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The Manitoba government is launching a three-year applied research project to identify and test ways to reduce economic loss from livestock being killed by predators.
The Manitoba government is providing a $300,000 grant over three years for the Livestock Predation Prevention Project
The project will be monitored by the Livestock Predation Protection Working Group.
Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen said that this issue has been causing substantial economic losses.
“Wildlife predation of commercial livestock is a significant problem for Manitoba producers, with more than 2,000 commercial animals lost each year,” said Pedersen. “This results in significant economic losses to producers, as well as higher costs to Manitobans through their share of compensation under the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program funded by the federal and provincial governments.”
The research project will target the highest-known predation areas and currently the highest incidence of predation is in the northern Interlake and Parkland regions.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
As part of its “Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan”, the Government of Manitoba is hoping to develop an appliance stewardship program to increase household appliance recycling including ‘whitegoods’.
Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard said that recycling is critical to the protection of the environment, and this plan will help that cause.
“Encouraging Manitobans to make small changes in their homes can have a lasting impact on our environment,” said Guillemard. “As identified in our ‘Made-in Manitoba Climate and Green Plan’, whitegoods management is an important step in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.”
The program would include the recycling of whitegoods products that contain Freon, such as fridges, freezers, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers.
Manitoba plans to modernize the regulatory framework for the whitegoods recycling program by the end of 2021.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
After being left out of the province’s planning for Manitoba 150 celebrations, the Manitoba Métis Federation is saying they will host their own events.
Planning for the celebration of Manitoba’s entry into Confederation -which many attribute to negotiations undertaken by Métis Leader Louis Riel in 1870- has been underway for over a year.
MMF President David Chartrand says that the organization not invited to partake in the planning process. Chartrand blames the omission on Premier Brian Pallister.
“The Premier has a very negative view towards the Métis people in the sense of the Métis nation,” said Chartrand. “I want to apologize to Manitoba because this shouldn’t be affecting 150.”
The relationship between the province and the MMF has been strained as of late due to the government’s cancelling of two deals between the province, Manitoba Hydro, and the MMF totalling over $87 million. The deals were scrapped after the province called one of the payments “persuasion money.”
The MMF has sued the province over the decision. A court decision has yet to be reached.
The Manitoba 150 Committee, which operates separately from the government, says that they invited Chartrand to attend the launch of the committee last March. Chartrand says the invitation never came.
Another reason Chartrand is upset is due to the lack of mention of Louis Riel, who is essentially absent in Manitoba 150’s promotions of the year-long event.
“There is no real shining light given to the Métis people or the Métis government,” said Chartrand.
He added that the MMF plans to compensate for the province’s omission of Riel by hosting its own celebration, which will include a production of the play “The Life of Louis Riel”.
Chartrand is hoping to receive federal funding for the celebration.
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a mandate letter last year, that funding and support for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Métis nation entering Confederation is a top priority.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Today Fusion Credit Union announced their new plan to celebrate Manitoba 150.
They created a new initiative to give back to the community in 150 different ways.
Chief operations manager Leanne DeVliegere says the plan is aimed at volunteering in the community and improving the quality of people’s lives.
“We actually asked staff how do you want to celebrate and commemorate Manitoba 150 and they said we want to give back 150 ways to be here for good. So we see those types of activities as being volunteering at non-profit organizations, charities that matter to people. All of those ways that we can really help Fusion just be here for good, be here for long term and improve the quality of everyone’s life.’”
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
The Russell hospital is well on its way to getting some key upgrades thanks to the Major Pratt Trojans hockey team.
For the past seven years, they've been hosting a "Cancer Game" with the goal of raising money to purchase new beds and upgrade their chemotherapy department. To date, roughly $114,000 has been raised.
"It's become such a huge event," said Sarah Reichmuth, one of the organizers. "The support is absolutely incredible. We also get our pre-novice kids and they purchase pink jerseys and they skate with the team before the game so that's pretty special as well."
This year's event took place earlier this week when the team took on the Roblin Raiders. In the 9-0 win, the team raised roughly $20,000, all of which will go towards the chemotherapy department at the Russell hospital.
The event hits especially close to home for Sarah, who lost her father-in-law to cancer just prior to the game five years ago.
"It's just amazing how everyone comes together to support one another in such a great event," concluded Reichmuth.
