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Manitobans have spoken, and a large majority are not happy with our roads.
CAA Manitoba is back with its Worst Roads campaign, and 711 roads across 69 municipalities were nominated for the top spot. The most common concerns cited were potholes, poor maintenance and uneven road surfaces.
Taking the top spot this year, for the second year in a row, is Provincial Trunk Highway 34. The Pembina Valley highway west of Winnipeg has appeared on the provincial top 10 list seven times.
Richmond Avenue in Brandon is rated as the fifth-worst road in the province, and 1st Street in Brandon was ranked eighth.
Full Top 10:
- PTH 34 - Central Plains/Pembina Valley
- Provincial Road 307 - Whiteshell
- Kenaston Boulevard/Route 90 - Winnipeg
- Saskatchewan Avenue - Winnipeg
- Richmond Avenue - Brandon
- Gateway Road - Winnipeg
- Leila Avenue - Winnipeg
- 1st Street - Brandon
- Provincial Road 422 - Pembina Valley
- St. Mary's Road - Winnipeg
Ewald Friesen is the manager of government and community relations for CAA Manitoba.
"We also noted this year that we had a good split of urban and rural," said Friesen. "This also reflects a general discontent with the state of our roads and infrastructure in the province."
While no roads in the Parkland were named to the top 10 list, CAA released a top five regional list for the Parkland.
Provincial Trunk Highway 45 took home the top spot. Mountain Road in Dauphin was rated as the second-worst in the region.
Provincial Road 366 was ranked the third-worst, while Provincial Road 357 was voted the region's fourth-worst.
Road North 10, which connects the municipality of Gilbert Plains to areas like the Duck Mountain Provincial Park, was ranked the fifth-worst in the region.
CAA Manitoba is urging provincial and municipal governments to continue prioritizing predictable, year-over-year investment in road maintenance and safety.
Early intervention is key to extending the life of a road.
"We know that obviously Manitobans depend on our roads and that's ever more important these days," added Friesen. "We're having a national conversation about our economy, trade corridors, and inter-provincial trade. Infrastructure investment is a very important discussion."
92 percent of Manitobans are concerned with the state of our roads.
"And 82 percent believe roads aren't repaired in a timely fashion," continued Friesen. "About half of us say that the situation is getting worse."
Poor road infrastructure is also hitting Manitobans pocketbooks. Vehicle damage because of poor roads is skyrocketing.
On average, each year, Manitobans spend $944 out-of-pocket, resulting directly from poor roads.
"Year-over-year infrastructure saves the life of the road, and it's great for our economy," commented Friesen. "Most importantly, it has a direct effect on our pocketbooks in Manitoba."
When you hit the road this summer, CAA is urging you to stay safe. Summer driving brings higher traffic volumes and an increased risk of severe collisions.
In Manitoba, speeding plays a factor in nearly 30% of fatal and injury crashes.
"We're reminding folks that speed and aggressive driving has no place on our roads," ended Friesen. "Please be mindful of your speed and other folks on the road. Obviously, we want to get out to the cottage, the campsite, and go on road trips, but be safe."
The weather is heating up and as Manitobans, we all play a part in being safe, and allowing everyone to get home to their loved ones.
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On Tuesday, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service arrested a man in connection to an incident on Saturday, which involved the Sandy Bay First Nation man stealing a vehicle and using it to ram a marked police vehicle.
After he was arrested on May 25th, the suspect damaged the police vehicle's prisoner cage and managed to escape while in handcuffs. He was quickly located and taken back into custody.
Following both incidents, Jordan Beaulieu of Sandy Bay First Nation is facing 10 charges, including assault on a police officer causing bodily harm, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, and escape from lawful custody.
The damage to the police vehicle has rendered it inoperable.
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Jill Wiebe wasn't sure what it would look like.
It's not every day that you see 5,000 pounds of food stacked on pallets. In the Kraft Hockeyville competition this year, the Grandview Agricultural Community Centre, famously known as the heartbeat in Grandview, was named the Manitoba champion.
