Pride coming to Winnipegosis

Winnipegosis Pride is getting ready to host their very first event this Saturday, August 6th. The day will be full of events, including a parade and a drag show. Cyndie Blythe, the President of Winnipegosis Pride says it's such an important event, and the community has really come together to support it.

"I can't even tell you how proud I am of this community, and the businesses here," said Blythe, "in this little teeny village, at what I like to call the south edge of nowhere, to support these LGBT folk and these kids who deserve to have some confidence and happiness."

Blythe said they'll have pamphlets with information about Pride, as well as people there to answer any questions people have.

"There are still people who struggle with their identity around sexual orientation and gender, and some of these people are kids." Said Blythe, "I'm here to tell you that I spent 45 years feeling like there was something wrong with me, and I would do anything to keep anybody's kids from having that experience of growing up not understanding that it's ok, it's ok to be who you are."

All of the events during the day are free to attend, while tickets to the Dinner, Drag Show, and DJ at the Mossey River Inn are just $35. If you have any questions or want tickets to the event, you can reach out to Winnipegosis Pride on Facebook.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Aug 2, 2022 - 6:00 am

The Federal Government is proposing a cut to emissions that would affect the amount of fertilizer Canadian farmers would be able to use. Keystone Agricultural Producers President, Bill Campbell says this would drastically lower Canadian producers' outputs, at a time when the world food supply can't afford the hit.

"We need to ensure that there is food security, and food affordability in this nation, as well as in the world." "If we are impacted by some of the restrictions of our tools that we can use, I think those particular issues are in jeopardy."

Campbell says the changes don't take into account the previous practices that are in place, and is just a total cut of 30 percent.

"When you consider the last century where agriculture has been, and some of the practices with regard to the dirty 30s. Farmers realize that is their livelihood, and we have seen a tremendous shift in towards land stewardship, and looking after the land which provides them their livelihood and their income."

Campbell went on to say the practices of the Canadian Fertilizer Industry are world-renowned for their greenhouse gas footprint. Farmers are a part of that productivity, and they ensure that every pound purchased and put into the ground is used as efficiently as possible to enhance production.

"Our understanding is that there is a 12 month investigation period in regards to this, and the hope of the industry is that there will be in-depth consultations with regards to this conversation because it is of great concern to the agricultural community about the impact that these reductions may cause"

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Aug 2, 2022 - 5:40 am

Today is Terry Fox Day in Manitoba.

Terry Fox — who was born in Manitoba — was best known for his Marathon of Hope. After having lost his leg to cancer in 1980, Fox embarked on the east-to-west cross-Canada marathon with the goal of raising money and awareness for cancer research. He started in St. John's, N.L. and travelled 5,373 kilometres on foot over the course of 143 days. However, Terry Fox was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, Ont. after his cancer had returned and spread to his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Fox was able to raise $1.7 million — equivalent to $5.92 million in today's money — from his cross-country journey and today, millions of people across Canada and 59 other countries participate in annual Terry Fox Runs in his honour. The first annual Terry Fox Run was held in 1981 and Terry Fox Runs have now become the largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research in the world with over $800 million being raised in his name to date.

The Terry Fox Run is set to return to Dauphin's Vermillion Park this fall and Stephen Roznowsky has been organizing Dauphin's Terry Fox Runs for the past 15 years after losing his father to lung cancer.

"Raising money for cancer has always been a passion of mine... Any kind of research or any kind of [breakthrough] in cancer is a godsend because we all know or all have a person or persons that are close to us that have either had cancer... suffered through cancer, [or] have survived cancer... That's what we want, being able to survive a terrible disease," he added.

Roznowsky also said that he believes that if his father was diagnosed with cancer today, he would have had a much better chance of surviving lung cancer and that he's hopeful for the future of cancer care.

