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Staffing shortages in healthcare continue to cause issues across the province.
The E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital in Eriksdale will be without a doctor in their emergency department until at least December 15th. A schedule posted to the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authorities website shows the shortage.
Patients in need of service will be directed to either Ashern, which is 39 km away, or Arborg, which is 62 km away, but has a very limited number of days with a doctor in the department.
Doctors Manitoba said earlier this week that the province is 405 doctors short of the national average, leaving Manitoba with the third-lowest number of Doctors per capita of any province. Dr. Candace Bradshaw, President of Doctors Manitoba, says the shortage is now the biggest it's ever been.
“The doctor shortage affects all Manitoba families, whether you’re trying to find a family doctor, waiting to see a specialist, worried about overwhelmed ERs, or stuck in the surgery and testing backlog.“
Dr. Bradshaw says the shortage is likely going to continue getting worse before it gets better.
“Without a big change, the physician shortage is projected to get even worse in the short term, with 43% of physicians planning on retiring, leaving Manitoba, or reducing their clinical hours.”
Doctors Manitoba says over the past 20 years, Manitoba has struggled to keep up with other provinces, with the smallest increase in physicians per capita in the nation.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Dauphin Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) is ready to hit the streets and start patrolling, and they'll be able to go further thanks to a donation from the Dauphin Co-op.
Co-op has been a big supporter of the COPP program since its inception, and yesterday they donated $1000 to help get the program going. Richard Ives, the program's organizer, says the money will go towards gas for their volunteers.
"We've got 12 trained volunteers, and we have three or four more in the midst of getting trained, so we're hoping to start our patrols in the middle of December."
Ives says anyone interested in the program is welcome to join, and they'll have another training session in January for new members. Anyone interested in joining can stop by Co-op and ask for Richard.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
As a result of the late harvest in the province, the Canadian Grain Commission has extended the deadline for their Harvest Sample Program. The new deadline to submit a sample is December 30th, 2022, and producers have until December 12th to register.
The program is free to participate in, and producers will receive the following results to use when marketing and delivering grain:
- Unofficial grade*
- Dockage assessment on canola and mustard
- Protein content on barley, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, peas, and wheat
- Oil, protein, and chlorophyll content for canola
- Oil and protein content and iodine value for flaxseed
- Oil and protein for mustard seed and soybeans
- Falling number for wheat and rye
- Vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol or DON) levels for wheat, corn, and barley
*All grade, dockage, and quality results are assessed by the Canadian Grain Commission. The grade provided through the Harvest Sample Program is unofficial because samples aren’t collected by a Canadian Grain Commission inspector.
You can register online for the program here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The pork industry in Manitoba is still working to keep feral pigs at bay in the province.
Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says their Squeal on Pigs Campaign has been very successful so far, thanks to public engagement. He says that partnerships with other agencies have also helped push the campaign.
"Municipalities for example, that are running the squeal on pigs on their websites. Working closely with Parks Canada around Riding Mountain National Park to keep feral pigs out of the park. We're really seeing that level of cooperation across the province, and from various sectors, so that's something that's very positive to see."
Feral pigs can destroy the pork industry in an area, and that's why the province is working so hard to track them, says Dahl.
"In Germany, African Swine Fever moved from wild animals into the commercial heads through contacts with small farmers. The first one had four pigs and the second farm had six pigs, and that has decimated Europe's largest pork producers, or what used to be Europe's largest pork producers."
The province is still asking that people report any sightings or signs of feral pigs, so they can track them. They also ask that people not hunt the animals, as it disperses them, and makes them impossible to track.
For more information on feral pigs or to report a sighting, go to squealonpigsmb.org.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Due to low staff numbers, the Grandview Hospital will have to reduce its services significantly next month.
As of December 1st, the hospital will not be able to have in-patient services or admissions for at least a month and emergency department services will be provided on a limited basis.
The Emergency Department (E.D.) plans to be open 3 or 4 days a week during the day, depending on if the hospital can secure some temporary staff. A Prairie Mountain Health Spokesperson says all patients requiring admission will be transferred to a neighbouring facility. Keep an eye on Prairie Mountain Health's website for a schedule for the emergency department in the near future. Individuals who require E.D. services are encouraged to call the Grandview Health Centre at 204-546-2425 to determine the nearest one that is open.
In a statement on facebook via Grandview Healthcare Solutions, the Grandview Medical Clinic is to remain open for regular hours during the week. Weekend clinics will be available on December 3rd & 4th, December 10th & 11th, and December 17th & 18th.
In the meantime, the Grandview Healthcare Solutions committee is looking for any nurses who may be interested in helping out at the hospital and clinic for some shifts. Those who sign up will be paid for their work. To find out more, you can call the following numbers:
Jim Winfield - 638-2650
Craig Clow - 431-999-9652
Maureen Storey - 572-7560
Sue Stirling - 546-3337
More to come.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Assiniboine Community College is going to be offering its Early Childhood Education (ECE) Workplace program in two new locations, starting in January.
ACC will be opening up 20 seats in both Dauphin and Virden, and they're already accepting applications for the program, which starts on January 10th. The diploma program is two years, and it's intended for those who are currently employed by a childcare centre and have a minimum of two years of experience in the field.
Karen Hargreaves, Dean of Health and Human Services at Assiniboine says there's a big need for early childhood educators right now.
"There's such a high demand right now for early childhood educators. I think you're hearing a lot about expansions of spots for children, and we need employees to man those new centres that are being built or expanded."
The program is also special because it will allow students to continue working in the field while they're in school says Hargreaves.
