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The Parkland's most up-to-date source of local news.

A 21-year old man from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation is dead following an animal attack in that community. 

Swan River RCMP say the death occured on September 9th on a community road. 

Following an autopsy, the cause of death was determined to be an animal attack. 

Police say the type of animal has not been determined, but one email from a community member said the animal was a bear.  

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After months of planning, the construction of new trails into the north end of Riding Mountain National Park is underway. 

In a Facebook post, Riding Mountain National Park says the new project will enhance the Crawford Creek Trail area with sustainable year-round trails, and will expand the Park's connectivity with the Northgate Trails system. 

The project is the first of its kind in Canada - a partnership between an independent organization, municipal governments, a provincial government, and Parks Canada. Representatives of both Northgate Trails and the City of Dauphin have said there has been lots of communication between all of the involved parties, to a very effective and helpful level. 

During the construction of the new trail system within the Park, there are a few closures to keep in mind. The Crawford Creek and Edwards Creek trail areas have temporary closures in place, and the Crawford Creek trailhead parking lot is closed as well. The Park asks visitors to pay attention to all signage, and thanks visitors for their patience during construction. 

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MacKenzie Middle School in Dauphin is looking forward to a month full of fundraising.

The school was chosen to take part in Indigo's Adopt-a-School Program. It's a fundraising campaign and grant initiative that partners local Indigo, Chapters, and Coles Stores with schools across the country to support literacy.

Until October 4, you can help.

Pamela Adams says they're thrilled to be chosen.

"We're really excited. We're kind of the only Middle School in MVSD. We're only grades six to eight," said Adams. "We're really excited to be chosen. Our kids are pumped. It's that age group where they're just getting into becoming avid readers and having that independence to pick their own books."

As part of their application, MacKenzie Middle School had to submit their needs, the benefits of literacy, and how that would support the school.

The next time you're in Brandon, stop by Coles in the Shoppers Mall. You can donate directly to MMS. All donations will go towards new library books for the school and science resources. 

If you're not heading to Brandon, but still want to donate, you're in luck. An online option is available here. 

The campaign is off to a great start, and you can help keep the momentum going.

As Adams said, the kids are all in.

"Our student voice committee have already designed some bookmarks," said Adams. "We're giving those as a thank you to members of the community who have donated. We're also going to give some to the bookstore to give away. After someone donates, they get a handmade bookmark from a student in our school."

When they were first selected, staff from MMS hand-delivered cinnamon buns to Coles in Brandon as a thank you.  

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Manitobans will continue to get a slight break at the pump.

Mark Carney has extended the fuel excise tax. The extension will run through January 31.

On February 1, tax returns at a 50% reduced rate. 

Kris Sims is with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. While she understands prices at the pump are still high, the extension of the fuel tax is a win.

"Credit where it's due. Prime Minister Mark Carney listened," said Sims. "We did a poll with Leger. Of those who had an opinion, more than 70% of Canadians said, 'Uh, we don't want a fuel tax hike, thanks so much though'. That's because people are fighting to afford basics. Things like fuel, food, housing. It's just astronomically expensive. I'm very proud of people stepping up."

The cut is currently saving drivers about $6 every time they fill up a sedan, about $7 for a minivan, and about $10 for a pick-up truck. The tax cut is 10 cents on gas and 4 cents on diesel.

"Now, that may not seem like much. When you think about it, say you fill up every week, you can get a roast chicken for $10," said Sims. "You can get almost two jugs of milk for $10. Those savings add up. If you're a family with two vehicles and you're working and commuting, the savings will be even greater."

On April 1, the tax cut will end.

"No, we're not okay with that. We did want to be fair. Give credit where it's due," added Sims. "We're really glad that Mark Carney listened; that's really good. He could have ignored people, but he didn't. But we don't want to see a fuel tax increase happen in the new year. Again, people can't afford it. They just can't."

Leading up to April 1, Sims encourages everyone to reach out to the prime minister's office with letters. That's what has happened, and Mark Carney listened.

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The past couple days, Dauphin has had a blue tint - it's been the site of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party's Caucus Retreat, featuring meetings with key local stakeholders, and a public engagement event on Thursday. 

Greg Nesbitt, MLA for Riding Mountain, said he was excited to show his riding of Riding Mountain to the Caucus on the drive to Dauphin. He highlighted that many of the issues currently facing Dauphin are deeply affecting his riding too, like the closure of the DRHC, and agricultural damages that happened as a result of flooding earlier in the summer. 

