Whitmore Student Awarded Best Poem

A 4th-grade student at Whitmore School was awarded 1st prize provincially in a Canadian Legion literary contest.

Austin Luke wrote a poem centred on Remembrance Day and submitted it to the Canadian Legion last fall. Austin’s poem beat out all other 4th and 5th grade students in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. As part of her award, Austin received $50.

Now, Austin’s poem will be sent to Ottawa to compete against the other regional winners to declare a national winner.

The national winner will be invited to celebrate Remembrance Day this year in Ottawa as well as $250.00

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: May 8, 2019 - 5:16 am

Allen Dowhan spoke about the State of the City at today’s Dauphin Chamber Luncheon.

The city continues to maintain sustainable spending.

Dauphin mayor, Allen Dowhan attributes that to the number of grants they apply for, both provincially and federally.

He also gave some praise to the labour force and staff at city hall.

Dowhan reminded everyone about the ways they are improving the emergency services such as the upgraded fire truck that will be arriving in October.

They are also adding a new member to the Dauphin RCMP to focus on drug intelligence and trafficking, they are adding this member from a successful piolet project that took place this past year.

Dauphinites can look forward to the construction of the hotel and restaurant in the south end and the service road being finished up.

The city is going to keep going with green initiatives such as solar panel installations on city shops, a house that will rely almost fully on solar electricity, and the Vermillion Growers’ Greenhouse project.

More bike trails are being added to the Co-op Community Family Trails near the Selo site.

Dowhan emphasizes working in the community together and together as a region.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: May 7, 2019 - 4:12 pm

The Dauphin and District Food Bank have helped so many people in Dauphin and all around the Parkland when they’re in need, and now you can help them.

They are looking for the following items:

Canned Soup
Pork & Beans
Canned Meat
Pasta & Sauce
Soda Crackers
Kraft Dinner

You can drop off any of these items at the Food Bank which is inside Parkland Crossing and every single donation can make a big difference in someone’s life.

“It’s always very important to us. We also get monetary donations, so we take that money and go out and buy food to give out,” said Robin Gambler, Chair of the Food Bank. “We have very large intakes so even when our shelves are full, they empty quite quickly.”

The next intake will be on May 9 and they will give three days of food to the people who qualify for the support.

You are required to bring your health card to each intake and you are eligible as long as there is no Food Bank in your community. The intake will begin at 5:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 4:30.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: May 7, 2019 - 1:14 pm

Earl Oxford School in Brandon has lifted a lockdown that was initiated this morning.

At around 9:30 the Brandon Police Service arrived at the school after a woman who was unknown to the staff was inside the school. The woman said she was being chased and threatened by someone with a weapon.

When police arrived the woman had been contained in the office and after the school was cleared, no threat was found.

It was determined that the woman was suffering from mental health issues, which was confirmed by her family and police do not believe anyone was chasing her.

She was removed from the school to receive medical assistance.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: May 7, 2019 - 12:43 pm

Early this morning before 3, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to a structure fire south of Dauphin.

Fire Chief Cam Abrey says all occupants of the house got out safely.

The house is located about three miles south of Dauphin right along Highway 5 and 10.

The fire originated in the roof of the garage before spreading to the house, the garage roof has completely burned off.

The fire took two hours to be put out and firefighters stayed on scene until 8 am to make sure the fire didn’t start up again.

It has been determined the fire was accidental and electrical in nature.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: May 7, 2019 - 11:13 am

The City of Dauphin held a public hearing to discuss the 2019 Financial Plan last night at City Hall.

City Manager Sharla Griffiths laid out what money will be spent and where. She stated that there wouldn’t be any program cuts, and the city would continue to focus on green initiatives. Those initiatives include building a compost site and implementing a solar energy system at the city shop.

The adjustments to the budget include a 1.9% increase towards protective services. This increase is to allow a 15th RCMP officer to help combat the gang and drug problem. Also, part of the protective services budget is allocated to the Dauphin Fire Department for new equipment including two dash cameras, a new radio system, and new SCBA’S, helmets and boots.

There is also an increase in spending on transportation services. The budget for public works will increase by 7.9% which includes around $1 million dedicated to the maintenance of roads and sidewalks. The budget also allows the city to conduct a drainage study for the south end of Dauphin.