With it comes 10,000 pounds of food. The first 5,000 pounds were delivered earlier this month. The food has since been given to the Dauphin & District Food Bank and the Grandview Food Bank.
The shelves are stocked. What a beautiful thing it is.
"It makes us feel really good that it's not just money," said Wiebe. "We're reaching out and helping so many in the community who need it. It's not just the hockey players or curlers that come to the rink. It's touching so many in the Parkland."
Several community members volunteered their time to unpack the trucks. This included the pool staff in Grandview.
"I can't believe how many people came and volunteered that day," added Wiebe. "It was a last-minute thing. Bev from Dauphin Food Bank got all the volunteers, and I give her all the credit. It was amazing to see all the people come out and get the job done."
On top of the 5,000 pounds of food delivered and an additional 5,000 in October, Grandview also received $50,000 for upgrades to the arena. Those funds went towards the ice plant that will be in operation next season.
Grand Plains Minor Hockey will also receive $10,000 worth of hockey equipment from the National Hockey League Players Association.
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From April 30 to May 15, Doctors Manitoba invited physicians to complete a survey after Premier Wab Kinew announced Canada's first social media and AI chatbot ban for children under 16.
Over 60% of the responses included family physicians, pediatricians, and psychiatrists. There were 242 responses. Social media, AI chatbots, and excessive screen time are increasingly being identified as a major health risk by researchers, physicians, and other experts.
Dr. Alon Altman is the president of Doctors Manitoba.
"Doctors believe social media, screen time, and chatbots are among the top risks to children's health and well-being," said Altman. "Ranking higher than even smoking, drinking, injuries, and sedentary lifestyles. It's no surprise that over 90% of doctors in Manitoba support the government's proposed ban on social media for children and youth."
Almost 32 percent of the doctors polled believe the proposed ban should extend to youth 17 and under, rather than the proposed 16 and under.
"Physicians also see the potential of other safeguards," added Altman. "Such as removing addictive elements like infinite scrolls, more robust content moderation, and eliminating advertising for minors."
7.5 percent of the doctors polled opposed the ban. The reasons include.
- Skepticism about Manitoba’s ability to ban major international digital apps.
- A belief that a ban alone is not enough to reduce the harms and prepare youth for eventual access.
- Concern that bans could face legal, ethical or privacy hurdles to implement.
Some physicians also pointed out that social networks, with risks removed, can offer benefits as youth get older, such as reducing isolation and fostering peer connections.
Australia recently became the first country in the world to ban children under the age of 16 from using major social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Many physicians also agree that children and youth should receive digital literacy education to help them learn about the risks and prepare for an age when they can access social media and AI chatbots with no restrictions. Digital literacy is the ability to safely and critically find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital devices.
As a parent, Altman would like to see his children receive more formal education.
"We all had typing and keyboard class when we were in school," ended Altman. "I think social media education is the next step of IT literacy in schools. I think it has to be a combination of educational programs."
Kinew has hinted that the ban could extend to teachers using YouTube in the classroom. He did not say how it would be enforced or provide a timeline.
Gord Olson is a Staff Sergeant with the RCMP. He worked in the Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) from 2010 to 2025. In a previous conversation with him, he's thrilled with Kinew's proposed ban.
"You know, I love that decision," ended Olson. "I am really interested and looking forward to seeing what the province does to police that and try to mitigate anyone under the age of 16 being able to access this type of social media."
This is a developing story that CKDM NewsNow will continue to cover.
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Prairie Mountain Health launched Rural Week in 2003 as an optional experience within the University of Manitoba’s first-year medical curriculum and became a mandatory component the following year.
More than 20 years later, the initiative is going stronger than ever.
Adrian Fung is the chief medical officer for PMH. He says this program continues to produce incredible results.
"The importance really can't be overstated. The origin of this was to expose early medical student learners to what rural medicine is, what it is like, and what you get to do, so you're not so urban-centric," said Fung. "Even if you don't end up working in a rural area, you gain that beginning of understanding of what rural life is like."
