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Dauphin MLA Ron Kostyshyn is very happy that an election promise made in 2023 by both himself and now Premier Wab Kinew is finally moving to the construction phase.
Funding for construction of a new Justice facility in Dauphin was included in last week's provincial budget.
Kostyshyn says the facility will be more than just a jail.
"It is called a justice facility, where we have an opportunity to modernize the traditional way of where you go to jail for say two years and they throw away the key. It is intended to work with individuals that have maybe had some challenges in their upbringing or their lifestyle. And those are things that we are going to be working on with mental health workers and a number of other means."
Total costs for the facility is $142 million, with $7 million of that included in this year's budget for site preparation work.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
RCMP have evacuated several homes in Duck Bay this morning out of an abundance of caution.
The evacuated homes neighbour a residence where there is currently a large police presence at.
They say there is no current threat to punlic safety, but they are asking people to stay away from the area for the time being.
The cause of the huge police presence has not been released, but we will have details once they are made available.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Fusion Credit Union is hosting fraud awareness presentations this week to cap off Fraud Prevention Month. There will be a presentation today at 1:00 PM in Roblin, and a presentation tomorrow at 12:00 PM in Inglis.
Last week, Fusion held a presentation in Rossburn. Francine Currie, Rossburn and St-Lazare Branch Manager, said the meeting was a good way for those affected by fraud to share lived and learned experiences to help others.
"People spoke freely, we were in a safe environment, and we shared the stories, and we had some ideas and some tips and tricks, it was really good...a lot of them had [experienced] those grandparents schemes, and that's one of the major topics that we did cover at that presentation that I did," said Currie.
Currie said that having a safe and judgement-free space for people affected by fraud to talk about what's happened to them often isn't just helpful, it's essential.
"It provides the knowledge and the awareness that they need to know about themselves and their peers...and it's sometimes just that reminder, it's ok to say no and hang up the phone," said Currie.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, they received more than 112,000 fraud reports in 2025, involving over $704 million in reported losses.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The annual Royal Manitoba Winter Fair kicks off on Monday at Brandon's Keystone Centre, and once again promises something for every family member.
With daily show jumping shows, as well as draft and heavy horse competitions, Provincial Exhibition Operations Manager Kristen Laing-Breemersch says horses will once again be front and centre at this year's Fair.
"We have horses coming from all over Canada, and a great number coming from the States that are top-notch equine enthusiasts and jumpers that we are looking forward to be able to have take part in the ATCO Cup, and our Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Memorial Grand Prix, which wraps up the event on Saturday, April 4th."
Monday kicks off with Heroes Day, as military, firefighters, police, and EMS personnel will be admitted for free.
Tuesday is 4-H day, and Laing-Breemersch is excited that 4-H will once again be a heavy focus of the Fair.
"4-H is one of the staples that we have within our agriculture industry that gives a hands-on experience of rural and urban life that come together, whether it is riding a horse, showing your cattle, or learning how to sew."
Tickets are available through the Provincial Exhibition website, or at the Keystone Centre as of 10 AM Monday.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Friday, April 3rd is Good Friday, and because of that the city has announced changes for garbage and recycling pickup for next week.
All garbage and recycling pickup days will move ahead one day for next week, beginning with day one collection being on Monday.
Regular collection will resume on Tuesday, April 14th.
The city also announced that all city-owned facilities will be closed on Friday, April 3rd and Monday, April 6th.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Manitoba Government has announced that entry to all of its provincial parks will be free throughout Spring Break, which goes from March 27th until April 5th.
Also during that time, you will be able to fish on Manitoba lakes without needing to have an angling licence.
The only exception is in Riding Mountain National Park, where a federal angling licence is still required.
Anglers will still be required to follow all possession limits and size restrictions, as well as all other rules and regulations including regulations that apply to specific waters.
You are also reminded to exercise caution when fishing on ice, and you should check conditions before heading out.
Dauphin Lake is still closed to fishing as of April 1st; anyone fishing Dauphin Lake on or after the 1st may be subject to fines.
Free entry to provincial parks will also be extended throughout April.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
In the court this past week, a Dauphin man arrested in connection with a residential break and enter back in January was given a new court date.
21-year-old Jacob Vermeylen had his matters set over until April 14th.
And an Ebb & Flow man arrested after shots were fired in that community last December was also given a new court date.
26-year-old Shawn Francoeur was remanded back into custody until his next appearance this Monday.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
On Sunday at 1:00 PM, the Grandview Agricultural Community Centre is hosting a "Paint the Ice" fundraiser, as a way to say goodbye to their ice plant before construction of the new one begins.
Alia Marcinkow, Chair of the Grandview District Recreation Commission, said the event will be a good way to give the old ice plant one last chance to get the community out for a day of fun.
"We kind of thought this would be a great way to say farewell to the old [ice plant] is by painting out rink surface, so for $5 you get paint and a paintbrush, come out and you can draw whatever you want on the ice as a final goodbye to our ice plant here in Grandview," said Marcinkow.
