Getting Rid Of Pot Possession Charges

Pot-related criminal records won’t automatically go away when cannabis is legalized later this month .

It will be easy to get a conviction for possession removed, but it will take time.

Kirk Nyquist, co-host of the Reefer MEDness Podcast, had a conversation with Dauphin Lawyer Aaron Beddome about the legalities.

Beddome said that even if you get charged for possession the day before legalization, i will take a long time to get those charges removed from your record.

“People refer to it as a pardon, but really, it’s actually called a record suspension, you have to wait five years from your sentencing date, your date of conviction. Then you can apply for a record suspension.

The Parole Board of Canada charges $631 to process a record suspension application along with other fees like using a lawyer.

“I foresee that there will be some sort of streamlined process for those types of people who,(have) a simple possession of marijuana or cannabis.”

The federal government is exploring options to pardon the thousands of Canadian who have possession charges.

You can listen to the full interview with Bedomme in episode S1E3 on www.ReeferMed.ca.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 6, 2018 - 6:25 am

Ending the epidemic of Crystal Meth in Dauphin is a goal for many groups in the community.

At the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba’s agency forum, this morning, ideas of how groups can work together were developed.

Kristen Porter, a Prevention Education Consultant with the Dauphin AFM shares some of the outcomes.

“So, one of the outcomes that came through this morning for us at the Addictions Foundation is that it’s clear that the community, the public, other agencies, would like more education. So that’s something that I’m looking at organizing. Kind of similar to how we did the fentanyl forum.``

She talks about what she will be doing.

“In my role, I’m going to make sure when I’m invited to community presentations or school presentations because I do a lot of that around the Parkland. But I will be making sure that I do include information about Crystal Meth to help educate at the youth level or community level.”

There has been an increase in the number of people who use crystal Meth, with many of the users suffering from homelessness and other problems along with addiction.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 4:14 pm

MPI has started a campaign called Save the 100.

The name of the campaign comes from the stat that on average, 100 people die annually on Manitoba roadways.

The campaign’s objective is to reduce tolerance for traffic fatalities by asking Manitobans to look beyond the stats and focus on the real people and their real lives lost behind every fatality number reported.

Most cases of fatalities come from distracted drivers, drugs or alcohol and speed are the other major factors.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 11:31 am

The snow isn’t stopping the fun during Hoof 'N' Holler.

Events start today in Ste. Rose and go until Sunday.

The snow coming down is playing into this year’s Country Christmas Theme.

Ashley Hopfner, President of the Hoof 'N' Holler, says the weather won’t affect much.

“We’re hoping the sun comes out and melts the snow away from us. But if not I guess we’ll make the best of it. Most of our events are held indoor except for the parade and the Mud Bog. So I guess we’re just going to have to watch the weather and determine that closer to the date. October long weekend weather can basically be anyone’s guess.”

“We’ve seen it all through the years of Hoof 'N' Holler. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.”

Because of the snow, the Friday night shootout is postponed and moved to Sunday at 1 pm. The Mud Bog is still going ahead tomorrow at 1 pm.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 11:03 am

The federal government has said, despite opposition from Manitoba, that they will go ahead with a carbon tax in the province to start in 2019.

Earlier this week, Premier Brian Pallister and the Conservative provincial government announced they were pulling out of the national carbon tax strategy, in favour of the "Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan". According to the same legal experts that advised Manitoba to pull out of the carbon tax, the federal government can impose the tax even though they face opposition to it.

When it comes to revenues collected via the carbon tax; it's still unclear how much, if any, of the revenue will stay in Manitoba, and how it will be used.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 8:32 am

You’ll get in trouble if you take your legal marijuana across the Canadian border.

After October 17th, it’ll still be illegal to import or export from Canada, cannabis or any cannabis products without a valid permit, issued by Health Canada.

We contacted the Canada Border Services Agency to find out what the rules are about crossing the border.

They responded by saying “It’s simple – Don't Bring it In, Don't Take it Out.”

If you don’t have permission to bring it across you’ll be committing a serious criminal offence and be subject to enforcement which includes a criminal investigation.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 5:00 am

David Minish is running for council in Ward 5 of Swan Valley West.

He wants to be on council because he loved growing up in Swan River Valley and the valley has been so good to him. He feels there are a lot of people he can never pay back so he wants to pay it forward on the council.

He wants to move the municipality into a more professional model where the council makes good policies, bylaws, hiring good staff with proper training, giving them clear directions and then getting out of the way so they can do their job.

His campaign slogan is "working together to build a better valley for everyone".

If you want to know more about Minish, he posts regularly on his Facebook page. He has a blog page where he hasn’t posted in a while but the posts are still up for anyone to read if they would like. The blog is at http://www.seatwithaview.ca/

The election is on October 24^th.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 5, 2018 - 6:13 am

Crystal meth has become a major problem in Dauphin.

The Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and the Dauphin Friendship Centre are holding a forum to discuss how groups can work together and stop this epidemic.

Jennifer Faulder, Director of Communications and Youth Services at Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, talks about what is going on tomorrow morning.

“AFM has observed an increase in Crystal Meth use in the Dauphin area, and of course this is very concerning. So in partnership with the Dauphin Friendship Centre the AFM is hosting an Agency Forum to explore concerns about the increase in Crystal Meth use in the community.”

“We see it as an opportunity to bring various service providers and other community agencies together to see what can be done as a whole community to address this concerning problem.”

She says the drug impacts more than just the user.

“We know that meth use has broad impacts not just on the people who are using. Of course, there are significant health effects for the people using meth. No one lives in isolation. Everyone who is using meth has a family. Has friends who care about them. The use is concerning to the people around them, who care about them.”

The forum is taking place at 10 in the morning at the Dauphin Friendship Centre. For more information call the Dauphin AFM office.

Details: Contributed by Josh Sigurdson; Published: Oct 4, 2018 - 3:17 pm

On September 26, 2018, Flin Flon RCMP executed a search warrant under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in Flin Flon.

Police located and seized over 3 kg of cannabis, over 3 kg of cannabis-infused edible products, over 3 kg of cannabis-infused jam, 12 long-barreled firearms, and a large sum of Canadian currency from the residence.

Police arrested 36-year-old Andrew Lyle Wotton at the scene and have remanded him into custody he is being charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking a controlled substance, possession of proceeds of crime, possession of property obtained by crime, production of a controlled substance, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose, and two accounts of unsafe storage of a firearm.

Even though cannabis legalization is pending, there will still be illicit cannabis that the RCMP will continue to enforce.

Once legal, cannabis must be purchased from approved distributors as outlined in the federal Cannabis Act and the provincial Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act.

Flin Flon RCMP will continue to investigate.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 4, 2018 - 2:12 pm

Ste Rose RCMP have been searching for Dwayne Lavallee for a week.

He was last seen on Ebb & Flow First Nation on September 22, 2018, at approximately 2:00 pm.

His vehicle was recovered in an area north of Ste Rose du Lac on September 26, 2018.

Search efforts were made throughout the area by RCMP Search and Rescue and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.

Extensive ground search efforts are still continuing by family members and community partners, along with aerial searches of the area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ste Rose du Lac RCMP at 204-447-2513 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

Details: Contributed by Isaac Wihak; Published: Oct 4, 2018 - 11:32 am

Clayton Watts is running for another term as the councillor in Ward 5 in the RM of Lakeshore.

Watts has been on council for the past four elections.

One of the biggest issues Watts wants to address is the lack of cell phone coverage north of Saint Rose.

His platform is to continue to build and look to a better future for the municipality.

If you want to know more about him you can contact him through the RM, email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call him at 204-648-4582.

The election is on October 24^th.