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In September of this year, Ray Miller drove his wife Karen, who was having a cardiac event, to the Roblin ER, but they found the doors locked when they arrived.
A voice intercom told them to drive to Russell or Grandview for emergency care, a 40-minute drive away.
Ray, caught in a moment of panic, chose to drive towards Yorkton, Saskatchewan instead.
The couple called 911 once within cell service, and an ambulance from Yorkton met them on the highway, where they took Karen to the hospital.
From when the couple left their home, it took an hour and a half for Karen to be admitted to a hospital that wasn't even in her own province.
This was the consequence of the PC's closing the Roblin ER without consulting the communities that surround Roblin.
Yesterday, Kinew visited with the Millers over a cup of coffee to discuss this matter and check in with how Karen and Ray have been doing.
Kinew spoke with CKDM about the visit,
"In spite of what they have gone through, they don't necessarily want to point fingers or assign blame. What Ray and Karen are looking for is some better communication. If the Roblin ER does have to close, to let people in the area know when those closures are going to be, and I think probably the biggest thing is, can we get the staffing necessary just to keep this emergency department open when people need it."
Preaching about how bad of a representation of Manitoba this was, Kinew carried on,
"It's potentially your loved ones life is at stake, and you're being told we can't help you at that this hospital, you got to drive the better part of an hour to go somewhere else. I think any of us would feel very upset by that. Thanks to some quick thinking on behalf of the husband, they actually decided to drive to Saskatchewan for urgent medical care, and I just think that's a shame that people in Manitoba are actually going to another province because the health care system isn't working for them here at home."
Wab says that because of this experience, the Millers have serious doubts in regards to the next time they will need emergency health care.
He outlined some possible solutions,
"The best-case scenario for me is if the investments happen so that we can guarantee everybody access to health care at the Roblin Emergency Department when they need it. And then, of course, if there ever is a situation where there needs to be a closure or something like that, I would hope that Prairie Mountain Health and the government could communicate that clearly to people, because people shouldn't show up on the doorstep of the hospital to be turned away."
Wab added that rural communities need to keep fighting to have their voices heard,
"Folks in the Parkland region, folks in Roblin, Grandview, Dauphin I think have been very good at letting the government know that health care is a priority in rural Manitoba, and I think we really just have to keep the pressure on until these sorts of investments happen."
Lastly, Kinew noted that he hopes the Millers story will open the government's eyes to continue funding and focusing on improving rural health care.
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- Contributed by Noah Fuchs
The government of Manitoba is expanding the eligibility for third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Residents of congregate housing for seniors will now be able to get a third dose.
The province said in a release that there are 500 sites across the province, and regional health authorities will be working with them in the coming weeks to implement the new recommendation.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
A 29-year-old man has been arrested and will appear in Dauphin court later this year after a search warrant was executed in the city on Friday.
On October 22, the Manitoba West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Support team along with assistance from the Dauphin RCMP executed the search warrant at a residence on 7th Avenue NE.
The search of the residence resulted in the seizure of cocaine, methamphetamine, anabolic steroids, illicit pills, firearms and drug-related paraphernalia.
The man faces charges of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Weapons Contrary to Order as well as three counts of Failing to Comply with an Undertaking.
He has been released and will appear in court on December 21.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After the cancellation of all major events since the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in 2020, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is hosting Ag Ex 2021 Wednesday until Saturday in Brandon.
This is the first time that the province of Manitoba has hosted a large scale, in-person event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manitoba Ag Ex is the largest all-breed cattle show in the province, which includes breed-specific shows, a Jackpot Heifer Show, Bull Show, and Junior Show.
A full schedule and more information can be found here.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
Some Manitobans will be paying significantly more for natural gas starting next month.
The Public Utilities Board has approved a rate hike for Crown-owned Centra Gas that will see prices go up 17 percent.
The impact on an annual bill will be 124-dollars for the average residential customer. The increase does not affect people who have fixed-price contracts with Centra Gas or third parties.
