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In an updated news release from Swan Valley School Division, Superintendent Rob Tomlinson said there is no threat to student safety.

The RCMP concluded their investigation into threats of violence against students at Swan Valley Regional Secondary School, they found the threats were fabricated, and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of students, staff, or the school community.

Tomlinson would like to thank the RCMP for their swift response and investigation into the threats.

He also said Swan Valley School Division wants to recognize their students, families, and staff for informing the school, saying even though this threat was false, reporting any concerns is always the right choice. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 20, 2026 - 9:00 am

Amisk the Beaver might have some new surroundings next year. 

The City of Dauphin has opened up a survey to get public feedback on how they should improve what they call the South End Destination Site. City of Dauphin Economic Development Manager Martijn van Luijn said it's something they've been looking at changing for a while now. 

"We always had the desire to do something with it. At the same time, we know that by visitors that come to our community, more and more people want to stop at that area...pull over, park for a few minutes, get out of the car, walk around, take some photos in front of Amisk the Beaver, and have a little bit of a tourism destination," said van Luijn. 

Earlier in the year, the City opened up a Request for Proposals to find a consultant to help create a concept for the site. Now the consultant has been selected, van Luijn said a public survey is the natural next step. Tourism is one thing, but making sure residents have their say is another. 

"We would love to hear from the community if they have any ideas what we could do with this, and how they envision this space. Not only for tourists and visitors, but also for locals that live around there, that want to maybe spend some time there...they also have an opportunity to let us know what their concerns are, which is also very important. Has to be a safe space, it is along a major corridor, major route, and we really got to make sure that it is a safe area as well," said van Luijn. 

Click here to access the City of Dauphin's South End Destination Site survey. It'll be available until November 6th at midnight. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 20, 2026 - 5:00 am

The Dauphin Hospital Foundation recently received a $50,000 donation earmarked for cancer care, from the estate of Ron Drebnisky. 

Vern Ellis, close friend of Drebnisky, presented the cheque to Prairie Mountain Health on behalf of the estate. He said the donation is a way for Ron to keep giving back to the community in meaningful ways. 

"Ron, he had passed away from cancer, he fought cancer for 10 years, and previous to that, his wife had also passed from cancer, and both used the facility in Dauphin...it was so convenient for him, he lived in Dauphin, to be able to go and use those facilities, and not have to go to Winnipeg or Brandon for his treatments," said Ellis. 

Drebnisky's estate also gave $50,000 to the Gilbert Plains Community Fund. Ellis said one of Ron's biggest philosophies was to keep making positive change in the community, which he did by founding the Gilbert Plains Community Fund with Ellis. 

Ellis said the hospital staff and the level of care were very welcome for Ron, no matter what step of the process he was at. 

"He liked the idea where the money goes back into the community, the principal stays, but the interest goes back into the community...he was so very appreciative of the care he received in Dauphin, right down from the doctors and all the people doing the lab in Radiation, and to all the staff when he was in the hospital, and then when he had moved over to the care home," said Ellis. 

The Dauphin Hospital Foundation accepted the donation on October 15th. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 19, 2026 - 6:00 pm

After being closed for just over a month to complete renovations, the Dauphin Tim Hortons is set to reopen at the end of this week. 

Greg Crisanti, Dauphin Tim Hortons Owner, said there's a few new features customers will be happy to use. 

"Few more days here, we're gonna have to kill the water while we transfer out of our mobile trailer and back into our newly renovated restaurant, so...we're really excited to bring our kiosks into the restaurant this time, so people have the option to skip the line and use our self-order kiosks," said Crisanti. 

That's far from the only change - new seating areas, new lighting, a new outdoor facade, and a repaired drive-thru are among the other notable improvements. In the time the restaurant has been operating out of their mobile trailer, Crisanti said he's thankful for how the staff has adapted to the challenge, and they've done a great job. 

"I know we're getting our drive-thru lanes fixed and patched up with the holes, so that's very exciting, and yeah, just the newly modern look, refreshed bathrooms...our staff have been great, obviously we've been with minimal staff in that trailer, we can only hold six, seven at the most," said Crisanti. 

The restaurant will close down late Wednesday to allow for finishing touches, and will open Friday with the new storefront in use. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 19, 2026 - 3:00 pm

Donations continue to come in for the Rotary Book Sale, which begins this Thursday at the 8th Avenue Hall.

Organizer J.L. Guillas says among the books donated this year was the entire book collection of the late Eric Irwin, a former Dauphin mayor and former local Rotary Club president.

"He read all kinds of things, particularly Western Canadian history, Aboriginal and Métis history.  He read about art, as well as music with his connection to Countryfest, and religion.  And, with all of those books, anybody who knew him probably talked books with him at one time."

The Sale goes Thursday and Friday from 9 until 7, and Saturday from 9 until 4.

If you still have books that you'd like to donate, you're asked to drop them off at the 8th Avenue hall by Wednesday at the latest.

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Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Oct 19, 2026 - 12:00 pm

Under the motto "Service above Self", members of the Rotary Club of Dauphin have given back to countless projects in the area, whether it be in volunteer hours or monetary donations. 

The club was formed in 1924, and currently includes members ranging in age from early 30s all the way into their 80s.

