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The Dauphin RCMP has completed an investigation after it was alleged that two people held in custody were mistreated by officers.

In a social media post earlier this week, one officer was named as someone who participated in the alleged mistreatment. In a release on Friday morning, Superintendent Lee Fortin, District Officer - Manitoba West District.

"I can unequivocally state that there was no mistreatment of the two people in our custody," said Fortin. "Further, the officers were professional and made every effort to ensure the well-being of those in custody as per RCMP policy."

As of February 25, all officers in the Dauphin Detachment have been wearing body cameras. Officers activate their body-worn cameras for investigations, during calls for service, and to record information while on duty.

All footage from the three officers who had interactions with the two people in custody was thoroughly reviewed.  The allegations are said to have been found false.

Linklater says the RCMP continues to take all allegations of mistreatment seriously as a commitment to serve the people of Dauphin and the area with accountability and transparency. 

 Three Parkland High Schools will celebrate their graduations today

17 students are set to graduate from Ste Rose school, with their ceremonies beginning at 1:30 in the school gym.

Principal Rhonda Buchanan says after the ceremony, the grads will be paraded through the streets of Ste Rose. 

"The grads will have a couple f flat decks and are going tit tour around town.  And then they are going to have an evening meal, catered at the hall.  And then they will have what is called the grand entrance, where they go in with their eescorts and they have theeir moment as they walk across the floor.  And then they have a social evening."

Meanwhile, 13 students will receive their diplomas from Gilbert Plains Collegiate on Friday.

Ceremonies begin at 4 pm in the school gym, followed by a parade, a grand march and a safe grad. 

GPCI principal Renee Minshull describes the grad class as driven.

\"It is a small group, but the majority of them have been together throughout the school years.  So they support each other, they are a great group of kids, and when they put their mind to it they can pretty much accomplish anything."

Lastly, three graduates will be celebrated in Glenella with a ceremony at the school gym beginning at 5 pm

National Indigenous Peoples Day is observed on Saturday, June 21.

It's a time to learn about and acknowledge the history, resilience, and diversity of Indigenous peoples across the country. In the Parkland, many communities have been holding events. The Swan Valley School Division held an event at Legion Park earlier this week. Ebb & Flow First Nation held their festivities on Thursday.

In Dauphin, the Northwest Métis Council has partnered with the Dauphin Friendship Centre to host an event on Friday, beginning at 11:00 at the Friendship Centre. 

Jarri Thompson spoke to the importance of this day.

"It means a lot. Especially given that we are working through Truth and Reconciliation," said Thompson. "It's a day to highlight who we are, where we have been. It's a chance to celebrate our culture and community."

Frances Chartrand is the vice-president of the Manitoba Métis Federation and says this is a day for everyone to come together.

"We are proud people of the Red River Métis Nation," said Chartrand. "It's a great honour to share our culture, music, and dance not only with our Red River Métis citizens, but those in all walks of life. We live in the City of Sunshine. It's going to be a beautiful day for us to share our culture with citizens in all walks of life."

An opening ceremony sets the stage for the day at 11 in the back hall. The DFC Diversity Dancers will then perform, and there will be a vocal performance.

"Then we'll be moving to a free community lunch from 12 to 2," ended Thompson. "From 11 to 4, we're going to have games in the greenspace for our youth. A bouncy castle, kid-friendly axe-throwing, and a kid-friendly moose hunt. We will also have the Cameron Campbell Band and other live entertainment."

Around the Parkland, Winnipegosis will be holding celebrations from 1 to 8 at the Winnipegosis Youth Centre on Friday. Roblin is hosting a celebration from 6 to 9 on Friday night at the Roblin Curling Arena, while Minitonas will hold celebrations on Saturday from 11 to 4 at 275 Main Street. 

Are you a fan of eating fresh veggies from the garden, but you don't have a garden yourself?

You're in luck, and you can thank the Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (DNRC). Their Community Garden is planted. Amanda Novak and the DiverseCity team have been working hard to get the garden beds up and running.

"Everything is blooming and growing," said Amanda Novak, executive director at the DNRC. "We have an abundance of lettuce, onions, herbs, our cucumbers are coming along, and our tomatoes."

What does a community garden mean? That means it's for you.

"It means that if you want to come get some garden fresh vegetables and make a fresh salad for your family, you can come and help yourself," added Novak. 

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Novak and her team understand that prices continue to rise at the grocery store. The DNRC offers numerous valuable services to the community, and this is another example.

"In some small way, if we can support families by saving a few dollars at the grocery store, that's our goal," ended Novak. "That's why we put a major push to get this up and running."

Everything should be ready to pick in about a week. 

The Community Foundation of Swan Valley recently held its awareness week, and it was the best one yet.

As part of the week, they hold special events and conduct extra promotions. They partner with the local Co-op, and when select items are purchased, a portion of the sales goes towards the fund with the Foundation.

