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A new project aiming to help Ukrainian immigrants and refugees improve their English skills has started in Swan Valley.

The Ukraine ESL (English as a second language) & Tablet Project is centred around providing Ukrainian newcomers with educational materials to help them improve their level of English and their children with tablets to be used at school.

Donna Martin, the executive director of the Community Foundation of Swan Valley (CFSV), says that a project like this helps newcomers participate in the local workforce.

"[The main goal is] to help people that come to our community participate in the community. When your community is healthy, your community is healthier as a whole," she adds.

According to Martin, the CFSV gave a one-time grant to the Immigration Services Branch in Swan River to help them purchase ESL materials and tablets and it is up to the Immigration Services Branch to determine how they will be used.

"[The English-language materials are] at the Immigration Services [Branch]. That's the agency that applied for the grant. They will be using them. They, technically, are keepers of those materials and anybody who needs English-language services can access [them] if they are qualified through Immigration Services," she adds. 

Donna Martin says that everyone is welcome to visit the Immigration Services Branch on Main St. in Swan River to have a look at the materials and meet the newcomers studying and working on their English.

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The registration and withdrawal deadlines have both passed for the October 26th municipal election, and we now have a clear picture of who will be on the ballot. The election will feature two candidates for Mayor of Dauphin; David Bosiak and Kerri Riehl, and two for Reeve in the RM of Dauphin; Ernie Sirski and Tom Gibbs.

It's a packed race for City Council in Dauphin as there are 17 Candidates registered to run for six open spots. (In the order they'll appear on the ballot)

In the RM of Dauphin, there are 10 candidates registered for six spots. (In the order they'll appear on the ballot)

All council candidates that don't currently have a story linked to their name, will be linked once the story has been published.

For Mountainview School Division, three of the four wards had their school trustee spots filled by acclamation, while one ward will have an election.

In Ward 1, which includes the Roblin Municipality, Leifa Misko and Floyd Martens have been elected by acclamation.

In Ward 2, which includes the Municipality of Ethelbert, Gilbert Plains Municipality, Grandview Municipality, and a portion of the RM of Mountain, Paul Coffey and Charlene Gulak have been elected by acclamation.

There are four candidates for two spots in Ward 3, which includes the RM of Dauphin, RM of Lakeshore, Mossey River Municipality, and a portion of the RM of Mountain and McCreary Municipalities. (in the order they'll appear on the ballot)

  • Gabe Mercier
  • Ashleigh Yaskowich
  • Nick Jewell
  • Jason Gryba

In Ward 4, which includes the city of Dauphin, John Taylor, Kerri Wieler, and Scott McCallum have been elected by acclamation.

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UPDATE (Sept. 22nd, 5:12 a.m.): As of around 4 a.m., the frost advisories have ended for all areas.

Update contributed by Alec Woolston

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Environment Canada has issued multiple frost advisories for Dauphin and surrounding areas.

They are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

According to Environment Canada, frost may damage some crops in frost-prone areas and a ridge of high pressure will lead to clearing skies and light winds allowing temperatures to drop below the freezing mark tonight across southern and central Manitoba.

They say that frost is likely to be patchy in nature and that fog patches are also likely to occur in places.

They also say that people should cover up their plants if possible, especially those in frost-prone areas and that they should take preventative measures to protect frost-sensitive plants and trees.

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UPDATE (Sept. 21st, 3:23 p.m.): Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, delivered his remarks on expanding bivalent vaccine eligibility during a news conference earlier today.

Dr. Roussin says that people have to remember that our immunity to COVID-19 does wane over time.

“This booster is a great way to recharge that immunity, boost that immunity once again," he adds.

The province recommends that people wait six months from their last dose to get their bivalent booster vaccine, as this provides the best immune response.

"We know from the evidence that if you wait a bit longer, that six months duration between your last dose and the booster, you can get a stronger immune response," Dr. Roussin adds.

According to the province, 3,216 doses of bivalent vaccine have been administered in Manitoba as of Monday, September 19th.

