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On July 6, the Swan Valley Agricultural Society announced the cancellation of the Northwest Roundup and Exhibition for this year.
This decision was not made lightly. After careful consideration, our Board weighed many factors, including the current State of Emergency, the extensive clean-up and recovery efforts underway, and the need for contractors, emergency responders, volunteers, and community members to remain focused on helping Swan River and the surrounding communities recover.
Lesley Sembaluk, president, and the board also recognized the emotional and mental exhaustion many people have experienced.
Sembaluk and the crew are now looking ahead to the 2027 Northwest Roundup and Exhibition. It's coming back, and as Sembaluk says, it'll be a weekend to remember.
"Next year is actually our 125th year," said Sembaluk. "We're already behind the scenes planning on how to celebrate 125 years in the Valley. Make it one of our biggest and best ones yet."
Then on July 28, Rally for the Valley was born. The one-day event takes place on Saturday at the Swan River Valley Ag Grounds.
It starts with the Chamber of Commerce parade at 10:00 a.m. There's a bingo booth from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. and children's activities and a petting zoo from 1:00 to 8:00.
Beer gardens run from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m.
"We're going to have Ryan Keown. Then we'll have Jessie Genaille and Sweetgrass Revival," said Sembaluk. "Joey Pringle and a great local band called Decade. They're going to play in the grandstand from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m."
The full day of festivities ends with a vibrant fireworks show. The Town is using what they bought for Canada Day.
The Swan Valley Stampeders will also have a food booth. That will feature perogies, cabbage rolls, burgers, hot dogs, and more.
Sembaluk says forgetting what has happened this summer was not the reason to host the event.
"We want to celebrate the people who have pushed through. Celebrate the people who have struggled with the devastation," offered Sembaluk. "We want to celebrate the volunteers. We want to mingle with people, chat, relax, and have a great time."
The Swan Valley Agricultural Society is also looking for volunteers for future events. If you're interested, head here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The event has been around for more than three decades.
It first started in the 1990s. More than 30 years later, it's still going strong. Ste. Madeleine Métis Days took place over the weekend.
More than 500 people packed the grounds for the three-day festival, which included a fiddle contest, live entertainment, a bannock-making contest, bingo, and so much more.
Joel Boucher, chair of the Ste. Madeleine Heritage Local, says it went very well. For Joel, the best part about the event is the family connections.
"A lot of people come here and treat it as a family reunion," said Boucher. "You see your cousins and aunts that moved away. Then, you see the people you've grown up with."
People first settled in the Métis community during the late 1800s and early 1900s. By the 1930s, the population was about 250 people.
In the 1930s, the Canadian prairies were hit hard by both a severe drought and the effects of the Great Depression. The federal government then created a program to take what it believed was underused land and turn it into community pastures.
Ste. Madeleine was one of the communities chosen for the program. In 1938, the community was dismantled. People were forced to move. Homes were burned down, and dogs were shot. The community turned into pastureland.
On Saturday, the Manitoba Métis Federation revealed a large plaque at the site.
Boucher says the plaque was revealed to remember what happened in the 1930s and why. Three residents who called Ste. Madeleine home in the 1930s are still alive. Two of them are in their 90s, and one is in their 80s.
Boucher said revealing the plaque felt great.
"I don't know if traction is the right word, but we've had a lot of positive feedback online," said Boucher. "I would say, as a whole, everyone enjoyed the plaque. It was heartfelt."
Thanks to the new plaque, the story of what happened in Ste. Madeleine will be remembered forever.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A boil water advisory is in effect for the Municipality of McCreary.
Water used for drinking, cooking, food preparation, brushing teeth, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables, and preparing infant formula should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before use.
The bulk water station is closed. Residents are asked to limit water use whenever possible.
This includes lawn and garden watering, vehicle washing, filling pools or hot tubs.
The Municipality is working to address the issue as quickly as possible.
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Police have arrested 15 people so far and laid 67 charges.
Project Dolor was launched in December 2024 after Winkler officers approached RCMP for support after learning multiple kilograms of cocaine were being imported to Winkler-area businesses.
"These individuals in Project Dolor hail from 10 different Manitoba communities," said RCMP Supt. Jeff Asmundson. "Including Carman, Manitou, Morden, Winkler, the RM of Stuartburn, Winnipeg, Notre Dame de Lourdes, La Rivière, Thornhill, and McCreary."
Lillian Hutsell of McCreary is facing seven charges of unsafe storage of a firearm and one charge of failing to report a lost restricted firearm.
