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Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has decided to temporarily adjust emergency department and hospital admission hours at several locations due to summer staffing challenges at a number of healthcare facilities in the PMH region. These challenges come as the result of vacancies, staff leaves and vacations. According to PMH, the move is necessary to ensure reliable and consistent health services for residents and visitors to the region.
In the Parkland region, the emergency department at Grandview Hospital will be significantly impacted by PMH's newly-unveiled Summer Operations Plan. Starting on July 8th, emergency department services will remain in place from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Overnight and weekend emergency department services will be temporarily suspended.
Healthcare facilities run by PMH in Treherne, Melita and Souris will be impacted by the Summer Operations Plan as well. More information on those can be found here.
PMH also wants to stress that people should still call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. Ambulance services will continue to provide emergency response to all areas of PMH. Everyone making 9-1-1 calls will be transported to the nearest open emergency department.
Those with non-emergency health questions can call Health Links-Info Santé at 1-888-315-9257 to speak with a nurse.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
The Gilbert Plains-Grandview Ag Society is ready for the return of their Annual Fair & Rodeo this weekend. They're returning in full force this year according to Ag Society President Kevin Boese.
"Everything is a little bit back to normal, how it was the last time we had a fair way back in 2019, we just encourage everyone to come in, have a good time, and be responsible," Said Boese, "There might even be more events than there was in the past, it's a jam-packed weekend."
The weekend is absolutely packed with events, including the Parade at 3 on Friday, the Rodeo at 7 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. See the full schedule on the Ag Society website here.
Al Gains will be bringing the Al Morning Show to Gilbert Plains this Friday to get you ready for the weekend. He'll be at Integra Tire from 8 to 11.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Gypsumville RCMP responded to a fatal single-vehicle rollover in the RM of Grahamdale on Thursday evening.
A 19-year-old female from Lake St. Martin First Nation was pronounced deceased on the scene. The four other occupants, two females aged 18 and 24, and two males aged 24 and 27, all from Lake St. Martin First Nation, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Gypsumville RCMP along with the Criminal Collision Investigation Team and a Forensic Traffic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
After two years without events, people across the Parkland region were excited to partake in the many events that took place over the Canada Day long weekend.
The long-awaited return of Dauphin's Countryfest took over the hill. There was a party atmosphere that uplifted everyone who visited the site. The all-Canadian lineup featured many artists from right here in Manitoba, including Desiree Dorion, Kendra Kay, and Doc Walker. The vendors returned to the hill, selling everything from poutine to perogies.
The Dauphin Fair returned to the fairgrounds as well. There were rides and food galore, as well as a demolition derby. First place went to Branden Bilay from Dauphin and Ryan Gamache from Ste. Rose came in second. As part of the fair, there was also a parade that started on River Ave. W. — near the RCMP building — and went down Main St.
Li Festival di Mitchif happened in Roblin over the weekend as well. Métis culture was on full display at the event.
Source: Facebook/Northwest Métis Council Inc. - Manitoba Métis Federation
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
Ground beef has officially been added to the exemption list for Health Canada's warning labels for high saturated fat, sodium, and sugar contents. When the label announcement was made, ground beef was one of the only whole food ingredients that weren't exempt from the labels.
Canadian Cattlemen's Association launched a website called dontlabelmybeef.ca where people could have their voice heard in support of Canadian Ground Beef. Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Carson Callum said the website was a huge success.
"It's just really great news," Said Callum, "It's such a nutrient-dense protein, and this allows beef producers to continue to provide for Canadians."
Health Canada is introducing the labels to help Canadians make healthier choices, Callum said the labels would unfairly group ground beef with highly processed, pre-packaged foods, and it didn't take other health benefits of the product into account.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
Dean Cooley joined the Murray Chevrolet dealership in Brandon in 1986 as a sales associate and just two years later, he was named sales manager at the dealership.
Seven years later in 1995, a great opportunity presented itself for Cooley and it was one that he certainly couldn't pass up. On May 1 of 1995, Dean officially took over the Chevrolet dealership in Dauphin and since, it has been Dean Cooley GM. Dean says moving to Dauphin was a tremendous decision and that things have gone very well over the past 27 years.
So it's been Dean Cooley GM for 27 years but just recently, Dean received his 25-year Milestone Award from General Motors for being a dealer for 25 years. Cooley says getting this award is very special to him and he wants to thank all of his hardworking staff for everything they do.
"We've seen tremendous support from the area, people continue to buy vehicles," said Cooley. "We have such a great group here and that's what makes this dealership successful."