Students from the University of Manitoba's Max Rady College of Medicine will take part in Rural Week from May 25 to 29 and June 1 to 5. Dr. Kyle Conrad is a past Rural Week participant.
He is now a family anesthetist based in Brandon, while also supporting Minnedosa, Neepawa and Northern Manitoba.
This year, Prairie Mountain Health is hosting 41 students in 14 communities. This includes Dauphin, Grandview, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Roblin, Russell, and Ste. Rose. While in the past not all students decided to stay and work in a rural setting, Fung says some have.
"It's one of those things. They see the community, fall in love with it, and want to know more about it," continued Fung. "They go back to training in that community, near it, and stay in touch with the doctors and the community itself."
Fung says the program has been very beneficial over the past two-plus decades. There have been many success stories to come from it.
"Students who have never left a city, grew up in Winnipeg, and never left," ended Fung. "Even some who grew up in Toronto and were doing medical school in Winnipeg, and are now in rural training programs in their post-grad training, because they have this exposure. We have been seeing some very good successes from it."
Prairie Mountain Health thanks healthcare professionals and community volunteers whose dedication makes Rural Week possible
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Several break-in instruments were found in one of the suspect's backpack.
On Saturday at 1:50 a.m., Dauphin RCMP responded to a break and enter at a storage locker facility on Industrial Road in Dauphin. Two suspects were found inside a vacant unit.
Kyle Sutherland and Geena Parenteau, both of Dauphin, are charged with break and enter, possessing break-in instruments, and mischief under $5,000.
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There's a big project going on at the Vermillion Park Sportsplex over the next couple of days, and they need your help to make it happen: by the end of the week, they hope to plant 10,000 trees in the area.
After last year's tree planting project in the Sportsplex, the City of Dauphin reached out to Brad Kennedy with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to get more work done this year. Kennedy said though you wouldn't think about it, there are a lot more benefits to planting trees in the area than just providing shade.
"Vermillion Park is such a beautiful site already, so it's kind of extending the forest around Vermillion Park and providing a little bit more habitat for all the birds and the animals that rely on that habitat there, so a little bit more forest on this side...by putting more trees in there, it also helps to stabilize the riverbank, so there area lot of benefits to the community, so [the City of Dauphin] reached out to us," said Kennedy.
From the more local side, Tim Engbrecht with the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve has been helping out with teaching volunteers how the planting process goes, and some of the major benefits of it. One of Engbrecht's areas of expertise is how trees in the Prairies relate to the water cycle, and how important their role is within the system.
"Trees play an important and vital role in the summer water cycle. Here on the Prairies, between a quarter and a third of our summer rains are actually from evapotranspiration, and largely from trees...a mature tree, like an oak tree for instance, can transpire between 600 and 1,000 litres of water per day. That's one of those big square IBC totes worth of water per tree, and that is local water, that falls somewhere," said Engbrecht.
Earlier today, a class of students from DRCSS were out to help get the planting going. Part of the process involved using pressurized water to dig holes about 4 feet into the ground, then transplanting trees in the holes. Engbrecht said the depth of the holes helps the trees reach the water table and give them the best chance to survive. Considering how hot this week is expected to get, he said he hopes to have most of the 10,000 trees planted in the next couple of days to give them the best chance.
Interested in volunteering? They're making a push for volunteers on Wednesday and Thursday at 10:00 AM to show up and help keep the community healthy. If you can, bring a spade, gardening gloves, water, and suncreen.
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Do you live in Swan River or the surrounding area and are interested in getting involved?
Well, if so, Wednesday is an important day for you. Volunteer Manitoba is hosting a volunteer fair from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School.
It'll take place in the gym.
"We are welcoming the entire Swan Valley area to come out," said Kamillah El-Giadaa, training and development manager. "There will be over a dozen non-profit organizations that will be talking about their volunteer opportunities and how you can be a part of the community."
