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Cigarettes in Canada are about to look a whole lot different.
Starting on November 9th, the Government of Canada’s new Tobacco Product Regulation law will standardize the appearance of all tobacco products. The new packaging will be a drab dark brown colour, deemed the “ugliest colour in the world”.
Retailers will have three months to comply with the changes, but some packages are already starting to show up on store shelves.
Under the new law, text style, colour and size, as well as word placement, are all standardized. Packages will also be covered in health warnings
Health Canada says the changes are designed to curb the number of young people who start smoking.
Health Canada stats say that 86 percent of Canadian smokers had their first cigarette by the age of 18, and in 2017, 91,000 Canadians became daily smokers.
The Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance says it hopes that vaping products will receive the same treatment.
The new plain packaging is all part of Canada’s Tobacco Strategy, which is designed to lower tobacco use in Canada to 5 percent by 2035. Tobacco is the leading cause of premature death in Canada.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Laverne Lewycky is the NDP’s MP candidate in the federal election.
He says the NDP party has 6 priorities.
“One of the first ones is dealing with healthcare, the second thing is affordable homes, another priority is dealing with the younger people, students and student debt that many of them are facing, another priority is, of course, again young people are really marching hot to trot with this, is the whole idea of dealing with our climate crisis, one of our priorities is that we say it’s time to ensure that the super-wealthy are paying their fair share, and the sixth priority which is really important is cellular internet access.”
Healthcare wise, Lewycky says the bigger points are bringing in universal pharma care, a dental care plan, and he would support having hearing aids included in medicare.
Under the umbrella of affordable housing, Lewycky mentioned the cost of housing is through the roof. He also made the point that work needs to be done for First Nations’ infrastructure and housing to have clean drinking water.
Lewycky says the NDP wants to deal with the weight that is student debt for young people.
For the climate change issue, the NDP wants Canada to be a leader in the fight to deal with it.
Lewycky says they intend to implement a super wealth tax, close tax loopholes and end giveaways for the richest companies and individuals.
He says one of the most important issues for our area is having cell service, adding when he goes past Fork River from Dauphin, he loses service.
Lewycky says he’s been in contact with all 38 municipalities of the constituency and has heard what the municipalities want the MP to do this election. With those municipalities, Lewycky has outlined 8 priorities with each municipality.
The Federal Election is on Monday.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Kate Storey is the Green Party candidate for the federal election.
She says the green party has a goal to stop favouring corporate profits and work for the wellbeing of Canadians.
“Greens lead the way on the environment, obviously, but we also have a bold economic plan that will create jobs, build the economy, defend human rights and make life more affordable for all.”
Other issues the Green Party is looking to address includes, a federal minimum wage of 15 dollars per hour, bring in guaranteed livable income so everyone has the basics of life and main street businesses can thrive, and they want to get large corporations out of farming so young farmers can afford to buy land.
Storey adds that one of the major issues she’s heard are people starting to worry about climate change.
“We do hear a lot about that. It’s hard to see how it affects our life now, but we can see the kids, they’re striking, they understand the science, and we can understand that it has economic effects that are starting to take effect now. So a lot of people are talking about the future and that’s what the Green Party’s all about.”
Monday, October 21st is Election Day.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Christian Heritage Party of Canada’s candidate in the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa constituency is Jenni Johnson.
She says their party wishes to address the fundamental direction Canada is headed in.
“More important than the economy and the environment, are Canadian values that we think we’re drifting further and further away from. Namely, that’s the value and importance of life and the protection of individual freedom.”
Johnson says the biggest issue she hears are people feeling like the government is too involved in their everyday life.
“I call it government overreach. You don’t have to look too far to find somewhere where the government has had some sort of say, regulation, or limitation put on the way we live our everyday life. That’s an issue I would want to address. I would always vote towards a smaller government that puts not only money back in people’s pockets, but power back in people’s hands. So they can farm the way they want to farm, run their businesses the way they want to run their businesses, and more importantly, parent their children the way they want to parent their children.”
This upcoming Monday, October 21st is Election Day.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Cathy Scofield-Singh is running in the federal election for the Liberal Party. She says one of the main things her party wants to address is to keep moving forward.
“We need to get in place a national pharma care plan, we need to improve mental health support, and we need to put more money into the pockets of Canadians. We need to continue addressing getting clean drinking water, not just for the first nations but for the metis and for all the rural Manitobans, whose infrastructure is now crumbling. We need to get them upgraded and replaced, which will create new jobs for people, which will put more money into their pockets again, which more money into the municipalities, which puts more money into the governments.”
One main issue Scofield-Singh has been hearing from seniors, low and middle-income Canadians is a national pharma care plan.
“It’s difficult for them when they have to decide between paying for their bills or paying for medication. They know that when they aren’t healthy it affects their overall pocketbook, health, and emotionally and physically. Having more money in their pockets is a big thing as well as growing the economy.”
The election date is next Monday, October 21st.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Conservative Party candidate in the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa riding is Dan Mazier.
He says the Conservative’s campaign has been focused on making life more affordable for Canadians.
Mazier has a few ideas on what he’d like to get addressed if elected.
