NewsNow
Around 500 residents of the northern community of Cranberry Portage were evacuated over the weekend as a large wildfire approaches that community.
The province says the fire - one of two burning currently in the Flin Flon/The Pas area - is about 35-thousand hectares in size and is 38 km long and 12 km wide.
It has also led to the closure of Highway 10 just south of Cranberry Portage and at Baker's Narrows, as the fire was last reported to be about 1 km away from Cranberry Portage.
Evacuation centres have been set up in both The Pas and Flin Flon.
Meanwhile, a fire near Wellness is now 1,500 hectares in size.
Air tankers from Manitoba are being joined by ones from Saskatchewan to battle the blazes, while additional crews from Ontario are expected to arrive in a day or two.
Smoke from these fires, as well as massive fires in B-C and Northern Alberta has been pouring into our region throughout the weekend.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The city's annual spring clean-up begins on Monday.
Director of Public Works Mike van Alstyne says the three-week project allows them to pick up larger yard waste items that otherwise would not fit into the green yard waste bins.
"In the green bins, we can not take any larger branches or anything like that. During the spring and fall clean ups we are able to take away limbs and branches of trees as long as they are not longer than eight feet in length. But we are able to take some of those larger items away."
Residents are encouraged to put their yard waste in neat, identifiable piles close to the back lane of their property.
"If you do not have a back lane, they should be placed as tidy as possible near the curb in front of your property. The tidier it is and the closer it is to your back lane - the better, It just makes clean up easier and since we use a large loader for picking up the material, it will reduce the chance of damaging property significantly."
The clean-up begins in the day one waste collection area on Monday, with the city making one pass through the entire city over the course of the three weeks.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Besides bringing the best amateur athletes from across the province to Dauphin, the Manitoba Summer Games will also be an economic boom for the city and surrounding area,
Martijn van Lujin is the city's Economic Development manager and a member of the host committee fir the August 11th to 17th games.
"Bringing people from the outside-in and having them stay overnight and stay and celebrate in our community really helps feed our community. So we try to actually encourage community groups to bring events to Dauphin, and we help them with funding through the Adventure Fund. The Summer Games applied for a significant fund to help pay for this because it is a significant event."
The Adventure Fund provided $25,000 to the host committee towards the staging of these games.
van Lujin says that money will be more than made up by visitors staying in and visiting the region during the event.
With events like the Summer Games added to existing activities like Countryfest and the Ukrainian Festival, van Lujin adds this will be one of the busiest summers that he will see since he first arrived in Dauphin 22 years ago.
"Hotels are full, especially during the major events, but I am sure there is still capacity in between, so do not be shy and come and visit us. But there is lots of opportunity around us as well. There are other communities that have motels and campgrounds that you can stay at. For example, you could camp and Gilbert Plains by the golf course, where it is a 20 minute drive to Dauphin if you want to visit."
van Lujin adds details will also be unveiled in the coming weeks regarding the Selo Ukraina site opening up camping space for visitors throughout the summer.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
With the recent announcement that Clear Lake will be closed to boaters this summer, many Businesses are Concerned how that will affect the summer season.
George Hartlen with the Friends Of Riding Mountain group is optimistic, as it could free up space for people too looking to enjoy other aspects of the park.
"Whatever happens on Clear Lake, there are still lots of other lakes in the park to enjoy, and also lots of other attractions here in the park. I know Clear Lake is a main tourist attraction for a lot of people but theres still lots of things to do in the town site and the rest of the park."
With a wealth of hiking trails, unique vistas, and several historical sites, there is still plenty to explore in the park.
With over 370 km worth of trails to hike, the hard part is just picking where to start!
Hartlen also noted that if you're looking to get in the water, lakes including Katherine, Greyling, whirlpool, Audy and more will be available for human and wind-powered vessels.
If you're Heading to Wasagaming, be sure to visit the Friends Of Riding Mountain Centre.
Hartlen will have recommendations on all the best trails to hike and sights to see in the Park!
- Details
- Contributed by Michael Brossart
A traffic stop in Dauphin has led to an arrest, and the seizure of drugs.
On May 6, at approximately 5:20 pm, officers with the Dauphin RCMP Detachment conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle located on River Avenue.