Manitoba has some of the highest volunteering rates in the country. That's a kudos to you for making a difference. According to Statistics Canada, 38% of Manitobans engage in formal volunteer helping non-profits.
It's estimated that 71% volunteer by helping neighbours. In the 2024/25 time period, Volunteer Manitoba held 117 workshops. 68 of them were in a group setting, and the other 49 were in public settings.
"Other than voting in an election, volunteering is our democratic right to make change in our community," added El-Giadaa. "To do the things that we believe our community needs or should be doing. It's one of the active ways that we can be a part of the community."
Among the dozens of non-profit organizations that will be in attendance are a daycare centre and the Swan Valley Historical Museum.
"We have the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre, a couple of senior-based organizations," ended El-Giadaa. "Special Olympics. As I said, a variety of different sectors will be represented."
This is your opportunity to get involved in your community. One day and all the information you need at the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School from 4:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday.
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Last week's Manitoba Agriculture Crop Report highlighted this year's slower than average seeding progress, with 37% of Manitoba's crop in the ground, compared to 57% from last year, and the 5 year average of 43% for this time of year.
Ron Kostyshyn is a man of many hats when it comes to agriculture: Dauphin MLA, Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture, and a farmer for more than 35 years. He said this type of seeding season isn't unusual, but it's also not very common. The big contributor to the delayed seeding season this year was the long winter and rapidly-changing weather over the past couple of weeks.
"It's not the first time producers have been seeding at this time of the year, and hopefully from here on in, mother nature will correct itself...we appreciate the moisture, but the tap could be turned off, and timely rains from here on in would be great, more so now, sunshine is the necessity," said Kostyshyn.
Between the late snow, heavy rains, and strong winds in the Parkland recently, there's been a considerable delay with seeding, and once farmers were able to get out and start, the weather would change again. Looking ahead at the forecast for this week from Environment Canada, we're about done with the recent spot of rain. Temperatures are expected to hit as high as 35 degrees late this week, with plenty of sun.
Kostyshyn said the forecasted warm and sunny weather is exactly what farmers need right now to be able to put their crop in the ground, but even if everything goes according to plan, we're still at the mercy of mother nature.
"[The sun] definitely will dry out the soil so the farmers can put some seed in the ground...we can do the right amount of seed, the right amount of fertilizer, right amount of things, but the weather conditions play such a crucial role to have a bountiful crop," said Kostyshyn.
Looking at the bigger picture for agriculture this year, there's lots of uncertainty when it comes to input and commodity prices. International pressures have put a good bit of strain on input prices, whether that's farm fuels or nitrogen-based fertilizers, and commodity prices aren't the most predictable right now. Though there have been some recent measures taken to help reduce those pressures, like the Federal government's removal of the Fuel Excise Tax, the level of concern is still very high.
Earlier in the year, Kostyshyn had a chat with Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, who himself has been a farmer in Price Edward Island for years before his career in politics. Their chat focused a lot on what could be done, both federally and provincially, to help give farmers that extra bit of relief they need.
"Producers are faced with higher fertilizer costs and everything else, fuel costs are going up, and all I can say is the commodity prices need to come up again, and that's depending on other countries, how they do in their harvests, so they create a bit of a shortage that our commodity prices go up accordingly to reward the farmers...ongoing discussions will continue with the Federal Government in the need of support. We know that those discussions will continue to happen as we move forward," said Kostyshyn.
Kostyshyn said he'll be attending a meeting with MacDonald and other Provincial agriculture ministers in early June to talk about how other provinces are doing, and how they're going to try to lift a bit of the burden from the common farmer.
"Let's keep our fingers crossed and a few other things crossed so we can have a bountiful harvest, and commodity prices go up come late seeding, late summer, and reward to the farmers that they get a decent financial return off their hard work," said Kostyshyn.
730 CKDM NewsNow will continue to provide updates on Manitoba Agriculture's Crop Reports as the season progresses.
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In the first three months of 2025, the Dauphin RCMP received 1,460 calls for service.
