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Southern Chiefs' Organization (SCO) Grand Chief Jerry Daniels says no family should be left carrying unanswered questions while grieving such a profound loss.
Mary Bull-Sinclair died at her grandmother's home in the O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation on March 21, 2026. Five days earlier, she broke her arm while sledding. Paramedics had told Mary's mother, Cerina, to prepare for a trip to Winnipeg's Children's Hospital.
Cerina packed bags, but the trip never happened.
"Mary's only stop was at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, where she was diagnosed with a broken arm," said Burton Flett, spokesperson for the family. "Mary was then discharged without any care plan in place. She only received a note that she would have to stay out of school for two weeks."
Mary returned home in agonizing pain. She had to sleep sitting up in a chair, propped up by pillows. During the car ride home, Mary cried each time the vehicle drove over a bump.
"It is difficult to live this memory of our beloved Mary being in so much pain," added Flett.
On March 20 at 4:00 a.m., Mary and her family returned to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre. She was given a new sling and discharged again. She was given no medication. The only medication she had was Advil and Tylenol.
On Saturday, March 21, Mary's family noticed there was discoloration on her chest. Mary asked her mother to make baked spaghetti. The plan was to eat and watch a movie together. Mary's grandmother, Annette, checked in on Mary that afternoon and noticed she was sleeping on her broken arm.
Cerina went to check on Mary. She cried out for help. At this point, Mary's fingers were turning purple, and fluid was coming out of her mouth and nose. An ambulance was called for Mary, but it was too late. She passed away that day.
"No other family should be forced to go through a similar tragedy," added Burton. "Mary was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, and a cherished citizen of the O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi First Nation. She was deeply loved. We are gathered to remember Mary and seek answers about the circumstances surrounding her tragic passing."
The Southern Chiefs' Organization is standing alongside the family of Mary as they seek answers. SCO’s Health Transformation Team is working alongside the family to help ensure their concerns are heard and that they have access to appropriate advocacy and support throughout the process.
SCO is calling for a thorough and transparent review of the medical care provided to Mary and will work with the family to help ensure their concerns are heard throughout the process.
"We are here to listen and to ensure their voices are heard," said Grand Chief Daniels. "And that her memory matters. We owe it to her family and community to ensure every question is examined carefully and that any lessons learned here lead to meaningful change."
Daniels says they aren't pre-judging any investigation, but believes the family deserves transparency, dignity, and accountability when concerns are raised about the care of a loved one.
SCO notes that Indigenous-specific racism and inequitable treatment within health care systems continue to be documented across Canada.
"Unfortunately, many First Nations families continue to report experiences where they feel their concerns have been minimized, dismissed, or treated differently within the health care system," ended Daniels. "We must continue working together to eliminate barriers and build a system that is admirable, culturally safe, and responsible for First Nations citizens."
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mary’s death. The family has consented to an in-depth autopsy and additional testing
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
June is Pride Month.
The Village of Winnipegosis lights up in colour on Sunday, June 14, to celebrate. Winnipegosis Pride enters its fifth year.
Cyndie Blyth, organizer, says it's going to be an incredible day.
"You know, we have had all sorts of support from our community and community businesses," said Blythe. "Things have gone very well. Lots of fun times and great speakers. Every single event has been meaningful to someone who attended, and that's how I measure success."
The main objective of Winnipegosis Pride is to support, educate, celebrate, and entertain the local 2SLGBTQ+ community with inclusive, family-friendly events.
"Even one life enriched or one person informed is helpful to the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the long game of advocating for equality and diversity."
There will be drag queens from Winnipeg, food vendors, informational games, a photo booth, and inspirational speakers.
Then, back by popular demand, there will be a parade.
"We will stage at 3:30 and start walking at 4:00 around the Village of Winnipegosis," continued Blythe. "Anyone can join. Dress up and come join the parade. It's going to be a full day of events from 11:00 to 5:00. Jam-packed with lots of food, entertainment, information, and hopefully, great weather."
Blythe estimates that between 75 and 100 people each year take part in the first four editions. Cyndie and her wife will be two of the speakers.
Cyndie grew up in the American Midwest with no role models, no positive representation, she didn't feel normal, no opportunities to date, or explore her sexuality in any kind of healthy way. She was well into her 40s before she could accept herself as gay.
Her wife didn't realize she was gay until her late 40s. Her story will share how she didn't know until that age. Blythe wants to give the message that you're not alone, you're not the only one. No matter how dark things may seem, it gets better.
