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The Winnipegosis RCMP are looking for a suspect who sexually assaulted a teenager earlier this month.
On June 1, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m., a teenage girl left her home after an argument. She was walking towards Pine Creek School. The suspect, who was on an off-road vehicle, told the teenage girl her father was looking for her. The suspect said he would drive her to him.
The girl got onto the off-road vehicle, and the suspect took her to the Pine Creek Lagoon, where he sexually assaulted her. He then dropped her off at a nearby location and drove away.
The suspect was wearing a black sweater, black sweatpants, and a black helmet. He was driving a smaller red-and-black quad.
If you have any information, call the Winnipegosis RCMP at 656-7003.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Two people have been charged after a man was attacked with a machete on the Sapotaweyak Cree nation.
Swan River RCMP say the incident occurred early last Friday morning, when the victim was approached by two men on an ATV.
One man chased the victimn on foot, striking him on the head with a machete, while the other tried at one point to run over the victim with the ATV.
The victim managed to escape and was eventually transported to hospital to be treated for his injuries.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
As Prairie Mountain Health continues to move forward with plans to support the Dauphin Regional Health Centre as a bariatric care site, a recent donation will further advance those plans.
The RBC Foundation and Dauphin Hospital Foundation recently supplied funds towards the purchase of two special bariatric wheelchairs for the facility.
A bariatric wheelchair is a specialized, heavy-duty mobility device with reinforced frames and wider seating to safely accommodate individuals with higher body weights.
The $10,000 donation from the RBC Foundation was used to buy one of the wheelchairs, along with providing some staff education and training for bariatric lift and care resources.
This summer,Jeanette Logan - PMH Manager of Health Services – Regional Therapy Services will be working with two students who hope to become an Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist, on developing safe work procedures on use of bariatric slings and safe client handling procedures.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Bear sightings have been on the rise in the Parkland recently: experts suggest environmental pressures like dwindling food supplies and habitat changes like wildfires are causing bears to go further for resources, sometimes into residential areas. Minnedosa recently had a bear sighting in town, like many Manitoba communities in recent months.
Riding Mountain National Park is home to a large number of Black Bears. Tim Sallows, Resource Conservation Officer with RMNP says if you're driving through and see a bear, it's alright to stop and snap a pic if it's safe to do so, but stay in your vehicle!
"Stay within the speed limits, watch both of the ditches for any animals, not just bears, there's white-tailed deer and sometimes moose and other animals in the ditch. Slow down when you approach them, and if you want to take a picture, just stop for a few seconds, take your snapshot, and move along if it's at all possible," said Sallows.
If you're on foot, the rules definitely change. Sallows said Black Bears are usually timid around people, and unless you catch them by surprise, or if they're feeding, they'll usually stay away from people. It's also very important to pay attention to your surroundings.
"It's best to go in groups, just so that you make noise as you're walking along, talk with each other, if you're alone just hum, make noise every once in a while, bear bells might help a little bit. Be aware if there's signs of new bear activity along the trail, like scat along the trail or turned up logs, things like that," said Sallows.
Of the three North American bear species - Black Bears, Brown Bears, and Polar Bears - Black Bears are definitely the most docile. Though that's not to say they're not dangerous. Since 2020, there have been 8 Black Bear attacks in Canada, with 4 of those being fatal. For the most part, if you avoid them, they'll avoid you, but it doesn't hurt to practice good bear safety.
"We only have Black Bears in Riding Mountain, but they do come in different colours, anywhere from blonde with black socks, things like that, or just jet black, cinnamon coloured ones, brown ones, they're all different colours...bears are very weary of people for the most part, unless they've been habituated to human food, but if you're out on the trail, they should usually be gone if you're making noise, they'll run away long before you see them," said Sallows.
Parks Canada estimates there could be as many as 1,000 Black Bears in Riding Mountain National Park.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
School Bus Safety Week is in October.
During the month, the Manitoba Association of School Business Officials runs a School Bus Safety Poster contest. There are two categories. One for kids in kindergarten to grades three. The other is for students in grades four to six.
A new theme is given every year. This year, the theme was "Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes". For the second time in MVSD history, a student in the division took home the crown.
Bentley Sanderson from Mackenzie Middle School won the contest in the grades four to six age group. For the win, Bentley was presented with a new bike from MVSD transportation supervisor, Ernest Karpiak.
"Really and truly, I think Bentley was shocked to be chosen as the winner," said Karpiak. "When I told him that he was chosen from the province, I think he was amazed. When I brought the bike out, it was kind of hidden, and he was in disbelief. He couldn't believe that was his new bike."
In a post, MVSD congratulated all students in the division who participated in promoting the importance of school bus safety through art. Karpiak has been the transportation supervisor for 13 years.
While School Bus Safety Week is recognized in October, Karpiak says it's an everyday thing during the school year. It's something MVSD has always stressed, bus safety.
"All the time. Bus safety is done within the school and within the buses with the drivers," ended Karpiak. "Teaching the students how to cross the roads properly. How to enter and exit the bus. We do bus evacuations so the students know what to do in the event of an accident."
