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If you’ve been waiting to watch your favourite movies on the big screen, here’s some good news.
With Manitoba loosening more restrictions as a part of Phase 4, the Countryfest Community Cinema is reopening this Friday.
On Saturday, July 25th the province gave movie theatres in Manitoba the all-clear to reopen at 30% capacity, and the local cinema is kicking off their reopening with some classic movies including ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Harry Potter’, and ‘Back To The Future’.
Countryfest Community Cinema General Manager Ron Suchoplas says they’ve invested in a new way to arrange and reserve seats.
“Out of this little bit of darkness came a little bit of light. It was a costly expense but it makes our physical distancing part a little bit easier because we’re able to set up the spacing and seating in the theatre using technology.”
He adds that there will be enhanced cleaning protocols in place after every movie.
“Because of the cost of them I didn’t pull the trigger on it until we got the go ahead to reopen, but we ordered a disinfectant fogger. In between show times after we clean the theatres, we’re going to disinfect them.”
For more information, and to get tickets this weekend, you can visit the Countryfest Community Cinema website.
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- Contributed by Tess Kovach
Dauphin’s fire chief has given an update on the department’s activity in the first half of 2020.
In the first six months of the year, the Dauphin Fire Department (DFD) responded to 72 emergency incidents — compared to 109 during the same period last year.
That’s a 34% decrease in emergency response calls — something Fire Chief Cam Abrey says is the lowest number of incidents (for the first half of a year) in well over 10 years.
“A lot of those calls that we are still responding to are motor vehicle incidents. That seems to be our largest response area, out of the total.”
(Graph courtesy of the Fire Chief's 2020 First Half Year Report to Council)
Despite the cancellation of festivals and summer events that typically bring more traffic to town — Dauphin's fire chief says there’s been an increase in motor vehicle collisions compared to the same time period last year— and he’s not exactly sure why.
“We really did suspect that with the COVID restrictions and people at home from work and school — that we may have seen an increase in kitchen fires. We actually saw a decrease in kitchen fires in that six-month timeframe.”
Training
While some rural fire department elected to postpone firefighter training during the COVID situation, the DFD took a different approach.
Abrey says the department decided to continue their firefighter training, by reducing group sizes and increasing classroom sanitization.
“We’re firm believers that the training is protecting not only the citizens we serve, but the firefighters themselves. These are all skills that if you don’t use it, you can lose it, so we want to stay on top of our game.”
Fitness
It appears the Dauphin Fire Department has embraced a greater focus on physical health and mental wellness, by shifting to healthier meal alternatives, and committing to regular fitness training.
When fitness centres closed in Manitoba at the beginning of the pandemic, Dauphin firefighters pooled together some workout equipment at the station, gathering in groups of 10 for their FireFit training regiment.
“Not only are we training to serve the citizens, but we’re also training to protect ourselves health-wise too. The better that you can be physically, helps with the mental wellness of everybody — which we know during the COVID — is something everybody is struggling with.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The City of Dauphin tell us that recycle pick-up has been delayed, due to a mechanical issue.
Recycle pick-up in part of the Day 1 areas has been delayed.
The city advises if your bin was not picked up today, to leave it out so OSS can pick it up tomorrow (Wednesday, July 29).
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba has recorded its eighth COVID-related death, and added 5 new cases of COVID-19 in Tuesday’s update.
The province’s most recent death related to COVID-19 is a man in his 70’s from the Southern Health region.
Today’s new cases bring Manitoba’s total case count to 405.
There are 78 active cases, with three individuals in hospital — two in intensive care — and 319 people listed as recovered.
One of the new cases is in the Prairie Mountain Health region.
Travel Restrictions
As part of Phase Four of reopening, the province will continue with the 14-day self isolation period for visitors from Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and southern Ontario.
But we’re also learning that Manitoba could reinstate a 14-day isolation order for those arriving in Manitoba from Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC, should those provinces see a surge in cases.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin is advising Manitoban’s travelling west to be mindful of possible changes to self-isolation requirements.
Health Minister Cameron Friesen says public health officials will review possible adjustments on a week-by-week basis, and make any additional changes based on the health situation at the given time.
“If we see a significant deterioration happening in western Canada, we’ve never said that we wouldn’t, you know, reinstate those 14-day isolation requirements at this point in time.”
Anyone who develops symptoms is recommended to self-isolate and visit www.Manitoba.ca/covid19 to use the online screening tool, or call Health Links for guidance on how to seek testing.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
It’s been one year since the new Emergency Department (ED) opened up at the Dauphin Hospital.
In the past year, staff have been able to become accustomed to the upgrades and larger space to work with.
Curt Gullett, Dauphin Regional Health Centre Director, says over the past year, physicians and staff have worked to learn and improve patient flow in the new ED space.
“Our new ED treatment areas and equipment have been beneficial for the support of client care needs and the requirements of the general public.”
Improvements that were made with the new ED include improved access to the hospital through the back entrance cul de sac and ED front doors, the EMS now offloads in a four-bay temperature controlled area, and the special care unit got private rooms, adjacent bathrooms, and overhead sky lighting.
Gullett says feedback from the staff at the hospital has generally been very positive.
“Private areas for the clinic and the clients to have their treatments provided, so privacy is a big thing, adequate space for the staff to work in and function has been certainly one of the things we’ve heard positive staff response to, and again, the layout, we’ve taken the approach that it’s a team effort and it’s a team approach, so all of our work stations are team stations, they’re not just nursing stations anymore, so really focusing on the team aspect at Dauphin Regional Health Centre.”
