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There's not doubt that the cost of living is on the rise. In the past number of months, we've seen higher grocery prices, higher fuel prices, and various other increases to costs of living.
Fusion Credit Union's Mike Csversko was at Tuesday's State of the District to speak on trends he sees in the Parkland right now for businesses and taxpayers. He said input price increases continue to be especially concerning to farmers and agriculture-related business. But it's not all bad, land equity is also going up.
"On the flip side of that we're also seeing an increase in land prices as well, so not all doom and gloom. The equity that is built into the farms, and lot of them are multi-generational farms, large number of acres, so that helps offset the pressues when it comes to financing and lending, just because of that balancing act between the equity and the operating costs as well," said Csversko.
RM of Dauphin Reeve Ernie Sirski, who was also there to speak, said he's had to increase fuel budgeting for his own farm by $10 per acre, leading to a $60,000 projected fuel cost increase this year for just his farm.
Some of the better news, Csversko said business in the Parkland are much less volatile than agriculture right now, and the data he sees backs that up.
"When it comes to businesses, we're quite steady in the Parkland area. It's not a boom and bust area of the country," said Csversko.
One of the things Fusion Credit Union does to help put money back into the community is their Full Circle Fund. The April intake is closed, but there is another intake set for this fall.
"It's great, I think off the top of my head we had 28 applicants come through the Full Circle intake that closed April 1st, we'll be making decisions on those coming up by the end of April, with announcements coming out shortly after that, so mid May," said Csversko.
At the government level, The RM is helping to save taxpayers money amid rising living costs with a projected tax increase this year lower than 3%.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Mossey River Municipality is encouraging residents to keep their toilets and pipes clear for everyone's convenience.
The municipality says it is currently experiencing issues with its sewer lines, and is asking residents to watch what they are flushing in their toilets and down their sinks.
Items that should not be flushed include baby wipes and diapers, flushable wipes and paper towels, cotton swabs and dental floss, cooking oil or grease, and other sanitary products.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
If weather and environmental conditions allow, Parks Canada is planning prescribed fire operations for several areas near Lake Audy in Riding Mountain National Park.
The two main areas are Jackfish Creek on the east side of the lake, and the Seech-Hopper area on the west side.
Prescribed fires reduce the amount of available fuel for wildfires.
A total of 4,000 hectares will be burned in the Jackfish Creek area, while 2,700 hectares will be burned in the Seech-Hopper area.
Burning is scheduled to take place between later this month and June, and could lead to the closure of several areas of the park while it takes place.
They include the bison emclosure, Lake Audy road and the Lake Audy Dam Road, as well as several trails in the area, including the Strathclair, Central, Long Lake, and Grasshopper Valley trails.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
According to Manitoba 511, all highways in and around Dauphin are closed due to the weather.
Closures include Highway 20 to Winnipegosis, Highway 10 to Cowan, and Highway 5 as far west as Grandview.
Highway 10 South is also closed on the way to Riding Mountain National Park, shown as snow-covered inside the park.
Avoid driving unless necessary for the time being, and continue to monitor Manitoba 511 for road closure updates.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
Mean Girls, the High School Version, was a massive hit.
The DRCSS put together three showings of the musical last year. They rehearsed two to four times a week, and passion was on full display, says Andrew Coombs.
"It was the first show since COVID, and then some construction at the school shut us down," said Coombs. "Last year was all rookies, everyone's first crack. It went very well. We sold out and had three great shows."
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the DRCSS is back at it again. This time, they're set to perform Mamma Mia, the musical. It runs from next Tuesday to Thursday inside the multi-purpose room at the DRCSS.
The crew includes 45 students on the stage and about 15 helping in the band, backstage, and the sound and lights crew. Andrew held auditions in November, and they've been rehearsing since December.
"It takes a lot of time from many people. It takes a lot of dedication to rehearse for five to six months to get ready," continued Coombs. "Yeah, it's quite a big production, and requires many hours from many people."
Coombs says this year's cast is a special group. Next week at the DRCSS, they all come together for three incredible shows of local theatre.
"We're really excited. We just had a rehearsal, and things are really coming together nicely," commented Coombs. "We will have one final dress rehearsal this weekend with the entire crew. I'm fully confident that everything will be good to go for the first show on Tuesday."
If you haven't gotten your tickets, unfortunately, you're out of luck. All three shows sold out, quicker than ever.
"We sold some tickets at the door last year. This year, we sold out in advance, which is something we've never done before," ended Coombs. "We're very grateful to have a full audience. We can't wait to put on three strong shows for them next week."
Mamma Mia, The Musical, comes to the DRCSS for three high-octane shows next week, and if you've already purchased your tickets, you're in for a treat.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
At yesterday's State of the District, RM of Dauphin Reeve Ernie Sirski spoke on some changes and projects in the RM this coming year. At the top of the docket: a shockingly low projected tax increase for this year.
Sirski said the RM is doing pretty well right now, so there's really no point in making things harder for taxpayers.
