here.

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The Parkland Chamber of Commerce Annual Street Fair and Dance returns tomorrow, and the chamber is excited to utilize its new location. According to Executive Director Stephen Chychota, there will be no overnight street parking on First Ave. NW tonight, because the setup starts first thing in the morning.

"I think utilizing the green space at CN park will be a really nice backdrop to it all." Said Chychota, "It provides a lot of shade, the grass is nice, it gives us an opportunity where we can put a lot of seating in there that you can into see the stage. I think the location will just be a really warm welcome and a great way to start street fair back up again."

Tune into the Al Morning show tomorrow as he broadcasts live from the street fair.

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The Winnipegosis RCMP is searching for a missing 15-year-old from Skownan First Nation. Liza Houle-Gambler hasn't been seen since early yesterday morning at her residence on Skownan First Nation.

She's described as 5’1”, 150 lbs with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a red, white, and blue Champion rain jacket, grey Champion sweatpants, a flowered shirt, and white sneakers.

If you have information on her whereabouts please call Winnipegosis RCMP at 204-656-7000, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or a secure tip online here.

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Feral pigs are an invasive species that contaminate water supplies, damage natural habitats, trample crops, carry disease, and reproduce extremely fast. That's why the province has been working to stay ahead of the issue since they were first spotted in the province.

"One thing I've learned since the launch of the campaign is that the problems probably bigger than we thought." Said MB Pork General Manager Cam Dahl, "They're in more locations than we had thought going in, and in that respect, the campaign is working."

The province is working to track, trap, and eradicate the pigs, and they continue to ask that people not hunt them. Hunting feral pigs spreads them out and makes them much harder for the province to track.

"We are trapping animals, and of course, those don't go back into the wild, so there is a level of eradication at this point." Said Dahl, "they're also reproducing at a rate that's higher than our eradication abilities at this point."

 If you see the signs of feral pigs, you can report it at the Squeal On Pigs website.

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Prairie Mountain Health has responded to a survey from the Angus Reid Institute showing that most Canadians across the country are dissatisfied with how their province is handling healthcare.

According to the survey, 83% of Manitobans feel that the provincial government is doing a poor or very poor job of managing healthcare in the province.

Brian Schoonbaert, chief executive officer of PMH, said that he was surprised by the results and that there are a number of issues that have come out because of the pandemic.

"We do now have surgical and diagnostic imaging backlogs that have to be dealt with. I know personally that the government is trying its very hardest to try to address those waiting lists and hope to... eliminate that backlog within a while, but anyone waiting for surgery or the like... obviously won't be happy with the current state," he added.

He also said that there is a doctor shortage, which is also being seen in other provinces.

"It's hard to find a family doctor... you won't necessarily find one right away, especially if you're in a small community," Schoonbaert added.

According to Schoonbaert, the labour shortage is contributing to issues within the health system and the province is working with the regions to help find and retain staff.

"Our staff have been demoralized [and] overworked during the pandemic. Many have had to... work a whole lot of [mandated] overtime... be redeployed to areas that they wouldn't otherwise have worked... Some staff are quitting or maybe not picking up additional shifts... That's not their fault. I'm not blaming them at all because they're burnt out and it's actually good for them to try to recuperate," he added.

Schoonbaert then went on to say that these staffing shortages are indeed contributing to some of their waiting lists and the temporary emergency department closures.

 Since the PMH region has a bunch of small remote communities, Schoonbaert believes that the best way to recruit new staff is to start young.

"[We want to] entice people to go into healthcare professions, to stay in their communities, to stay in their area of the province and that's really what is most sustainable for us and that has been proven over and over again," he said.

Schoonbaert also wanted to remind people to take advantage of Health Links-Info Santé, which helps give people advice on where to receive the appropriate care over the phone. That service can be reached at 1-888-315-9257.

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