“There are 3 categories that I am focusing on and what I keep hearing about in the riding as I door knock and meet people. It’s affordability, looking after small businesses and businesses in general, and agriculture.”
Agriculturally, he wants to make sure the concerns from the riding make it to Ottawa.
To make things more affordable, Mazier wants to address fixed income for seniors and the lower-income areas.
Mazier also says protecting the environment is a big issue.
This upcoming Monday, October 21st is Election Day.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Frank Godon is the People’s Party of Canada MP candidate for the Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa constituency in the federal election.
Godon says there’s one main point the PPC wants to address if elected government.
“One of the main issues is making sure that we balance the budget. Our party is the only party committed to balancing the budget within 2 years.”
Godon has a major issue he wants to be addressed if elected. He wants to bring clean drinking water back to our constituency’s reserves.
Another main issue he’d like to address in parliament is, growing the infrastructure industry in the area, specifically the hemp processing plant, by getting it going.
Election Day is just three days away, on Monday.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The Dauphin Co-op is celebrating Co-op Week this week.
As part of the week, they announced the Cup of Caring Program. Cup of Caring offers free coffee to any emergency responder, in uniform, that stops by the Co-op Gas Bars.
Joan Chetyrbok, the marketing manager for the Dauphin Co-op, says the program is an easy way to say thanks to the men and women that work as emergency responders in our community.
“It’s just a small gesture to say thank you to our heroes in uniform that get up every day and go to work, no matter the weather conditions, no matter the circumstances,” said Chetyrbok. “They’re out there helping citizens, and our communities that we love and call home.”
The Co-op also presented Whitmore School with a cheque from the proceeds from last month’s Fuel Good Day.
56,003 litres of fuel were sold that day, which resulted in $5,600 being donated to the school’s playground project.
There were barbecues at both gas bar locations that day that raised $1,475, with the Whitmore Parent Council adding another $1,000 resulting in a donation of $2, 475 for Whitmore’s Breakfast Program.
Chetyrbok added that the Co-op was thrilled to be a part of both of these projects.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Ceto the police dog has done it again.
On Tuesday morning, around 3:00 am, Manitoba First Nations Police Service responded to a call of a suspect driving a stolen truck on the Sandy Bay First Nation.
MFNPS officers located the vehicle and tried to stop it, the truck then sped off from police.
Police pursued the vehicle, and after 15 minutes, the chase ended when the vehicle rammed an RCMP vehicle and then an MFNPS vehicle.
The stolen truck was disabled, and then the suspect ran from the scene. A female passenger in the vehicle was arrested.
Manitoba First Nations Police deployed K-9 Ceto who tracked the suspect for about a km, where Ceto found the suspect in a bedroom.
A 31-year-old male from Sandy Bay was arrested and is scheduled to appear in Portage provincial court, where he will face several charges including.
-Criminal Negligence causing bodily harm x 3
-Assault of a police officer with a weapon x 2
-Flight from police
-Possession of Stolen Property obtained by Crime
-Uttering threats
-Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
-Breach of recognizance x 4
-Forcible confinement
The 34- year-old female from Sandy Bay was arrested and released.
Ceto has helped in over 30 arrests since her debut in June.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
We Can Scare Hunger is a campaign to help end local hunger issues.
Kelleher Ford is taking part in the campaign.
They have various bins around the community where donations to the food bank can be made.
Kelleher Ford asks for non-perishable food items such as canned goods, pasta, cereals, personal hygiene products, and bath tissues.
Kelleher Ford also asks that things that need to be refrigerated, glass jars, candy and dented cans aren’t donated.
The bins at No Frills and at Kelleher Ford will be taking in donations until the end of October, while the bin they have set up at the Dauphin Marketplace Mall will be there until 5 today.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Approaching the anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada, Manitoba RCMP say they are starting to see more Criminal Code investigations related to driving while high. They add it’s still too early to determine what is behind the jump.
From the time cannabis was legalized on October 17th, 2018 to Wednesday, there have been 329 pot-related charges laid by RCMP in Manitoba. 224 of those charges were for unlawful transportation of cannabis in a vehicle, with another 19 charges laid for consuming cannabis in a vehicle.
56 charges were given for cannabis-related offences under the Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Control Act, and 30 were cannabis-related Criminal Code investigations for impaired driving, there are several more charges waiting on toxicology results.
Even as the number of cannabis-related charges is on the rise, the numbers still pale in comparison to alcohol-related offences.
Over the past year, 444 charges for unlawful transportation of liquor in a vehicle were given out in Manitoba, and 224 charges were laid for other liquor-related provincial offences, including public consumption.
1,403 other people were charged with alcohol-related driving infractions.
As of the end of August, 584 cannabis offences were received by the courts. Some of the cases seen dealt with unauthorized sales or possessions, supplying cannabis to a young person or smoking it in a public place or provincial park.
Compared to the rest of the country, Manitoba was responsible for very few of the cannabis-related offences given out in 2018. The 2019 numbers are not available yet.
Only 660 of the 34,441 cannabis-related violations were in Manitoba. Most of those charges were for possession, with 26,194 charges laid federally versus only 439 in Manitoba.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