They plan on running the event moving forward for as long as they can.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Government of Manitoba is warning Manitobans about a possible phone scam seeking a person’s health card information.
Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living issued a warning, saying that one person has made a complaint to the department about the scam.
The complainant said that they received a call from an automated service claiming there was an issue with the person’s health card and requested personal information.
A spokesperson for the province said the government has only received the one complaint but is urging Manitobans to be cautious.
Manitoba Health does not use automated calls to contact people about their health cards.
Anyone who receives one of these calls is asked to report it to the police.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
No human injuries occured, but a home in the RM of Dauphin is a total loss as a result of a fire yesterday afternoon around 3:30.
When firefighters from the Dauphin Fire Department arrived, they found the home completely ablaze with one of the walls and a portion of the roof collapsed. The intense flames, combined with the instability of the structure meant fire crews had to take on the fire from outside. Within an hour, firefighters had things under control.
No one was home at the time, except for a few pets who unfortunately didn't escape. While the fire isn't suspicious in nature, the cause of it is under investigation due to the structural state of the home and an accumulation of ice.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
Manitoba Hydro is starting work in the Narrows.
Bruce Owen, media relations officer with Manitoba Hydro, says it’s one of their transmission lines.
“We lost it during the October storm, what happened is that area, and it’s just in the immediate vicinity of Ebb and Flow Lake. We lost about six kilometres of the line, just because of the severity of the storm and the wind.”
The reason it hadn’t been repaired yet is that it’s a backup line, they also needed the winter season for the lake to be frozen over to have access to the area.
Owen says it would be bad if the working line were to be knocked from a storm.
“This is why we’re working as quickly as we can to get this lineup. We’re confident that what we have fixed to date, and that’s so people in all the areas have electricity, we’re confident that we’re okay but we’re not 100 per cent.”
Those in the area over the next few weeks may hear some loud "bangs" like fireworks, but it's the workers. They use implosion sleeves to make a permanent, high-quality connection between two ends of power line by fusing them together.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
The 15th annual Riding Mountain National Park winter adventure weekend is here.
This weekend from Friday February 7th to Sunday February 9th the RMNP will offer a variety of activities like outdoor family games, live music, food, maple syrup rolling, sledding, fat biking, skating, and shopping.
CEO of friends of Riding Mountain National Park, George Heartland says there’s a lot to do this weekend.
“So this weekend, Friday 7th to 9th is our 15th annual adventure weekend at Clear Lake. Things get underway on Friday night with music down here at the lake house down inside the Wasagaming town site. Saturday we have a wide variety of activities, starting with guided fat bike tours with Parks Canada staff. We have scavenger hunts around the town site, hotdogs, smoky barbecues. We’ve got pony rides, boot hockey, s’mores, skating rinks, music in the evenings, and films in the evenings as well. Things wrap up on Sunday with things like chilli in a bun, fat biking, scavenger hunts, and maple syrup rolling.”
People are encouraged to come out and enjoy the event.
More information and a schedule can be found at https://www.friendsofridingmountain.ca
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Early this morning (Thursday) at 1:55, RCMP responded to a shooting on 9th Avenue South in Swan River.
Officers found a 25-year-old male from Swan River suffering from a gunshot wound to his lower body.
He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
With help from RCMP Police Dog Services, a firearm was located within the vicinity of the shooting and subsequently seized by the RCMP.
The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call the Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686, call CrimeStoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or give a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Therae Racette-Beaulieu has been sentenced to life in prison for attacking a fellow inmate, alongside breaking and entering, theft, and an attempted murder charge.
Beaulieu received this sentence on Monday for attacking a fellow inmate with a homemade shank, stabbing him 20 times on April 28 2019.
The man that was attacked suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Beaulieu had been charged previously for the attempted murder of Cpl. Graeme Kingdon, and his partner in Onanole on August 29, 2018.
Cpl. Graeme Kingdon suffered a fractured skull from the shooting.
Beaulieu was originally sentenced to 18 years in prison for the attempted murder charge, breaking and entering, theft of firearms and a motor vehicle.
Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said that Racette-Beaulieu is a "troubled and dangerous individual," and "the sentence imposed here must send a strong message to Racette-Beaulieu and others like him, that harsh consequences for attacks, such as this one, will inevitably follow."
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
