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The Northwest region fared well over the past week, with some rain to start off the week, and warm temperatures to boost crop advancement.
According to the latest Manitoba Agriculture Crop Report, standing water in the Northwest region continues to dry up, though areas under excess moisture still show symptoms of stress and soil crusting. Field access is still a challenge in some places where washouts occurred, and damage assessment and infrastructure repair continue throughout the region.
Fungicide and herbicide application continue as appropriate stages are reached, though the region's wide range in crop stages is continuing to stretch applications.
Crop stages continue to range in spring cereals, with most spring cereals headed out, and some later seeded fields following behind. Most advanced fields are in late milk stage, and areas under continuous excess moisture are showing symptoms. Fall rye and winter wheat are in the dough stage, and mostly looking good. There are reports of true armyworm in some fields, so be sure to scout and assess threshold numbers.
Field peas are now into the R3-R4 stage. Areas that have been continuously wet continue to show signs of excess moisture, though fields that didn't experience excess moisture look good. Canola fields continue to range in stages, with most crops in some stage of flowering, and most advanced fields have completed flowering. Later seeded fields and fields under excess moisture continue to catch up.
The most advanced soybeans have moved to R2 stage, with the rest of crops closely behind.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
CAA Manitoba recently surveyed 503 Manitoba drivers aged 18 and older.
The numbers are alarming. 98 per cent of Manitoba drivers have witnessed dangerous driving behaviours on Manitoba roads. 75 per cent have witnessed distracted driving, and 74 per cent have witnessed unsafe lane changes.
However, only 59 per cent admit engaging in at least one of the dangerous driving behaviours themselves. This reveals a significant disconnect between what drivers see and how they assess their own actions behind the wheel.
83 per cent of respondents reported they've witnessed Manitoba drivers speeding. Ewald Friesen is the manager, government and community relations with CAA Manitoba.
."So, the best and easiest thing you can do as we head into this Long Weekend is reduce your speed. Stay within the speed limit," said Friesen. "There are a lot of benefits beyond the safety of yourself and others. We can talk about fuel economy. That's on the minds of a lot of Manitobans given the gas prices."
One-third of those who say they regularly speed travel 10 to 19 km/h above the posted limit.
At the same time, 65 per cent of drivers say they slow down when they realize they are speeding.
"This is very, very good news. It indicates that Manitobans recognize that it's dangerous," added Friesen. "They realize they don't want to get caught or cause injury. When they realize it, they do better. This is very encouraging news."
Prevention:
All types of distracted driving are completely preventable.
Whether it's checking a notification, adjusting a device, eating, or taking your eyes off the road for just a few seconds, consequences can be sudden and life-altering.
"Half of Manitobans admit to doing this. While we applaud Manitobans for being so honest, this is great stuff; it's still quite shocking how prevalent it is," continued Friesen. "As a matter of fact, 15 per cent of our survey respondents admitted to being involved in a collision that involved distracted driving."
Staying Sober:
Whether you're hitting the lake this weekend, heading to Minnedosa for Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa, or just heading to a friend's place, staying sober is critical.
In 2024, 15 people died, and 118 were injured, some sustaining life-altering injuries, in impaired driving collisions in Manitoba.
In the five years previous to that, 91 people died, and more than 350 sustained injuries. While having a great time is the goal, there is no place for getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. If you get caught, there are strict penalties.
In the worst case, lives can be lost.
"This includes, of course, drug-impaired driving, which includes cannabis," ended Friesen. "Cannabis impaired driving is on the rise in Manitoba. Most people don't recognize that cannabis impaired driving penalties are identical to alcohol related driving penalties. So the rules that we apply, the behaviours, and preventative measures that we apply to alcohol impaired driving, apply equally to cannabis impaired driving."
Those measures include finding a designated driver, staying overnight, using a ride share, or getting a cab or Uber.
Everyone plays a part in keeping Manitoba roadways safe.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
An autopsy has been completed after the tragic death of a 37-year-old woman.
