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The Manitoba government is removing some barriers to trade within Canada. It's doing this by removing more exemptions under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA).
Economic Development, Investment, and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen made the announcement today, saying that the reduced restrictions could help increase Canada's real GDP by over four percent.
“As part of our government’s ongoing focus on growing our economy and securing the good jobs so necessary for prosperity and expanding social services, Manitoba continues to be the national leader in reducing internal trade barriers within Canada.”
Last year, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business recognized Manitoba's earlier work in this area in their 2022 report card. Manitoba shared the top grade on that card, and now the government is furthering that work with yesterday's announcement.
The Manitoba government is removing additional exceptions under the CFTA including naming and business activity restrictions for corporations providing land-surveying services in Manitoba, office and practice location requirements for inter-jurisdictional law firms, and residency requirements for individuals applying for wild rice harvesting and export licences (also removed from NWPTA).
Cullen says that with these new removals, Manitoba will now have the lowest remaining CFTA and labour mobility exceptions in Canada.
“As Canadians face ongoing affordability concerns and economic challenges, Manitoba continues to lead by example and will keep pushing for necessary progress across the country."
The CFTA seeks to enhance trade, investment, and labour mobility within Canada through the free movement of persons, goods, services, and investments within an open, efficient and stable domestic market.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Emergency Crews responded to a gas leak on the first block of 2nd Ave. NE, off of Main St. N, in Dauphin this afternoon (Thursday, January 12th). A building on the street was being demolished, and workers apparently hit a gas line that was supposed to be shut off.
The Dauphin Fire Department and EMS left the area shortly after arriving, and Manitoba Hydro was also on the scene. A portion of 2nd Ave. NE remains closed due to the demolition, and we'll bring you more information as soon as it's made available.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Riding Mountain National Park(RMNP) reminds ice fishers of some things to keep in mind to help prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species(AIS) this winter.
Things you can do to help prevent the spread of AIS are keeping your equipment free of any aquatic plants, mud, and water or ice. As well, drain residual water on land away from the lake and make sure all your equipment is dry before being used.
If your equipment is coming from an area where AIS are known to be, it must be decontaminated. An easy way to do this is by letting your equipment stay outside in -10 or cooler temperatures for at least 3 days. If you aren't sure whether your equipment is contaminated or not, you can phone 204-396-4579.
Ice fishing in RMNP is only permitted on Clear Lake and Lake Audy. However, the Lake Audy area remains closed to visitors for the time being due to unstable road conditions from the storms that occured last June. For more information on recreational fishing in RMNP during the winter, click here.
🤚We need your help! The AIS station may be closed in the winter, but we still need to prevent AIS from entering the...
Posted by Riding Mountain National Park on Wednesday, January 11, 2023
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
A website called fishingbooker.com listed Dauphin Lake as one of the 8 Best Fishing Destinations in Canada for 2023.
Dauphin Lake is the only place on the list located in Manitoba and it is billed as "an unmissable fishery" where Walleye is a year-round favourite catch.
The website notes that fishers can also catch Northern Pike, Burbot, Yellow Perch, Freshwater Drum, Carp, and Smallmouth Bass, thanks to seven tributaries to the lake which provide a variety of fish and in good quantity. When you do not feel like fishing, the lake is also known for clear waters and sandy beaches to take advantage of in the summer.
The list ranked from 1 to 8:
- Calgary, AB
- Sooke, BC
- St. Lawrence River, QC
- Avalon Peninsula, NF&L
- Haida Gwaii, BC
- Lac Seul, ON
- St. Peters Bay, PEI
- Dauphin Lake, MB
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
While September is recognized as world Alzheimer's Awareness Month, the Alzheimers Society of Manitoba (ASM) dedicates January to taking a more local focus.
ASM Senior Manager of Regional Services, Liz McLeod, looks after all of the regions outside of Winnipeg, and she says it's important that people know how to find the resources they need.
"In January we do more of a local focus on the local resources, the local opportunities, and the things that we can do here in Manitoba to provide people with support and education, and let them know that we're here and we can help them on their Journey."
McLeod says each region across the province has its own resources and support groups, and while the ASM had to close its physical Parkland office during the Pandemic, they still have all the same resources in the area.
"One of the best things people can do is go to our website, which is alzheimer.mb.ca. There's a wealth of resources on that website, such as a list of all of our support groups. There's also a page on caring for someone with dementia, so they can scroll up and down on that page and find resources."
She says you can also find contacts for each region on the website. Geoff VanMackelbergh is the Regional Coordinator for the parkland, and McLeod says you can give him a call or an email to find out about programs specific to the Parkland as well.
"He's also doing support groups in Gilbert Plains and in Grandview, so we're trying to get more people out in those support groups and let them know that we're back in the region."
VanMackelbergh can be reached at 204-638-4483, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Manitobans will see a slight increase in what they pay for car insurance coming this spring.
While Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) rates will technically be decreasing by 3.8 percent on April 1st, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) has also approved the removal of a five percent Capital Release from this year.
The Capital Release is determined every year, and is based on the state of the MPI Capital Reserve fund, which they say helps maintain rate stability and reduce the number of increases.
After the removal of the Capital Release, the average Manitoban driver will be paying 1.54 percent more, although the change will ultimately be determined by a number of factors, including driving record and type of vehicle.
MPI was originally seeking a 0.9 percent decrease, then changed the request to 0.05 percent this fall, rather than the 3.8 percent decrease the PUB granted.