"While the program is two years in length, comparable to the conventional ECE program, having two days of classes per week rather than five allows students to continue working while they complete the program.”
Students who complete the program will get their diploma in Early Childhood Education, which will allow them to apply for their ECE level 2 classification. You can find more information about the program, including how to apply on ACC's website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The province of Manitoba had a slow summer in terms of Avian Influenza cases, but the fall has been a different story. The province started seeing cases increase in September, and they continued to pick up says Manitoba Chicken Producers Field Services Manager Val Weeks.
"Well, this fall we've had 18 new cases, and those are in various stages of the process. Recent weeks do suggest the situation is improving, we had several new cases in September and October, and we've had only one new case in November so far."
Weeks says Manitoba producers have historically done a good job of limiting the spread of avian flu.
"Wild Birds are the primary vectors of the disease, so farmers are still following strict biosecurity protocols on their farms, and while we can't truly measure the effectiveness of biosecurity, we know our producers are doing a good job. For example in 2017, when AI cases were popping up across Minnesota, Manitoba didn't have a single case."
The risk of avian flu to humans is low, and there are no known transmissions of the strain from birds to humans in North America. The province is asking for the public's help to identify cases in wild birds, Manitobans are asked to contact the toll-free TIP Line at 1-800-782-0076 if they find any of the following:
- Clusters of six or more dead waterfowl (e.g., ducks, geese) or other water birds
- Any number of dead raptors or avian scavengers (e.g., ravens, crows, gulls)
- Large groups of dead birds, such as more than 20 of any species.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
UPDATE: Highway 20 has now been cleared. We will bring you further information on the incident once it's made available.
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Original article posted at 5:44 on November 23rd, 2022 below:
Emergency services personnel are currently responding to a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 20 between roads 106 and 107. Authorities say the highway is closed due to a semi blocking the road.
Please avoid the area if you can as traffic is being rerouted so a towing company can remove an overturned vehicle. Otherwise be prepared to wait it out until traffic can return to normal.
This is from a post on the Dauphin Fire Department facebook page.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Christmas is right around the corner and there will be many families that are in need this year.
That's why the Adopt a Family for Christmas program is back. Presented by the Catholic Women's League and in conjunction with the Dauphin Food Bank and Angel Tree Program, you have the ability to help a family in need.
By getting in touch with Laverne Hudson, you can get a list of items that you can then purchase for a family in need. This includes groceries and gifts to make sure each and every family has a happy Christmas with their family.
Laverne has been involved in this program for 26 years and she says it's for a tremendous cause.
"It's such an amazing feeling to give a gift from you to a family," said Hudson. "Whether that be to a child or a mom or a dad, it's such a special feeling. I have had mothers cry in the past because they received a coupon for milk, that's just one of the things that have made it worthwhile for me, and for others as well."
If you would like to adopt a family this Christmas, call Laverne at 204-572-4677. You can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
An investigation is underway after the Gilbert Plains municipality lost more than half a million dollars from its bank account in an alleged case of fraud.
A letter was sent to the residents in the RM letting them know that the RCMP is investigating the loss of $514,571.86. The money was transferred from the municipality’s bank account without the council’s authorization.
Paul Manaigre with the RCMP says an investigation is indeed underway.
“The report was made to the Dauphin Detachment on November 9,” said Manaigre. “They provided evidence to suggest that a theft had occurred. Now we will examine the documents and basically start putting the pieces together so we can use everything for court purposes.”
Gilbert Plains reeve Jim Manchur has confirmed that the employee in question has been terminated for just cause. He says when he first found out about the loss of funds, he was shocked.
“We were truly shocked and surprised at the extent of it,” said Manchur. “We had to look further into it and that’s why we engaged MNP to conduct a forensic accounting investigation.”
Manaigre has said the case involves over 30 suspicious transactions that occurred between April 2020 and June 2022.
“The investigation by the municipality pointed to a single suspect who was found to have access to their accounting software,” offered Manaigre. “At this point, the investigation has not determined any breaches from an external person outside of the municipality. This was an internal theft and we’re just putting the pieces together to move this investigation forward.”
This isn’t the only case of fraud that the RCMP is currently investigating. The Westlake-Gladstone municipality had over $472,000 withdrawn from its bank account in a series of unauthorized withdrawals in December 2019 and January 2020.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Association of Manitoba Municipalities has reached the second day of its convention in Winnipeg.
The event started on Monday and it features delegates from Manitoba's 10 cities. Colleen Smook, who is the Mayor of Thompson, was re-elected as the Cities Caucus Chair for a renewed two-year term.
The Parkland region is very well represented as both Dauphin City Council and RM Council are in attendance for the three-day convention. Ernie Sirski, who was recently named Reeve in the RM of Dauphin says it has been a very positive past few days.
"It has been very interesting," said Sirski. "When I look at it, 45% of the attendees this year are new, they haven't been here before, including me. It's a learning experience and it's been all positive so far."
The heavy topic so far has been the impacts of inflation on municipalities and the need for action by the provincial government to end the seven-year freeze on municipal operating funding.
"It's an ongoing topic and it's something that we are trying to find ways to address it," said Sirski. "When it comes to farming, many people are talking about the price of parts and not even being able to get some parts, it's a major topic and we will continue the discussion."
In a release, Association of Manitoba Municipalities President Kam Blight had the following to say.
“All Manitoba municipalities are feeling the cost of high inflation. Local governments face huge challenges in maintaining current infrastructure—and this is not to mention growing needs. ," noted Blight. "We urge the Province to end the operating funding freeze in its next budget."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
