Over $6.3K Donated to Food Bank

The Kin Club of Dauphin announced Thursday that they are donating $6,325.50 to the Dauphin & District Community Food Bank.

President Nicole Gulenchin says that she's pleased that they were able to raise that much money for the food bank.

"It's great that so many people in the community can use it, especially with things being the way they are these days with grocery bills, etc.," she adds

Gulenchin says that the money was raised from the Gone Fishing & Smoker Raffle they held back in 2021.

"We as a group collectively decided that the food bank would benefit the most and it was the best way to give back to the community as a whole," she adds.

According to Nicole Gulenchin, the newly-formed Kin Club was the result of a merger between the former Kinsmen and Kinette clubs.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 14, 2022 - 6:05 am

Bull Riding's back at the Eriksdale Rec Centre this weekend, as the 24th edition of the Boneyard General Repair Boyz and Bullz makes its return on Saturday.

It's going to be a highly competitive event as it's Bull Riders Canada's last stop of the regular season, and first place is still up for grabs. Event Producer Ben Kinkead says they're expecting some really exciting action.

"We've got the top two bull riders in the national standing in a back-and-forth battle for the season leader, or number one position. We've also got the rookie of the year race that's being highly contested by two or three up-and-coming bull riders. As well, the bubble bull riders who are working to get into the top 20 for the Sylvan Lake Alberta Finals which are in mid-November."

This year's event might look a bit different than the past, as Kinkead says they have a new layout at the rink.

"We've actually got a new layout planned for the event, within the ice surface of the arena, allowing us some new features and additions. One of those is gonna be the first time for the Party in the Dirt following the bull riding."

Tickets get you into the bull riding and the Party in the Dirt. They're $30 dollars for adults, $20 for ages 13 - 17, $10 for ages 6 - 12, and Free for kids five and under. If you can't make it as there is a pay-per-view live stream of the event on CommStream. Event details, including the link to purchase the live stream, can be found here.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 14, 2022 - 6:00 am

Ken Shewchuk is aiming for a seat on the R.M. of Dauphin Council as he runs in the municipal election.

Shewchuk, who is originally from Garland, moved to the R.M. of Dauphin in 2016.

He says that people should vote for him because he's been on the R.M. of Ethelbert Council for 16 years.

"I have experience and I know what it's all about. I know how the roles play in council and reeves and what everybody's position is. I look forward to working with a group of people... I usually don't miss any meetings," he adds.

Shewchuk went on to say that he has been on the conservation board for twenty years and spent a number of years with the Ethelbert Fire Department as well.

He decided to run because he retired from farming and was looking for another way to contribute to the community.

"I had experience in Ethelbert, so I thought I'd bring it to Dauphin now and see how it works here," he adds.

If elected, Shewchuk would like to continue the waterline that has been brought into the R.M.

"Being... one of the first to have it brought into my yard, I see the potential and the benefit of having it in the area, to have good drinking water that's safe for everybody to use," he adds.

Ken Shewchuk says that his main priority is to continue the maintenance of all roads, especially the neglected ones.

"The area has well-kept main roads... but the secondary roads need some [attention]," he adds

When it comes to crime, Shewchuk says that it's a big problem in the area and that police don't seem to be able to keep up with what's going on.

"I think this problem should go to the AMM when they have their November meeting... [It should be] talked about there with the other R.M.s and get some stricter laws for what's happening... It's not safe. People's vehicles are getting stolen right out of the yard in daylight," he adds.

A complete list of candidates running for office in the City and R.M. of Dauphin can be found here.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 13, 2022 - 6:11 am

Hoof N Holler days made its much-anticipated return to Ste. Rose over the October long weekend.

After not being able to hold the full event for the last couple of years due to the pandemic, and snow/ice storms causing issues in the two years leading up to it, Committee Chair Ashley Vandepoele says it was great to have the full event back.

"From a committee perspective we think it went really well, we had wonderful attendance and lots of positive feedback, so we have no complaints at all, it is so nice to see everyone out."

Vandepoele says all of their events were well attended, especially the carnival, which was overwhelming at times.

"All of the events were fairly well attended, the carnival was probably the busiest one, the most overwhelming one. Our Sunday was really well attended as well, where we had bouncy castles up for the kids, we had laser tag, we had nerf gun wars, we had a roping clinic and it was pretty well attended as well."

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 13, 2022 - 6:00 am

New Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre named his Shadow Cabinet yesterday and Dan Mazier, the PM for Dauphin - Swan River - Neepawa, was named the Shadow Minister for Rural Economic Development and Connectivity.

"I've been very passionate about this file, on connectivity and rural development, since I first got elected in 2019, and our leader heard that loud and clear. It's up to me to carry on the torch and continue on to make sure that the good people of rural Canada and Dauphin, Swan River, Neepawa get the service they deserve, and what they're paying for."

One main issue that Mazier has focused on throughout his career is the lack of high-speed, quality internet in rural areas, and he says his new position will help him address that issue further.

"We all know our cell phone bills are extremely high, probably one of the highest in the world, and yet we're getting subpar service, and I think that needs to stop first and foremost. Then how do we move forward, how do we get beyond that, I really do think I have some ideas that I'm going to be exploring as far as looking at Manitoba infrastructure, and how do we as rural communities access that existing infrastructure and compliment it, instead of fighting against it."

