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Stonewall RCMP are investigating a Stony Mountain Institution homicide.
On Saturday, a 27-year-old man was stabbed during an altercation with three other inmates.
The man received life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene later on.
Three males have been arrested and charged in relation to the incident.
31-year-old Stephen Wilfred Wood has been charged with second-degree murder, 36-year-old Stephen Michael Konowalchuk has been charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and 27-year-old Adrian Joseph Sefa has been charged with assault.
Officers from the Stonewall Detachment, along with RCMP Major Crime Services, are continuing the investigation.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The government of Manitoba is investing in a number of health care initiatives as they partner with the federal government.
The two governments announced the bilateral agreement on home and community care, and mental health and addiction services.
Some of the initiatives include enhancing supports for rural palliative care and increasing access to co-ordinated care for mental health and addiction services.
The provincial government will invest federal funding of around $182 million over five years.
“The Government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively with the provinces and territories to ensure that Canadians have timely access to the health-care services they need,” said Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr.
Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living Cameron Friesen says the agreement will help build on initiatives already being undertaken to improve mental health and addictions services. It will also improve home care services that Manitobans increasingly need as the population gets older.
Other initiatives include implementing peer support in formal health-care settings for patients with mental health and addiction issues and developing intensive, community-based home care and supports to help avoid hospitalizations and long-term care admissions.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Protected bike lanes are being installed in Dauphin.
The 4 kilometres of bike lanes will increase safety for children on bikes.
The project is being called the Safe Schools Route. The purpose is to connect all the schools in the city within a few blocks by bike lanes.
Steve Sobering, community energy manager for the City of Dauphin, says the first phase of the project should be completed in a few weeks. The rest of the project will be completed next year.
According to Sobering, one of the biggest criticisms for bike infrastructure is, we don’t see cyclists so why should we build infrastructure for them.
“The reason you don’t see cyclists is that cyclists don’t feel safe. If you have children or you’ve ever been in my scenario where you’re teaching your kid how to ride a bike, you’ve got a couple of kids behind you ‘ducky’ style and you’re travelling anywhere, there’s a high level of anxiety when you’re interacting with traffic and cars. The issue becomes it’s very obvious that sidewalks are for pedestrians, roads are for motorists and cyclists aren’t welcome in either of the spaces.”
The bike lanes can also be utilized by seniors on mobility scooters.
You can find out more by clicking here.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Dauphin Food Bank has seen an increase in the number of people who use the service.
A hunger count the group did for Food Banks Canada in March found they served 111 families. That breaks down to 107 children and 141 adults.
In 2018 the Dauphin Food Bank gave out 32,374 pounds of food. Robin Gambler, Chair of the group, says they received 26 thousand pounds of donations. Noting the rest of the food had to be purchased.
Gambler says March was a typical month. They often see months with higher usage, noting it depends a lot on when people receive checks. Individuals might need to use the resource depending on how long they have to wait to shop.
There are several reasons for the increase in participation, with housing being one of the biggest.
“A lot of it is people on minimum wage and trying to pay high rent. Single people, people with disabilities, even seniors paying high rent, like if they’re not fortunate enough to get into lower housing, then they have to pay quite a bit,” Gambler said.
They would not be able to do what they do without help from the community. 128 volunteers shared 1780 hours of their time at the Food Bank over the last year.
Gambler notes they do all sorts of important things. “Fundraisers, sorting foods, stocking shelves, picking up bread, portioning, being there at the actual intake, and intake prep.”
According to Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2018 there were 1.1 million visits to food banks in March 2018. 35 percent of those who visit food banks across the country are children under the age of 18, yet they make up only 20 percent of Canada’s population.
The food bank is located at Parkland Crossing and runs every second Thursday.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Grandview is getting ready to host a major concert next month.
The community won Countryfest’s ‘Our Birthday Your Party’ contest.
Rob Waloschuck, General Manager, says the community is excited and it’s going to be a great event.
“From here on they have to take over and prepare the facility, prepare ticket sales, all the kinds of things that go along with an event like this, making everyone comfortable, getting things ready for the bands to arrive.”
Waloschuck went to Grandview to make the official announcement last night.
Grandview is helping Countryfest celebrate their 30th anniversary.
“We decided when we began celebrating our 30th, what do we do to give back to the communities in Manitoba who supported Countryfest over the years. We decided to come up with this idea of a concert. We couldn’t do one in every town, but all the towns can rally around trying to get it to come to their town.”
Tickets to see Charlie Major and George Canyon, on May 18th, go on sale this Saturday. They will be available at various locations in Grandview as well as online.
The final vote tallies are below:
Grandview- 5952
Oakville - 5741
Arborg - 1491
The Pas - 1433
Oak Bank - 1339
Hamiota -1104
Boissevain -821
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
A Brandon man was stabbed in Dauphin over the weekend.
On Saturday, the 35- year- male was assaulted with a weapon on 4th Avenue SW. RCMP say it occurred around 4:35 in the afternoon.
He was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police say he is being uncooperative.
RCMP are continuing to investigate.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
New night hunting laws are in effect for Manitoba Métis Citizens.
Some of the changes include the prohibition on dangerous night spotlighting throughout the province, a ban on night hunting in “agro Manitoba” and permission to night hunt in “non-agro Manitoba.”
