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Last night, the Mountain View School Division held their budget meeting.
Bart Michaleski, secretary-treasurer, shares his thoughts on the budget.
“I think the draft budget, as we’ve proposed it, strikes a balance between meeting the needs of education in the division and trying to keep costs at a responsible level. I think overall, the decisions that we’ve had to make, while they’re tough, they have met our first goal and that is maintaining front line services.”
Overall MVSD’s revenues have increased by 708,726 dollars compared to this school year’s budget.
Michaleski says ratepayers will notice a change in how much they pay MVSD because property assessment values have gone up.
“We’ve seen an increase of 9 per cent on property assessments across the division and that’s not balanced increases. We know, again, similar to two years ago, that farm land property assessment has increased the most out of all of our assessment categories. So unfortunately, that sector will bear more of the cost of the levy increase.”
The MVSD mill rate has gone from 15.63 to 14.73, but due to property assessment increases, the school division expects to receive 463,425 dollars more than the 2019-20 budget.
Michaleski says the biggest change to the budget is an increase in the number of teachers by 3.
“We have, for whatever reason, seen enrollment growth. In the last two years, it’s increased 132 students, we’re projecting to be up a small amount next year, so over the course of a three year period, we could be up 140 students. So, we have been managing with staffing levels, but it’s been difficult.”
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Over 2 million contraband cigarettes were seized at multiple retail stores in Winnipeg on February 13.
Manitoba Finance’s Taxation Special Investigations Unit, along with the Winnipeg Police Service seized 2,050,300 cigarettes not marked for Manitoba Tax purposes.
This is the largest single seizure in the history of the Special Investigation Unit.
Along with the cigarettes, $93,230 in cash and two motor vehicles were also seized.
Two men and a female have now been charged and are facing significant fines.
Two of the accused have had prior convictions.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
11:10 am Update:
Gilbert Plains public works is currently working on the second water break today.
There's currently a disruption in water service while the break is being fixed and it isn't clear how long the disruption will be for.
The areas affected now are Findlater Avenue and every residence south of highway #5.
The municipality apologizes for any inconvenience this causes.
9:15 am Update:
The water main break is now only affecting residents of School Street S in Gilbert Plains.
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The south side of Gilbert Plains is experiencing a water main break.
Mike Steven, with Gilbert Plains, says it affects the residents that live between School St. and Heath Ave.
Expect disruptions in water pressure.
A boil water advisory is not in place at this time and there is no word how long the repairs will take.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
This Thursday is the Dauphin Ag Society’s Farm Outlook 2020.
John Gavloski, a provincial entomologist, will be presenting on the main insect threats from 2019.
“We’re going to be trying to forecast or project which of those could be threats in 2020. We’ll be focusing on three major insect pests from last year, flea beetles, grasshoppers, and cutworms. We’ll touch on three other insects that were minor concerns, bertha armyworms, diamondback moths, and thistle caterpillar.”
How bad the three major insects will depend on the weather and natural enemies. For grasshoppers, timely rains in their juvenile stage can be detrimental, for flea beetles, you would hope for quick growing conditions so the crop goes from seed to the stage of 3 or 4 leaves, and cutworms go through 3 or 4-year cycles where they’re bad until natural enemies catch up. Gavloski says last year was quite a bad year for cutworms and hopes we’ve peaked in that cycle.
Gavloski says there’s really nothing you can do to avoid the insects.
“But there are things they can do to reduce their risk, the biggest being, for all three of them, scouting. Make sure you start your scouting, for cutworms, you need to be starting as soon as your crop is coming out of the ground. One of the species that we had a lot of, last year, dingy cutworm, lives overwinter as a partially grown larva. So they will be feeding as soon as the crop starts germinating, so you need to be out there scouting early.”
Gavloski also recommends scouting early when it comes to dealing with flea beetles even though you may get three weeks out of your seed treatment. If it’s a very dry year, it’s harder for the seed treatment to get up into the seedling and the plant might start taking feeding damage much earlier.
For grasshoppers, scout around the field and pasture edges, areas with lush, green vegetation late last year, and start the scouting in late May or early June.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
We reported on Friday that the Dauphin Correctional Centre Coalition group received a letter from Justice Minister Cliff Cullen.
Larry Budzinski, a co-founder of the group, says the letter tries to provide the rationale for what he thinks is a very terrible decision.
“We don’t agree with the points made and we think it’s even misleading at some points. But none the less, that’s the minister’s stance. I think he misses the whole point of our request, which is why are we doing this in the first place? There’s a better way of doing this and we just need to slow down.”
Budzinski says while the group was at the mall Friday, they received unanimous support from across the region.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. People are upset and concerned about the decision, we don’t see it as being necessary at all, financially, socially, or any other reasons that the minister has said. We just think it’s bad and his letter just doesn’t address what we really requested.”
In the letter, Cullen said his office would reach out to set up a meeting and that meeting is happening on Thursday.
Budzinski says they’ll talk about why this is a terrible decision, why they should pause and work with the local partners in the region to build something innovative and creative, rather than destroy things.
“We’re quite willing, there are models out there, we’re convinced there are partners to build a correction wellness centre, treatment centre. There are plans that have been in the works for years, we have the land, there’s no reason to rush into this decision. Just put it on pause 'til we can plan and have the region move towards replacing this and not causing so much social and economic problems. I feel for the families involved, I feel for the businesses in town and a simple decision, he could just stop this now and put it on pause until we find something better.”
Budzinski says if you’re disturbed by the decision and think you can help out, email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Grand Rapids RCMP are investigating a fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision.
Yesterday around 6:50, the RCMP received multiple calls of a man walking in the middle of the road on Highway 6, north of Devil’s Lake.
While en route, officers were notified the man had been struck by a semi-trailer.