The city’s recreational and cultural centres will see an increase in grants. The WAC, Fort Dauphin Museum, Parkland Regional Library will all see more funding totalling up to a 3.1% increase.
Overall, the 2019 Financial Plan is supposed to lower the city’s debt by almost $50,000 and see the reserve fund for the city grow to almost $8 million.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: May 7, 2019 - 8:54 am

The annual State of the City Address took place today at the Aspen Lodge in the Parkland Rec Complex.

Mayor Allen Dowhan spoke about the successes over the past year for Dauphin, and what things look like for the future. The event is always highly attended and looked forward to.

Several CKDM staff were there to cover the event. For ticket availability for future chamber luncheon events, call the Dauphin Chamber at 204-622-3140, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: May 7, 2019 - 5:43 am

As the summer approaches and temperatures climb more and more bugs become prevalent. One of those bugs is ticks, which are spreading and now pose risks to six provinces, say some experts.

Ticks used to be a small problem in our country due to our cold climate, but as Canada gets warmer, the tick problem grows. Ticks survive for longer and spread farther than they used to. Six provinces now have tick problems, including Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and BC.

Southern Canada has warmed in recent decades, making it a suitable place for ticks to set up shop. That’s why the southern areas of those six provinces will see more and more ticks. Cities like Winnipeg, Brandon, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and Toronto, among others are at risk. The ticks that are in BC are of a different species but are still concerning.

Lyme disease poses the biggest risk when it comes to ticks. In the past decade, Lyme disease cases have grown substantially. In 2009, there were 144 reported cases of Lyme disease as opposed to the 2025 cases in 2017.

Lyme is a disease that is spread once ticks attach themselves to the body. Ticks ideally want to latch on for 72 hours before falling off.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include a bullseye-shaped rash, fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain, as well as swollen lymph nodes. If left untreated, it can cause more severe problems like heart problems, facial paralysis, and arthritis.

The most effective way of preventing Lyme disease is to avoid being bitten. Wearing long sleeves and pants and using bug sprays with DEET are helpful methods to prevent tick bites.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: May 7, 2019 - 5:14 am

UPDATE:

Dauphin's Raelene Parenteau has been safely located.

The RCMP thank the public and media for their assistance.

------

Winnipegosis RCMP were notified of a missing female around 5 pm on April 14^th.

22-year-old Raelene Parenteau, from Dauphin, was last seen by family members in Duck Bay on April 5^th.

It’s believed she was heading to Winnipeg.

Raelene is described as Indigenous, 5' 4", 160 lbs, with brown eyes, light brown hair and a "Ceaira" tattoo on her right arm.

Police and her family are concerned for her well-being.

If you have any information in regards to her whereabouts, contact the Winnipegosis RCMP at 204-656-7003, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Details: Contributed by With files from Darnell Duff; Published: May 6, 2019 - 2:29 pm

Brandon University now has a new leader. Dr. David Docherty is the new President and Vice-Chancellor at BU.

"It means an awful lot to me and it's an incredible honour to do so," said Dr. Docherty. "I think BU is a great university with a fantastic past and a wonderful future and it's a real treat to be leading it. My wife and I look forward to spending the next number of years in Manitoba."

Dr. Docherty started his new role last Wednesday and BU is the third university he's been at. He was the President at Mount Royal University from 2011 up until he accepted the position at BU. Prior to that, he was at Wilfrid Laurier University.

He holds a PhD in political science. Despite being in Brandon for a very short period of time, Dr. Docherty has immersed himself right into the community.

"I had a couple of meetings and I spent the first afternoon at the bar on campus and I let everyone know I was going to be there," added Dr. Docherty. "I was able to open up my computer once but I didn't have the chance to check my emails because there was a constant stream of people coming to visit and introduce themselves. It was a very, very warm welcome."

With a couple of days now under his belt, Dr. Docherty is ready to get things going.

"BU is a very mature university in terms of its research profile and it's course offerings," added Dr. Docherty. "I certainly welcome the opportunity to engage and increase our offerings and I look forward to leading the university in some exciting directions,"

Spending time at the university and leading BU isn't the only thing Dr. Docherty will enjoy doing during his time in Brandon. His wife and he have two 75-85 pound dogs that they walk every single morning.

"That's something that I certainly enjoy doing every single morning, it's a fantastic way to start the day," said Dr. Docherty. "We are also avid sports fans so I think the community can expect us to be at a lot of Bobcat games. I also like to curl up with a good book, so that's a few of the things we enjoy doing during our free time."

David takes over for Dr. Gervan Fearon after he left BU in 2017. Dr. Steve Robinson has been the Interim President since that time.