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UPDATE:
21-year-old Kawalpreet Singh who resides in Thompson has been arrested and charged with Arson - Disregard for Human Life as well as Arson - Damage to Property. Singh has been remanded into custody.
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The Thompson Inn received extensive damage after a fire broke in the restaurant part of the building.
Around 9:58 last night, Thompson Fire and Emergency were quick to respond to the fire.
They were able to contain the fire in the restaurant.
There were no injuries to firefighters or the public, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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- Contributed by With Files From Darnell Duff
UPDATE:
Smitty's Restaurant and Lounge will re-open this morning at 7:00 a.m.
It remained closed yesterday as a result of the fire in the basement.
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DFD was dispatched to smoke in a building (1601 Main Street South-Smitty's Restaurant & Lounge) shortly after 10 pm on Monday, January 21st.
Upon arrival, management met the firefighters and reported that there was a fire in the basement under the kitchen area.
Firefighters entered and encountered heavy black smoke coming from the basement stairs.
The fire was located and extinguished within the first 20 minutes on the scene but crews remained on scene until after midnight in order to remove smoke from the building.
There are no injuries and no estimates on damages at this time.
Even though the cause of the fire is not suspicious, it does remain under investigation.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
There's a big crowd on the first day of Manitoba Ag Days.
Talking with a variety of people working at their booths they all say the crowd so far has been great.
As the first morning of the three-day event wraps up, those attending have already heard from many experts.
Some of the highlights for this morning included David Lobb, Professor at the University of Manitoba with “A view below the soil surface – tillage challenges facing agriculture” and “Resistance management 101 – can we take an integrated approach?” by Holly Derksen, Technical Support Specialist with Aysta LifeScience, Tammy Jones, Weed Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and John Gavloski, Entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture.
Dan Orchard, Agronomy Specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, John Guelly, Director of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and Michael Weir, Agronomist with Pioneer Hi-Bred presented “Clubroot – what we all really need to know.”
There are many speakers this afternoon. Some of the highlights include Ralph Eichler, the Minister of Agriculture and Mayor of Brandon Rick Crest addressing the crowd at 1:30 pm. Premier of Manitoba, Brian Pallister, will speak directly after the Ag Minster at 2:00 pm.
There are other presentations this afternoon. One example is Lance Stockbrugger, with LD Stockbrugger Farms, presenting on how to “Let the numbers talk – leasing vs buying machinery" at 1:30.
Manitoba Ag Days runs until five this afternoon and then will pick up at nine tomorrow morning.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The newest food guide has been released.
A major change from past food guides is the meat and alternatives, and milk and alternatives groups are combined in a group as proteins.
Water is being pushed more and fruit juices have been dropped because of their sugar content.
Health Canada has also removed advice on how much food to consume because most Canadians found it confusing.
The new Canada Food Guidelines are to eat veggies, fruit, whole grains, and plant-based proteins regularly, replace foods with saturated fat with unsaturated fat, drink water almost exclusively, avoid processed or prepared foods and beverages, avoid alcohol, cook more at home, and pay attention to food labels.
It is recommended to have a diet that consists of 50 per cent fruits and vegetables, 25 per cent whole grains, and 25 per cent proteins.
Canada Beef spokesperson Joyce Parslow says they are pleased with the percentages that are recommended.
The Dairy Farmers of Canada advocacy group are concerned with the lesser emphasis on milk and the promotion of lower fat milk only.
This is the first food guide update since 2007.
If you would like to take a look at the new food guide click here.
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- Contributed by Isaac Wihak
It's the night hockey fans in the Parkland have been waiting for all season long, Ukrainian Night and it goes down this Saturday at Credit Union Place. The 4th Annual event was an extreme success for the first three years and this time around, it's expected to be even better.
As previously announced, Dauphin`s Stanley Cup Champion, Barry Trotz will return to Dauphin and will be a part of the game as he`ll drop the puck during the opening ceremonies. That`s just one amazing part of what will be an extraordinary evening.
"We've got the live band, we have the Kubassa Toss and we have well over 1000 of those to toss on the ice," said Ryan Rauliuk. "I encourage people to get down to the rink early so they don't miss out on all of the before game activities before the in-game activities that we have going on."
Game time on Saturday is set for 7:30. The band will be starting up at about 5:30 and the concession will have plenty of options if you're planning on heading down for dinner.
"We also have the Bratstva Ukrainian Dance group from Dauphin and Ethelbert's Vitriwka Dance Ensemble so that's going to be awesome and the fans will love them," said Rauliuk.
The Portage Terriers will be welcomed into the community with bread and salt just before the game. Other than the 50/50, all of the proceeds from that evening will be going right back into the community.
There will also be a live jersey auction that will feature the brand new Ukrainian jerseys that the Kings’ will wear. That means you can bid for a jersey right off your favourite Kings' players back. The first $100 from each jersey will go back to the team and the rest will also be put right back into the community and the groups helping to make this event possible.
"It's really like a big Ukrainian fundraiser," said Rauliuk.
Tickets for the event are just $7 for adults, $5 for students and $2 for kids 12 & under. Tickets are going fast which means you should get yours today.
"The biggest thing we want people to know is to get your tickets fast," said Rauliuk. "We ran into a situation a few years ago that a lot of people waited till the last minute to get their ticket. We had a ton of people still waiting in line and the game was already started, so I would get them right away if you're planning on heading down to the game."