Amanda Nobiss was in the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation on behalf of K9 Advocacy Manitoba on July 16. She was set to pick up several puppies from a resident. Amanda went to the home alone, and the occupant was not home. She came into contact with the occupant's dogs, who were protective and aggressive.
A friend of Amanda contacted police just before 1:00 a.m. on July 17, concerned about her whereabouts. The MFNPS conducted a ground and aerial search of the area based on the last known location from Amanda’s cell phone.
Her body was located later that morning by a community maintenance worker outside of a residence.
The autopsy suggests the dogs killed Nobiss. Arrangements were then made to euthanize the two male dogs. K9 Advocacy Manitoba rescued a female dog and several puppies.
The Manitoba First Nations Police Service is sending its condolences to Amanda's family and loved ones.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The lineup is set. The site is ready to go.
Rock fans are in for a treat. Rockin' The Fields of Minnedosa begins on Friday and runs through Sunday. The lineup includes the likes of Collective Soul, Cheap Trick, Quiet Riot, Smash Mouth, Harlequin, and the Headpins, to name a few.
You can see the full lineup here.
Kamryn Winters said the buzz ahead of the event is at an all-time high. Simply put, it's time to rock.
"Oh, it's going to be so good. I think this is one of their highest-selling ticket years, for sure," said Winters. "It's going to be a nice and busy weekend. It's going to be great."
The atmosphere is what makes this event so special. It's a relaxed atmosphere. The concert bowl is smaller compared to the Selo Ukraina Site used for Dauphin's Countryfest. There isn't a bad seat in the house.
Whether you're in the front row or near the top, the energy will be electric.
"Everybody is in that concert bowl together throughout the whole night," continued Winters. "There are two stages. Instead of running at the same time, one shuts down when the other fires up. You don't miss a beat at Rockin' the Fields. You're able to catch every single band."
Tickets for the event are still available. You can get a general admission weekend pass, a deck weekend pass, or day passes. There are also bus passes available with a charter from Brandon to the site in Minnedosa.
There are also weekend parking passes. If you buy those, the Manitoba RCMP reminds everyone to drive sober.
Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa provides incredible rock entertainment, a cozy atmosphere, and a chance to make some new friends. If you're a rock fan, it has everything you need. Toss in some incredible vendors, and it will be a weekend to remember.
It all goes down from Friday to Sunday.
"We always say you meet a lot of new friends at Rockin' the Fields. You have to because you're with everyone in the concert bowl," ended Winters. "It's a very cool place to meet new people. Everyone is so relaxed. Everyone just wants to listen to music and have fun. It's a great experience. If you have never been, I encourage you to get tickets this year. You won't regret it."
You can get your tickets for the event here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After a very successful fundraiser, Winnipegosis Fire & Rescue will soon be able to purchase valuable new equipment to expand their capabilities.
Gerry Vermette, Winnipegosis Fire Chief, said the department was chosen to host a community BBQ as part of Westman Communications Group's Connecting Westman Tour, and is glad they were chosen: they raised a lot more money than was expected.
"The fire department was chosen this year, so [Westman] came down and they set up a wonderful site, and served hot dogs and smokies for everybody...they money's going to be going towards purchasing water rescue equipment and wildland firefighting gear," said Vermette.
The fundraiser gave the Winnipegosis Fire Department just $5,147, which will go a long way for the department. Vermette expects the new equipment to see lots of use.
"Water rescue gear that we don't have, some of the wetsuits and cold water rescue suits, and also the wildland firefighting gear, it'll be a great asset to our department, it's going to add more equipment that we currently don't have," said Vermette.
