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The leader of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is leaving his role temporarily to “heal” just days after being accused of inappropriate communication with a younger woman.

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas strongly denied the accusations that he used a fake Facebook account to chat with the woman but admitted to having other communications with her.

Grand Chief Dumas said he will be taking a short leave of absence to receive counselling and professional sensitivity training to ensure further communications are more formal.

Dumas is just short of his second year the helm of the AMC, which advocates for 62 First Nations in Manitoba. He is being accused of sending messages to a woman from a Facebook account with the name of Charles Forbes. The woman has been described as a 22-year-old woman, which would make her two decades younger than Dumas.

The woman is not being named because the allegations haven’t been verified.

Dumas says the allegations are part of a manufactured political smear.

He admitted he was in contact with the woman, saying he was following up on advice that she had asked for. He also admitted that his communications haven’t always been professional, but denied that he was pursuing intimate relations with the woman.

Dumas has been Chief of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation for a decade and has prided himself on being available to his community at all times.

The Grand Chief added that the leave of absence will help him deal with his traumas, but did not specify. His son, who had cystic fibrosis, died this year.

The Chief of Black River First Nation, Sheldon Kent, will take over Dumas’ responsibilities.

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The Eclipse Water Co-op received test results from the water that is sure to please residents.

The boil water advisory has ended.

The boil water advisory had been in effect since Tuesday.

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This morning at 7:45 the Dauphin Co-op celebrated 80 years by having Blake and Colleen Johnson take part in the 80-second shopping spree.

Blake shares how it felt when they found out they won the contest to do the shopping spree.

“We were really surprised. Co-op has been very meaningful to our family. With our kids, we’re a 4th generation of Co-Op shoppers and we just love the store.”

Blake says he took some time to form a strategy before starting the shopping spree.

“I had walked it beforehand and walked with my kids and they told me everything they wanted. So it was that and run as fast as I could.”

Blake was the runner for Colleen and their 4 kids, and he gives the rundown of what they picked up.

“My kids wanted cupcakes. I got a lot of meat for our family, there were different meat products that our kids like, we got some toilet paper of course because everyone needs that, and peanut butter for our family.”

Everything came to a total of $374.58.

He had one last thing to add.

“We just want to say thank you to Co-Op for this opportunity.”

If you’d like to see his run through the Co-op click here.

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Sections of Davidson Avenue East from Barker Street to Valour Road will be closed to traffic beginning today, Friday, July 12 to Friday, July 19 to replace valves and reline the water main. 

Be prepared to detour.

 

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The Gilbert Plains - Grandview Agricultural Society Fair and Rodeo starts today.

This year’s fair features the Manitoba Chuck and Chariot Association which means there will be more races than in years previous.

Marsha Boese with the GP-GV Ag Society says that the weekend promises to be entertaining for the whole family. There will be bouncy castles and a petting zoo for the kids, and beer gardens for the adults.

People can also experience the excitement of the rodeo with bull riding, barrel racing, and steer wrestling. 

 

The fan favourite Party in the Dirt takes place Saturday night with the Cameron Campbell Band.

There will also be lawnmower races today and Sunday.

The fair and rodeo kicks off with the parade at 3:00 pm. As well, the Al Morning Show is live from Gilbert Plains this morning starting at 8.

For more information and a full schedule of events go to the Ag Society’s website.

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This morning at 7:45 the Dauphin Co-op is holding an 80-second shopping spree for a family to celebrate their 80th year in the community.

For a chance to win the shopping spree, contestants had to submit a story about how the Dauphin Co-op has affected their lives.

Joan Chetyrbok says they plan to share some of those stories throughout the year and give out more prizes.

Colleen and Blake Johnson won the prize for tomorrow’s shopping spree.

There is no limit on how much food the family can put into the cart.

Chetyrbok says since they’ve done shopping sprees like this before, you never know when another one will occur.

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Earlier in the week, we reported a boil water advisory for the Eclipse in Dauphin.

That advisory is still in effect for the Meadowlands Division until further notice.

