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The Strathclair Ag Society is holding their 138th Annual Fair today, with events from 8:30 AM to 4:45 PM.
Kathy McKerchar, Strathclair Ag Society Fair Director, said all things considered, the fair grounds are in pretty good shape.
"We're pretty lucky we haven't been affected too much by the high waters that are in lots of Manitoba so the grounds are looking great," said McKerchar.
Some of the fair's mainstays include their horse shows, both light and heavy, and the M.G.R.A. Gymkhana, starting at 4:30 PM. There's also a beef show at 1:00 PM that's open for public viewing. McKerchar said there will also be a youth component of the beef show, and making sure that kids enjoy the fair too is one of their focuses.
"For the kids, once you're on the grounds, the kids stuff is free, so we've got Kerr's Inflatables joining us for 4 hours from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM, and that includes some bouncy castles and some laser tag...we love to have [kids] always there having fun, and we hope that the years that they come to the fair keep them interested in helping us to continue to have a fair by coming on and being volunteers," said McKerchar.
When it comes to events like this, the part nobody wants to talk about is admission prices. Good news: the Strathclair Ag Society Fair is affordable, and all of their proceeds go right back into the fair and the community. Anyone 13+ gets in for $5, ages 6 to 12 are $2, and kids 5 and under are free.
"Generally what we take in at the fair goes right back into our fair," said McKerchar.
Aside from paying vendors and attractions, most of their proceeds go to prize pools for their horse events, and other events.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Did you know the City of Dauphin has two notification services?
The first is to connect emergency alerts. If you subscribe, you will get urgent notifications for emergencies that require immediate action. This includes flash flooding, boil water advisories, gas leaks, evacuations, and other situations affecting public safety in Dauphin. These alerts can be sent by text, call, or email.
The other is email updates. If you subscribe, you can get emails with city news and information. This includes road closures, garbage and recycling updates, snow clearing, seasonal programs, public notices, and other important updates.
David Bosiak is the Mayor of Dauphin.
"It's just another method to keep people informed," said Bosiak. "In today's environment of second-hand information or fake information, we want to make sure there is accurate, from the source information going out in a variety of methods. This is why we're promoting this."
Bosiak stresses the second-hand or fake information. In this day and age, rumours travel quickly, especially in a small community. Sometimes, if something seems too good to be true, it is. Rumours can be harmful to some.
If you get a Facebook post from a friend, check the source to see if it's real.
"Again, there may be bots and other things that are pretending to be the City of Dauphin and look like it," ended Bosiak. "If you're on our mailing list or subscribe to our social media, you can be pretty confident that it's accurate information coming from the City."
The recent mass flood in Dauphin was a great reminder of how important timely information can be. As many in the community continue to recover from the flood, the City of Dauphin is here for you every step of the way.
The City put out recommendations as the wastewater plant was overwhelmed. Residents were asked to reduce water use. This included postponing laundry and other water-intensive activities, delaying the use of dishwashers, and limiting unnecessary use of showers, sinks, and toilets.
Bosiak thanks those who stuck to the recommendations.
"When the water restriction was lifted, they only ran the washer at night to help the system," ended Bosiak. "Many people stepped up in many different ways. That's what makes our community a great place to be in. I truly believe that's what makes Dauphin a special place, people love to help people."
To sign up for the emergency alert system, head here. To sign up for email alerts, head here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
On Saturday, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to a garage fire in the City's north end. Cam Abery, Dauphin's Fire Chief, said the department determined the cause to be accidental.
"Upon arrival, we found that it was a single detached garage that was fully involved in the fire, and the overhead electrical lines had burnt off and were arcing in the backyard. Crews were able to extinguish the fire in a short time, and during the investigation it was revealed that the fire was accidental in nature," said Abrey.
Saturday was not a great day to be fighting fires: pair a humidex of 41 with heavy equipment and hot firefighting gear, and heat stroke or exhaustion are a serious concern. Abrey said he's glad so many firefighters showed up, because they were able to rotate teams effectively, to both battle the blaze and stave off heat exhaustion.
"Given the heat of the day, and the equipment that the firefighters are wearing, we had rapid rotations where people were able to come out and take off their jackets, and get some water into them to try and maintain core temperatures, and look after everyone so that there's no signs of heat exhaustion," said Abrey.
Dauphin's Fire Department operates as a paid on-call department. Abrey thanks his firefighters for responding quickly, dropping whatever they're doing to help out.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Several Parkland municipalities are banding together after severe flooding rocked the region earlier this month. On July 6th, representatives from a large number of municipalities had a meeting about their shared struggles, and how to get back on their feet.
Ernie Sirski, RM of Dauphin Reeve, said there's only one way to put what happened in the Parkland recently.
"The message is we're trying to be consistent that this is a disaster, that's the only way to really describe it, it is a disaster. And locally, municipalities will have a hard time, if not have an impossible time, to deal with this on our own...we discussed the amount of rains that happened, the infrastructure that was damaged, including but not limited to roads, washouts, ford crossing, culverts, bridges even, and the effect that it's going to have on us going forward," said Sirski.
Last week, Sirski said he estimated around 200 roads within the RM of Dauphin alone had some sort of flooding-related damage to them. After the meeting, he realized the same is true for just about every municipality in the Parkland, and that's going to be one of the major challenges going forward.