"I think so often the Government is quick to make promises, but we need to see actual boots on the ground in action to help these producers and businesses recover from this disastrous flood...[the DRHC's closure] affects people in my constituency of Riding Mountain too, because a lot of people come here for MRIs, things like that, they doctor here in Dauphin. Especially people in the northern part of my constituency like Sandy Lake, Onanole, Erickson, they come to Dauphin," said Nesbitt. 

One of the most hard-hit communities across the Parkland was Swan River. Rick Wowchuk, MLA for Swan River, said though there have been a lot of negatives when it comes to infrastructure, property, and agricultural damages, there have been quite a few positives in seeing his community support each other. 

"We saw a lot of neighbours helping neighbours, families standing side by side, and even strangers coming forth on the sandbagging, I recall on July 1st there were people, they were just there because they wanted to help," said Wowchuk. 

Wowchuk has been critical of Premier Wab Kinew's decision to tour the Swan Valley area without any Progressive Conservatives in his entourage, saying now is the time to support the community, no matter the party. 

"Regardless of what colours and stripes and values, you gotta come together as a team, and you gotta rebuild, and people wanted to see that, and unfortunately that was a decision [Premier Kinew] made," said Wowchuk. 

One of the MLAs from further down the road in attendance this week was Jeff Bereza, MLA for Portage la Prairie, who formerly held the role of Agriculture Critic, and has more than 30 years of agricultural experience. On Friday, Bereza, Wowchuk, Nesbitt, and others toured Vermillion Growers, one of many Parkland producers who were impacted by flood damages. 

"When you run into catastrophic events like this, not only are you affecting what's going on right here in the Parkland, but you're also dealing with people that are working here, but also down the line, like it's a trickle effect down the line," said Bereza. 

Bereza said he thinks the Government's response to the flooding with improvements to AgriStability's loan programs won't give farmers much of the relief they need, and will lead to more debt. 

"To just offer things like extra loans and stuff like that, farmers don't need more debt right now, they need help, and they need relief, and I think that's where the Province could be more involved...we also have to look at, how can we mitigate this the next time, is there a way to build better berms around this place," said Bereza. 

In the months since flooding in the Parkland, Manitoba Agriculture has announced several enhancements to AgriStability, including implementing late participation in the program, and increases to loan maximums and guarantees. 

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Aspen Insurance in Dauphin is one of 730 CKDM's Harvest Helpers this season, highlighting some of the ways they can give the Parkland's producers an extra hand during the harvest season. 

James Stoesz with Aspen Insurance said he's focused on meeting clients where they are, especially the Parkland's farmers. 

"Yeah, at Aspen Insurance here we're focused on our clients, we're focusing on all their needs at hand and we're here to listen, here for open conversation, and discuss[ing] what's important to them...personally myself, I grew up on a farm and I did farm in the past, and we understand it's a challenging business," said Stoesz. 

In his time with Aspen Insurance, Stoesz said he's seen a number of changes within the agriculture industry, and his experiences in the sector have helped Aspen Insurance adapt to those changes, to find better ways to help farmers. 

"The biggest change is to how big these businesses have gotten and where they're going, and with an understanding of the day-to-days, it makes a big difference when you know what happens throughout the times of the year, different times of the year, from the start of seeding, to spray season, to getting ready for harvest," said Stoesz. 

According to Aspen Insurance's website, they aim to provide clients with the best possible product to suit their needs, and are committed to providing complete customer satisfaction. 

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School Division Trustees play a role that not many people understand. 

Lori Slepicka, MVSD Secretary-Treasurer, said Monday's upcoming Trusteeship Information Session is a great way for anyone interested to find out more about the role, and attend a meeting so they understand what takes place. 

"It's an invite to prospective candidates to come and ask questions directly to the trustees about trusteeship, so anything about like, how much time does the role require, do trustees make operational decisions, just anything, any questions lingering in their minds, and if they're on the fence of becoming a trustee or running for trusteeship...lots of times, candidates haven't even attended a meeting before, so it's just a good idea to come and see how it all works before you get your name on the list," said Slepicka. 

According to Slepicka, trustees are one of the most important ways members of the community can have their say when it comes to school division processes. 

Manitoba's School Division Trustee Elections take place alongside, Manitoba's Municipal Elections, and have a process that's almost exactly the same. The nomination period is also the same, from September 16th to 22nd. 

"[Trustees are] the final decision makers on the policies, the board sets the policies for administration to run under, so it's important that they get in and have their say, we talk about community voice...nomination period is between September 16th to the 22nd, so what that means is you need to be registered prior to getting nominations," said Slepicka. 