In the first three months of 2026, the number of calls for service has declined. There have been 1,389 calls for service from January 1, 2026, to March 31, 2026. These calls can range from a quick response to a more serious call.
Mark Smaill is the Staff Sergeant for the Detachment Commander for the Dauphin RCMP. He's been in Dauphin for just over a year and says the seriousness of calls in the first quarter last year to this year is similar.
The Dauphin Detachment has a complement of 23 police officers. All positions are filled, which includes a large influx of members from the Depot in Regina. Those officers are currently going through a six-month field coaching program.
When Smaill arrived in Dauphin, at times, the Detachment was down to 60 percent of its staffing complement.
"You know, when I came here to Dauphin, the staffing was not all that great," said Smaill. "I don't think it was any secret that right across Manitoba, the RCMP was struggling with numbers. That has changed dramatically in the last six months. It's a great thing for Dauphin and the province."
Recently, the Dauphin Detachment began foot patrols. Foot patrols help officers connect with the community and, in some cases, spot crimes that may not be possible while driving around. If you do spot an officer, you're encouraged to speak with them.
While you may not have a badge on, we can all play a part in keeping Dauphin a safe and warm place.
"We may not be able to fix every problem. We will be able to work with people on public safety and brainstorm ideas on how we can work together," added Smaill. "We have some great service groups that work with us on public safety issues, and that's really appreciated."
One of those groups is Dauphin Citizens on Patrol. They currently have 12 volunteers who are the extra eyes and ears around the city. In conjunction with the Dauphin RCMP, Citizens on Patrol has begun handing out vehicle stickers that read "all valuables removed". It's aimed at deterring criminals from breaking into your vehicle.
You can get your sticker during business hours at City Hall or at the Dauphin Detachment.
Smaill says you'll notice officers out and about more often during the summer months. Tips to stay safe this summer include locking your vehicle, locking your doors, keeping the lights on at your home, and removing all valuables.
The City of Dauphin's 9:00 p.m. routine continues until the end of the month. The city has been challenging you to take a few simple steps every night at 9:00 p.m. to help reduce theft and property crime in the community.
They say it takes 21 days to build a habit. It's now your turn to make a new habit of helping to keep our community a safer place.
"We have an excellent mayor and council that are looking to help in whatever way they can with public safety," continued Smaill. "We have a great partnership with the City of Dauphin."
Small or big, Smaill urges everyone to report crimes.
"Even if you think it's a small situation, we need to hear about it. That way we know what is going on in the community," commented Smaill. "Sometimes I think people believe the police know everything that is going on. We try our best, but we know that the public is often our eyes and ears, and we need to hear from them."
When hitting the road this summer, it's also critical to do so sober.
In 2024, 15 people died, and 118 were injured in crashes involving impaired driving in Manitoba. From 2020 to 2025, 91 people died and more than 350 sustained injuries due to impaired driving.
If you use Cannabis, wait a minimum of 24 hours before getting behind the wheel.
If you're a heavy user, it builds up in your system and takes an entire 30 days to clear. This means you could be impaired and not even realize it. The penalties for driving under the influence of Cannabis are the same as those for driving under the influence of alcohol.
"I really encourage people, for everyone's safety, to stay sober," ended Smaill. "Plan a safe ride home if you're consuming. Just know, we will be out there to keep the roads and highways safe."
Another big problem is driving fatigued. On average, one person is killed and five are seriously injured in fatigue-related crashes every year in Manitoba. Studies have shown that less than five hours of sleep doubles your motor vehicle collision risk.
It's recommended that you get seven to eight hours of sleep overnight before operating a vehicle.
Some warning signs that you're too tired to be behind the wheel include constant yawning, trouble keeping your eyes open, being unable to remember the last few kilometres driven, drifting, and wandering thoughts.
If you are driving tired and are caught, you can be charged with careless driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, or criminal negligence.
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