It was determined that the 29-year-old male driver did not possess a valid driver's licence and, as the driver was exiting the vehicle, the officer observed drug paraphernalia in plain view.
The driver was immediately placed under arrest and, upon their search, officers located a small quantity of drugs believed to be cocaine in his possession.
The three other passengers were also taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle located additional drugs, cash, and drug-related paraphernalia.
A passenger, Wayne Mckay, age 32, was remanded into custody on charges including 2 counts of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Proceeds of Crime.
The 3 other people also received these same charges but were released with a court date set for June 25th.
- Details
- Contributed by Michael Brossart
An arrest has been made after almost $50,000 was stolen from a community center in Brandon.
Brandon Police Service received a report earlier his year about a suspected internal theft at the community center, with officers being told that it was being done by someone who had access to the center's funds.
A 30-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday after police allege she sent hundreds of e-transfers to herself, totaaling $48,767.
The suspect faces a charge of theft over $5,000 but was released with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A Dauphin woman arrested on drug and firearm charges after a May 2022 traffic stop had a new date set for her matters.
35-year-old Brittany Bungay will be back in court in Dauphin on June 25th.
And a Dauphin man arrested after an alleged serious assault in November of 2022 also has a new court date.
40-year-old Wayne Becks was in Minnedosa court and had his matters put over until June 4th.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Three projects within the Parkland will receive funding from the province to expand and enhance local capacity to respond to wildfires and other on-the-ground emergencies.
Those projects include a replacement fire station in Benito, upgrades to the fire hall in Pine River, and a new fire truck for Roblin.
In total, over $13.6 million has been earmarked for 16 infrastructure projects in rural Manitoba municipalities, with funding coming from the Strategic Municipal Investment and Northern Affairs funds.
In making the announcement, Municipal and Northern Affairs Minister Ian Bushie says investing in infrastructure that supports fire protection and safety is critical to building community resilience to environmental emergencies and unforseen events.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
30 students at the Gilbert Plains Collegiate put their phones away earlier this week.
The student leadership group came up with a 30-hour challenge.
"They see themselves and their friends how often phones are used," said Jody Smelski-Jubenvill. "They always seem to be on, especially now with social media."
So the 30 students handed their phones in on Tuesday morning. Come lunch on Tuesday, everyone brought food and the students sat around and played bingo.
They then had snacks after school and everyone went to the bowling alley.
This was followed up by a bonfire that lasted nearly five hours. To wrap up the first day of the challenge, everyone taking part spent the night in the school together.
"It was so great to see all of the kids interacting face-to-face," said Smelski-Jubenvill. "Everyone was very positive about it, they were pumped up."
Now that the challenge is over, Jody says a great life lesson was learned.
"I think they realized how much energy is being given to their phone screens," ended Smelski-Jubenvill. "It has replaced so many conversations which is scary and sad. So I'm proud that the students thought of this and they really enjoyed it."
- Details
- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The province announced Friday morning that the Emergency department at the Carberry Health Center has re-opened following the hiring of three new doctors.
Premier Wab Kinew was in the community for the announcement, saying his government worked hard to bring physician coverage back to Carberry, adding they are happy to see the emergency department re-open so that families in that area can get the care that they need.
The emergency department in Carberry was closed after a contract for the town's physician was allowed to expire in September of last year.
The three family doctors hired will provide health care services to Carberry on a rotating basis, while also providing care to residents of the community's 30-bed long-term care facility, as well as those receiving inpatient care at the Health Center.
Both the Premier and provincial Health Minister Uzoma Asagwera thanked the residents of Carberry, including the citizen-led Health-Action committee, for their advocacy work regarding health services in that area.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
We're finally number one!!!
Dauphin's Tim Hortons restaurant has officially been recognized as the top-selling store in all of Canada for the most recently completed Smile Cookie campaign.
In fact, the top two restaurants in the country this year both came from western Manitoba.
Dauphin's Tim Hortons sold $65,582 in Smile Cookies last week, while Brandon's Victoria Avenue location was second in both the province and the country with just over $59,000 in sales.
Dauphin's restaurant has now been the top-seller in Manitoba for the past five Smile Cookie campaigns, and finally took the top spot in all of Canada after finishing second in the past four campaigns.
Money raised in the Dauphin store will go to the SmileZone Foundation project at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
- Details
- Contributed by Jeff Henson