"You know, I'm standing here to say it's possible to and you should have every expectation of growing up and having an absolutely normal life," ended Blythe. "You know, get married, have kids. I would have never believed that when I was a young person. Be a role model. You can not only be a successful adult, but a successful professional and be queer. That's what we're trying to say by speaking. Here's how I got to where I am: it wasn't a bed of roses, but it got better."
Dauphin will host its fourth annual walk with pride on Saturday, June 13. It will be from 12:00 to 5:00 at Maamawi Park.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The City of Dauphin has made a change at the Residential Recycling Depot.
Effective immediately, only cardboard will be accepted.
In recent years, contamination and the disposal of non-recyclable materials at the depot have increased significantly, making it difficult to maintain the site and ensure it is being used as intended. This change is intended to reduce misuse, improve site conditions, and help preserve this recycling service for residents.
When using the depot, flatten all cardboard before placing it in the bin, place cardboard inside the bin, and use your home recycling bin for all other accepted materials.
The City of Dauphin thanks you for your cooperation.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A 29-year-old man from Grandview faces a charge of assaulting a police officer.
On Friday, May 29, the Ste. Rose RCMP responded to a report of two men fighting on Highway 68, in the RM of Alonsa. While officers didn't see the fight, they did notice an intoxicated man who had almost been hit by a passing vehicle. The officers called one of his relatives and arranged to drop him off at a location in Ste. Rose.
When officers arrived at the address and met the relative, the man became agitated and began walking towards the road. Officers attempted to arrest him under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act, but the man pushed the officer to the ground.
He is also charged with resisting a police officer.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A Swan River man has been charged following reports of a break-in in Dauphin over the weekend.
RCMP in the city were alerted just after 7 am on Saturday about an individual breaking into a shed on a residential property on 3rd Avenue North East.
A suspect fled the scene, but was found by police a short distance away, hiding in a dumpster.
38-year-old Brendan Komarnicki remains in custody, and has been charged with break and enter, and mischief under $5,000.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The previous council reached out to Bell MTS after years of spotty service in St. Laurent.
In 2022, a new council was voted in, headed by Reeve Richard Chartrand. The council's priority was to get a cell tower for the area. They were promised it would be done in 2023, but it wasn't. Chartrand and the council began lobbying their local MLA and MP.
They then began reaching out to ratepayers, who wanted to know what they could do with the spotty cell service.
"Everyone knows that if you're coming up Highway 6 and you approach Lake Francis and you're on the phone, you have to tell people you're coming up to the dead zone, I'll call you back in 10 minutes when the service picks up again," Chartrand told CKDM NewsNow. "Then there are other various dead spots as well."
The Fire Department, ambulance, and the RCMP all commented on how they've had dropped calls at times.
Chartrand encouraged ratepayers to get in touch with their providers and tell them you're not happy with the cell service.
"Some of the providers actually started giving credits on cell bills because of the poor service," added Chartrand.
In 2025, the municipality received notice from Bell Media that it would put up a cell tower. The original completion date was March 2026. Due to frost in the ground and soft road conditions, they could not complete it at that time.
Bell Media provided an update that the tower will be complete by the end of this month.
"I think it's going to be fantastic," ended Chartrand. "I'm glad this will finally come to fruition."
On June 20, Chartrand and the council will host an open house at the recreation centre. It's open to the public and will feature different vendors, including Community Futures. The Fire Department, the RCMP, and by-law enforcement will also be in attendance.
Chartrand thanks the ratepayers who reached out and pushed for the tower over the years.
"I believe that if the cell tower is up by June 20, it would give us bragging rights. Here is one of the things you really pushed for. With the cooperation of you and Bell Media, we have this thing up," he ended. "It would be icing on the cake if we could have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 20."
The open house runs from 11:00 to 2:00.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Manitoba Summer Fair gets underway at the Provincial Exhibition tomorrow in Brandon, and runs through June 7th. From food trucks and vendors to entertainment, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
Tim Rowan, President of the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba, said they've been hard at work getting everything ready, and it's just about set.
"Prep's been going good, we had North American Midway land in last week, they started setting up Thursday, we're just going through safety checks to make sure all the equipment's up and running, and it's gonna be a safe fair...we do have some really really good entertainment coming in on our main stage in the Manitoba room," said Rowan.