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 13, 2022 - 5:50 am

Dauphin Recreation Services wants to let people know that starting Monday, October 17^th, the Vermillion Park Trails will be closed to the public.

Their Facebook post can be found below.

Just an FYI to our trail users!
Posted by Dauphin Recreation Services on Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 12, 2022 - 4:12 pm

The provincial government plans to hand out fines to drivers who do not obey warning signs due to bad weather conditions, flooding or construction and drive on closed roads.

Bill 46, the Highway Traffic Amendment Act, was introduced by Transportation Minister Doyle Piwniuk during question period at the Manitoba Legislature on Tuesday.

It would impose fines of up to $2,000 or one year in jail for drivers of most private vehicles.

Furthermore, operators of buses and some larger vehicles could be on the hook for up to $5,000 or one year in jail.

Doyle Piwniuk says that the government is sending a message that people who drive on closed roads put others at risk.

“When it comes to police officers to paramedics, we want to make sure that people stay off the highways when they’re actually closed because it puts everybody else at risk, especially first responders,” Piwniuk adds.

In addition, employers could also be fined if a worker drives on a closed road.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 12, 2022 - 12:38 pm

UPDATE: Power has been restored to the Sifton area.

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Manitoba Hydro has turned off power to 430 customers in the Sifton Area as they work to replace a pole that was damaged in August. Power is expected to be restored around noon today.

Hydro was able to temporarily fix the line after the August 3rd storm, but because of wet fields, they weren't able to permanently fix it until now.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 12, 2022 - 9:51 am

Wilf Kachurowski is aiming for a seat on the R.M. of Dauphin Council as he runs in the municipal election.

Kachurowski has lived in the R.M. of Dauphin for almost fifty years.

He says that people should vote for him because he feels that policies and by-laws should be fair for everybody.

"I just wanted to, people have encouraged me to sit on council, and so I want to try and contribute to my constituency... If I do get elected, they can call me and I can serve them the best I can and get them information and listen to their concerns and bring them up to council," he adds.

Kachurowski went on to say that his desire to represent residents is the main reason behind his run for council.

If elected, he plans on looking at what other municipalities are doing and bringing some of those ideas to the R.M.

"People are concerned about recreation... I've been hearing that people are saying that crime is on the rise and so [I] just [want] to see what can be done to help reduce it... They used to have rural crime watch... Also, I believe in accessibility and accountability to the ratepayers' concerns... financial updates, efficient infrastructure maintenance and future investments," he adds.

Although Kachurowski would sit on the R.M. of Dauphin Council if elected, he believes that it's important to work with Dauphin City Council to help improve the area overall.

A complete list of candidates running for office in the City and R.M. of Dauphin can be found here.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Oct 12, 2022 - 6:05 am

The municipal election is now just two weeks away, and it's important to plan ahead and know how and when you can vote.

For the City and RM of Dauphin, voting is taking place at the Dauphin Friendship Centre from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 26th, but what can you do if you're unable to make it to the voting station that day? Well, there are a few ways that people in the City and RM can vote ahead of time if they aren't able to make it on the 26th.

Senior Election Official Kirk Dawson says the goal is to get as many people to vote as possible, and they want to make it accessible for everyone.

"We're trying to encourage as many people as possible to have access to voting. So if you're going to be away for some reason, you have holiday plans, you can't make it out that day, you've only got a ride on certain days, you're gonna be away for whatever reason, medical reason, that type of thing. You're just not available on the 26th voting day, we would encourage you to come and do the advanced voting."

The first way is advanced voting, which is taking place for both the City and RM of Dauphin next week. The RM of Dauphin advanced voting will be taking place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the RM Council Chambers on Tuesday, October 18th. The advance voting for the City of Dauphin is at the City Council Chambers on Thursday, October 20th from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you're also unable to make the advanced voting day, Dawson says that both the City and RM will have sealed envelope voting available from now until the 23rd.

"You need to go to the RM Office or the City Office, depending on which jurisdiction you vote in, and give them your reason, basically saying I'm not gonna be available on either day, have I.D. so we'll check you on the voter's list, and if you're there, we will give you sealed envelopes with the ballots, and you can fill them out right there and leave the ballots with them, or you can take them away, complete them, and mail them back. As long as they're back before October the 23rd."

There's also going to be a mobile voting station, which will be going around to care facilities on elections day, so people at those facilities have the opportunity to vote. The mobile station will be at the following locations on October 26th:

Parkview Lodge from 8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Lorray Manor from 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Dauphin Personal Care Home from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Dauphin Regional Health Centre from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
St. George's Place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
St. Paul's Home from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Happy Haven Home from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Spruce Manor from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Kinsman Villa from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

You can find a full list of candidates running for Mayor, Reeve, Councilor, or School Trustee here.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Oct 12, 2022 - 6:00 am

Whitmore Ave. West, from Main St. South to Jackson St. will be closed for the remainder of today and tomorrow.

This afternoon, crews will be milling the street, and tomorrow they will be asphalting it. The street will reopen once the asphalt has cured, late Wednesday afternoon.