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The government of Manitoba has announced that all provincial parks will be free throughout February.
Environment, Climate, and Parks Minister Jeff Wharton made the announcement today and says that winter is a season worth celebrating in provincial parks.
"Our government is pleased to make it easier for Manitobans to participate in invigorating, enjoyable winter experiences surrounded by our province’s natural beauty.”
Vehicle permits won't be required, however, Snopasses are still required for snowmobiles using trails. Trail users are also being reminded to only use trails for designated activities, keep dogs on leashes and practice the principles of “Leave No Trace.”
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
One of the many roads in our region to experience a washout last spring has been repaired.
Parks Canada says Highway 19 through the eastern portion of Riding Mountain National Park is now open for two-way traffic. Road work to repair damage from the severe weather during spring 2022 is complete, although there is still more work to be done later this year.
[Photo - a portion of Highway 19 leading to the east gate of RMNP]
In order to re-open Highway 19, new culverts were installed and replacements and repairs were made to existing culverts. There was also work done on the ditches and shoulders of the road.
The full release from Parks Canada is below. It can also be found here.
Manitoba Provincial Highway 19 in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) is now open for two-way traffic. Road work to repair damage caused by severe spring weather in 2022 is complete for the season. Parks Canada anticipates regular annual temporary road restrictions and closures this spring. Additional minor repairs and surfacing will be completed when road conditions permit in June, 2023. All road repairs and improvements are expected to be complete by August 2023. Parks Canada is looking forward to opening the road once the contract work is completed.
Completed repairs to Highway 19 include:
- Ditching and shaping of shoulders along with blading
- New culvert installations
- Replacements and repairs to existing culverts
Final work to be completed during summer 2023 include:
- Final site cleanup
- Compacting and stabilizing the road surface
- Supplying, loading, hauling, placing and compacting structural backfill materials
Spring road conditions for Highway 19 remain variable. To make the most of their Parks Canada experience, visitors are encouraged to plan their trip in advance. Temporary seasonal road restrictions and closures between April and June 2023 are expected. These dates are weather dependent and subject to change.
Parks Canada staff appreciates your patience as we complete this work. We look forward to having visitors and local community members once again be able to travel this scenic parkway route through the eastern portion of the park.
For updates on road closures and restrictions, visit https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/mb/riding/bulletins or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 204-848-7275.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Gypsumville RCMP responded to a fatal snowmobile crash in the community around 12:20 p.m. yesterday.
Officers, along with EMS attended the scene and determined that a 26-year-old from Pinaymootang First Nation was operating the vehicle. He had been traveling north when his snowmobile left the roadway and collided with a cluster of trees.
The operator wasn't wearing a helmet at the time of the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene. An investigation is underway.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
A man facing drug charges in Dauphin has pleaded guilty.
Josiah Yury was arrested on July 2nd, 2020 after the RCMP executed a search warrant at a property in the RM of Dauphin. During the search, officers found approximately 30 grams of cocaine, cannabis, ammunition, and bear spray.
Yury has been given a 15-month conditional sentence order, a 10-year weapons prohibition, and an order for DNA. The main conditions of the sentence include:
- Must abstain from all drugs and alcohol, including prescription drugs he does not have a prescription for;
- Must not attend a licensed establishment whose primary purpose is the sale of alcohol; and
- Attend any required counseling.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
UPDATE: The brief snow squall warning that was issued for the southern half of the parkland has ended. Snow is expected to continue throughout the day, however, tapering off this evening.
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Original article below:
Looks like we are in for some potentially heavy snow and strong winds today. Environment Canada has released a snow squall warning in effect for much of the Parkland. A snow squall is characterized as a sudden, moderately heavy snowfall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. They can make driving conditions very hazardous.
Click here to see current weather alerts in effect. More information from Environment Canada is below:
12:20 PM CST Thursday 26 January 2023
Snow squall warning in effect for:
- Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville
- Grandview Mun. incl. Valley River Res.
- Mun. of Roblin incl. Makaroff Shortdale and Bield
- Mun. of Russell-Binscarth incl. Gambler Res.
- R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River
- R.M. of Riding Mountain West incl. Asessippi Prov. Park
Brief, intense snowfall is expected. Visibilities will be rapidly reduced due to the heavy snow combined with blowing snow.
A warm front is moving through southeastern Saskatchewan and southwest Manitoba bringing heavy snow and strong winds with gusts up to 70 km/h.
Snow and blowing snow will cause visibility to be greatly reduced for a short duration.
Warning is likely to be extended eastward with frontal movement.
Prepare for quickly changing and deteriorating travel conditions. Visibility will be suddenly reduced to near zero at times in heavy snow and blowing snow. Travel is expected to be hazardous due to reduced visibility in some locations.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tweet reports using #MBStorm.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Manitoba Government has announced a $200,000,000 dollar Carbon Tax Relief Fund.
Premier Heather Stefanson made the announcement this morning, saying that the fund will help all Manitobans who lived in the province on December 31st, 2021, whose family net income that year was less than $175, 000.
This is the second round of affordability relief the provincial government has provided, with the initial package going out in the fall.
"Our initial affordability package focused on helping families with children address back-to-school costs and seniors with fixed or low incomes address inflation-related challenges,” said the premier. “Our new Carbon Tax Relief Fund will broaden access to support almost every Manitoban who has to drive to work, take their kids to activities or go out to buy groceries.”
Premier Stefanson says this is part of an $850,000,000 package that will also address financial pressures within the healthcare system, support Manitoba municipalities with targeted project funding, and help communities and industries recover.
