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The province has announced that all weekend long, including Monday’s Louis Riel Day, anglers won’t need a licence to fish.
The free fishing will apply everywhere except in national parks where a federal licence is still required.
Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen says the province encourages all Manitobans and visiting anglers to take advantage of our amazing fisheries free of charge.
Conservation limits still apply to those fishing without a licence.
The province wants anglers to be sure conditions are safe before venturing onto the ice, adding that it’s important to let someone know where you are fishing and to wear appropriate clothing so the ice-fishing experience will be enjoyable.
As well as the free fishing this weekend, there is free park entry for the month of February in provincial parks.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
A 25-year-old man from the RM of Swan River is wanted on four arrest warrants.
Caylib Cote faces more than 20 charges including uttering threats, assault with a weapon, assault, possession of a weapon, obstructing a peace officer and failure to comply.
RCMP say he could have trouble walking or needs assistance and it’s possible he’s in the Winnipeg or Swan River areas.
If you think you’ve seen him or have information on his whereabouts, please call the Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Ashern and Lundar RCMP responded to a fatal two-vehicle collision last night around 10:15, just north of Eriksdale on Highway 6 at the intersection of Highway 68.
The preliminary investigation suggests a car, carrying five people was travelling east on Highway 68 and failed to stop at the stop sign, before colliding with a northbound SUV in the intersection.
All five occupants of the car were transported to a hospital, where a 21-year-old female from Dauphin, who was a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead.
The two occupants of the SUV were also taken to a hospital.
The Ashern RCMP along with a forensic collision reconstructionist is continuing to investigate.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The improvement of police operations in rural areas is on the top of the minds of reeves in Manitoba.
Rising crime rates have caused policing costs to be the fastest-growing part of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ budget.
Stats Canada says the crime rate outside of Winnipeg was 42 per cent higher than in the city three years ago.
Rural Manitoba deals with an extremely high rate of disturbing the peace offences.
Manitoba’s rate is just over 1500 incidents per capita, which is 53 times higher than the lowest rate in Canada of 29 incidents per capita.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Tomorrow is the annual Heritage Days Fair at the Dauphin Marketplace Mall.
The fair will have a wide range of items that showcase the history of the prairies from groups such as the Dauphin Agricultural Heritage Club and the Dauphin Pioneer’s Association.
Some of the attractions include photos and information on Dauphin’s local businesses, old farming tools, Gilbert Plain’s historical sites, and more.
Don White, committee chairman for the Heritage Days Fair encourages people to come out and have a look at the history of Dauphin and surrounding communities.
“The heritage fair is trying to keep the history of our Dauphin area alive. We have about 14 organizations that are going to bring displays. They’ll be talking about their organizations and their contributions to the community.”
The fair is from 10am to 5pm.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
A new program offered by the provincial government will mean municipalities could be reimbursed up to $150,000 for projects aimed at flood protection.
To be considered for funding, municipalities must apply for The 2020 Flood Preparedness Program by Friday, February 28th. Funding of up to $150,000 is available to individual municipalities.
Joint funding is also available if municipalities feel like teaming up for a project. If approved, all involved could get up to $150,000 each in funding.
Applicants can also be reimbursed for eligible expenses made between November 25th, 2019, and March 31st, 2020.
Proposals will be evaluated and considered based on criteria such as flood risk, the proposal's ability to enhance emergency preparedness, resiliency for future flood events, and more. You can find all the details here.
Proposals are due no later than Friday, February 28th, and must be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
February may be considered the month of love, but MPI’s TIPS Line suggests otherwise with an increased number of calls.
MPI Chief Operating Officer Curtis Wennberg says February was the busiest month for tip calls last year.
He adds that all the calls to the TIPS Line are anonymous.
“Some callers will admit to being an ex-spouse or ex-partner of a person allegedly defrauding the Corporation. We can only speculate that emotions of past romantic relationships are triggered by increased talk about Valentine’s Day. Regardless of the reason, MPI is very appreciative of their help.”
From 2015-2019, on average, there has been an increase in calls to the TIPS Line during the month of February. 2019 saw a record high 594 calls, compared to 439 in February 2018.