If you do want them, you can call Ruff's Furniture at 638-6225 or head down to 215 Buchanon Ave.
Recliner races will also be a part of the night after they went off very successfully during the Parkland Rangers Ukrainian Night.
"It's going to be the best party in town in 2019 and you don't want to miss out," said Rauliuk. "It's great for the community and for the team as well."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The provincial government is making it easier to inspect grain dryers.
Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen announced today that they are streamlining the process for approval and inspections of grain dryers.
The Office of the Fire Commissioner has established a central booking process co-ordinated with Manitoba Hydro to streamline the scheduling of inspections.
“We recognize the importance of responding in a timely fashion, and the OFC has taken strides to improve the inspection and approval process for grain dryers,” Pedersen said. “When producers find they need to dry the grain in their bins, it is important to be able to move quickly and accommodate a large number of requests that may come in at the same time.”
They are also making a 24-hour inspection hotline available from August 15th to December 31st.
“We have heard loud and clear from producers that we must do better when it comes to reducing red tape on grain dryers,” Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler said. “The work we have done in conjunction with the Office of the Fire Commissioner and with Minister Pedersen means this process will be streamlined and that producers can focus on what they do best – working to feed the world.”
The OFC and SaskPower, in Saskatchewan, are working to align the approval process and installation requirements like venting, dryer and fuel tank protection and general installation code requirements.
Harmonizing installation requirements with Saskatchewan is expected to reduce confusion as equipment suppliers and installers often serve clients in both provinces.
Minister Eichler says this is a step in reducing red tape. “I think this is a big step in the right direction, but I would be remiss if I didn’t remind farm families not to wait until the crop is needed to go into the grain bin. Get these things set up ahead of time, so you’re ready when you need them.”
Producers will still need to make sure the installation is completed in compliance with the manufacturers' installation instructions and Canadian Standards Association code requirements, and that all checks are completed prior to the inspection to avoid unnecessary delays.
For more information or to schedule an inspection, contact the Office of the Fire Commissioner at 1-204-945-3373, 1-204-945-3322 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Manitoba Ag Days 2019 is officially underway!
Canada’s Largest Indoor Farm Show is at the Keystone Centre in Brandon, and will run for the next three days from 9 to 5.
This year’s show is celebrating “Tell Your Story – Be An Agvocate”. They have 237 exhibitors who jumped on board with the theme and will display facts about the agriculture industry in their booth throughout the show.
There are 60 speakers on a variety of topics presenting in the FCC and MNP theatres. This year’s program is packed with people talking about the importance of connecting with consumers, the latest in technology, agronomy and market outlooks as well as topics on data and how it can be used to positively benefit the bottom line, and much more.
CKDM's Benjamin Schwab is in Brandon to cover everything going on throughout the first day.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
The federal government is changing how Ottawa allocates almost two billion dollars in annual funding for First Nations education.
Starting in April, the government will take a new approach it says will mean a more predictable base of money for First Nations schools.
The government says the changes will mean making their budgets comparable to those of public schools run by the provinces.
Education is a service the federal government pays for on reserves but provincial governments handle off reserves.
Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan says the new model was created partly with input from the Assembly of First Nations.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Manitoba Public Insurance is warning its customers not to respond to a text which is offering an e-transfer of money.
The text, which appears to be from MPI, asks the customer to click a link which will send a refund via e-mail transfer. It appears that the e-transfers are coming from different phone numbers.
Manitoba Public Insurance does not conduct business in this manner. Customers who have concerns are asked to contact either their Autopac broker or Manitoba Public Insurance’s Contact Centre: 204-985-7000.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
Around 5 o'clock this morning, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to an unknown fire on Merrell Avenue.
When they got there, they discovered that people at the residence were hauling furniture to a bonfire in their back yard. They said they were doing that because the dump was closed.
The Dauphin Fire Department reminds you that burning garbage within city limits is prohibited, and under City of Dauphin Bylaw 01-2013, you could be charged up to $500 for doing so.
"They're new to the community and unaware of our burning by-laws," said Cam Abrey, Fire Chief. "We did let them off with a warning on this instance. All people should know that there is no unauthorized burning within city limits and that includes garbage or even yard waste."
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston and Darnell Duff
A new committee is working to reduce poverty in Dauphin and the Parkland.
The intent of the committee is to reduce homelessness, crime, addiction, abuse and other related social issues.
Sharla Griffiths and Councillor Riehl attended the inaugural meeting a few weeks ago.
“It seemed like there were many organizations trying to help many different people. And sometimes it feels like we’re all pulling in the same direction and sometimes it feels like we’re not. Many agencies thought it would be good to get together and find out what each agency is doing.”
Other partners in this committee include Prairie Mountain Health, Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal, Echo Housing, the Dauphin and District Food Bank and others who are personally interested in the initiative.
She says the group is in its infancy and still figuring out an appropriate strategy.
“We want to help people. That’s always our main goal. We want to streamline some services. If there is streamlining to do. But for right now, we’re finding out what’s available. And once we find that out, I think we’ll be able to be more focused on what we want to accomplish.”
In addition to hosting the meeting, the City has identified housing, crime reduction, and safe communities as its priories.
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- Contributed by Josh Sigurdson