Vermette wants to thank everyone who showed up to support the Winnipegosis Fire Department. He also said they're always looking for more help, and encourages anyone interested in the Winnipegosis Fire Department to check out all of the programs they run, like their Junior Firefighting Program.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Sirski Farms played host to an On Farm Research Tour today, hosted in collaboration by Manitoba Crop Alliance, Manitoba Canola Growers, Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers, and Fertilizer Canada. After conversations over coffee, and putting on lots of bug spray, the day started with a panel talking about tile drainage systems, a big focus of this research tour.
One of the panel speakers was Ernie Sirski, operator of Sirski Farms. Looking back at the first installation of tile dranage systems on his farm, he said it's done wonders.
"Our first field was tiled in the fall of 2021, and since then we've got approximately 500 acres under tile...this particular field had salinity issues, which means that the soil was high in salts, and it was so bad that even weeds wouldn't grow on it, that's how bad it was," said Sirski.
Since 2021, that field has completely turned around. The installation of tile drainage systems has allowed that salinity to filter out, which has turned that area of Sirski's farm into one of the most productive and profitible plots.
Another speaker on the panel was Kevin Thompson, former agronomist and Ochre River area farmer, who also recently installed tile drainage on his farm, though not for the same reasons. And with his agronomist experience, he's seen lots of farms with tile drainage for a variety of reasons, and the results are always positive, especially when you look at rainfall.
"These tiles work 24 hours a day, not just when the sun's shining, so they're designed to remove a quarter inch a day per acre of moisture, so it's a slow release, and we're able to get the crop growing, and the crop's going to use a lot more than what the tile's going to let go," said Thompson.
Ernie Sirski is also the Reeve for the RM of Dauphin. From that perspective, there are several municipal benefits to tile drainage, especially around controlled release.
"If you have surface drains, if you have a major rain event, the water disappears right now. Whereas if you have tile drainage, there's the ability for soil to actually absorb some of the water, because the ground isn't at saturation level," said Sirski.
After the panel discussion on tile drainage, the On Farm Research Tour went on to look at Sirski's soil and how it looks, and a plant growth regulator trial that's being done on Sirski's cereal field.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Ron Kostyshyn, Dauphin MLA and Manitoba's Agriculture Minister, has been working with the province to make sure the people of Riding Mountain are looked after. The Province of Manitoba announced yesterday that 13 additional communities are now included in the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program.
Many of the newly eligible communities in Kostyshyn's electoral district were not included from the start, despite having very high rainfall amounts and damages. Ste. Rose received between 300-380mm of rainfall between May 1st and July 19th of this year, comparable to Minitonas - which was included from the start. The Dauphin Regional Health Centre is heavily damaged, and is inoperable for an indeterminate amount of time, leaving the community without a healthcare facility - but was not included.
Kostyshyn said looking at his communities, this flooding event shows that these damages can do a lot of harm to the overall community, and the Province including them in the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program is one way they can help.
"I think it's an event that really kind of woke people up, that flooding events can do a lot of damage. It's pretty evident what we've seen now happen, and opportunities that, how it's affected people's residences, is probably one of the hardest, noticeable things that we're dealing with...this program will provide some additional support for those individuals that maybe had some challenging times to get proper insurance, this basically will provide that assurance of financial support to deal with the individuals," said Kostyshyn.
The initial Manitoba Flood Recovery program included the "hardest-hit" communities, according to the Province. That included both Swan River and Minitonas area communities, which were both hit by an earlier round of rainfall and flooding, about halfway through June. The Stonewall area was also included in the intitial program, after they also received heavy rains and flooding midway through June.
Kostyshyn said much of the decision to include additional communities in the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program came from looking how communities hit by flooding on July 1st were affected, and how those compare to damage estimates from flooding and rainfall in June.
"Part of the rationale of our announcement today was, [the initial flooding] occurred in an appropriate timeline, fast forward a week, a week plus later, it happened here in Dauphin, and that is why the department, [Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure] did additional investigation, and definitely the numbers of people affected by it...whether it's a 1 in 100 year flood, or a 1 in 10,000 year flood, I think we're in a new age of understanding, we need to prepare ourselves for events that may reoccur, hardly want to predict, but I think it's becoming quite evident, flooding events will continue to happen," said Kostyshyn.