She said the $5 will go directly into the GACC's wallet to raise even more funds for the new ice plant.
"We are getting closer and closer to our goal every day, and we just want to ensure that we reach that goal, so it'll go towards that, and of course to cover a little bit of the cost of supplies," said Marcinkow.
Fundraising for the GACC's new ice plant has been going on for the past 5 years. With the arena recently being named Kraft Hockeyville's Manitoba finalist, the rink received $50,000 towards the ice plant, which was a great boost to the project.
Over the years, the GACC has meant a lot of things to the people of Grandview, including Marcinkow with a personal connection.
"I know we all call it the GACC but it's the Grandview Agricultural Community Centre, and it truly is a community centre. When I first move here, the first place we went is to a senior men's Grandview Comet game and I met people there, and that's where I got to meet lots of people in the community...to me it really shows that Grandview is a hockeyville, maybe just for Manitoba unforuantely not for all of Canada, but it's not just hockey that's bringing us together there, it's truly the building and the people in the community," said Marcinkow.
The construction and installation of the new ice plant is still scheduled for later this year.
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Jordan Zaporzan and Sam Smith - also known as Zap and Smith - will be putting on a show this Saturday in the old firehall portion of the Watson Art Centre.
Sam says the duo, who were born and raised in Dauphin, have been performing together since 2012, and began writing their own music together in 2020.
"I was really into the audio production side of things, so we just started writing songs and recording music. And now we are at the point that we want to do a little more with it and get more people to hear it, so now are starting to play some shows."
Zap and Smith also had the opportunity to perform live during the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games in Dauphin.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Manitoba Parks is encouraging Manitobans interested in using provincial parks for camping this year to start planning.
Elisabeth Ostrop, Manager of Education and Recreational Services with Mantioba Parks, said this year's new availability notification feature will be a great help to campers.
"This is a new feature that can be set up by an individual, and you'll get an email when a site becomes available that matches your selected criteria," said Ostrop.
Manitoba Parks account holders can save up to 5 different availability notifications in their profile, and will be informed if a site that matches their preferences becomes available to book.
Like previous years, reservations will become available in stages over 5 days, starting with cabins, yurts, and group use areas on April 13th. Ostrop said it's better to book sooner than later, as most reservations get booked quick. A full list of reservation release stages can be found here.
"The majority of reservations are probably made during the opening time period, and then everything else is done maybe closer to when you know you might definitely go, depends on the person and how far in advance they like to plan," said Ostrop.
With the recent spell of cold weather in the Parkland, Ostrop said she's looking forward to when it turns back to clear skies and warmer weather.
"We're looking forward to thinking about summer just like everybody else, it's a little hard to imagine at the moment, but I always find that camping reservations are a sign that things are definitely on their way," said Ostrop.
The province also announced today that Manitobans will be able to fish without a license during spring break, and will be able to enter provincial parks for free. Click here for the province's spring break news release.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The Neepawa & District Medical Committee Farm & Leisure Lotto's early bird deadline is Saturday, March 28th, with the draw on Monday, March 30th.
The early bird prize is a choice of either a $12,000 voucher to Enns Brothers for machines, parts, or service, or $10,000 cash.
Neepawa Lotto Chairman Mary Ellen Clark said another thing that usually draws people in is their 50/50 draw, which usually gets pretty high.
"Once you have purchased a $100 ticket or a 3 for $250 ticket, you can also purchase your 50/50 ticket, which is actually usually a big prize, it often ranges from $47,000 to $50,000," said Clark.
Both proceeds from lotto ticket sales and the 50/50 go to a good local cause: the Beautiful Plains Community Medical Clinic.
"The proceeds go to our medical clinic. Over the years we've purchased a building, a medical clinic, and we've renovated it 3 different times already...we also at the moment have a residency program here, where medical students who are doctors actually come and take a 2 year residency program here which is included in our expansion, because once they've done their 2 years, they are offered a contract to be a doctor in our community, if they wish to stay here," said Clark.
Over the years they've been running the lotto, the committee has found a way to make sure it goes off without a hitch. They've commandeered the Neepawa town office, and have plenty of people to run the lotto.
"We turned the town office into our office, and we have a phone bank of 4 different people and someone at the door for the walk-ins as well. So we're actually live for the next 3 days here in the town office," said Clark.
Clark also said the lotto wouldn't be possible without the constant support from communities in the Parkland, especailly Dauphin.
"Since our very beginning 18 years ago, Dauphin has always supported us extremely well, and we just want to thank that community out there, and thanks to [Alec Woolston] who has been with us for several years, it makes a huge difference to our community, the support we're getting from your area, so we'd like to thank you for that," said Clark.
The early bird deadline is Saturday at 7:00 PM, with the early bird draw on Monday at 1:00 PM. The current 50/50 draw total is just over $44,000.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