During his time in Dauphin, Dean Cooley GM has been the top-selling Chevrolet/GMC pickup dealership in the province on multiple occasions and they have also been awarded the President's Award (Triple Crown) several times. The award is only given to a very small percentage of dealerships across the country. Another highlight was the completion of their new facility which is located on Main Street South and most recently, Dean's daughter and son have moved to Dauphin and have started working in the family business.
So if you're in the market for purchasing a new or pre-owned vehicle, Cooley says his staff is always ready to help.
"We are a locally owned and locally staffed group," said Cooley. "We love our customers and we try to do our best every day. We always want to make sure we're doing the right thing."
Dean also took over Dauphin Ford on May 1, 2021.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Health Canada says certain specialized baby formula is expected to be in short supply throughout the summer.
The affected formulas are intended for infants with food allergies and some medical conditions.
Issues at a Michigan plant that produces baby formula for Abbott Nutrition are part of the issue. The company makes the popular Similac and Alimentum formula brands.
Health Canada says there is no shortage of regular formula in Canada.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The Municipality of McCreary has issued a boil water advisory. Public Works were forced to shut off water to homes due to a water main break, but it has since been restored. The advisory is being issued to protect the health of residents, since distribution depressurization can compromise the safety of the water.
Until further notice, all water used for consumption should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before it is used for:
• Drinking and ice-making
• Beverage preparation, such as infant formula
• Preparing food; including washing fruits and vegetables
• Brushing teeth
• Feeding pets
It is not necessary to boil tap water used for other household purposes, such as laundry or washing dishes. Adults and older children that are able to avoid swallowing the water can wash, bathe, or shower. Young children should be sponge bathed.
For more information, call the Municipality of McCreary at 204-835-2309.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
One lucky person or group is going to win $5,000 on Canada Day.
The Dauphin Fire Department's 50/50 has once again sold out which means the winner will get $5,000.
Fire Chief Cam Abrey wants to thank everyone for their support.
"It's amazing the support we get from the community and beyond," said Abrey. "We're very excited and we can't wait to draw that name."
The draw will be Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and the DFD will be recording it and then putting it up on their Facebook page. If you are the lucky winner, they will contact you.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Dauphin's Countryfest is back and Dauphin Ag Society's Fair is back which means it's going to be a great weekend in and around Dauphin.
Elsewhere around the Parkland, the Roblin Metis Local is all set to host its Michif Music and Dance Festival at St. Vlad's College grounds and the event begins Friday and runs until Sunday night.
The event features music, dancing, cultural activities and so much more. Scott Paul invites everyone to come down to check it out.
"We're going to have some amazing entertainment," said Paul. "We have lots of local entertainers so that makes it that much more exciting. There will be lots of laughs and cheers, it's going to be a great weekend."
The list of performers includes the Asham Stompers who have been very busy as of late performing. Also, the Norman Chief Memorial Dancers will perform as will Erin Fleury. There will also be food vendors on site and children's activities.
A weekend pass is just $60 while you can get a day pass for $25 and you can pick them up at the gate. Free unserviced campsites will also be available for anyone looking to take advantage of that. If you want a campsite, you must message Lindsay Andres-Langan on Facebook.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
There's a new invasive species swimming in Clear Lake at Riding Mountain National Park. Smallmouth bass — which are not native to Manitoba or Western Canada — have been found in Clear Lake. According to Michele Nicholson, aquatic ecologist for Parks Canada at Riding Mountain National Park, they're a really aggressive top-predator fish that can harm native species through predation and competition for resources, which could lead to a reduction in the native species that call the lake home. The local Anishinaabe community is very concerned about this because they hold fishing rights for Clear Lake. It's a concern for anglers and tourists as well.
Even though it's unknown how the bass were introduced into the lake, they are focusing on managing the problem. Parks Canada, in partnership with the Coalition of First Nations with Interests in Riding Mountain National Park, will be doing that by running a spearfishing course for Parks Canada employees at the park, as well as local Indigenous partners. It's being done as part of a special controlled research and management plan and will not be open to the public.
"Spearfishing has been used successfully for controlling fish in the ocean, but it hasn't really been studied in freshwater systems, so this is cutting-edge research that we're doing," Nicholson said.
Michele Nicholson feels that spearfishing is the way to go when it comes to ridding the park of this invasive species.
"One of the big benefits of spearfishing is that we can choose which fish we're targeting, so we can know that we're only taking out smallmouth bass and not any native species," she said.
Nicholson also said that since the water at Clear Lake is especially clear, it's really easy to target the bass by spearfishing.
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- Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos
