Blowing Snow Advisory Right Now

The Ste. Rose - McCreary - Alonsa - Gladstone region is under a blowing snow advisory as of earlier this morning.

The blowing snow is causing poor visibility in some locations. Please drive with caution. Conditions in affected areas are expected to improve later this afternoon.

The full statement is below:

Blowing snow advisory in effect for:

Mun. of Glenella-Lansdowne incl. Arden and Tenby
Mun. of McCreary incl. Norgate
Mun. of Ste. Rose incl. Laurier
Mun. of WestLake-Gladstone incl. Plumas and Langruth
R.M. of Alonsa incl. Ebb and Flow Res. and Sandy Bay Res.

Poor visibility in snow and blowing snow is expected or occurring in some locations.

Poor visibility in snow and blowing snow with some highway closures are occurring this morning in areas south and west of Winnipeg, along the Manitoba Escarpment and especially approaching the International border.

The snow, gusty winds and poor visibility are expected to improve later this afternoon.

Visibility may be significantly and suddenly reduced to near zero. Be prepared to adjust your driving with changing road conditions. Consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tweet reports using #MBStorm.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Dec 16, 2022 - 11:31 am

Road-clearing efforts continue in the RM of Dauphin today.

In a facebook post, they say snow plows are active in zones 11-17 and the southern portion of zone 10.

A map of the zones can be found here.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Dec 16, 2022 - 9:24 am

... but we're not out of the woods quite yet.

The special weather statement issued earlier this week for much of southern Manitoba has come to an end, but most places will still see approximately 2 to 5 cm of snow today. There are some strong winds in the forecast as well which could reduce visibility on certain roads.

Unfortunately, as the system moves away from Manitoba, it will take the milder weather with it. This weekend and next week see a return to seasonal temperatures for December.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Dec 16, 2022 - 9:04 am

The Northwest Metis Council and the City of Dauphin have been working together for a number of years, and that relationship was evident on Monday.

As the NWMC opened its new Governance Building on Main Street South in Dauphin, the crowd was full of city officials and employees. During her address, NWMC Vice-President Francis Chartrand talked about her pride in the community.

"The City of Dauphin is our partner, and they know who the Red River Metis are, and I'm so proud to say that. This is part of reconciliation, and I'm so proud to be working with the City of Dauphin, and a proud resident of the City of Dauphin."

Mayor David Bosiak is also thankful for all the work that NWMC has done to help Dauphin grow.

"I think the Northwest Metis Council has been one of the largest investors in our community over the last number of years. As things slowed down during the pandemic they were very aggressive with their build, and getting their building up, so it's really good to have a partnership with their organization because of their commitment to their own values and purpose."

Bosiak says they also want to continue growing the relationship between the two governments.

"There are other things that we, as a municipal government, would like to talk to them about, in a context of a government-to-government relationship, to see how else we can work together going forward."

City Manager Sharla Griffiths says the Manitoba Metis Federation approached the city about strengthening the relationship.

"Several years ago MMF President David Chartrand, NWMC Vice President Frances Chartrand, and their Council and Staff approached the late Mayor Allen Dowhan and the City’s Council and Staff about strengthening the NWMC’s presence in Dauphin. Since then, we’ve seen great things from the NWMC, including their purchase and use of the 11th Avenue Hall, construction of the Daycare and Governance Office, exterior renovation of their Housing First building on Main Street S, and their partnership with Under One Roof to create an overnight warm drop-in space."

Griffiths says Vice President Chartrand and her team have been great to work with, and she looks forward to continuing the partnership.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 16, 2022 - 6:00 am

The City of Dauphin Public Works Department is currently out clearing priority routes, including the downtown business area. Starting around midnight, crews will shift their efforts to streets throughout the community.

The city asks that people use caution when traveling around snow-clearing equipment.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 15, 2022 - 5:15 pm

One criminal in Brandon will need to try a little harder to cover their tracks.

Brandon Police responded to an alarm at a business around 1:20 am on Tuesday morning. When they arrived, the front window and door had been smashed, and there was some damage inside the business.

Officers then noticed footprints going out the back door, and they followed them to a nearby construction site. Police found a 32-year-old man at the site and he was taken into custody.

After checking records, it was also discovered that he was bound by a curfew, which he was in violation of. The suspect was charged with Fail to Comply with Release Order, as well as Break and Enter.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 15, 2022 - 12:02 pm

In a bid to help prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the provincial government has established a winter mule deer hunting season running from Monday, December 19th, to Thursday, February 23rd, 2023.

The game hunting areas included are areas 5, 6, 6A, 11, 12, 13, 13A, 18, 18A, 18B, 18C, 22, 23, 23A, 27, 28, 29, 29A, 30, 31, 31A, 32, 33, 35 and 35A. A map of those areas can be found on page 17 of the 2022 Manitoba Hunting Guide.

Residents who live in any of the permitted game hunting areas can purchase up to three mule deer licenses a year. If you have any unused licenses from the fall season, they can be used for the upcoming winter hunt. Those same areas are also part of the harvested cervid mandatory biological sample submission zone. This means hunters must submit samples of the head and upper neck of all harvested deer.

What IS Chronic Wasting Disease you ask? It is an incurable disease that affects members of the deer family (Cervids). Infected animals can have the disease for up to three years before showing any symptoms. Those signs can be weight loss, poor coordination, stumbling, drooling, and trembling. It was first discovered in Manitoba last November and poses no known health risk to humans. Eating meat from an infected animal is not recommended, however.

Any hunters who have questions or concerns about an animal they have harvested can call 204-638-4570 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Dec 15, 2022 - 11:56 am

Honey Production had a sharp drop in 2022 according to Statistics Canada's report for the year.

Overall, honey production was down 15.6%, with a total of 74.4 million pounds harvested. Loss in colonies is a big reason for that drop, and while the report states that they were down 8.3% from 2021, Bob Podolsky, owner of Podolsky Honey Farms in Ethelbert, says the situation is even more dire.

"I think it was a lot higher than that. According to Canadian Honey Council, we are at 46.6% less colonies this year in Canada. So less colonies, less honey, and if we have another disaster this winter, with high losses, it'll even be worse. There'll be a lot of guys losing their business, their livelihood."

One of the main reasons for the high loss in colonies was due to the length of winter last year, rather than the extreme cold that was seen throughout says Podolsky.

"Our winters are too long. the bee only defecates when he flies, so if you can get him to fly earlier, he has a chance to clean himself out, which should increase survivability."

This year, Podolsky isn't taken any chances, as he decided to take his bees to British Columbia for the winter.

"Here in Manitoba, the bees are probably going to start flying around early April, middle of April, and in BC they're going to be flying hopefully middle of February, definitely by the middle of March. So you shorten it by 30, 40, and maybe even up to 60 days."

Podolsky says the move lessens the risk of the bees dying due to a prolonged winter.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 15, 2022 - 5:45 am

UPDATE

The following sections of highway have been re-opened:

Highway 5 from Highway 584 to Roblin and from Roblin to Saskatchewan border.
Highway 45 from Rossburn to Russell.
Highway 16 from vicinity of Foxwarren to Russell.
Highway 16 from Russell to Saskatchewan border.

ORIGINAL STORY

As the snow continues to fall there are some highway closures near the Saskatchewan border.

Highway 83 is closed from south of Benito to Russell.
Highway 5 is closed from Roblin to the Saskatchewan border.
Highway 16 is closed from east of Foxwarren to the Saskatchewan border
Highway 45 is closed from Rossburn to the Saskatchewan border.

Highway conditions are expected to continue changing as snow moves in from the west. For the most up to date information, check out the Parkview Auto Glass road conditions page.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 14, 2022 - 7:39 pm

The Dauphin RCMP is investigating a fatal collision that took place on Highway 5, just west of Gilbert Plains on Monday.

Police say a vehicle traveling east crossed the centre line and collided with a semi-truck that was heading west. They believe that icy conditions were a factor in the crash.

The driver of the eastbound vehicle, a 72-year-old female from the RM of Grandview, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The semi-driver, a 53-year-old male from Dauphin was not physically injured.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Dec 14, 2022 - 10:48 am

The Dauphin and District Community Foundation had its most successful giving challenge ever this year.

Each year, community foundations across the province are given a boost for one week, during the giving challenge, This year, for every $5 donated to the foundation, the provincial government and the Winnipeg Foundation would each add a dollar.

Executive director Kit Daley says DDCF was once again one of the top foundations in the province during the giving challenge week.

"This was our most successful giving challenge to date. For the fourth year in a row, we were in the top three in the province, and that's out of 56 foundations which is amazing on its own."

The foundation raised $168,000 dollars in gifts, and after the additions, they raised $172,382.

"As I've said so many times, it's not about how much we receive, it's about how much we can give back, and this one-week giving challenge will provide approximately $45,000 dollars in grants over five years."

Every donation the DDCF receives stays within the foundation, and it's the interest that is used for grants, says Daley.

"When you give a gift, that gift will give back to the community forever."

The DDCF will be accepting grant applications between January 1^st and February 28^th, 2023. Applications are open to registered charities, or community groups who have partnered with a registered charity or qualified donee who can accept the cheque on their behalf.