MPI says the information received from calls to the TIPS Line is carefully reviewed in order to determine legitimate calls from frivolous calls, in order to make sure innocent customers aren’t impacted.
MPI estimates that fraud costs ratepayers 50 dollars per year.
No matter the month or special occasion, anyone with information about auto insurance fraud is encouraged to call the Manitoba Public Insurance TIPS Line: 204-985-8477 or toll-free 1-877-985-8477.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Every year the Red Cross recognizes two Manitobans for their contributions to the community.
Spokesperson with the Canadian Red Cross, Jason Small encourages people to nominate others.
“We want to recognize Manitobans who make a difference in the world, in our province through their charitable, philanthropic, and volunteer work. We are asking the general public to nominate people who they feel are deserving of this award, who are really making a difference through their work and their volunteered time.”
To nominate someone you feel is deserving of the award, visit the Red Cross website.
Nominations close on February 29th.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The 100th anniversary of Kin Canada was celebrated last Saturday.
The Kinnettes Club also held their annual wine and mickey draw afterward which saw a great turnout.
Treasurer for the Dauphin Kinnette Club Nicole Gulenchin was happy with the support the event received.
“It was awesome. We had a fantastic turnout. We raised lots of money. We had over 20 sponsors for the event. We received almost 30 prize donations. We had huge support from the community, it was great to see. Becoming a member of Kinsmen or Kinnettes is a great way to give back to your community and it’s a great way to get out and meet people, and a fantastic way to support your community.”
At the draw, 50 year Kinnette member Iona Tarrant got recognized for her service.
She said that it's the people that she loves that has made her stay.
“The people, the community service, the comradery and the helping make your community a better place. Every community needs volunteers and we’ve got lots of wonderful ones.”
Anyone that wants to join the Kinsmen or Kinnettes club is encouraged to reach out to a local member, or contact them on their Facebook page.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The DRCSS has met with the Mountain View School Division to trial a new timetable for the 2020-21 school year. Stephen Jaddock, assistant superintendent, says the proposed change would be to a system with five 65 minute periods.
“So, three in the morning and two in the afternoon. That’s similar to a timetable that they had at one point in time in the past. Right now, there are two periods in the morning, then a shorter 35 minute period just prior to the noon hour from 11:25 to 12 noon. So those 35 minutes would essentially disappear. So, to go from a four and a half period day to a full 5 period day.”
Jaddock says the change is still a proposal but is likely to be tried next year.
The change will increase how many courses the students can have.
“So to moving from four and a half to five in a single day, it just increases the potential to take a full course in that slot and then it would work on the semester timetable as well, so across first and second semester, so increasing the availability of course selections is one of the benefits.”
Jaddock adds that having more course credits is a reason for the proposed change.
“One of the other reasons is that, as you can probably imagine, sometimes in a 35 minute period, it’s just difficult to, by the time the students have arrived, get settled, and start into the subject matter, before you know it, it’s time to wrap things up and close things down, so that’s another concern.”
The change will also affect the number of videoconference courses the DRCSS offers, however videoconferencing courses are more commonly used between the smaller high schools.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The City of Dauphin has passed a new bylaw that will create an accommodation tax on hotel rooms.
City council first proposed the bylaw in November, drawing concerns from Dauphin’s hoteliers.
The proposed tax was a 5 percent tariff on hotel stays with the money collected from it going towards funding maintenance and improvements for the city’s recreation areas.
After consulting with the city’s hoteliers, the money will be allocated towards tourism and recreation services to try and seek out events to come to Dauphin.
Harvey Armstrong, the owner of the Dauphin Super 8, is hoping that the funds from the tax help boost tourism in Dauphin.
“There’s no doubt, with our market shrinking like it’s been shrinking, that we need additional room nights,” said Armstrong. “We need additional events and additional things to happen in order to sustain the hospitality industry.”
He adds that the more people that stay in the community, the better it is for the community as a whole.
Armstrong is happy that the city eventually consulted with hoteliers to find a solution that works for everybody.
The tax will come into effect on April 1st, 2020.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