If you want to find out more about running for the role of Mountain View School Division Trustee, attend the Trusteeship Information Session from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM on Monday at the MVSD Office. 

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A craft sale, farmers market, live entertainment, bouncy castles, and a photo booth.

It all makes up the fourth annual Roblin Fall harvest Festival, set for Saturday in the Jewel of the Parkland. 

Roblin Chamber Board Chair Charmaine Dereniwski says it is important to have something for every member of the family.

"That is always key, getting something for everybody so that they all want to come out and visit and network, and help support our great groups within our community as well."

The day starts with a pancake breakfast fundraiser for the San Clara Community Centre, and Charmaine says there will be other fundraising opportunities throughout the day.

"We have the Roblin Service to Seniors that is doing a lunch, so they will be fundraising for their group.  And the Chamber is doing a 50/50 draw as well, which goes towards our bursary for graduations next year."

There will also be several organizations selling food during the day.

It wraps up with fireworks in the evening.  

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On Thursday at 12:20 p.m., Dauphin RCMP responded to a theft at a business on Main Street South.

28-year-old Jarreth Chartrand of Dauphin jumped on a customer's electric bike and fled. A trailer was attached to the bike.

At 2:10 p.m., officers located the suspect near the intersection of Jackson Street and 1st Street Southwest and attempted to arrest him. The suspect, who was riding another bike, tried to flee.

Jarreth was caught outside a home on 11th Avenue Southwest and was arrested. During the arrest, officers seized a bear repeller container on Chartrand's arm. A small amount of meth was also seized.

His charges include theft of a bicycle under $5,000, possession of a concealed weapon, and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

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If you live in the Russell/Binscarth area, and have questions or concerns about health care in that region, you will want to attend a special gathering tomorrow. 

The Assiniboine Valley Health Board is hosting a Healthcare Open House  starting at 9 am at  the GPB Centre in Russell.

The board will present a summary of their work, share recent progess and successess, and also provide background on the current state of healthcare in the regional hub.

Those in attendance will also have the chance to provide feed back, either in person, or through the provided online survey.

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From January 1 to July 31, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to 171 calls for service. 

That's an eight percent increase over the same time period in 2025.

Cam Abrey is Dauphin's Fire Chief.

"We've seen slight increases from year to year," said Abrey. "We still have a few months left in the year. We could come out at par with previous years. With the fire service, we always hope there is an increase from year to year. With that said, we're not too concerned about it at this time."

The second-largest number of incidents continues to be motor vehicle collisions. The DFD responded to 33 calls. That's 19 percent of their responses. 

False alarms remained the largest call for service during the first seven months of the year. The department responded to 51 incidents. That's 30 percent of calls. 

Abrey said responding to false alarms is frustrating, to say the least.

"We are not a full-time fire department. Individuals are leaving their family commitments, jobs, everything else to respond," he added. "We suit up, get on the trucks, and respond. It's due in part to construction dust, humidity, or a variety of different things that can cause a false alarm."

The devastating flood that hit Dauphin and the Parkland on July 1 was an extremely busy day for the DFD. They responded to 18 separate incidents.

13 were specifically for callers reporting flood-related incidents. The remainder were for lift assist, downed hydro lines, mutual-aid assistance, and evacuation of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre. While this year's event was an anomaly for Abrey and his crew, it wasn't a first.

In October 2018, wind speeds reached more than 120 kilometres per hour. That caused several grass fires, downed power lines, and trees falling through power lines. They responded to 17 incidents in 24 hours. The DFD, Gilbert Plains, Ochre River, and Sifton Fire Departments all responded in various areas.

When it comes to staffing, Abrey says they're in a great spot. 16 members will take part in Level 1 firefighter training this fall. Overall, they're sitting at 40 members. That's the highest they've had in several years.

While they are full, if you are interested in becoming a firefighter, don't hesitate to reach out. Cam says you can be put on a waiting list and the call could come your way. Abrey says they have a great complement of firefighters.

In his words, it takes something special to dedicate yourself to the number of hours required for training to become a firefighter. In order to become a Level 1, you have to do a minimum of 200 hours. 

"And then there is all the specialty courses that occur," added Abrey. "It adds up, and some people don't have that time commitment. It takes a special something. A lot of commitment and dedication. My hat's off to the members we have."

The DFD features firefighters who have been on the post for one month up to almost 60 years.

The Department is thanking Cameron Popiel for his time. He recently resigned and moved to Brandon. Popiel joined the DFD in March of 2018 and quickly rose through the ranks. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2022 and then Captain in 2025. 

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