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More Indigenous education is coming to Brandon University for new students beginning in the fall.

The post-secondary institution is now requiring all new students to take at least one Indigenous-based course during their university career. This does not mean new students will be required to take the course during their first year; however, they will need to take at least one in order to graduate.

Students already studying at the university will not be required to take the three credit hours, as this is only for new students planning to attend BU. 

David Docherty is the president and vice-chancellor at Brandon University and he says this announcement is a key step forward.

"We're an educational institute and I think educating people on our past, our present, and our future in terms of our relationship with the indigenous community is critically important," said Docherty. "We have a great opportunity here to do just that."

Courses that will be offered include Introduction to Native Studies courses for arts and sciences, as well as Indigenous teaching perspectives, Indigenous health care, and Indigenous music composition. Brandon University is also in the process of developing more Indigenous-based courses. 

Roughly 14 percent of Brandon University's population is Indigenous.

"We have been looking at different ways that we can respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission here at Brandon University," offered Docherty. "One of those ways is to ensure that every student has some exposure to Indigenous knowledge in some way." 

While many students that just graduated high school will be searching for an institution to begin their post-secondary studies, Docherty says Brandon is a great place to begin.

"One of our strongest features is small class sizes, students get to know their professors quite well," ended Docherty. "This helps not just in the learning process, but also for students who are thinking about moving onto further studies and getting letters of reference and because students can get to know their professors well, these letters are very personal."

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Canada is celebrating its Parks Day on July 15th, and Manitoba is contributing with a week-long event. 

From July 10th to July 16th, provincial park access will be free for everyone in Manitoba.

Natural Resources and Northern Development Minister Greg Nesbitt was excited to make this announcement;

“For the third year in a row, our government is providing week-long free provincial park access to coincide with Canada’s Parks Day. This initiative allows all Manitobans to enjoy our parks’ extraordinary natural beauty, intriguing historical sites, and diverse recreational activities.”

It is important to note that overnight camping fees and access to national parks will still require their standard fees.

If you're heading out to enjoy nature this weekend, be sure to check the conditions and prepare accordingly. The province advises that park-goers check in at the campground office to get camping permits; maintain a clean campsite; keep pets on a leash; and keep campfires in approved pits.

The Province also noted that transporting firewood from restricted areas could result in hefty fines. Doing so could harm more than your wallet, as transporting wood could spread things like Dutch Elm Disease, pine beetles, and other pests. 

The weather looks forecast is luckily more moderate than in past weeks, and it's looking like a great week to get out and enjoy the natural beauty that Manitoba's parks have to offer. 

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UPDATE: 12:20 p.m. (Friday, July 07)

The RCMP arrested 25-year-old Talisa Brandon, from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation.

She has been charged with Manslaughter and she will appear in Brandon court on Monday. 

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Early in the morning at 1:30 am on Wednesday, July 5th, Manitoba First Nation Police Service officers in Waywayseecappo responded to a report of a disturbance outside of a residence on Church Road in the community.

When officers attended, they found a 23-year-old male who had serious injuries. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The RCMP's Major Crime Services and Forensic Identification Services are investigating.

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The street in front of the train station and the Watson Art Centre will be closed Sunday to make way for Dauphin's 125th birthday celebration.

During the celebration, there will be activities for the kids including a bouncy castle, an open mic show hosted by Gary Procyshyn, a performance from the Treaty 2 Territory Round Dance & Drum Group, and more. Food will also be available from Temptation's Catering and the Odd Job Squad will be selling freezies. Make sure to leave some room in your belly for the cupcake cake that will be served as well.

There is one part of the celebration that Martijn Van Lujin, Dauphin's Economic Development Manager, wants as many people as possible to be at for 2 pm.

"If you can make it at 2 o clock, it will be fun, because we want to get as many people as possible to sing happy birthday with the Mayor."

The celebration starts an hour before that at 1 and goes until 5.

