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Mayor Allen Dowhan is expressing his frustration with the provincial government’s decision to move forward with the jail closure during the pandemic.
The mayor requested to meet with Justice Minister Cliff Cullen to discuss ending the closure, and the City of Dauphin even offered $1 million to help cover the costs of revamping the jail.
Mayor Dowhan says he still hasn't heard back from the Justice Minister's office.
The only response he’s received is a letter from the Minister, which appears to indicate there will be no budging on the official May 29th closure date.
He says the decision is disappointing for the employees, who now have to uproot families.
The Mayor is still encouraging local groups to continue their lobbying efforts.
“I have a lot of appreciation for the groups and individuals that are writing [the province]. Keep on lobbying the government. We want to make the message clear: this is the wrong decision at the wrong time.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Public Health Officials have announced 1 new case of COVID-19 in Manitoba.
The total number of cases is now 255.
The total number of cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region remains at 13.
The number of COVID-19 related deaths remains at 6.
At this time, there are 99 active cases in the province, and 150 people are recovered.
Dr. Brent Roussin reminds Manitobans that just because there's a lower number of cases doesn't mean our risk is lower.
"I want to continue to thank all Manitobans for following Public Health orders, but again, caution that our low numbers should not indicate that our risk is lower. COVID-19 is still in Manitoba. We still see this virus circulating. It's circulating in all health regions at this point."
For the most up to date information, and to access the online screening tool, visit Manitoba.ca/covid19.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Organizers of Dauphin’s Countryfest have adjusted the festival dates for 2021.
Last week it was announced this year's festival would be postponed, and organizers set the 2021 festival date to happen in late June.
The organization has decided to move the 2021 festival dates to July 1 – 4, 2021.
Festival general manager Rob Waloschuk says organizers are confident the adjusted date will work best for all parties involved.
“Over the past few weeks, we have been working diligently on all of the details related to postponing the event. Throughout this process and ongoing consultation with artists, volunteers, service providers and fans, we have decided to adjust the dates towards the July long weekend. Some of our ongoing discussions have been with other Manitoba event organizers who find themselves changing their plans to next year as well”.
With the dates now set for 2021, Countryfest will honour all tickets purchased for the 2020 event in 2021.
More information and ticket details will be sent out to all ticket holders later this week.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
To minimize the impact to highways from damage during spring thaw conditions, Riding Mountain National Park has implemented spring weight restrictions on vehicles.
On highway 19 through the park, vehicle weight restrictions of 6006 lbs or 2730 kg are in place and will be enforced.
As an approximate guide, the largest vehicle allowed would be an empty three-quarter-ton truck or a loaded half-ton truck.
This limit will be in effect until road and weather conditions permit restrictions to be lifted.
The restrictions for highway 10 are a little bit different.
The highway will be closed to heavy truck traffic, three axles or more, within the boundaries of RMNP.
Advance signage will be posted to allow alternative routes to be used. RMNP advises that in order to ensure compliance there will be unscheduled enforcement of these restrictions.
Vehicles with three axles or more will be allowed access to the townsite, the Parks Canada Maintenance Compound, and the Clear Lake Golf Course from the south entrance of the park only for delivery purposes.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Manitoba West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team and the Dauphin RCMP executed a search warrant at a house on 4th Avenue SW in Dauphin, Sunday night around 9:15.
The RCMP seized crack cocaine, a large sum of cash, a cash counting machine, and a .30-06 calibre rifle.
A 26-year-old man from Dauphin was arrested and faces several drug and firearm charges.
He was released on an undertaking and will appear in court on June 23, 2020.
The Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team focuses on intelligence-based investigations into drugs, rural property crime and serious, prolific offenders within our communities.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Dauphin’s City Council meetings have been going virtual as a precaution during the pandemic.
Last night’s meeting was live-streamed on Youtube and the City of Dauphin Facebook page. You can watch the meeting in full here.
One item on the agenda was a letter from Justice Minister Cliff Cullen regarding the closure of the Dauphin Jail.
Mayor Dowhan called the letter “a very disappointing response from the minister”, and explains that an in-person meeting was requested with the Premier and Justice Minister’s office, however, the letter was the only response.
The Mayor encourages local groups to continue their lobbying efforts to “make sure government hears our concerns” on this issue.
Another item up for discussion was a life-size monument of a woolly mammoth at the Fort Dauphin Museum. The idea is to educate children on what these mammals looked like when they were alive over 10,000 years ago.
The Accommodation Tax (a 5% tax per night on hotel stays and accommodations) was read for a 2nd and 3rd time and scheduled to be in effect as of January 1st, 2021.