"This was the most successful. I like the time of year, people are out and about, and generally their demeanour is a bit more positive," said Donna Martin, executive director. "We raised roughly double this year compared to the last few years."

Vice-chair of the Community Foundation of Swan Valley, Don Formo, received a cheque from Co-op for $4,047.96. Martin says the local foundation is very grateful.

"It makes me really happy for our partnership with our community groups," offered Martin. "People in general are taking more notice. If they buy some of the selected products, they know where the money is going."

At their annual Spring Granting Night, the Foundation awarded $112,950 to several organizations this year. $50,000 of that was for the Benito Splash Park build. The Community Foundation of Swan Valley has donated millions of dollars in its 20 years of operation.

The largest high school in the Parkland will hold its graduation ceremonies this weekend. 

Here in Dauphin, over 130 students will make up the graduating class of 2025 at the DRCSS.
Principal Taylor Schmidt says their graduation ceremony will be held this Saturday afternoon at Credit Union Place. 
"We have almost out grown our gymnasium.  We have hosted it there for quite some time.  I believe it is only one other time tha it has been outside of our gym.  We are hosting it at Credit Union Place in order to accomodate the large number of people that have been attending in the past. It will start at 1 o'clock."  
A parade of graduates will take place at 6 pm on Saturday, starting at Credit Union Place. 
It will also end at the CUP, with Safe Grad celebrations being held that evening at the Curling Rink.  

It is one of the certainties in life... you have to pay taxes.  

Dauphin property owners will receive their 2025 tax bill in the mail this week.  

Director of Finance with the city Scott Carr cautions that there are some significant changes this year related to the education property tax credit. 

"The changes with the provincial education tax, instead of having a percentage of reduction on school taxes, it is now a flat $1,500 credit, up to the amount of your school taxes.  So if you have a higher valued home, chances are you may see a tax increase.  If you have an average valued home, chances are you may see a tax decrease."

Anyone with questions or concerns about their bill can call City Hall at 204-622-3200.  

The deadline to pay your property taxes is July 31st.  

Efforts to make the Vermillion Sportsplex a greener space with areas of shade and windbreaks has taken a disappointing turn.

On Monday, Dauphin Rec Services staff found that hundreds of recently planted trees had either been pulled out of the ground, or were vandalized. 

The trees were planted earlier this month as part of efforts to make the park greener in the future.  

DRS is asking anyone with information about these incidents to come forward. 

With seeding operations now complete, herbicide applications are ramping up across the Northwest region. 

According to the latest Manitoba Agriculture Crop Report, spring cereal and field pea applications are almost complete, while canola and soybean applications continue.  

There are concerns, though, that some crops are starting to show signs of a lack of precipitation, especially in lighter soils and in some canola fields

 Fall rye and winter wheat are mostly in the flowering stage, while spring wheat is mostly at the tillering stage, with later-seeded fields further behind. 

Field peas are in the vegetative stage, while Soybeans are in the V1 to V2 stage, and Canola growth varies across the region.

The Fort Dauphin Museum is getting a start on its Historic Places Days. Historic Places Days at Fort Dauphin is July 11 to 20. 

Ahead of that they're calling all high school students to take part in their student short story contest. It's an opportunity to get creative.

Kairi Bowden is the summer program coordinator at Fort Dauphin Museum. This is her second year in the role, and she's looking forward to the contest.

"It's about connecting the museum to high school students," said Bowden. "I don't think we give them enough opportunity to connect. Doing something more creative and allowing them to write is a good idea."

The theme is exploration. The definition of exploration is the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area to learn about it. Christopher Columbus was a famous explorer. He was well-known for his voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and his impact on European exploration of the Americas. Other famous explorers include Marco Polo and Ferdinand Magellan.

"I chose the theme exploration because it's vague enough that I can allow students to write about almost anything," added Bowden. 

The rest is up to you. If you're a high school student, it's time to get your thinking cap on. Your story must be no longer than 15 pages. You can submit your story here or hand-deliver it to Fort Dauphin Museum. They're open from 10 to 4 Monday to Friday.

"I want to see stories about people travelling and finding new things," ended Bowden. "Like someone could write about finding new parts of Dauphin to hang out. It can also be fictional. You could make up a story about a pirate sailing the sea."

The winner will receive a certificate from the museum and be announced on social media. The submission deadline is Friday, July 11. 

The city is inviting everyone to join them for a Picnic in the Park on Canada Day.  

From 5 to 8 pm on July 1st, there will be a free, family concert in CN Park, featuring local artists Avery Stykalo and Emma Peterson. 
This year, there will be no fireworks as part of the Canada Day celebrations, and Deputy City Manager Lisa Gaudet explains why. 
"Parts of Manitoba are experiencing wildfires, and with the dry conditions, fireworks simply are not the safest choice right now.  There is also a growing awareness of the environmental impact of fireworks.  They release smoke and chemicals and debris into the air.  And fireworks can also be terrifying for pets and wildlife." 

Gaudet says other communities are also moving away from having fireworks for these same reasons.