They also say in a news release that adults can also choose to receive the original vaccine as their fall booster dose if they don't want to receive the bivalent one and that children aged five to 17 can receive a booster of the original vaccine.

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All Manitobans aged 18 and older are now eligible to receive the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, will provide more information during a virtual news conference scheduled for today at 2 p.m.

Anyone interested in receiving a dose of the bivalent vaccine can book an appointment starting tomorrow, September 22nd, at 9 a.m. by calling the vaccine call centre at 1-844-626-8222 or by calling pharmacies and clinics directly.

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Dauphin's Terry Fox Run took place at Vermillion Park last Sunday.

Stephen Roznowsky, the local organizer of the Terry Fox Run, says that although he hoped for better attendance, he's still pleased with how the run went.

"We were about 40+... I hope would've hoped that we [would've gotten] closer to 100... Since [it was] the first run after the pandemic, people were kind of uncertain about the weather, and of course, [there were] a lot of other activities that [were] going around... [it did have an impact] on our numbers," he adds.

Roznowsky says that it was wonderful to finally be able to hold an in-person Terry Fox Run and that everyone was waiting to get back to something more normal.

"Even though it was outdoors... people felt a lot braver to attend with their families and with their siblings. I think, all in all, most people were very upbeat about attending the run and being face-to-face with some of their friends, families and neighbours," he adds. 

According to Roznowsky, the fundraising target was $2,000 and donation numbers won't be finalized before the end of October because a large portion of donations were made online.

"I think we're... pretty close to my target... so far... we're over $1,000," he adds.

Stephen Roznowsky went on to say that he will be organizing next year's Terry Fox Run as well.

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Patti Eilers is looking to remain on Dauphin City Council as she runs in the municipal election scheduled to take place on October 26th.

Eilers grew up in rural Manitoba, moved to Saskatoon and then moved to Dauphin, where she lived and worked for over thirty-five years.

She says that people should vote for her because she has the strong skills, knowledge and experience needed to continue working on initiatives to further improve the community.

"I always strive to be involved with many community efforts, not only City Council, but to make Dauphin a better place to live, work, play and visit," she adds.

Eilers believes that Dauphin's strongest needs are continuing to work toward providing more affordable housing, more health services with a focus on mental health and addictions, increased public safety for residents and businesses, and high-quality affordable child care and senior care.

"Through Communities in Bloom, we've initiated since 2010 efforts in environmental action by increasing [reforestation], composting, recycling and conservation... I feel we need to continue adapting to the everchanging world and promoting energy efficiency methods as well as collaborating efforts for flood mitigation and other extreme weather-related events," she adds.

As for the crime situation, Patti Eilers says everyone in the community needs to get involved in order to lower the crime rate.

"It means that we have to be more vigilant as community members and do timely reporting, so that we can pinpoint different things that are happening in our community," she adds.

Eilers went on to say that the City is already working with the Inter-Mountain Watershed District to develop flood mitigation techniques, since "what happens upstream affects us here in the city and what we do in the city affects all our communities downstream".

The registration deadline for Council, Mayor, Reeve, and School Trustee has passed. Candidates still have until 4:30 this afternoon to withdraw from the race, and a full list of candidates will be confirmed and available tomorrow.

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Two people were arrested and a shotgun was seized after Spruce Plains (Neepawa) RCMP responded to a suspicious person complaint last Thursday, September 15th, at around 5:05 p.m.

The RCMP say that after receiving a report of a suspicious man and woman walking around the community of Gladstone, officers conducted a patrol in the community and located the man walking along Regent St.

They say an officer then approached the suspect and when he was asked for a piece of ID, he dropped his backpack and coat and ran off.

Police went on to say that the officer chased the suspect down several streets and behind several homes before the suspect surrendered to police in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.

After arresting the man, the RCMP seized his jacket and backpack and they found a loaded sawed-off shotgun inside the jacket.

According to the RCMP, a further investigation into the suspect's activities led to the recovery of a stolen pickup truck out of Virden as well as a stolen motorcycle from Landmark, in the R.M. of Taché.