Some of their performers include Wayne Lee, back by popular demand after the Winter Fair, a Summer Fair staple in Doodles the Clown, and several Ukrainian and El Salvadorian dance groups.
One fun bonus of this year's fair is North American Midway brought a couple of rides to the Great White North for the first time: The Downdraft and the Super Miami. Rowan said he's excited to see them in action.
"We have 2 brand new rides to the fair this year, and they're actually making their Canadian debut here in Brandon. We're the first stop for North American Midway before they go to Winnipeg and off to Calgary Stampede, so we have the Downdraft, that's a new ride, and we have the Super Miami, so those are both brand new to Canada, and again making their debut here in Canada...I haven't got on them yet, we're doing some runs tonight just to make sure things are working, but I'll give them a try, but I'm sure they'll be great," said Rowan.
In his 7 years of experience with the Provincial Exhibition, Rowan's been able to see first-hand a lot of the inner workings of the fair, and has helped with some key decisions to improve the fair. One major improvement this year is increased safety and security, including partnerships with the Brandon Police Service and other security groups. Considering the forecast as well, weather is a bit of a concern this year, but you can expect smiles whether it's rain or shine.
"As an organization, we've really put a focus on a safe family event...there's always a chance of rain in the forecast, but what we tell people, there's a hundred percent chance of fun if they come to the fair," said Rowan.
If you get tickets before midnight tonight, it's just $50 for entry and an unlimited ride pass. After tonight, tickets are $13 for anyone 13 and older on Wednesday and Thursday, and $15 Friday through Sunday. Kids 6 to 12 are $10 every day, and kids 5 and under are free.
For more details or to purchase tickets, click here to visit the Provincial Exhibition's website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Yesterday at around 1:45 PM, Roblin RCMP responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision, at the intersection of Provincial Road 484 and Road 153 North.
When officers arrived, they found a flipped semi-truck blocking the road, which had collided with a van that sustained significant damage.
The 42 year old driver of the van, a man from Roblin, died at the scene. The 31 year old driver of the semi, also from Roblin, was taken to hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.
At this time, RCMP believe the van was travelling northbound on Provincial Road 484, and the semi was travelling westbound on Road 153 North. The intersection is controlled by stop signs for east and westbound traffic.
Roblin RCMP continue to investigate the cause of the collision.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Keeping in line with recent beautification and development efforts, the City of Dauphin has opened applications for the Storefront Improvement Incentive Program, which could see local businesses get as much as $5,000 from the City to improve the look and feel of their stores.
Martijn van Luijn, Dauphin's Economic Development Manager, said in past years it was focused around the downtown core, but now it's open to anyone with a commercial property in Dauphin. Though if you're renting your storefront, clear it with the building owner first.
"The Storefront Improvement Program is created and meant to improve the look and feel of your building. It can either be for building owners or can be for somebody that's renting that building, and if you apply you just need permission from the landlord to do that...used to be for things like painting, new signage, a new facade, that kind of thing, but lately we've been including safety features as well, so things like roll shutters, or cameras, or other things to improve the safety of your building and store," said van Luijn.
The City of Dauphin's Facebook post about the program lists eligible projects, which include new or improved signage, exterior lighting, window and facade upgrades, awnings and canopies, security improvements, and entranceway enhancements.
The main goal of the program is to give local business owners who are investing in their stores a bit of a helping hand with some of the costs. Van Luijn said it's a matching grant of up to $5,000 for eligible projects if approved.
"This is a matching program, so which means we fund up to 50% of your total cost, so if you have a project that has a budget of $10,000, you can apply for $5,000, so we essentially pay for half of it. If the project is more, then we will cap it at that $5,000...it's really to assist those commercial properties to increase their look and feel," said van Luijn.
Van Luijn has been working for the City of Dauphin for a long time now. He said in his years here, he's seen a lot of positive reception from business owners when it comes to development programs like this one, and he expected a good number of applicants.
"I've been here now for 25 years, and I've seen Dauphin's eagerness to grow and change for the better...any time I talk to the business owners, they see that we are very much alive and that we're trying, and we've seen growth, which is something that is very important for our community," said van Luijn.
For more details about the City of Dauphin's Storefront Improvement Incentive Program, or to apply, click here to visit the City's website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Aayushi Sharma spent the first 12 years of her life in India with her family.
Her dad moved to northern Manitoba in 2018 when he accepted a teaching job. Three years later, Aayushi, her mom, and brother joined him. Then in 2022, the family moved to Rossburn. Aayushi was in grade nine when she moved to the Parkland community, and understandably so, there was a culture shock.
