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The RM of Dauphin’s 2019 financial plan has been released.
Nicole Chychota, CAO for the RM of Dauphin, says not a lot changed from last year’s budget.
“For the most part, the budget we have this year is very status quo.”
The tax rate increase is up to a mill of 22.408 which is an increase of 2.28%.
RM residents shouldn’t worry about any cuts.
She says it’s hard to say if the budget is up or down because some parts of the budget have been reduced whereas others have had increases.
Chychota says the province has made a change that RM residents should be aware of.
“There are changes to the education property tax credit. So the province eliminated the ability for residents to use any unused portion of that credit against their municipal taxes owing. So, residents that pay less than 700 dollars in school tax will see a bit of a larger increase to their tax bill than others, just because of that provincial change.”
Chychota believes everything is moving in the right direction and they are focusing on getting to the point where they don’t need to rely on the reserves as much for expenditures.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Yesterday evening, Fisher Branch RCMP responded to a fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision on Peguis First Nation.
The investigation determined a truck being driven by a 46-year-old woman struck a 42-year-old female walking on the highway. Both are from Peguis.
The driver stopped and stayed at the scene.
Fisher Branch RCMP and a forensic collision reconstructionist continue the investigation.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The City of Dauphin will be shortening the height of the green markers along the Safe Schools Bike Lane Route.
Mayor Dowhan says they were advised to shorten the markers, which will allow oncoming bikers to pass each other.
Dowhan and the rest of the council are unanimously in favour of continuing with the Safe Schools Bike Lane Route.
“We feel, for the safety of our children, we should continue on with the project this year up to Mountain Road. There are no operational issues with the bike lanes. It’s strictly a safety project.”
Dowhan adds that it seems like people are forgetting that the bike lanes are for young people. Lines will be painted in the intersection for the bike lanes so drivers and bikers know where they need to be on the road.
Dowhan says it’s time to move forward in the community.
“We’re moving on with the project, and we will, over time, expand it. We want the safe school route bike lanes to all schools in our community.”
Dowhan says the bike lanes will be a part of Dauphin’s sustainable, safe community.
The RCMP received a report of mischief to the bike lane markers. Some were bent or completely removed from the concrete. The Dauphin RCMP is investigating.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Police responded to gunshots in Dauphin last night.
Around 9:45 last night the Dauphin RCMP responded to a complaint of shots being fired on the 100 block of 4th Ave SE.
Officers noticed multiple bullet holes in the front of the house.
Two adults were in the home at the time but were not injured.
Dauphin RCMP along with Forensic Identification Services are continuing the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5020.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Soil conditions in the Parkland are continuing to improve.
Nicole Clouson, the Farm Production Extension Specialist with Manitoba agriculture in Swan River, says warm weather and drying winds are helping.
“The majority of the snow melt is done. Fields are drying up including the low spots and soil temperatures are warming up.”
If we get a large amount of rain or snow in the next week, she says it might slow things down, but she expects things to pick up as conditions allow.
“So things are starting to fall into place to get the 2019 seeding started. However, there is some field catch up work to get done that wasn’t done last fall due to the late harvest we had.”
This weekend is supposed to see temperatures reaching highs of 6 and 8. Clouson says in general soil temperatures are warming up, so a couple of days of colder weather should not set things back too far.
“Seeding into cooler soil temperatures may result in delayed germination, poor emergence, longer emergence, and therefore reduce protection of your seed treatment against pests.”
On the positive side getting the crop in early has the potential for higher yields, it can have better weed competition, and can potentially avoid pest and disease damage.
MASC does have some data that says that the first and the second week of May seems to be the most ideal in terms of crop yield in response to seeding date. Clouson says after the third week in May data shows that there may be a decline in near yield.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Swan River's MLA is calling on the federal government not to impose its carbon tax on Manitoba.
Rick Wowchuk proposed a private member's resolution calling for the federal government to also respect the Progressive Conservative government's Climate and Green Plan.
He said the tax is not in the national interest and is unfair to Manitobans.
In the Legislative Assembly, Wowchuk urged the federal government to respect the investments made in the province. He pointed to the province's Climate and Green Plan as an example of Manitoba's tradition of investing in renewable energy while encouraging reductions in energy consumption.