If the 0.05 percent decrease was approved, Manitobans would've seen an average rate increase of 5.54 percent after the removal of the Capital Release.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
A local company is hosting a first-of-its-kind virtual summit called Immigration on the Prairies at the start of February. 100th Meridian Immigration is hosting the summit from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on February 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
The summit is designed for municipal council & staff, economic development offices, as well as businesses, and Owner Lindsay Rubeniuk, says it's a great opportunity for those who want to learn if immigration should be a part of their growth strategy.
"That's really what the conference will be about, is exploring immigration, and not only the pathways, because everybody can look up a pathway, but it's to see if they can actually commit to that pathway, and even if it's for them."
Rubeniuk says the summit will focus on four main details, why immigration should be considered essential in business and community development, how immigration can build a workforce and develop community capacity, federal and provincial pathways best suited for prairie immigration, and how communities and businesses implemented immigration strategies successfully.
"I've been getting phone calls from everybody asking, you know Lindsay do you have a staff person, or do you have somebody that you can recommend? So without labour then our small businesses can't run, without small businesses, we don't have great taxes, and without taxes, we don't have the community services that we all need and that we've grown to love."
The conference will feature presentations from Marylin Crewe, the Economic Development Officer at the Town of Neepawa, Ron Johnson from Wisen UP Canada, Doug Griffiths from 13 Ways Inc., and Leanne Bily from the Russell Inn and Conference Centre.
You can register and find out more about the summit on the 100th Meridian Immigration website, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba(IIU) is Investigating the death of a man following interactions with the Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP.
On December 3rd, Ste. Rose RCMP officers responded to a call for service and found a suspect vehicle with four people in it, in the ditch on Provincial Road 481, south of Crane River. One of the suspects fled the scene, and the other three were all arrested.
On January 4th, the RCMP received a missing person report for the 29-year-old male suspect that fled the scene. On January 5th, officers went to the last known location of the individual and found his body in the woods. He's believed to have suffered from hypothermia.
As the incident involves a death, the IIU is investigating the case, and a request for a civilian monitor will be made to the Manitoba Police Commission.
Witnesses or other individuals who have information or video footage that may assist the investigation are asked to contact the IIU toll-free at 1-844-667-6060. The investigation is ongoing so the IIU isn't giving more details at this time.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce held its first lunch series event of the year this afternoon, highlighted by a presentation by Jordan Pernarowski from MNP Dauphin. Pernarowski's presentation was about digital incentive programs and a subsidy for employers to help with the increases to minimum wage.
Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota says it's great to have the Lunch Series back for another year.
"Amazing to have a room full of people back together for an interesting topic and some networking, and a really great lunch. The first one is always fun, it's nice to get this thing rocking a rolling early out of the gate, kind of kicking off the new year."
Today's event also saw the return of remote locations for chamber events, with Community Futures in Grandview serving as a satellite location. Chychota says they know that people aren't always able to make it to events during the day, and they want to make it possible for everyone who wants to join, to be a part of the event.
"It's a little unrealistic to expect that everybody would come to Dauphin for a lunch presentation. They're small business owners, even the ones in Dauphin, it's tough to get away from the office, or your small business, you might be the only employee, and you can't really shut things down."
The Chamber also has an online option available for anyone that wants to see the presentation but isn't able to attend either location in person.
City of Dauphin Economic Development Manager Martijn van Luijn also gave a presentation at the event about the City's upcoming new tourism campaign, and we'll have more information about that campaign in a story on Friday.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Manitoba Ag Days returns to the Keystone Centre in Brandon from next Tuesday, January 17th, to Thursday the 19th. The theme of this year's event is Farmer Health, Safety, and Wellness says Media Coordinator Teresa Vallotton.
"With this theme, we have an interactive virtual reality experience. We will also have three keynote speakers, speaking to our theme, Jon Montgomery, Chris Beaudry, and Big Daddy Tazz."
There are countless other speakers throughout the event, and a full schedule is available here. Vallotton says they've also created Ag Days merchandise for this year's event, with proceeds from that going to a good cause.
"We'll be supporting the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program through the purchase of Ag Days shirts. So we have never had Ag Days Swag before, available for purchase, this will be the first year you can get an Ag Days shirt and the proceeds will go to the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program."
There's also a 50/50 available with the proceeds going to Ag Days Gives Back, and the 2023 Innovation Showcase will be taking place at the event. Purchase tickets and find more information about Ag Days at their website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
2022 was the busiest year on record dating back to 2012 for the Dauphin Fire Department.
The DFD responded to 236 calls for service which was an approximate increase of 17.5% compared to 2021. There was a total of 4,993 hours dedicated to the 236 incidents.
While the DFD has only had to respond to one call so far in 2023, this year will without a doubt be another very busy year for the department and that's where you come in. The Dauphin Fire Department is currently recruiting so if you have ever dreamt of being a firefighter, now could be your chance. Cam Abrey, Fire Chief, says the DFD is currently accepting applications.
"It's a very rewarding experience, many people come to become a firefighter because they want to help their friends, their neighbours, and their families," said Abrey. "In my opinion, there is no better way to get involved in helping others when they are possibly experiencing the worst day of their life."
Qualifications include needing to be 18 years old and you must have a Class 5 driver's license. You will also be required to get a criminal record clearance check along with a driver's abstract and you will also be given a doctor's clearance form to assure you are fit for the job.
Cam grew up idolizing his dad who was in the fire department in Grandview and 24 years later, Cam has risen up the ranks and is now the Fire Chief.
"It's something that I have always wanted to do," said Abrey. "Most days, it's an extremely humbling experience as well."
If you are interested in becoming a firefighter, you can call the DFD at 204-622-3100 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also head to the station to get a tour and get more information.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