41-year-old Sean Paul Connors from Brandon was remanded into custody on numerous firearm-related charges as well as for the Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, Possession of a Controlled Drug and Resisting Arrest.

Officers later located the 21-year-old female, from Brandon, in Minnedosa. She was arrested, but later released, and is scheduled to appear in court on November 22nd.

Spruce Plains RCMP continue to investigate.

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UPDATE (Sept 20th, 2:56 p.m.): According to Dauphin Recreation Services, the tree has been cleared from Main St. N.

Update contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos

The original article follows:

A fallen tree is currently blocking Main Street North in Dauphin, near Fusion Credit Union. Dauphin Rec Services crews are on the scene to remove the tree.

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While the summer season has come to an end at the Fort Dauphin Museum, there is still a lot planned for the fall. Museum Manager/Curator Theresa Deyholos says they're currently preparing for a number of tours that come through town.

"The fall brings in group travelers to visit, learn, and experience the rich culture and heritage in our community. These tourists travel in their RVs from across Canada and the USA, and they stop in Dauphin to visit our museum."

Deyholos says the museum is having trouble finding volunteers to help with a number of important tasks around the museum.

"We depend on volunteers to help with a number of activities at the fort such as setting up tables, decorating for an event, maintenance and repairs, helping with games and fundraising activities, conducting tours, digitizing artifacts in our collection, and baking and other jobs in the kitchen for tours and events."

The museum will work with people who want to volunteer to ensure they're helping with something they're interested in. Anyone that wants more information, or to volunteer can call the museum at (204) 638-6630.

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Today is Co-op's Fuel Good Day.

The Dauphin Co-op will donate 10¢ per litre of gasoline or diesel sold at the Main Street or Mountain Road Gas Bar to the Bridge Youth Drop-in Centre in Ochre River. The Gilbert Plains Co-op Gas Bar is also taking part and will donate proceeds to the Gilbert Plains Drop-in Senior Centre.

In addition, there will be fundraiser barbecues from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at both the Dauphin Gas Bars with all proceeds going to the Drop-in Centre as well.

Joan Chetyrbok, marketing and community relations manager at the Dauphin Co-op, says that she expects to have a great turnout.

"The community is amazing supporting organizations that are trying to do good... It's an amazing community," she adds.

According to the Dauphin Co-op, the Bridge Youth Drop-in Centre provides local youth with a place to go after school to learn new skills and gain experiences.

“The funds raised during Fuel Good Day will help with programming and building maintenance so we can better serve our youth and the Ochre River community,” Keith DeVries, volunteer at the Youth Drop-in Centre, adds.

Chetyrbok says that they will be serving hotdogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, drinks, and some snacks at the barbecues.

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Manitoba saw a few cases of avian flu in the spring, but it was a quiet summer as all of Canada only had seven cases in July and August, none of which were in Manitoba. Recently, however, the entire country has seen an uptick in cases says Manitoba Chicken Producers Executive Director Wayne Hiltz.

 "There have been outbreaks in several provinces across the country in the last few weeks, and last week we did have two more cases in flocks in Manitoba, with a third one that has actually just been confirmed today."

Hiltz says the most common cause of transmission is through wild birds, and Manitoba Chicken Producers are doing everything in their power to limit the spread of avian flu.

"They're carriers of the disease, while they themselves are immune to it, they're carriers of Avian Influenza. So any direct contact with birds or any direct contact with wild bird manure is the most common way that it spreads. The big risk is outdoor flocks or birds that have access to outdoors, that's the biggest risk of this landing in the poultry industry."

Biosecurity is extremely important when trying to stop the spread of avian flu says Hilts, and while it's important to stick to the basics, he says they've had to step it up as well.

"We certainly have all of our producers on upgraded biosecurity, which would mean no visitors into your yard, locking gates if available, making sure you're doing multiple changes of clothing or footwear before you enter into your barn. Which again, a lot of that is standard biosecurity, but it's upgraded now to a higher degree."

Avian flu was detected in Canada for the first time since 2015 in December, and there have now been over 120 cases across 9 provinces.

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