Activity at the ED overall has been busy. Although COVID has caused a decline in the use of the ED. That decline is also in part from the major events such as Countryfest, CNUF, and the Ag Fair being postponed.
While work was being done on the new ED, the department was in a temporary space.
Since moving into the upgraded area, that temporary space has been left vacant.
Gullett says PMH and Manitoba Health, Seniors, and Active Living are working together to determine what that space will become.
“It’s a fairly large space, but when we designed the temporary ER, we designed it, essentially that it would be potentially a clinical enhanced area. So, it was developed with that in mind, that it would be some form of clinical space.”
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
5:30 a.m. Update:
Shortly before 10 p.m. last night, the fire department was dispatched back to the scene due to a possible rekindle of the morning's fire.
When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming out of the roof at the back of the home.
Earlier in the day, they identified that spot as an area of concern because there had been an addition built on to the home at some point and there was a roof built over top of a preexisting roof that created some difficult void spaces.
It was also discovered that someone had removed the plywood from the windows and gained access to the structure. No one was located in the home and neighbours confirmed that they saw someone crawling out from the basement window.
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Firefighters have now determined the cause of a Monday morning house fire in Dauphin, at the corner of 2nd St. SW and 4th Ave. SW.
Shortly after 5 a.m., crews arrived on the scene with heavy smoke coming from the home.
Fire Chief Cam Abrey says members of the Dauphin Fire Department remained on scene until 3:00 p.m., working with the fire commissioner to ensure the fire was completely extinguished, and figure out what caused the blaze.
After an investigation, it was determined to be an accidental electrical fire, which had burned undetected in the basement until neighbours saw smoke and contacted the fire department.
There are no injuries to report as a result of the fire, and there is no estimate on the damage caused.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
Masks will be mandatory for everyone entering Winnipeg James Richardson International Airport, starting Wednesday.
The Winnipeg Airport Authority explains this is an added safety measure being implemented in all public areas of the airport terminal, in the interest of safety and protecting the community.
The airport had previously only required passengers wear masks when boarding, and passing through security — but say the new rule is in response to increased traffic.
A Winnipeg Airport Authority spokesperson says travellers should have a mask with them on arrival at the airport.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
It’s been a year of unique graduation ceremonies in the Parkland — and that rings especially true for 23-year-old Joey Angus.
The Dauphinite obtained his Master’s in Music Production, Technology and Innovation at the Berklee College of Music in Valencia Spain — in a final term cut short by the COVID pandemic.
He tells CKDM music has always been the main focus of his life, and there wasn’t any doubt during his days at the DRCSS that he’d be taking his love for music to the next level.
Following his jazz music studies at Brandon University, Joey discovered an interest in the production and technology aspect of music, which led him to the exclusive music program in Spain.
“Getting in was kind of a dream come true It’s a pretty exclusive program. When I was there, it was amazing. The weather was beautiful, Valencia was right on the southeastern coast, so my apartment was 20 minutes from the beach.”
By mid-March, Spanish authorities had closed down Joey’s school, prompting him to return back to Canada.
After completing the rest of his courses online, it came time for the graduation ceremony — which the college conducted using Zoom.
Joey says the college even sent a cap and gown to help deliver a sense of normalcy during the socially distanced grad ceremony.
“They did their very best to make it immersive, and make it feel like a real graduation.”
Looking ahead, the aspiring music professional is working in Dauphin, but Joey says he's definitely plotting out the next steps of his career — which may even take him back to Spain.
“I fell in love with the city I was in, and the people and the culture. I started making plans looking for jobs in Valencia, but it all kind of went downhill once the country started shutting down. I do plan on going back, but the timeline is skewed for now.”
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
The RCMP’s crime reduction enforcement teams are having an impact on rural crime in Manitoba, according to the RCMP and Justice Minister Cliff Cullen.
The RCMP’s specialized teams focus on chronic offenders and drug dealers, and have been involved in dozens of investigations which have led to criminal charges against 43 people and the seizure of more than $76,000, 46 firearms, and 20 stolen vehicles — since the province invested $1.9 million in 2019 to expand the teams.
Assistant Commissioner of the Manitoba RCMP, Jane MacLatchy, says RCMP are pleased to see that these teams are already having a significant impact on rural crime and “have no doubt that they will continue to do so in the months and years to come."
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Six new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday in Manitoba, which follows 10 cases that were identified over the weekend.
In total, these 16 recent cases bring Manitoba to a total of 400 cases of the virus.
Four of the new cases are in the Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) region; there have been a total of 38 cases in the PMH region.
(Graph courtesy of www.Manitoba.ca/covid19)
There are 74 active cases, 319 recoveries and 7 deaths. There are 3 people in hospital because of COVID-19, with 2 in intensive care.
If you feel you’re developing cold or flu-like symptoms, you’re advised to self-isolate and visit the Manitoba government website to use the online screening tool, or call Health Links-Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 for guidance on how to seek testing.
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- Contributed by Matt Hamel
Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) Officers and the Waywayseecappo Fire Department responded to a residential fire on Shingoose Road in the first nation in the afternoon of June 29th, 2020.
Police found all the doors of the residence were open, the windows were smashed, and no one was home at the time of the fire.
The preliminary investigation has revealed the cause of the fire isn’t accidental and is suspicious in nature.
MFNPS are asking anyone that has any information in relation to the incident to contact MFNPS Waywayseecappo Detachment at (204) 859-5070 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