If your home or personal property was damaged by flooding between June 6 and July 1, 2026, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program. MFRP is for individuals without insurance or without enough insurance. For more information about the Manitoba Flood Recovery Program, click here.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
UPDATE:
The RCMP thank the public for their assistance.
She has been arrested.
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The Ste. Rose RCMP are looking for 18-year-old Andreanna Mousseau.
On July 20, officers responded to an assault at a home on the Ebb and Flow First Nation. Andreanna used a billiard ball wrapped in a sock to assault a 26-year-old female at a home on Point South Road. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She was able to flee.
When officers arrived, Andreanna was gone. A warrant has been issued as Mousseau is wanted for assault with a weapon.
If you know where she could be, call the Ste. Rose RCMP at 204-447-2513.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Was your business directly impacted by the recent devastating floods in the Parkland region?
If so, Community Futures Parkland is here to help. They've launched the Emergency Business Support Loan Program for local businesses in the Parkland region that experienced real, measurable losses due to flooding, storms, or other declared events.
Funding amounts and rates are based on verified disaster impact and recovery needs. The maximum amount a business can apply for is $50,000.
Jami Turetsky, manager of Community Futures Parkland, says the funds can go towards inventory replacement.
"For example, if someone has lost freezers or coolers in the basement due to the flooding or sewer backup, it can go to equipment repair," said Turetsky. "The remediation that has had to be done. It can be used for the temporary relocation of a business. And some cash flow disruptions."
Simply put, if your business was affected and needs support to get back on its feet, Community Futures Parkland is here to help.
To apply for assistance, head here. Completed documents can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
"The main goal is to not lose businesses here in the Parkland," ended Turetsky. "They're a huge pillar of our region. If there is anything we can do to keep them operational in a time of need, then we will get it done."
The program also offers no payments for up to six months.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The City of Dauphin is revising the List of Voters ahead of October's Municipal Election.
The Election will be on Wednesday, October 28. All voters are encouraged to confirm their name on the List of Voters. You can confirm you're on the list by calling City Hall at 622-3200.
You can also visit City Hall at 100 Main Street South.
If you need to update your information, visit City Hall with two pieces of identification. The deadline to make changes is September 22.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After meeting with representatives from several municipalities in the area, the Dauphin RCMP Detachment is looking at ways to increase their community presence.
Staff Sergeant Mark Smaill, Detachment Commander, said most of the municipalities in the detachment's coverage had some shared concerns.
"We met with the City of Dauphin, and then we also met with the RMs of Gilbert Plains, Grandview, the RM of Dauphin, and the RM of Lakeshore...some of the shared concerns were property crime in the area, something that was on the minds of all the mayors, and all the reeves and councillors, also just police presence," said S/Sgt. Smaill.
With the large size of the Dauphin RCMP Detachment's coverage area, S/Sgt. Smaill said they're looking at lots of ways they can increase both their community presence, and community involvement in the communities they serve.
"We go right out to Grandview, east side to Ochre River, south to the park, and then north to Ethelbert, so it's a large area covered by the Dauphin detachment, communities and people like to see the police in their community, so it's definitely something that we looked at...community invovlement as well, that's always much appreciated, the members being out, getting to know the communities, events, participating in things like parades and being in the schools, that's always appreciated by the communities, and we also love to do that as well," said S/Sgt. Smaill.
Another topic related to the City of Dauphin is their recently started Downtown Safety Patrol Pilot program, with Classify Security Group, a privately owned security company. S/Sgt. Smaill said the Dauphin RCMP sees that as a valuable partnership, and will still continue efforts to boost community presence within Dauphin.
Going forward, S/Sgt. Smaill said the Dauphin RCMP will continue to listen to RM and City officials, and will keep enhancing their presence in the communities they serve.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