The next Dauphin City Council meeting will take place on Monday, May 4th.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Planning for the McCreary Fair and Rodeo was totally sidetracked by COVID-19.
McCreary Agricultural Society treasurer Debbie Johnson explains the decision to postpone the fair came down to sponsorships.
“With the virus, we couldn’t go ahead with the planning. There’s also the aspect of the sponsors. We can’t ask businesses to sponsor us if they’re hurting financially with this going on.”
Debbie says the annual Mother’s Day trail ride has also been cancelled for this year. She says planners are looking to reschedule the trail ride later in the summer.
When it comes to the idea of rescheduling the Fair and Rodeo later in the summer, Debbie says it’s not very likely.
“I can’t see that being feasible because it costs a lot of money to put on a rodeo. We have to have a stock contractor come in; that’s thousands of dollars. We look for sponsorship for that, and this year I don’t see it being feasible.”
The McCreary Fair and Rodeo was originally scheduled for June 13th and 14th. Organizers have postponed it until next year.
The McCreary Agricultural Society want to thank all of their sponsors for their support.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Staff from the City of Dauphin will be holding another virtual council meeting tonight.
The meeting will be live-streamed on Youtube. You can tune in at 5 p.m. by clicking here.
One item up for discussion is a request from the Fort Dauphin Museum to erect a Woolly Mammoth monument.
Council will also review a letter from Justice Minister Cliff Cullen, regarding the closure of the Dauphin Correctional Centre (DCC).
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Dr. Brent Roussin has announced one additional case of COVID-19 in our province today. Roussin also announced that a sixth death has been reported, a woman in her 80s.
The increase brings the total number of lab-confirmed positive and probable cases in Manitoba to 254.
- Eight individuals are currently hospitalized, five of which are in intensive care.
- 144 individuals have recovered from COVID-19 while there are currently 105 active cases.
260 tests were done yesterday at the Cadham Provincial Lab and since early February, a total of 20,012 have been conducted.
13 cases are confirmed within Prairie Mountain Health. As of April 19th, the Dauphin drive-thru COVID screening site has tested 152 people. A total of 745 people have been tested at both PMH screening locations (in Brandon and Dauphin).
In other news regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Manitoba government has extended the current state of emergency for another 30 days and expanded testing has started in the province.
Premier Brian Pallister had this to say earlier.
"While Manitoba's case numbers appear to be low, that doesn't mean the risk of COVID-19 is low," he offered.
Critical service workers who are symptomatic along with their family members can now be tested.
They are also focusing on testing the following individuals:
- Travellers returning to Manitoba.
- Someone who came in close contact with a confirmed case.
- Lab workers who have worked with COVID-19 tests.
- Health-care workers.
- People who live and work in the north, isolated or group settings, correctional facilities, shelters, long-term care or residential facilities or remote work camps.
- First responders.
- Workers or volunteers at workplaces that have been identified as essential services.
- Any symptomatic person who lives with a health-care worker, first responder or worker in a congregate setting such as a correctional facility, shelter, long-term care or residential facility.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links-Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll-free) at 1-888-315-9257 to be screened to see if a test is required.
For up-to-date information on community screening sites, visit COVID-19.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a serious off-road collision on Peguis First Nation.
Around 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 18th, Fisher Branch RCMP received a report of a collision on East Road on the Peguis First Nation
The 62-year-old man from Peguis was wearing a helmet when he lost control of the ATV.
Visibility is believed to be a factor in the collision.
Fisher Branch RCMP say the man remains in critical condition, and they continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
For the third week in a row in Dauphin, gas prices haven’t changed from 74.9 cents per litre.
Provincially, gas prices fell 0.8 c/L, averaging 70.31 c/L. Meanwhile, the national average increased by 1.5 c/L this past week to average 77.79 c/L.
Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy wasn’t surprised in the slight change in overall gas prices.
"The situation, while astonishing for motorists, is creating deeper and larger wounds in Canada's economy as Western Canadian Select crude oil trades for just a few dollars per barrel. With the wounds to the oil industry growing deeper, it's becoming more likely that even after most Canadians return to work, there will be a hangover to the low prices that many motorists will eventually be able to take advantage of for not just days but weeks and perhaps months."
Including the change in gas prices in Manitoba during the past week, prices yesterday were 57.9 c/L lower than the same day one year ago.
Dauphin’s gas price of 74.9 c/L is higher than the average price of 72.70 c/L in Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg’s price of 66.60 c/L.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