She was only a year removed from moving away from India. The population of India is roughly 1.48 billion people. It's the most populous country in the world. For comparison, the population of Rossburn is about 1,000 people.
Aayushi has always been an extrovert. She loves being in the community, and upon arriving in Rossburn, she did exactly that. She accepted a job at the local Co-op and four years later, is still working there.
"I think one of the things that helped me was starting to work locally," said Sharma. "It put me out of my comfort zone and helped me connect with the people in town. That made me more comfortable and feel like it was home."
During her four years in Rossburn, Sharma has led community food drives and volunteered at the Rossburn Personal Care Home.
She was also presented the Park West School Division's Student Citizenship Award for her leadership and commitment to student voice. From the day she moved to Rossburn, Aayushi has been all in on the community, and it has allowed her to thrive.
"I personally have a strong belief that it doesn't matter how long you've lived in a place; it matters your actions and how you're contributing," continued Sharma. "It's home for me, so I should be giving back. No matter how long I've been living here, so that's one motive that I live by."
Aayushi also appreciates how welcoming the community has been. Four years after moving to the community with her family, Aayushi is set to walk across the stage. She will graduate later this month.
To think, just five years ago, she was still living in the most populated place in the world. Now she will graduate with honours in a community she's fallen in love with.
"It feels pretty awesome, I'm not going to lie. It's a bittersweet moment as well," added Sharma. "Leaving home and a community that I've been so ingrained in. With that said, I'm really looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I'm looking forward to seeing what it holds."
Aayushi will relocate to Calgary in the fall to begin her post-secondary studies at the University of Calgary, where she will major in Biological Sciences. She will be doing so with some help, thanks to the Loran Scholarship.
The Loran Scholarship is one of Canada's largest and most comprehensive undergraduate awards. It recognizes youth who demonstrate strength, character, commitment to service, and leadership potential. To put it in short, it's one of Canada's most prestigious scholarships.
It's valued at $100,000 over four years. At the time of applying, Sharma was averaging 97.6% in the classroom. The first step of the process is a written application. From there, 1,000 applicants are chosen for a pre-recorded interview.
That's dwiddled down to 259 applications for the semifinals. From there, 90 are invited to Toronto for the finals.
In the end, 36 people in the entire country received the scholarship. Aayushi Sharma is one of 36. When she found out, Sharma had to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She was honoured to be a part of the finals in Toronto with 35 other exceptional applicants.
She was honest in her interviews and stood out.
"To this day, people still congratulate me, the whole community being behind me," added Sharma. "The support is overwhelming, in a good way. It makes me feel grateful and think about the people. It's been pretty awesome, pretty great."
Spending a large portion of her time in Rossburn at the Personal Care Home, Aayushi has experienced firsthand how rural healthcare falls short in certain areas. That's why she wants to get into medicine. She's already made a massive difference, and she's not done yet.
She's one of 36 in Canada to receive the $100,000 Loran Scholarship. Her next step is Calgary, and Sharma has big plans. She has loved her Rossburn journey and giving back to the community, but knows there is more to give and achieve.
"The one thing you really expect is having good healthcare," ended Sharma. "That is something that I really care about. I volunteer at the Care Home and see what happens, and I want to change it."
In the Manitoba Legislature, Rick Wowchuk, MLA for Swan River, recognized Aayushi for her accomplishments and wished her well in the future.
"Her story is a reminder that leadership is not defined by where you come from, but by how you show up," offered Wowchuk. "Rossburn didn't just produce a Loran scholar; it helped shape exactly the kind of person this country needs. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Aayushi."
Aayushi Sharma's journey began in India. It continued in northern Manitoba before Rossburn became her home four years ago. Now she's ready for her next journey in Calgary.
She's not putting too much pressure on herself, but knows what she wants to accomplish, and is ready to make it happen.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A passing motorist used all of the drinking water he had in his truck and became a hero in the process.
On Monday morning at 12:19, the Gilbert Plains Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire on Highway 5. The vehicle had rolled onto its roof, and the occupant was unconscious and trapped inside.
A fire started under the hood, which the motorist extinguished before emergency crews arrived on the scene.
In a Facebook post, the Department is thanking the motorist.
His quick thinking and decisive actions made a significant difference and may have prevented a much more serious outcome," the post reads. "Thank you for your courage and willingness to help a stranger in need."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