After 13 years with MVSD, Ernest is moving on. He purchased a business. Stay tuned to CKDM NewsNow for more details on that in the coming days.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After years of delays and changes to plans, Dauphin has finally started construction of a new childcare facility.
Martijn Van Luijn, Dauphin's Economic Development Manager, said it'll take a while to fully build the daycare, but progress will be seen very soon.
"The major construction of the building is going to roughly take a year. After that, we will use the summer of 2027 to do finishing ground work and exterior work, our deadline is September 2027...it's not a prefab construction, but a partial panel construction. You'll see the building go up pretty quickly, then it's going to take a longer time to do all the finishing work and the interior work," said van Luijn.
This facility has been in the works for a very long time. First announced 4 years ago, there have been several delays with different parts of the project.
"Four years ago we got the news that we were awarded this facility, and it's taken us this long to get the project online, there's two reasons for that," said van Luijn.
He said the City of Dauphin had to reach out to the Provincial Government a few times for more funding, and there was lots of conversation and collaboration with the daycare's future operator.
After a detailed selection process, the City of Dauphin chose Parkland Campus Kids, operating out of Assiniboine College's Parkland Campus, to run the new daycare once it's completed. van Luijn said he's had a lot of great conversations with Janie Inkster, the daycare's manager.
"She's very knowledgeable, and she got to have a lot of input on the location and the functionality and the interior of the building, which is great, that's why we're so happy that we included her right from the get-go, because it had to be a functional building," said van Luijn.
The new childcare facility will be near Credit Union Place, by the old Brewers ball diamond.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Dauphin and area, you've done it again.
Canadian Tire hosted a BBQ fundraiser in town on Monday, and what a day it was. The BBQ raised $800. Owner Jeff Bonnor was absolutely blown away by the support. If you purchased a hot dog, smokie or a drink, you helped play a part in the Jumpstart Program.
Canadian Tire Dauphin was also proud to match those contributions. That means in total, $1,600 was raised in support of the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. For Jeff, it was an honour to match what was raised.
"Absolutely. Just seeing everyone coming and getting a hot dog, smokie, and donating, it filled our hearts with so much joy," said Bonnor. "We felt privileged to be able to contribute to the great cause that is Jumpstart."
The Jumpstart program provides financial assistance to help children from low-income families participate in sport-focused activities.
Last year in the Parkland, 60 families were helped through the program. Five of which were assisted with individual grants. The remaining 55 were through community grants such as Regional Connections.
The funds raised will help ensure children facing financial barriers have the opportunity to participate in sport and recreation programs, where they can build confidence, develop friendships, learn valuable life skills, and experience the benefits of being part of a team.
Jeff also wants to give a special shoutout to the Dauphin HERO Club. They donated their time and provided a BBQ. Without them, this event wouldn't have been possible.
"I can't say enough great things about what the HERO Club does or the fine folks that are a part of it," added Bonnor. "Every single one of them was more than happy to donate their time. They donated the hot dog cart and got another BBQ from Irving's Catering, so shoutout to them as well. Everyone was having a great time."
Bonnor says plans for another Jumpstart fundraiser are already in the works with the HERO Club. Stay tuned for more details and another opportunity to support local kids through sport and recreation.
"And we're trying to do something with the firefighters as well," commented Bonnor. "So, hopefully, everything will come together if not the same week, on different weeks throughout the summer. Stay tuned. If not late July, it'll be early August."
Last July, Jeff became the new owner of Canadian Tire in Dauphin. He took over on July 24. He, wife Jennifer, and their two kids, Nolan and Devon, have since fully immeresed themself in the local community.
Jeff says the family loves living and working in the community.
"Not only has it flown by with how much has been going on, but the support and embrace of the community has been wonderful," he ended. "We want to say thank you to everyone in the Parkland for having us and letting us be a part of the community."
Special things are going on at Canadian Tire in Dauphin. Next time you're out and about, Jeff invites you to come check out the store.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Watson Art Centre recently released the results of their Community Survey. Overall, it looks like people of the Parkland definitely understand the Watson's importance, and they want to see it going strong.
Cam Bennet, Watson Art Centre Chairman, said they wanted to get the results before their Annual General Meeting last week to talk about them. This year's survey didn't have many respondents, but they were from all across the Parkland.
"It was about a two or three week period a couple weeks back, took us a little while to sort of get to the results, we had our AGM coming up so we wanted to have those results for our AGM, and then once the AGM was over, then we released them to the public just a few days ago...we had 37 respondents from the community, but interestingly enough, there was responses from all over the region, it wasn't just the City of Dauphin, we're finding out more and more that the Watson is a regional hub," said Bennet.
The survey shows some consistently positive ratings for the Watson: 4.06/5 for Overall Experience, 4.78/5 for Importance to Dauphin and the Surrounding Region, and 4.42/5 for Value to the Community. Additionally, 32 of 37 respondents supported municipal taxpayer support for the Watson, and 34 of 37 respondents said public support for arts and culture facilities is important.
The feedback wasn't all pats on the back. Bennet said they did receive a few criticisms and feedback points that they'll discuss in the near future, and they also got a lot of different requests for types of programming people want, like workshops and classes, and community lectures or speaker events.