These arrests came after search warrants at residential and commercial properties. Officers executed one search warrant in McCreary.
"As part of Project Dolor, Manitoba RCMP and the Winkler Police Service have seized approximately eight kilograms of cocaine, 2.5 kilograms of Psilocybin, 13 restricted handguns, three of which were illegally trafficked," said Asmundson. "44 non-restricted firearms, the majority of which were unlawfully stored."
Officers also seized thousands of rounds of ammunition, four vehicles carrying a cash value of $110,000, 228 cartons of unstamped tobacco, and $4,500 in cash.
Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the bust is an example of what's possible when police forces work together.
"This is an incredible example of a community-driven, community-led initiative that is going to make a difference to keep our communities safe," said Wiebe.
More arrests and charges are expected as the investigation continues.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
If you knew about the program, there's a chance you've already taken advantage of it.
If you don't know about it, now you will. The City of Dauphin's Subsidized Spay & Neuter Assistance Program helps make spaying and neutering more affordable for owners of licensed dogs and cats in Dauphin.
"It's really about making responsible pet ownership more affordable while also addressing animal overpopulation at its source," said Lisa Gaudet, city manager.
Through the program, eligible pet owners can receive a voucher covering 50% of the cost of their pet’s spay or neuter up to $175 for female dogs, $125 for male dogs, $125 for female cats, and $75 for male cats.
You must be a City of Dauphin resident and have a current pet license through the City. Vouchers can be used at the Dauphin Vet Clinic and Uptown Pet Clinic.
Proof of income is not required and a maximum of two pets per household can be enrolled in the program.
"We really want to encourage residents to be responsible pet owners," added Gaudet. "To make sure their dogs or cats are licensed and have current rabies vaccination. If we can help residents afford to spay and neuter their pets, we can prevent unwanted litters, and reduce pressure on our shelters, and rescues."
The application form is here. You can take your completed application to City Hall during business hours or email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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It's what the community wants. It's what the community needs.
By Labour Day, they are expected to get it. Last week, Premier Wab Kinew announced that a temporary Emergency Department would open on the grounds of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
Over the next few weeks, expect a lot of activity around the hospital getting the temporary facility set up. Temporary generators and breaker boxes are already on site. You will notice trailers and other equipment moving in over the coming days.
CKDM NewsNow caught up with Dauphin's mayor, David Bosiak, to get his thoughts. He said it's really good news for the community.
"His announcement is very encouraging. What I got from it was hurry up, hurry hard. Let's make sure we're all on the same page and pulling the same direction," said Bosiak. "I think it was to light a fire under everybody over there that is trying to make something happen. This is really important."
Kinew said it's a huge amount of work getting the electrical, diagnostics, and treatment spaces together.
He also knows how important healthcare is for people in the Parkland. The needs of those needing ED services will soon be met.
"So that if you show up, God forbid, if you have an emergency and you need that healthcare, you're going to be able to get your vitals taken by a nurse," said Kinew. "You're going to get assessed by a physician, and they will do what is needed to take care of you."
The cleanup at the DRHC continues.
As its worse, water was up to five feet throughout the the facility. Minister Asagwara said that over six million litres of water was pumped out of that site.
More than 90 staff are on-site daily remediating, draining water, cleaning up, assessing, and evaluating. Simply put, it's been all-hands on deck.
While there is no timeline for when the DRHC will reopen, Bosiak credits those working long hours to repair and rebuild what it was before the devastating flood.
"The resilience of the folks that are going there every day to work," ended Bosiak. "They're working in a less than ideal environment. It's hats off to everyone that is trying to get it back up and running as quickly as possible."
A diagnostic patient service Centre is also open in the Dauphin Provincial Building.
It's on Level 1, in Room 111, at 27 Second Avenue Southwest. It's open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can call 622-3582. The Centre offers walk-in X-ray, urine collection, blood tests, electrocardiogram (EKG) & Holter monitoring services.
Kinew says the Centre will continue to operate.
"It'll take a bit of the pressure off standing everything up on the hospital site," offered Kinew.
Wab appreciates everyone in the region for pushing for this. He said it's all going to come together and will meet the healthcare needs of those who need it.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Two Swan River females and one man from Brandon face several charges after the Swan River RCMP executed a search warrant.
On August 20 at 3:40 p.m., officers searched a home on 6th Avenue North in Swan River. There had been prior complaints that drug trafficking was happening at the home.
43-year-old Collin Kosolowsky of Brandon was arrested as he was leaving the home.