Sirski said he sees two main problems being faced by the vast majority of Parkland municipalities: infrastructure and agriculture. From bridge damage and washouts, to flooded fields and drowned crops, there's damage almost everywhere you look.
"Well I think the biggest thing is roads in all the municipalities, and make sure that everyone has access to their property, to their home, so they can get in an out, that's one of the first priorities. The second one is the agricultural impact...we've got significant crop loss throughout the area. My own farm, it's hard to say, the cereals are holding up ok, the canola is garbage, that's the only way to describe it, and that's what I'm hearing from farmers throughout the area," said Sirski.
By understanding that every Parkland municipality has these challenges, Sirski hopes a partnership with this many municipalities will trigger a larger response from the Province, or even the Federal government.
"To make sure that we have product to work with, when I say we have product, that we have aggregate, we have gravel, we have limestone that's available, because that's in my understanding in some places are starting to run short...the other thing is to make sure we have qualified contractors to help us, because our public works crews I think in every municipality is going to really struggle to put everything together before freeze up," said Sirski.
Sirski also wants to remind residents that if a road or bridge is closed, there's a reason, even if you can't see it. He said safety is still his RM's top priority, as with every other Parkland municipality.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
A 78-year-old man from Dauphin faces a dozen charges after his home was raided last week.
On July 7, Dauphin RCMP executed a search warrant at Inky Mark's home. When officers entered, they found and seized 439 firearms.
"We also seized an antique cannon, ammunition, and more than $300,000 in currency," said Corporal Barry Kirby. "It's expected to take several weeks for investigators to document the large collection of evidence gathered at the residence and determine how many firearms were illegally possessed."
As of Monday, at least three firearms were illegally trafficked. At least one firearm had its serial number tampered with. Hundreds of firearms were improperly stored. Mark was arrested without incident at the residence.
Charges Inky face includes firearms trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and two counts of a prohibited device when knowing possession is unauthorized, among others.
"Possession of a restricted or prohibited weapon with ammo without a license, and three counts of unsafe storage of firearms," ended Kirby. "More charges are possible as the investigation continues."
Inky appeared in court last week and has been released on an order.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Province of Manitoba announced further details of their Disaster Financial Assistance Program designed to help businesses, farmers, and residents affected by severe flooding. They also announced the creation of a one-time Manitoba Flood Recovery Program for residents in the hardest-hit communities.
Early next week, Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization is expected to be on-site in Swan River within the next week, to provide support in-person to help people naviage the recovery process. Most of the Province's focus is on Swan River right now, the hardest-hit town by heavy rainfall and flooding over the past month. Team Rubicon Canada, first responders, and emergency management personnel are all in Swan River to help with flood recovery.
The Province's newly announced one-time Manitoba Flood Recovery Program is designed to help residents in hard-hit areas who don't have insurance coverage for their losses, or whose insurance coverage isn't enough.
"In addition, the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program, a one-time grant program for homeowners and tenants in the hardest-hit communities affected by flooding and rainfall between June 6 and July 1, is being launched," read part of the Manitoba government's news release.
Eligible communities include the Municipality of Swan Valley West, Town of Swan River, Municipality of Roblin, and Town of Stonewall. Click here to view the Province's news release, which contains a full list of affected communities.
Under both the Disaster Financial Assistance and Manitoba Flood Recovery Programs, mitigation funding is available to support measures that reduce future flood damage risks.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
A Monday overnight break in to a business on the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation has led to charges against a 33-year-old man from the community.
Swan River RCMP say someone forced entry into the building and stole lottery tickets and various snack foods.
A male suspect was identified and subsequently located and arrested in the community on Tuesday.
Leslie Bourassa is now in custody, charged with break and enter.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Crews had to battle the extreme heat on Saturday afternoon to battle a blaze in Dauphin.
On Saturday at 12:15, the Dauphin Fire Department responded to a structure fire on Wellington Crescent.
When they arrived, a detached garage was on fire.
It was brought under control very quickly.
This prevented the fire from spreading to a car parked right beside.
The fire is determined to be accidental.
With temperatures soaring into the 30s, crews changed out frequently to avoid heat exhaustion. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
You've probably heard it a lot recently, considering widespread flooding and emergencies in the Parkland. Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization recommends having an Emergency Go Kit, otherwise called a Go Bag, ready for if you need to leave your home at a moment's notice.
But what exactly is a Go Bag? According to the Manitoba EMO's fact sheet, they're easy to grab bags containing everything you should need if you have to leave your home, and able to sustain you and your family for up to 24 hours.
Some notable and obivious recommendations from the EMO to include in your Go Bag are food and water, physical copies of important documents, a first aid kit, multi-tool, a radio, and some cash.
Some items you might not think to include are seasonal clothing like toques or rain boots, entertainment for long periods of being away, and personal hygeine items. Additionally, the EMO recommends having some water purification straws or sanitation tablets. Go Bags for pets are also a recommendation, including water and a dish, animal food, and a leash and collar.
The Manitoba EMO says Go Bags should be kept in an easily accessible location in your home, and should be reviewed every 6 months to make sure items aren't used or expired.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