The Eclipse Water Co-op is hoping for water test results soon.

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There are thousands of encounters between bears and humans every year in Manitoba alone. Hundreds of which happen inside the Riding Mountain National Park. That means the next time you drive through the park, there's a good chance you could encounter one.

When you're in a car, you're completely safe. There are some tips to keep in mind when you go camping next time.

"You should always make sure attractants are secure, so in your vehicle, a sturdy building, or a bear-resistant container," said Janine Stewart, Human-Wildlife Conflict Biologist with Manitoba Sustainability. "Bears are very motivated by their stomach and attracted by their nose."

If you do encounter a bear and you're not in your vehicle, it's very important to remain calm at all times.

"We always tell people to stop, remain calm, and assess the situation. If a bear isn't even aware of your presence, you can just back away and go the other way," continued Stewart. "If a bear is aware of your presence and it's showing signs of aggravation, like swatting at the ground or something like that, it shows they're stressed by your presence. At that point, you should talk quietly to the bear and assure them that you're not a problem."

If a bear does approach you, there could be a reason. You may be wearing strong smelling cologne or you may have something in your pocket with a scent. The bear may also be curious, or even predatory.

"A black bear being predatory is very, very rare. In that case, you want to step to the side and allow the bear to just pass you," said Stewart. "If the bear continues to follow you, you have to get more assertive and aggressive and basically, assure the bear that you are a potential threat and someone they shouldn't pursue."

If the bear continues to show aggression and even starts to attack you, you should go for his vulnerable spots. Those spots include anywhere on the face.

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The Gilbert Plains - Grandview Ag Society fair and rodeo starts tomorrow.

Jack Bremner, director of the Gilbert Plains - Grandview Ag Society says they’re looking for more volunteers because they couldn’t do the fair and rodeo without the over 200 volunteers. 

"We're getting set up here and we're having trouble getting some volunteers to fill positions. It's getting pretty thin, we have some people who are up there in age and they can't do what they used to and we need some young people to come volunteer and help us out."

They could use some volunteers for the kids pedal tractor pull, and this afternoon at 1 they have to put up the beer garden tent and they’d like some help to make that happen quickly.

You can contact Bremner’s wife at 204 648 4650, she’s looking for people to sell 50/50 tickets, you can talk to any board member, they’ll find something for you, or you can call Jack himself at 572-4268.

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The Ste. Rose Grotto & Restoration Committee is looking for volunteers this Saturday to assist in the restoration of the Grotto.

"We have stone-masons working right now and there's prep work that needs to be done before putting in the new grouting," said Rene Maillard. "We're asking for people to help in assisting chipping away some of the existing grouting."

No experience is needed, but you are asked to bring safety goggles and gloves. There is no set amount of time that you have to volunteer, you can come and go as you please. You can begin volunteering at 9:00 a.m.

"It's very simple work and the people already working there have the proper tools," added Maillard. "If you have some spare time on your hand, it would be much appreciated. The workers there will gladly tell you what needs to be done."

There will also be a lunch served around 12:00 p.m. If you can't make it on Saturday, you can volunteer anytime throughout the week. All you have to do is check if the stone-masons are there.

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The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority says that everyone sent to hospital by yesterday's carbon monoxide leak at a Super 8 hotel on Portage Avenue will recover just fine.

Emergency crews were alerted to the leak by a carbon monoxide alarm in the hotel`s boiler room just after 10 am; which led to an evacuation of all 52 occupants of the hotel, including a dog. 46 of the occupants, including 2 children, were transported to hospital.

According to Winnipeg's Fire Paramedic Service; 15 people were initially listed as critical due to high carbon monoxide readings in their blood. Readings at the hotel itself came in at 385 parts per million. Carbon monoxide levels become dangerous at 10-20 parts per million.

As well as several emergency crews, Manitoba Hydro was quick to respond by shutting off gas lines and ventilating the hotel.

The City of Winnipeg said the building has been completely ventilated and carbon monoxide levels are back to 0.

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