"In terms of the leaps and bounds [by which] cancer care [has improved]... and all the steps that have been researched and developed [over the years], I think... [we have gotten to the point where] a person who is actually diagnosed with cancer... [which used to be a death sentence] 20 [or] 30 years ago... can beat it... It also gives people... [the] hope of having a chance to see another day," he added.

Anyone interested in donating money to the Terry Fox Foundation can do so on their website.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Aug 1, 2022 - 6:00 am

Dauphin is the only city in Manitoba to have been invited to compete in the International Small category of the Communities in Bloom (CiB) International Challenge.

CiB Board Chair Susan Ellis, one of the judges for this year's competition, made the announcement at a luncheon held at the Fort Dauphin Museum last Thursday. She said that Dauphin is competing against the following communities from around the world: Ingria, Italy; Velika Polana, Slovenia; Glaslough Tidy Towns, Ireland; Lewisburg, W. Va., U.S.A.; and Sussex, N.B.

Ellis then went on to say that communities in the competition are being evaluated based on six criteria: community appearance, environmental action, heritage conservation, tree management, landscaped areas, and plant & floral displays.

"The focus has changed over the years and we try to be very, very responsive to what is happening on the ground with municipal governments and communities right now... so that means environmental sustainability and climate adaption and mitigation are really important things that all communities are dealing with and all of them [are] doing it in different ways at different levels, so keep up that portion," she added.

She also said that Dauphin fares really well when it comes to heritage conservation and community appearance.

"You guys have pretty much nailed that with all of the efforts that you're making on behalf of the diversity that we witness from this group already," she added.

Susan Ellis later said that the floral displays and landscaped areas act as the front door to welcome people into the community and that it's all the other things that hold it up, lift it up and make the community grow.

More information on Communities in Bloom can be found on their website.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Aug 1, 2022 - 5:45 am

Staffing issues have forced Canada Post to temporarily close the Winnipegosis Post Office for several days over the past week and it will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

In an email on behalf of Canada Post, Valérie Chartrand wrote that starting August 2^nd, customers can temporarily pick up their mail at the Dauphin Post Office.

The post office is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Customers must provide a piece of valid government-issued photo identification to pick up their mail.

Anyone with questions regarding their postal service can also contact Canada Post's customer service team online at canadapost.ca/support or by calling 1-866-607-6301.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 30, 2022 - 3:20 pm

The McCreary Fair & Rodeo returns to the Fair Grounds in McCreary this weekend.

The fair kicks off today at 8:30 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the McCreary Drop-In Centre and will feature many events and activities, including a silent auction, a 50/50 and beer gardens. The rodeo will take place today, as well as tomorrow, at 2 p.m.

Debbie Johnson, treasurer of the McCreary Ag Society, said that they haven't been able to hold the fair & rodeo since 2019.

"We're hoping to bring everybody out... so they can see and enjoy the rodeo... Of course, we'd like to make a little bit of money for our association, so we can make more improvements to our grounds," she added.

Adult admission will be $15 for one day or $25 for the weekend, admission for youth aged 6-17 will be $10 for one day or $15 for the weekend, and children aged 5 and under will get free admission.

The complete schedule of events can be found in the McCreary Ag Society Facebook group.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 30, 2022 - 6:00 am

UPDATE: The community barbecue and pop-up passport service that were originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, August 4^th, in Swan River have been postponed to September 1^st.

More details to come.

The original article follows:

Dan Mazier, MP for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, will be hosting a community barbecue and pop-up passport service in Dauphin on Wednesday, August 3^rd.

The community barbecue will take place in the Dauphin Market Place Mall parking lot from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the pop-up passport service will run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the conference room at Best Western Plus. There will also be a photographer on site to take and print official passport photographs.