"Our reserves are in good shape, so some of the things that we're going to do are coming out of reserves. The other thing is that we have an operating surplus as well, and we're using some of that for enhanced drainage projects throughout this coming year. So with all that we've done, we've been able to keep our projected increase under 3%," said Sirski.
Though it's not official just yet, Sirski said he expects that part of the budget to pass handily. The RM's public budget hearing is approaching, where members of the public can comment on the RM's proposed budget for the year.
"Our public hearing is on the 4th Tuesday of the month, I think that's the 28th, is when we're having our public hearing, and after that if there's no objections, strong objections, or suggestions, we will pass our first resolution, our first reading," said Sirski.
Looking less at the RM and more at other municipalities in the Parkland, Sirski announced yesterday they've reintroduced the Parkland Regional Working Group, designed to promote much more interconnectivity and collaborations between municipalities in the Parkland.
"It's exciting to have all the municipalities get together once every quarter, we're hoping at least, just go over what's going on in their municipalities, not dissimilar to what we did [on Tuesday] with the state of the [district] addresses that we had, we're looking to doing that, and that just gives us an idea of what's happening in the entire region, all the way from Swan River to Dauphin," said Sirski.
Sirski said everybody benefits from a group like this. Better communication between municipalities helps not only at the municipal level, but with the provincial and federal governments too.
"It's easier to go in there from a position of strength with more than one municipality to see what kind of funding we can get from those 2 organizations," said Sirski.
The RM's public budget hearing is on Tuesday, April 28th at the Rural Municipality Office. Members of the public are encouraged to attend if they have any concerns or suggestions about the budget.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The Ste. Rose RCMP are searching for Glenda Lynn Campbell.
The 53-year-old is wanted on two warrants for not complying with her probation and a conditional sentence order related to an assault conviction.
She's known to frequent the Ste. Rose area and is about 5'3".
If you have information on where she could be, call the Ste. Rose RCMP at 447-2513.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Preprarations are well underway for the 13th annual Mountainview School Division Graduation Pow Wow.
The event is set for May 21st at the Selo Ukraina Site.
Gord Wood with MVSD says they are partnering with Countryfest, the Dauphin Friendship Centre, and Assiniboine Collegeto put on this event.
He adds it will be a great opportunity for the community to gather in the spirit of reconciliation.
"So rather than having the Pow-Wow in a gymnasium, we want to have it at the Selo site, where there is a lot of space. It is also an opportunity to host and include a variety of groups. We really want to have a big group with us. We are hoping to have around 2,000 people join us."
He adds transportation will be available for anyone interested in taking in the event.
They are also looking for drum groups, dancers and vendors interested in taking part in the event.
You can contact Carole Shankaruk at the MVSD office if you would like to take part.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced he's temporarily removing the federal excise tax on gas and diesel.
Beginning Monday and lasting until Labour Day, the cost of gas will drop by 10 cents per litre of gasoline and four cents per litre of diesel. The fuel tax holiday will also remove the four cents per litre excise tax on aviation fuel. It's expected to cost an estimated $2.4 billion.
Gage Haubrich is the Prairie Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
"It's great to see that the federal government is moving in some way to make life more affordable for Canadians," said Haubrich. "Unfortunately, this isn't a permanent tax cut, which is what Canadians really need at this time. Taxpayers would like to see the government provide some sort of permanent tax relief. Even if it was a permanent tax cut relief, not just the temporary one announced."
On average, the price per litre of gas in Manitoba is $171.9. On average, the price per litre of diesel is over $2.00 per litre.
"When we're looking at how much a Manitoba family pays every time they head to the pump, it's about $9.00 in the gas tax when you're filling up a mini-van and $11.00 when you're filling up a pick-up truck," offered Haubrich. "Over the course of the year, that's more than $550 in gas tax that one family is paying."
With Carney's tax holiday, it'll save drivers $7 every time they fill up a minivan, about $10 when filling up a pickup truck.
In 2024, the Manitoba government cut its provincial gas tax by 14 cents per litre in 2024. Premier Wab Kinew recently called his previous gas tax the most important thing that a provincial government has ever done in the history of Manitoba.
For Haubrich, now is the time.
"It's up to Mr. Kinew to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. If it's the most important thing that a government has ever done, it's probably equally important to do it now," ended Haubrich. "There's no reason for him to be sitting on his hands about it; he needs to bring it back and get Manitobans saving at the pumps again."
Kinew also said that if gas prices remain high, he may cut the gas tax again.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The Dauphin RCMP arrested and charged a 31-year-old man from Wasagamack.
On Saturday at 9:00 p.m., officers responded to a stabbing at a home on Bossons Avenue. A 26-year-old man was stabbed multiple times. Officers then learned another assault had happened at the same residence a day earlier, with a different 26-year-old victim being involved. Both were treated at the hospital and released.
Ishmael Harper, who lives at the residence, was arrested at the scene.
He faces charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