Once inside, officers found and seized 26 grams of powder cocaine, 3.5 grams of crack cocaine, 268 prescription pills, drug paraphernalia, $6,820 in cash, and an expandable baton.
42-year-old Wendy Ledoux and 70-year-old Ceone Jorgenson, both of Swan River, were arrested in the home.
The trio face a slew of charges including the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, among others.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Canola Council of Canada has put out a call to farmers across the country for sclerotinia samples to help their research on the effectiveness of fungicides and other best practices.
Chris Manchur, Manager or Research, Innovation and Resilience, said the large scale of the project, combined with how this year's weather has affected the frequency of sclerotinia, will be a great way to help influence future best practices.
"This project involves taking a look at samples collected across the Prairies, and evaluating which fungicides are still effective for them, and trying to identify if there may be any areas of concern. So right now we've kind of done a couple years of collection so far, but given the extent of sclerotinia infections we're hearing reports of with the weather we've had this past year, this year is an excellent year to go and get some more collections to really strengthen up this project," said Manchur.
The sample collection process isn't too difficult. Manchur recommends whenever you're in the field, whether it's for swath timing or desiccation, or any other reason, keep an eye out for signs of sclerotinia infections, and if you find any sclerotia-infected canola, look for small resting bodies. Those are what they want sent off.
You can click here to visit the Manitoba Canola Growers website with more details on sample collection and submission. Manchur said because there aren't any costs associated for farmers, it's a good thing to consider, especially with all the positives that will come from their research.
"This is a great opportunity to take a closer look and see maybe if there's new opportunities for sclerotinia management, maybe it's fungicide timing, as well as helping support some good research that may lead to new practices being recommended in the future," said Manchur.
According to Manitoba Agriculture, Sclerotinia is one of the most serious crop diseases in the province, often leading to severe crop loss and yield reduction.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
On Saturday at 1:35 a.m., the Ste. Rose RCMP responded to a report of a youth driving recklessly in McCreary.
Officers saw tire marks at the intersection of Highway 5 and 50. They showed a vehicle had been doing donuts at the junction.
They then attempted to pull over a truck a short distance away, but the truck did not stop, and sped away at a high rate of speed. The driver almost went off the road after nearly missing a turn.
The driver then put his truck in reverse and hit the police cruiser.
The truck, later confirmed as stolen from Winnipeg the previous day, then drove away while the RCMP assessed the damage to the vehicle. The officer was not injured.
The stolen truck was found abandoned near McCreary later that morning while the RCMP investigated another incident. Another vehicle was stolen from a garage a few kilometres away.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Swan Valley Citizens on Patrol is a community-led crime-prevention initiative.
In conjunction with the Swan River RCMP, volunteers provide an extra set of eyes and ears for the community. Patrols are conducted seven days a week. Members patrol within Swan River and the surrounding areas during high-risk evening and nighttime hours.
They currently have six to eight members, and Bradley Davidson says they're actively recruiting new members.
Davidson is the coordinator.
"Swan River, Manitoba, has a very high crime rate," said Davidson. "Some reasons why people would want to get involved are community pride. It's a direct way to protect your neighbours, local businesses, and property. As a COPP member, you're taking proactive action. You can help actively curb property theft and shoplifting. It's also an opportunity to make connections."
As a member of the COPP, you decide how often you patrol. You use your own vehicle. So whether you have plenty of free time or just a little, Swan Valley Citizens on Patrol has an opening for you.
Davidson says COPP has a strong partnership with the Swan River RCMP.
"Swan Valley COPP works in direct conjunction with the Swan River RCMP," added Davidson. "Volunteers never confront suspects or intervene in crimes. Instead, they communicate directly with on-shift officers. They hand over clear documentation for investigations, if necessary."
If you're interested in volunteering, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
It's your chance to give back to the community. Bradley thanks those who are interested.
"Every single volunteer shift makes a tangible difference," said Bradley. "Every day or every time they patrol creates a visible deterrent that makes criminals think twice. The program is immensely grateful for community members who step up. Their presence helps fill gaps."
You can also contact them on Facebook.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The service road between Super 8, McDonald's driveway, and the Petro-Canada driveway in Dauphin is closed for the next two days.
The City of Dauphin has begun the construction of draining infrastructure between Super 8 and Petro-Canada.
Both driveways remain open, so all three businesses continue to be accessible.
The work is expected to be complete by Wednesday.
You're asked to use caution in the area, watch for workers and equipment, and follow posted signange.
The City thanks you for your patience while the work is completed.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