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A 53-year-old female is dead after a two-vehicle collision on Highway 16, near Provincial Road 350 earlier this week.

On July 6 at about 10:25 a.m., Neepawa RCMP responded to the collision about 12 kilometres east of Gladstone. An investigation determined that an SUV with two people in it was driving west when it veered into the eastbound lane and collided head-on with a semi-truck, which was being driven by a 63-year-old male from Plumas.

The 53-year-old female in the SUV was pronounced deceased on the scene while her passenger, an 18-year-old male was taken to the hospital with minor physical injuries. The semi-truck driver was not physically injured. 

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A good chance to learn about another option for your crop rotation is coming up soon.

On Monday, July 10th, Red River Seeds ltd. and Fisher Seeds ltd. are hosting a Hybrid Rye Field Day starting at 10 am. The day will also involve experts from KWS Seeds Canada, who were the first to bring Hybrid Rye to Canada in 2015.

"It's made itself an appealing crop for growers in the area ... the hybrid really changed things as far as the yield potential, it's pretty standard to see the 30 to 40 per cent higher yields compared to the old, open-pollinated rye varieties", said David Hamblin, Sales Manager of Red River Seeds ltd.

Hamblin also says it's a crop that can fully replace some of your cereal acres or complement them and still be very profitable. It also has good winter hardiness and is well-suited for Western Canada.

If you would like to sign up for the Hybrid Rye Field Day, call David Hamblin at 204-746-4779, Daniel at 204-209-0374, or Rod at 204-638-2700. The deadline to RSVP is today (July 7th, 2023). Once you RSVP, you will be given the location of the field.

After the tour, there will be a lunch at Mr. Mike's.

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The community of Carberry and the surrounding area all are set to come together this weekend for the 138th Annual Fair and Races.

Starting Friday with the 4-H Beef Show at 3:00 p.m., chuckwagon races wrap up the three-day event starting at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon. Chariot races take place at 6:30 on Friday and at 7:00 on Saturday morning, there is a pancake breakfast which is put on by the local legion.

Alan Christison is president of the event and he says what makes the three days special is the fact that everyone comes together to smile and have fun.

"We also want to thank our amazing sponsors, they allow us to keep the fair as affordable as possible," said Christison. "We also couldn't do it without our amazing volunteers, they do so much to help make the event run smoothly."

Event organizers are also very excited to announce the return of the 'Ranch Rodeo'. After a 10-year hiatus, the fan-favourite event will return on Saturday at 3:30 and again on Sunday morning at 10. 

The Matt Zimmerband Band will also be performing on Saturday night at 8:30. There will also be concessions, beer gardens, a baby animal display, and the lemonade train that will be open all weekend long.

"Regardless of what age you are, there is something for everyone," said Christison. "We actually have a group from Edmonton that is coming in to perform for the kids which is very exciting and we know they're going to love it."

Ticket Prices:

6&under - $0

7 to 14 - $14 for a weekend pass

15 and over - $20 for a weekend pass.

Day passes are also available by visiting the main gate. 

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A sizeable investment has been made by the Manitoba Government to preserve and maintain the province's freshwater lakes for generations to come.

The $990 million will go towards a total of 72 actions and water-related projects that look to preserve the many bodies of freshwater Manitoba has, including:

  • $763.5 million in capital investment in provincially owned water-related infrastructure through the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure’s 2023 Multi-year Infrastructure Investment Strategy, which includes $600 million for the Lake St. Martin channel;
  • $221 million for programming under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership over the next five years, cost-shared 60 percent federally and 40 percent provincially;
  • $4 million in enhanced resources for the Manitoba Water Services Board;
  • $1.64 million for enhanced drinking water safety; and
  • $1.47 million in new funding within the Department of Environment and Climate for water strategy implementation, including $600,000 for watershed districts.

Manitoba has 100,000 freshwater lakes within its borders, and these plans will look to protect not only the natural areas but aid in agricultural development and keep drinking water clean and safe.