When the officers arrived on scene, a 29-year-old man from Cross Lake was pronounced dead.
It's believed that the driver of the semi-trailer, a 61-year-old man, was travelling south on Highway 6, when he was unable to avoid the pedestrian and collided with him.
Grand Rapids RCMP along with a Forensic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Yesterday we reported on the Dauphin Correctional Centre Coalition getting a response from Justice Minister Cliff Cullen.
A part of that letter said an agreement has been reached with the MGEU regarding the jobs at the DCC.
MGEU President, Michelle Gawronsky shares her thoughts.
“We’ve reached the best deal we could at this point. It’s still not an agreement that’s satisfactory to justice in Manitoba and what is needed. There is a jail and that healing centre is desperately needed in our province. The government has not reversed that decision, we’re still calling on the government to do that.”
Gawronsky says the deal provides options.
“Which range from displacing junior members in Dauphin according to the collective agreement, taking a position at another correctional facility if they choose to relocate, others are feeling they can’t do either, they’re going to be forced to leave the service, either through retirement or by accepting a permanent layoff. Like I said, this is not meeting the needs of justice, it’s not meeting the needs of the members, and it’s certainly not meeting the needs or having any consideration for the community.”
Gawronsky says that even though there’s an agreement in place for the jobs, they won’t give up in the fight to change the government’s decision.
“We will still call on this government to reverse that decision, maintain the jail in Dauphin, build the new jail and build the new healing centre as was promised. On Thursday, March 5th, we will be presenting the petition that has been signed by hundreds and hundreds of Manitobans to support this decision in reversing the government’s decision.”
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
A national recall is in effect for certain types of diabetes medications due to the concerns that it could be linked to cancer. The recall is for certain brands that contain metformin, one of the main drugs you would be prescribed to take if you were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The drug helps control blood sugar levels.
However, the recall doesn't affect customers who go through Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy or the Winnipegosis Clinic Pharmacy.
"We're definitely getting a lot of questions and we're monitoring the situation pretty closely," said Barret Procyshyn, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy and Winnipegosis Clinic Pharmacy. "We're happy to report that it doesn't affect the metformin that we use at both of our stores."
Some of the certain brands are linked to contain high levels of an organic compound called N-Nitrosodimethylamine or NDMA. Although the recall hasn't hit the WCP or DCP just yet, Barett can't confirm that it won't indeed in the future.
"There could be some shortages down the line, but that hasn't happened yet," continued Procyshyn. "We have seen this type of thing happen in the past where a certain type of medication is taken off the market somewhere and then right here at home."
Staff at the WCP and DCP has been instructed to order as much supply as possible so they don't run out.
"That's because Metformin is such a commonly used medication," he continued.
If you are on metformin and you're concerned about the shortage, it's recommended that you talk with your pharmacist so a plan can be made.
"Don't run out of your medication before you re-order it, that's really important," Procyshyn concluded.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin Correctional Centre Coalition group had sent a letter to Justice Minister Cliff Cullen to get more information about the closure of the jail.
In Cliff Cullen’s response, he says an agreement has been reached with the union regarding those with jobs at the DCC.
The province will be offering employment to the staff at the DCC and have a plan to support the staff who choose to relocate as well as those staying in Dauphin.
Cullen says the employees have been informed of all the options available to them and there’ll be support available for retraining if they choose to stay in the Dauphin area.
Cullen says he recognizes the significant impact that the DCC closure will have and that the government remains committed to assisting all the staff during this difficult time.
According to Cullen, a commitment has been made to work with the City of Dauphin, RM of Dauphin, and all the municipalities within the region to attract new investments to the Parkland and Dauphin.
In addition, Cullen says the government recognizes that Dauphin is a significant regional hub and will continue to be a major centre for delivering government services.
“That is why we have invested $47M in the City of Dauphin to build the new Emergency Department and the new MRI at Dauphin Health Centre. It is why we announced that we are opening a new Kidney Dialysis Centre in Dauphin. We will continue to make investments in the region to help Dauphin and the Parkland grow.”
Cullen finished the letter by saying his office will be reaching out to schedule an appointment with the coalition group.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Four years later, the RCMP still looks for answers in the missing persons case of Lorlene Bone, from Indian Birch First Nation.
Bone was 31-years-old when she went missing on February 29th, 2016 and on that day, she called her mother from Shoal River.
She is described as approximately 5’5” tall, 155 lbs with brown eyes and black hair, but was known to often dye her hair red or blonde.
Lorlene spent her last few days in Indian Birch First Nation, Swan River and Shoal River.
On February 25, 2016, Lorlene was in Indian Birch First Nation, on February 26, 2016, Lorlene was in Swan River and then headed to Shoal River, on February 27 or 28, 2016, Lorlene made a day trip to Swan River and then back to Shoal River, and on February 29, 2016, Lorlene was last seen in Shoal River.
The RCMP are urging anyone with information regarding Lorlene’s whereabouts to contact the Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Secure online tips can also be made at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Months of preparation and consultation has led to Manitoba deciding when to reveal their 2020 budget.
Wednesday, March 11, Finance Minister Scott Fielding will present the budget.
“We have compiled a fiscal plan for the year ahead that focuses on the issues that matter most to Manitobans,” said Fielding in a press release. “Our priorities continue to be making life more affordable in our province, while strengthening the public services they depend on and building a brighter future for all Manitobans.”
Fielding notes the province is still on the right track to lower the deficit, as the mid-year fiscal update for 2019-20 projected a lowered deficit of $350 million, slightly ahead of plan.
In the lead-up to the budget, the province spoke to 18,000 people across the province. Public meetings were held in Altona, Brandon Flin Flon, Gimli, Steinbach, Swan River, The Pas, Thompson and Winnipeg as well as stakeholder sessions and two telephone town hall forums.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