Though surveys like this - where people answer if they want - always have a higher than usual level of bias, Bennet said he'd definitely support partnerships with groups like the Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation or the City of Dauphin to complete a more impartial survey of the community.
"It's a self-selected survey, so we expected people that had complements to answer. There were a few criticisms or suggestions that we'll take into a board meeting and discuss...one of the things that I think the Watson needs is more hard data, to really get an understanding of where we sit in the community, what we do well, what we can do better," said Bennet.
Bennet also wanted to thank the community for showing the Watson so much support over the years. They wouldn't be anywhere near where they are now if it wasn't for the generous community support they've received.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
It's an annual tradition that brings the community together for three days of fun, laughs, and good times.
The Dauphin Fair runs from Friday to Sunday. On Friday, the Fusion Credit Union gates open at 9:00 a.m. with Credit Union Place hopping from 11:00 to 8:00 with the kids' play zone, dinomite adventure, and the small animal display.
Terron Stykalo with the Dauphin Ag Society says it'll once again be a weekend to remember.
"Of course, the countdown is real as we work our way through the week here," said Stkyalo. "We're excited, there is a ton going on. Everyone is excited, and we can't wait to put on a great show."
The select shows midway runs from 2:00 to 11:00 on Friday, noon till 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, and noon until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Toss in the extreme dog stunt show all three days, the extreme lumberjacks, and chucks and chariot races, and there is something for everyone.
Whether you're five or 85, the Dauphin Fair has something for you.
"Whether it's our home living centre, our livestock exhibits, the extreme dogs," said Stykalo. There is a corn maze this year. We don't want to change much from previous years; we want something for everyone."
Chariot races are 2:00 p.m. daily at the grandstands, and the chuckwagons are at 5:00 p.m. daily. On Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00, the Rotary Arena plays host to the car show, which will be a thrill for all you car enthusiasts.
Stkyalo thanks Dauphin Rec for allowing them to use the Rotary.
"We're honoured we're able to use it all the time. We try to put events in there so we can take advantage of that space," commented Stykalo. "It's fantastic. We couldn't be happier that we're able to use it every year."
An event like the Dauphin Fair requires plenty of manpower. From the volunteers to sponsors and everything in between, it's a community event.
"Everyone is important and plays a role in the success of this event," ended Stkyalo. "We can't thank our volunteers enough, our board of directors. We have a fantastic crew. We're honoured by the support we receive every year. We're quite excited and honoured to put on this event every year."
The home living section, sponsored by 730CKDM, is a must-visit. It is in the curling rink from 2:00 to 8:00 on Friday, and 11:00 to 6:00 on Saturday and Sunday.
"You know, there is some history in there. Some arts and crafts in there," ended Stykalo. "People put in a lot of time to make that display something special. It's something that everyone should take in. If you have a chance, make sure you go into the curling rink and check out the home living section."
Advanced tickets are $15 for those 13 and over, while those 6 to 12 years old are $5. Each ticket goes up $5 at the gate. Ride all-day bracelets for select shows midway are $40 in advance and $45 at the fair.
You can see a full schedule of events for the Dauphin Fair here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
After the Swan River Elks Lodge #384 sold its building, they were looking to give back to the community.
What came next is the highest level of generosity and the definition of giving back. They donated $60,000 to the Swan Valley Fire Department. The Fire Department used those funds to purchase a Can-Am Defender side-by-side and trailer.
It marks the largest financial donation our department has ever received, and its impact will be put to great use and will be felt throughout the region for years to come.
Joel Fedorchuk is the captain of the department.
"Oh, it's awesome. We are extremely blessed to receive that donation," said Fedorchuk. "It'll help us a lot with rescues, grass fires, and more."
The side-by-side seats three firefighters in the main cab and is also equipped with an 85-gallon water tank with a hose reel and pump that is capable of putting out grass fires in hard-to-access areas. The rear of the side-by-side is also designed to carry one patient in a sked (rescue stretcher) if a rescue, with an injury, were required. There is also a compartment that stores medical gear such as a medical pack, C-collars, and straps.
Fedorchuk says the addition of the side-by-side is critical.
"Especially for ATV rescues and grass fires," he added. "Before we got it, for ATV rescues, we had to rely on personal-use ATVs. For grass fires, it's going to save a lot of man-hours and bodies."
The donation is another case of the Elks' unwavering committment to supporting the Swan Valley and the organizations it serves.
Fedorchuk has now been with the department for 14 years. He was promoted to captain four years ago, which was an honour for him. It's a testament to his hard work and dedication to serving and protecting the Swan Valley.
"It was good, it was awesome," Fedorchuk added. "It's added some responsibility, which I love. It's fun."
Fedorchuk says he loves helping the community. He enjoys doing it. While some moments are tough and stressful, he said, at the end of the day, it's always worth it.
The Department currently has 26 members, just shy of the 30 maximum.
"We have a great crew there. Great crew of guys and gals," ended Fedorchuk. "They're a lot of fun to be around. It's a family atmosphere. We're there for one another."
The Department is currently recruiting new members. If you're interested, you can call the Fire Chief at 734-4403. You can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