The money will be rolled out to these new and continuing projects over the next five years.

Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson is quite happy with how this plan's Agricultural Partnership "allows agricultural producers to continue being good stewards of the land while playing an important role in Manitoba’s overall economy.”

Updates will continue to come as various projects start up, and to provide clarity of the next steps of this undertaking. 

If your looking to read the full Water Action Plan you can visit The Goverment of Manitoba's Website, or check out the PDF of the plan directly from this link. 

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UPDATE: 8:25 a.m. (Thursday, July 06)

Manitoba RCMP has located and arrested Fantasia Prince.

The RCMP thanks the public and media for their assistance. 

UPDATE: 9:50 a.m. (Tuesday, July 04)

Fantasia Prince of the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation is wanted in relation.

She's wanted for 2nd Degree Murder, and she also has other outstanding warrants. 

Mounties advise that if you spot her, do not approach her, as they believe she may be armed, and if you have any tips that could assist in locating her, notify the Manitoba First Nation Police Service, at 204-843-7700, or the Amaranth RCMP, at 204-843-2691.

INITIAL POST:

An investigation is underway after a 24-year-old female was found dead in a home on the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation.

On June 29 at about 3:15 p.m., Manitoba First Nation Police Service responded to an injured female.

When officers arrived, the female was found deceased and her death is being investigated as a homicide.

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The Parkland has witnessed some wild weather as of late.

To go along with some hot temperatures during the day, we have seen a healthy dose of funnel clouds and tornados as well as thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rains, lots of lightning, and hail.

Manitoba has seen a higher amount of the latter so far this spring and summer, which has led to a heightened amount of crop hail insurance claims.

"So provincially, we're having quite a bit of hail activity for sure, probably moreso at this time of year than we traditionally do. We've got about 900 claims registered provincially", said David Van Deynze, the Chief Product Officer at Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC).

Van Deynze adds that about 50 of those claims were from the Fork River area from storms last week.

"We've seen some fields that are completely devastated, in that 100% loss range ... there's not a huge area that suffered that kind of damage from what I'm hearing but certainly where it hit hard it hit really hard."

Only time will tell how this year ends up being for hail, but when compared to what Van Deynze says was an abnormally quiet year for hail in 2022, this year has gotten off to a fast start.

"We had just over 1,100 hail claims in the province last year for the entire season and this year we have about 900 registered so far ... certainly we're off to a much busier start than we were at any point last year."

In addition to the Fork River area, the Gilbert Plains area saw some damaging hail last week as well.

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Dauphin's Countryfest was a great success over the weekend and in just a few weeks' time, it's Canada's National Ukrainian Festival's turn to take centre stage.

Returning to the festival site just south of Dauphin, CNUF is always one of the best weekends of the year and it takes place during the August Long Weekend. A festival for those of all ages, the three-day event will also include a talent competition on top of all the incredible talent that is coming from across the country.

730CKDM's Cory 'Laffy' Lafontaine will serve as the master of ceremonies and the list of entertainers includes Shumka, Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Trembita, and DJ Gordo, to name a few. 

Ahead of the festival, organizers are currently looking for volunteers. A variety of positions are open including at the main gate for the three days. There are also some great perks if you do plan on volunteering.

"For every four-hour shift that you volunteer, you will get a weekend pass," said Kayla Gillis, president. "It doesn't matter whether you do one shift, two or three, you will get a pass which is exciting."

If you have never been to Canada's National Ukrainian Festival, it truly is a time to celebrate and embrace the Ukrainian culture at a very affordable price as a full weekend pass is just $150. You can also get a lower camping spot for $60 or an upper camping spot for $70. 

"It's a cultural festival and it's a family event, we really focus on that," ended Gillis. "If you have not been, please come on out and enjoy. There is a ton of great food and great entertainment, it's going to be a fantastic weekend."

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