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The Countryfest Community Cinema has been nominated for the Eric Irwin Community Appreciation Group Award at the upcoming Parkland Chamber of Commerce Chamber Celebration Night.
Ron Hedley, Chair of the Board for the Countryfest Community Cinema, said considering who the award is named for, they are honoured to be nominated.
"Eric was one of the founders of our cinema, and so anything that's recognized along with him is a huge honour for sure," said Hedley.
Not only is the cinema nominated for an award: they are hosting the Chamber Celebration Night.
"Some of the things we've been going through lately, it's just kind of what we need right now, a breath of fresh air, and hosting the awards and being nominated, it's just good. Good for us, and good for the community," said Hedley.
The Countryfest Community Cinema has received several notable donations recently to keep it running, including $10,000 from Reit-Syd Equipment and Bourgault Industries LTD in February.
"Everything that we've asked of the community, they've come forward. And they have shown us over and over again that [the cinema] is a very important institution in our community, so it's very much appreciated. Everyone is overwhelmed with support," said Hedley.
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce Chamber Celebration Night takes place on March 18th at the cinema. Last year's winner of the Eric Irwin Community Appreciation Group Award was the Watson Art Centre.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The City of Dauphin says people are misusing the residential recycling depot on 1st Avenue SE, across from Credit Union Place, and the Rotary Arena.
If you live outside of Dauphin, you're asked to use the recycling services provided by your municipality.
If you live in Dauphin, household garbage, furniture, appliances, mattresses, or renovation debris are not allowed in the bins. You also can't put any yard waste or black garbage bags in the bins. Do not leave any materials outside of the bins.
You're asked to place accepted materials inside the correct bin and flatten cardboard boxes before placing them in the cardboard bin.
If a bin is full, you can call 204-638-3200 to report it.
When contamination or illegal dumping occurs, recyclable materials may be redirected to the landfill, and additional staff time and equipment are required for cleanup. Taxpayer dollars are diverted to address improper disposal.
The City of Dauphin says if misuse continues, they may be forced to convert the site to a cardboard-only depot or remove the depot entirely.
For a list of accepted materials, head here.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A Dauphin RCMP Officer was involved in a two vehicle collision around noon today.
In an emailed statement, the RCMP said the collision occurred at the intersection of Main and 2nd Ave. North. The RCMP vehicle was operating at normal speeds with no lights or sirens, and collided with another vehicle while on the way to assist with a traffic stop.
The officer was not injured, and three people in the other vehicle were taken to hospital as a precaution, with what were believed to be minor injuries.
The intersection is currently closed as officers including a traffic analyst investigate.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The Manitoba Government is set to host provincewide public consultations for opinions about the regulation of Artificial Intelligence.
In a news release, the Manitoba Government said the consultations will focus on two urgent and connected priorities: the modernization of Manitoba's data privacy laws, and the establishment of clear and practical rules for responsible AI use.
In an interview with 730 CKDM NewsNow, Minister of Innovation and New Technology Mike Moroz said whenever regulatory decisions affect the public, they should be talked to.
"I'm always of the opinion that when Government looks to bring in legislation or regulate things that we're best to talk to the people who are going to have to live with the consequences of that regulation. Manitobans are excited about what technology can do for us, but they're also at the same time worried that technology has the capacity to potentially make decisions about them that they don't understand and can't challenge, and we want to make sure that the public knows that we're looking to establish clear guard rails to protect their interests," said Moroz.
The number of recent and rapid techonological advancements with AI have left a number of governments and regulatory bodies confused about the best way to regulate AI. Moroz said the Manitoba Government has looked at a few other governments as a refernce point.
"Certainly there's lots of interesting things happening in Europe that we're aware of, California has some regulations that we're looking at as well, all of those things will be informative, but we're looking for Manitoba solutions. We'll look globally to learn, but we're going to govern locally," said Moroz.
In looking at other governments and regulatory bodies, Moroz said a common conern he sees both abroad and in Manitoba is questions of transparency.
"It's always a question, I think from the public's point of view, of transparency. Knowing how data is being used, when it's being used, when it's being collected is always a critical issue," said Moroz.
With the spring session starting in Winnipeg, Moroz said his position as Minister of Innovation and New Technology means he has the chance to work on not only issues surrounding AI, but issues in other key sectors as well.