Current club president Kara Vanderheyden joined the club in 2015, at the urging of former Dauphin Mayor Al Dowhan.

"I instantly felt very connected to the group, because it is a group of people with all different backgrounds, but all with the same goal of making our community and the area around it a great place to live.  We just want to help out in areas that need help and contribute in any way that we can."

Among the things that Vanderheyden enjoys the most about Rotary is the diversity of the club, as well as the volunteering opportunities.

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Contributed by Jeff Henson

Published: Oct 19, 2026 - 9:00 am

Co-op Week was a big success for Dauphin Co-op - lots of donations to lots of meaningful community groups. To wrap it all up on Friday, they gave an equity cheque of just over $2,300 to the Turtle River Trails Committee, a project they've been supporting for a while. They provided the Committee with an $85,000 grant back in 2023. 

Shari Maillard, Turtle River Trails Committee Chairperson, said Dauphin Co-op's support has allowed them to do a lot for the trail network. 

"Their grant has enabled us to continue with our fundraising, and we will be building and maintaining the nature trail...we are replacing the bridges, we're providing new informative signage through Ducks Unlimited, we're gonna be putting a few new benches on it, as well as some individual play structures throughout," said Maillard. 

Maillard is just one part of the 6-member committee. She said they've done a lot of work to get to this point, and a lot of it simply wouldn't have been possible without Dauphin Co-op's support. 

"It's been a challenge fundraising, but we've worked really hard over the past number of years, and we're able to get it done...with resources, with supports, helping us with barbecues, anything that we've needed, they've always been there for us," said Maillard. 

Until the end of 2026, shoppers at any Dauphin or Ste. Rose Co-op location can use Co-op number 26444 if they'd like equity from that purchase to go to the Turtle River Trails Committee. 

Maillard said the committee is planning a grand opening poker derby for early next spring. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 19, 2026 - 5:00 am

In the last week of September, Riding Mountain National Park started touching up and restoring the log siding on some of their facilities. 

Chris Hanson, RMNP Asset Manager, said the repairs and progressing well - they're more than halfway done. The buildings they're currently working on shouldn't cause any service disruptions, but Hanson reminds visitors they might see some traffic controls in place. 

"We had five buildings that were getting stained, so sanded and stained, and I believe at this point they're about 60% complete, about three and a half buildings that are done at this point...there is some work being done at the north gate entrance kiosk and the south gate kiosk, but there will be possibly some traffic control measures that are not intended to impede any traffic, but we just ask that any visitors coming in watch for signage," said Hanson. 

Routine maintenance of their facilities helps to keep the Park looking good for visitors, and shows Parks Canada's commitment to making sure their facilities are top-notch. Hanson said making sure to respect the original works by preserving and not replacing is a very high priority. 

"Typically it's routine maintenance done to help protect these buildings and preserve their distinctive appearance...we want to ensure a high quality visitor experience and maintain the infrastructure that supports visitors to National Parks, and having a regular maintenance program and being able to do that helps us achieving those goals," said Hanson. 

Riding Mountain National Park thanks visitors for their patience amid the ongoing work. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 18, 2026 - 4:00 pm

Last year, the City of Dauphin's Waste Diversion Centre took in more than 12 tonnes, or 27,000 pounds, of electronic waste. 

Darrell Aitken, Acting Director of Public Works with the City of Dauphin, said it's always a good idea to take your e-waste to the Waste Diversion Centre, to help keep the landfill healthy. 

"Stuff that doesn't need to be put into the solid waste section of our dump, to use the Diversion Centre, because all that e-waste, like TVs and stuff, instead of us burying it, we can have all that hauled away...we want to divert that from our landfill, and make sure that our landfill will be used for years to come," said Aitken. 

Aitken expects the total for e-waste this year to be about the same. Despite what you might think, there wasn't an influx of e-waste from flooding earlier in the year, but it's still been pretty steady. 

"We expect it to be similar, because we've had on the e-waste side, just a couple weeks ago we had our second load...we haven't seen a lot of damaged equipment, there probably is some, but it hasn't been particularly high," said Aitken. 

The City of Dauphin's Waste Diversion Centre helps to keep recyclable electronic waste out of the landfill through partnerships with groups like the Electronic Products Recycling Association. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 18, 2026 - 10:00 am

Through their Community Festivals and Events Program, the Province of Manitoba is providing $221,800 in funding to rural Manitoba festivals, with a few Parkland entries on the list. 

In the announcement, Sport, Culture, Heritage, and Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy said festivals help to make Manitoba a more exciting place for residents and visitors alike. 

"From major cultural celebrations to community events in towns and cities across the province, these investments help create vibrant experiences for residents and visitors while supporting artists, businesses and volunteers," said Kennedy. 

CKDM NewsNow requested a list of Parkland/Interlake festivals included in the new funding, with their funding amounts. 

This announcement of funding was for a total of $1.2M to support festivals across the Province, with $985,000 of that going to a set of three festivals in Winnipeg. 

The Province said an additional $35,000 in funding will be available for additional rural and northern winter festivals. 

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Contributed by Ian Gillingham

Published: Oct 17, 2026 - 4:00 pm