He noted that Manitoba has the best green record in the country as well as the new Conservation Trust to protect natural infrastructure.
“The federal government has a patchwork quilt of ad hoc environmental agreements with several provinces, creating different standards in each one,” said Wowchuk. “Our PC government is going to court to challenge Ottawa’s carbon tax, because the federal government can’t impose a carbon tax on a province that has a credible greenhouse gas reduction plan of its own.”
The resolution didn't pass because the opposition used their speaking time to run out the clock and prevent it from going to a vote.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Sunrise Credit Union celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018.
With 19 branches and about 30 thousand members, Sunrise has grown 81.1%
In 2018, Sunrise reported a net income of 4.6 million dollars, loan growth of 18%, deposit growth of 12%, and total equity of 7.07%.
In addition, total asset growth was 13.6% at just over 137 million dollars.
Sunrise’s total assets have reached 1.15 billion dollars.
They focus on being in the community, their staff volunteered over 7000 hours of their time and corporate contributions passed 300 thousand dollars to various events and organizations in the communities.
Sunrise Credit Union held their AGM yesterday in Grandview.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Manitobans now have to go online to indicate organ and tissue donation wishes.
Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen is encouraging Manitobans to have life-saving conversations with their families to mark their intent to be organ tissue donors using the online registry.
The province made the change so people don’t have to carry around a card and to make it easier for Manitobans.
The donor cards have been gradually phased out since 2016.
In 2018, a record of 11 400 Manitobans registered online.
The website to register is www.signupforlife.ca.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The man who admitted to shooting at two RCMP officers in Onanole last summer has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The sentencing hearing for 19-year-old Therae Racette-Bealieu took place this afternoon in a Minnedosa courtroom.
Cpl. Graeme Kingdon was shot on August 29, 2018, when he and another constable were on the scene of a break-in. Kingdon suffered a fractured skull in the shooting.
Racette-Beaulieu was sentenced with 15 years in prison for the attempted murder charge, and 1 and a half years each for breaking, entering, stealing firearms and robbery.
He was 18-years-old at the time. In January he entered guilty pleas to one count of attempted murder, breaking and entering, stealing firearms, and theft of a motor vehicle. He entered the guilty plea earlier this morning in Brandon provincial court. he had no prior convictions in adult court in Manitoba.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The DRCSS is getting set to perform their musical "Freaky Friday."
The musical is based on the Disney movie of the same name.
The biggest difference, teacher Andrew Coombs says, with their version, is they added a whole lot of music.
Students and everyone involved have been getting ready since December. Coombs says they have put in hundreds of hours in just rehearsals.
“They should come and expect to see a high quality, highly polished show. The students have been working very, very hard. It is like a professional level production, I would say. Students are doing a great job. The band sounds really, really good. The music for this show is very entertaining.”
About 40 students are performing and then around 20-25 students who are involved with the band, working hair and makeup, and other backstage jobs.
“It’s a comedy. So come out for some great music and some good laughs. There’s lots of jokes throughout the show, so hopefully, people come out, and they can tap their toe, and they can laugh, and they can have a good nice two hour night out in Dauphin.”
Tickets for each performance are on sale and can be picked up at the school ahead of time or at the door.
There is a performance each night between Wednesday and Saturday.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The Mountain View School Division has announced their new assistant superintendent.
Stephen Jaddock is currently the DRCSS vice principal and is looking forward to moving to the division office.
“I’m just excited, honoured, and humbled to have this position, to be taking it on July 1st.”
He already knows what he wants to do as the assistant superintendent.
“I see a lot of potential and the ability to build on initiatives that have been started in Mountain View School Division already and to expand on those to provide new opportunities for the education of the students we look after in the Mountain View School Division.”
Jaddock has 26 years of MVSD experience with half of that time in elementary schools and the other half in middle and high schools.
“I bring a perspective from both the elementary and middle years and also the high school. I’ve had positions there as a teacher and an administrator in both of those levels. That’s what I bring to the table.”
He's looking most forward to working with the rest of the MVSD team, stakeholders, superintendent and MVSD board because it will be challenging and refreshing.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