The payments will be sent out automatically to eligible residents based on their 2021 income tax return. If your address has changed since you filed your return, you need to complete an online form before 9 a.m. on February 10, 2023.
Cheques will start to be sent out by the end of January, but the government says nearly 700,000 cheques will be sent out, so it could take up to six weeks for all payments to be mailed. More information about the payments, as well as frequently asked questions can be found here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
After a mild start to the year, a cold spell is on its way to Manitoba this weekend, with daily highs in the negative twenties, and lows dipping into the negative thirties.
Preparation is important when the temperature starts to dip, and one way to be ready for the extreme cold is an emergency preparedness kit in your car. CAA Manitoba Communications Manager Elisha Dacey says they aren't hard to put together.
"An emergency kit, obviously, is one of the most important things that you can have in your car. Some of the things that you might want to stock up on for the cold snap, make sure you have blankets, and you might want to throw an extra blanket or two in there. Candles, lighters, waterproof matches."
It's also a good idea to have a good pair of boots and mitts in your car as well says Dacey. Aside from what to put in your car before you hit the road, it's also important to plan ahead if you're making a long drive.
"I think it's the same in any kind of weather. First of all, you want to tell somebody where you're going. I know that a trip from Dauphin to Winnipeg is going to be fairly populated, its probably not going to be too big of an issue, but it doesn't hurt to have someone know where you're going."
Having a fully charged phone, and a full tank of gas is also key before heading out says Dacey.
"Make sure your cell phone is fully charged, I like to have an extra charger in my car at all times. Make sure of course that you've got gas, you never know when you'll run into that problem or not so fill up your tank, and make sure your emergency kit is in the back of your vehicle."
Ultimately, Dacey says if it's possible to stay home when we're experiencing extreme cold, it's a good idea to do so.
"When it gets this cold, we actually say stay home if you can. Avoid travel when it's this cold. Sometimes it's just not worth it and if you can avoid it, and reschedule something for another day, it's the same thing as when it snows heavily, sometimes the risk just isn't worth it. But if you do have to drive, take your time, drive to the conditions, make sure that cellphone's fully charged, and make sure you let someone know when you're going."
CAA has a number of winter driving tips, and advice on battery maintenance in the winter at their website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The City of Dauphin will be closing part of Mountain Road tomorrow to repair a water main leak. The road will be closed to all traffic between 2nd Ave. NE and 3rd Ave. NE(in front of the DRCSS) starting at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 26th.
The entrances and exits to the DRCSS parking lots will still be open while work is being done.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce has a unique opportunity for you to get away for little while.
They are offering a chance for you to go on a guided 9-day tour of Portugal in October. On the trip, you will visit places like Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, as well as Nazare (known for surfing and massive ocean waves), Obidos, Batalha, Fatima, and more.
There are many different activities and tours you can take part in, but if you want to go off on your own and explore, you can do that too.
"For the most part, it's kind of 'go-at-your-own-pace' ... there's 8 cities you'll be visiting and so you'll be taken to see the city, explore some things, and there's some free time for people to explore whatever they want," explained Stephen Chycota, Executive Director of the Parkland Chamber of Commerce.
It is also important to note that the trip is not for Chamber-related purposes and it is open to everyone, not just Chamber members. It is purely meant to be an enjoyable vacation for you and anyone you bring along. That being said, you can bring someone who is not from our area, but you will have to make arrangements with the travel company for the person to meet the group at one of their stopovers before flying to Portugal.
Chycota says they tried to organise a similar trip in 2019 but then 2020, and the covid pandemic, came along and changed things. The Chamber hopes with less travel restrictions these days, and people becoming more comfortable with travelling again, that they can pack the tour and offer people a wonderful experience.
"Hopefully this becomes an annual thing and we can explore the world together," said Chycota.
There are 4 people already signed up for the trip. Click here for more information. The deadline to get registered and pay for the trip is June 17th.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Weeks after he was reported missing, the remains of James Vernon Giesbrecht, a 37-year-old man from Brandon were identified earlier this month.
Back in October, Blue Hills RCMP responded to an area on the outskirts of the City of Brandon in the RM of Cornwallis. Officers located human remains when they arrived and an investigation was launched.
Over the course of the past four months, investigators have worked closely with a Forensic Anthropologist from Brandon University as well as the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to identify the remains and determine a cause of death.
Two months after the remains were found in October, James was reported missing on December 12. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
“We believe a number of people encountered and interacted with James in late September and early October,” said Cpl. Julie Courchaine of the Manitoba RCMP. “We need those people to immediately come forward and call the Tip Line at 1-431-489-8110. These individuals likely have vital information about his movements and acquaintances during that time that could significantly help the investigation.”
Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen James in late September or early October to contact the RCMP by calling the Major Crime Services Tip Line at 1-431-489-8110.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
An arrest has been made in a seven-year-old homicide investigation.
On January 4th, 2016, the Virden RCMP received a report of an infant in medical distress on the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, and they were told that the child had been taken to the hospital. The two-month-old female was in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital.
On January 23rd, 2016, the girl succumbed to her injuries, and the death was deemed to be a homicide. RCMP Major Crimes Services began an investigation to determine who was responsible for the death.
In April 2022, police received new information, that advanced the investigation and led to charges being approved. Yesterday, Police arrested 32-year-old, Keifer Mecas, of Brandon, and charged him with Manslaughter.
He was released for a court appearance scheduled for March 6, 2023, in Brandon. The investigation is ongoing.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