The regulator says the biggest increase in many years reflects rising market prices for natural gas, driven in part by the impact of Hurricane Ida.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
Hearings have begun in a lawsuit alleging the Manitoba government misappropriated more than $250 million meant for Indigenous children in care.
Indigenous child welfare agencies claim the province started clawing back money from the federally run Children's Special Allowance Act in 2006 and did not stop the practice until 2019.
A civil trial between 19 Manitoba child welfare agencies and Indigenous groups and the province of Manitoba started in Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday morning. The proceedings are being heard virtually.
Lawyers for the child welfare agencies say the case is a dispute between Indigenous peoples and the province.
The hearings are expected to go on for four days. The judge may order the government to repay the funds at the end of this week.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
After not being able to have their Annual General Meeting in person last year, the Dauphin Ag Society is hosting it in person this year.
President of the Ag Society, Jamie Damsgaard says they want to welcome everyone back at this year’s meeting.
“We need to elect a new board as well as the directors that are in chard of all of the different events that happen at the fair. On the agenda, we are also going to be presenting the volunteer award that we have issued this year. It’s brand new for us.”
Jamie feels like people have been missing the fellowship they got from being able to meet in person.
“Honestly our main focus is to just visit. We are so excited to have an in-person meeting. Everybody knows what those online meetings are like - they're tough, they're hard to run and be a part of, so I'm just looking forward to communicating with everyone face to face."
The Dauphin Ag Society Annual General Meeting is on Thursday, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the Aspen Lounge. Those interested can call 204-638-4428 for more information.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
"This is a really important day when we can acknowledge all of the work that students have put in. it's a little different from the usual, but it's given a really nice chance to see family and be kind of intimate with students and talk to them. We have about 84 students that are graduating; unfortunately, only about 15 were able to make the ceremony today. But it's really nice to see those accomplishments and to see the smiles on families' faces, even behind the masks."
Valarie thanked all the families who could attend and congratulated all students who could come and weren't able to come.
Moving forward, McInnes says the college is looking towards bigger and better graduations.
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- Contributed by Noah Fuchs
Dan Mazier was officially sworn-in as Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa's Member of Parliament this morning.
Mazier will formally take his seat in the House of Commons on November 22nd, when the 44th Parliament commences.
Mazier stated in a press release, obtained by 730 CKDM, that his priorities will be focused on fighting for rural Canadians and communities:
"My immediate priorities will be focused on making life more affordable for seniors, supporting our agricultural sector, advocating for local businesses, and ensuring that there is a voice of rural Canada in Parliament."
Mazier plans to send out a survey to gather further input on the priorities and concerns constituents would like him to focus on.
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- Contributed by Noah Fuchs
Only seven Ministers are retaining the same titles and previous positions after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new cabinet this morning.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland has agreed to remain in both roles, and Marie Claude Bibeau remains as Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Dan Vandal stays on as minister of Northern Affairs but also takes on responsibility for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
Oakville MP Anita Anand becomes the second woman in Canadian history to take on the role of Defence Minister. Marc Miller is the new Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Mélanie Joly is taking over from Marc Garneau, who is no longer in Cabinet, as Foreign Affairs Minister.
Overall there are 39 members of the new cabinet including Trudeau. Governor-General Mary May Simon oversaw the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall this morning.
The new Parliament kicks off on November 22nd with a throne speech.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
It has been discovered that the fire that destroyed the Sandy Bay Child and Family Services Agency office two years ago was deliberately set.
An investigation was conducted after the building, located on Sandy Bay First Nation, was burned on December 15th 2019. The fire commissioner hadn’t immediately determined the cause because the building was completely destroyed.
The Office of the Fire Commission determined that the fire was set with a device, and a police investigation started.
The fire commissioner's investigation report was finalized and sent to police in April 2020, and the case was closed a year later because of insufficient evidence to proceed.
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- Contributed by Trillian Reynoldson