In order to get help with your passport application, you must bring the following items:

Identification: Original birth certificate, Canadian citizenship card, or most recent Canadian passport (current or expired within 15 years). If applying for a married surname, a copy of proof of marriage is required.
Secondary ID: Photo ID issued by the federal or provincial government (e.g. driver's licence). It must contain your name, date of birth, sex, photo and signature.
References: Name, mailing address, and phone numbers of two people, not related to you, who have known you for two years.
Guarantor: A guarantor is a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older, in possession of a valid Canadian passport who has known you for two years. A family member may be your guarantor if they meet the requirements. They cannot provide a guarantor. A guarantor is not required for an adult simplified renewal application.
Payment: Credit card, money order or certified cheque for passport application — $120 for a 5-year adult passport, $160 for a 10-year adult passport, and $57 for a child's (0-15 years of age) passport. The official photographer will charge $20 (cash only).

In addition, Mazier will also be making stops in other communities.

In Neepawa, there will be a community barbecue on Tuesday, August 2^nd from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Neepawa Office (across from the Co-op) and a pop-up passport service will be held at the Arts Forward Centre from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. that same day.

In Swan River, a community barbecue will take place on Thursday, August 4^th from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce Grounds (by the swan) and a pop-up passport service will be held in the Legion Room at the Veteran's Community Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. that same day.

Mazier is asking those who are interested in the passport service to R.S.V.P. by emailing him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling him at 204-622-4659.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 30, 2022 - 5:45 am

A standoff on Ebb & Flow First Nation ended with the arrest of three men.

Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP got a report that a man with several outstanding arrest warrants was seen at a residence on Ebb & Flow First Nation. When police arrived at the residence, the suspect and two other males ran inside.

Police were also able to identify the other two men, and it was discovered that all three were wanted for numerous firearms offenses. The standoff between the police and the suspects lasted several hours, with limited contact between the two sides.

Eventually, officers heard sounds coming from inside the home that sounded like the men were setting up barricades. Soon after, police heard what sounded like an explosion, followed by flames and smoke coming out the windows of the residence.

37-year-old Manuel Houle, from Ebb & Flow First Nation, then jumped out the window and was arrested without incident. A short time later, officers heard several similar explosions, followed by the home catching on fire. 38-year-old Lyle Malcolm, and 27-year-old Tyson Racette, both from Ebb & Flow First Nation, soon exited the home and were arrested.

All three men were charged with Arson, Possessing of a Weapon while Prohibited, Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Use of Explosives, Pointing a Firearm, and other Criminal Codes offenses. The three men were remanded into custody, and are appearing in Dauphin Provincial Court today.

Seized rifle

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Jul 29, 2022 - 2:45 pm

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival (CNUF) returns to the hill today and will run until Sunday.

The festival kicks off at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the Festival Square Stage and will showcase Ukrainian food, music, dance, arts and culture. Dauphin’s Canada’s National Riding & Dancing Cossacks and Zirka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble will be performing live at CNUF as well.

Kayla Gillis, president of CNUF, said that it's going to be a really good time.

"We're hoping everyone can join us. Ticket sales have gone really, really well, so we want to thank everybody for purchasing tickets," she added.

She also said that this year, the opening ceremonies will be incorporated into the whole show.

"We actually have the speeches mixed in with the dances and everything, so it's a little bit... more fun than what we've done in the past," CNUF Vice-President Nick Yakimishen added.

There is a shuttle bus service that runs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. to get people to and from the site. One-way rides cost $5, but those with weekend wristbands get unlimited rides. Weekend shuttle bus wristbands can be purchased from Ruff’s Furniture for $15.

More information on Canada's National Ukrainian Festival can be found at cnuf.ca.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Jul 29, 2022 - 6:00 am

The Parkland Chamber of Commerce is the latest organization to donate to the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund. They donated $1000 in Chamber Bucks, which will be given out to the families the fund is supporting.

Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota says they've seen great representation from the community, and the chamber just wanted to do its part.

"We're just trying to welcome them, and support them where we can." Said Chychota, "We have these Chamber Bucks available to us and working with these local communities, and just try to do that link for them."

Since it began, the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund has raised over 200 thousand dollars, as well as many donations in kind. For more information on the fund, you can call Larry at 204-648-5904, or Karen at 204-648-3567.