The Manitoba Metis Federation made the changes effective April 10th.
In a news release, the MMF said the changes are a result of Métis Citizens expressing their concerns with dangerous night hunting practices.
MMF President David Chartrand says the Métis People have relied on the land for generations and that the governance traditions of the Métis Nation emphasize sustainable, safe harvesting.
“Our People spoke, and the Manitoba Métis Government listened with these new night hunting laws. As founders of the Province of Manitoba, we take our role as partners in Confederation seriously. I am proud to enact legislation that protects the safety of all Manitobans,” stated MMF President David Chartrand.
The MMF hosted several sessions to get the feel and the thoughts of Métis Citizens. These new laws are a direct result of the consensus from the meetings.
These new night-hunting laws amend the Metis Laws of the Harvest 3rd Edition. The MMF established the Laws of the Harvest in 2012.
Night Hunting is hunting from dusk to dawn using natural light or artificial light when stationary. Night Spotlighting is the use of artificial light while night hunting.
The new night-hunting laws, Metis Laws of the Harvest, relevant maps, and definitions can be found here.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Zirka Ukrainian Dance Competition was held at Credit Union Place over the weekend.
Zirka Club President, Leeann Bomak, says it went well this weekend.
“Talya Oleski is our 2019 competition coordinator, so she’s done an amazing job.”
It was Oleski's first year working on the competition.
Oleski says it’s a great fundraiser for the Zirka group in Dauphin, the money is used to purchase costumes and other things from Ukraine, as well as costs associated with putting the competition on.
“It’s also a way to promote Ukrainian dance and culture in our community and it just brings a lot of different dance groups from across the prairies together for a weekend.”
The event showcases a vast range of regions from Ukraine, which has many different outfits and styles of dance.
Bomak thinks the event is great entertainment.
“I think it’s great for the kids as a motivator, they work towards these events for an entire year. A lot of dance seasons start at the beginning of the school year and this is the kind of culmination for them. It’s nice for them to come out and show the audience what they’ve been working on all year. So it’s a great event.”
This year’s event is the 10th biannual Zirka Dance Competition, which means they’ve been doing it for 20 years.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Manitoba Government will be putting 3.1 million dollars into 17 newcomer support services.
Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski says Manitoba’s continued growth and innovation is largely thanks to immigration.
“With people arriving from more than 130 countries worldwide, immigrants and refugees contribute knowledge, education, skills, help to enhance Manitoba’s workplace and communities. Here in the Parkland, there is a strong need and demand for immigration support programming, to help newcomers and their families’ transition into life in the Parkland.”
Manitoba’s provincial nominee program where they nominate immigrants for permanent residency, based on economic need in the province, saw one of the highest numbers of nominees in 2018.
Michaleski says Dauphin is one of five rural communities to receive funding.
“This funding announcement is significant for the entire Dauphin region.”
Education and Training Minister Kelvin Goertzen says the strategic investments will improve the settlement, language, employment and community supports, newcomers will need as soon as they arrive in Manitoba to put them on a path to success.
Michaleski thinks the government has a lot of focus on rural areas.
“I know they are very aware that Dauphin is a very strong community with a lot of organizations that have done a lot of work in helping build the community. They’re a very inclusive community and want to see their community grow. I think that’s a huge factor in why Dauphin was selected for one of these sites.”
The amount of money Dauphin will get hasn’t been announced yet.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Color Blast Dauphin is going to happen a little bit earlier this year, on June 1st.
New to Color Blast this year, is more color stations, an earlier date for the event, and group rates, groups of 8 or more get a free ticket.
The 5km fun run starts at Credit Union Place and does a loop before finishing at the starting point.
Danielle Ledoux, a volunteer for Color Blast and Skate Dauphin says people should come out because it supports a local program.
Proceeds go to Skate Dauphin to use for ice fees and equipment.
Registration begins Monday, tickets for 16 years old and up cost 40 dollars, 5 to 15 years old costs 30 dollars, 4 and under get in for free, and there are group rates that you can contact color blast for the details. There are a limited number of tickets at Scotiabank in Dauphin that cost 25 dollars.
Online registration can be found at www.colorblastdauphin.ca.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The provincial government made an announcement to give funding to strengthen 17 newcomer support services in Manitoba.
In our area, the Dauphin and Region Immigrant Services has been picked, program manager Deborah Slonowsky has some ideas for what the funding will be used for.
“It’ll be for settlement programming. So we’re just going to expand our reach. Right now, our clients are permanent residents only. Now we’ll be able to extend those same services to immigrants of all statuses.”
The province held several newcomer roundtable consultations to identify which service areas could benefit from strategic investments.
Participants recommended programming to better integrate newcomers with multiple barriers or special needs, as well as targeted supports for newcomer youth and families that face unique challenges.
Dauphin and Region Immigrant Services is one of 5 rural groups chosen to get some funding.
“We’re extremely happy to see the provincial government is committing funding to settlement services.
Manitoba’s economy, the future of our rural communities, is heavily reliant on the contribution of newcomers.”
Slonowsky adds in 2018 Manitoba saw some of the highest rates of immigration to rural areas.
The provincial government has just over 3 million dollars to give out and the amount of money Dauphin and Region Immigrant Services will receive hasn’t been determined yet.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