"Manitobans have been super clear about their priorities. Healthcare, education, affordability, my department has a role to play in all of those things with tech advancements, with efficiencies, we're going to work to make sure we carry our portion of the load on those files," said Moroz.
Recent pushes for increased AI regulation across Canada and the world came after OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, failed to alert authorities about the Tumbler Ridge, BC shooting suspect's ChatGPT account after it was flagged.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The Roblin & District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting takes place on Tuesday, and Executive Director Angela Martins said after live music and concessions to kick it off, they'll get right into the swing of things.
"We'll have a brief business meeting at 7:00, followed by a presentation about a tourism project called Faces and Places with Travel Manitoba," said Martins.
Martins said the chamber had a strong year in 2025, and she hopes for an even stronger one for 2026.
"We're maintaining our membership of 90 to 100 members, which is pretty good for a small community...we had some successful events with the car show/street fair which we sponsor in June, as well as the Harvest Festival in September, and the Winter Crafts Show in November which we expanded to 3 venues in 2025," said Martins.
Looking ahead, Martins said more members and continued support for events is the goal.
"We just hope that those things keep increasing and that we have more members," said Martins.
The meeting starts at 7:00 PM next Tuesday, with live music and refreshment beforehand. For more details about the Chamber, click here to visit their website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The RCMP is asking kids from 4 to 14 for help with a paw-sitive outreach initiative.
They want help naming 13 of their German Shepherd puppies that will become RCMP Police Dogs.
Entries can be submitted online, and must follow a few rules. All names have to start with the letter "B", must be no more than 9 letters, and has to be 1 or 2 syllables.
The RCMP says all entries must be submitted online, and must be submitted before March 26th. To submit an entry, click here to visit their website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The Brandon Home and Leisure Show takes place this weekend, and will turn the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba into a home improvement marketplace.
The show is set to showcase Parkland businesses specializing in furnishing, landscaping, and home improvement, with leisure and outdoor recreation featured as well.
New to this year's show is features on tourism and local travel, designed to highlight travel in Manitoba.
Tickets are $5 for a day pass and $10 for a weekend pass, and are cash only at the door. The show takes place this Friday to Sunday. For more details, click here to visit their website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
In 2025, reported fraud losses exceeded $544 million.
From January 1 to September 30 of 2025, there were more than 23-thousand victims. It's estimated that more than 80 per cent of Canadians have been targeted by online or phone scams. 30 per cent of Canadians have fallen victim to fraud or identity theft.
Seniors aged 60 and above are nearly twice as likely to fall victim to scams compared to those aged 18 to 29. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Manitobans reported losses of approximately $31 million in 2024.
Every year in Canada, March is marked as Fraud Prevention Month. It's a campaign that aims to help residents learn about fraud and highlight prevention tips.
Terry Sundell is a corporal with the Manitoba RCMP.
"So for the RCMP in Manitoba, fraud-related calls haven't slowed down," said Sundell. "We continue to see people targeted every day in every part of the province. Some of the most common scams continue to be the emergency or grandparent scam. Scammers are also impersonating banks or cellular service providers."
The latest changes in the grandparents scam see scammers asking people to mail money. The RCMP has noticed couriers meet people at the end of their driveways to pick up money. Sundell says the scammers are often quite sophisticated.
He says that if you take a step back from the situation, talk to a friend, or even use the internet to verify the information. The RCMP or anyone in the justice system will never contact you asking for money.
Sundell says caller ID can't be trusted. Phone numbers can be spoofed or copied. This doesn't mean that if you call the number back, you'll get the wrong person, but the call display can be compromised.
"It's important not to click on any links that you receive in a text message or an email," ended Sundell. "If someone provides an address for you to punch in on your phone, do not do that. Trusted websites can be found through Google searches or by calling your bank personally."
When it comes to being scammed, you are the last line of defence. It's also recommended that you change your email password frequently.
If you believe you've been scammed, report it to your local RCMP detachment. In addition, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
ARC Skin. Laser. Veins. is having their Grand Opening event on Friday, with lots of sales and prizes to mark the occasion.
"ARC Skin. Laser. Veins. is a clinic that Dr. Brenna has for people experiencing issues with skin and veins, like vericose veins, and we also do medical grade facials," said Michelle Mitchell, Receptionist and Social Media Manager.
Mitchell also spoke about how involved Dr. Brenna has been with the creation of the clinic.
"Dr. Brenna, for the past year, has committed a lot of her time to putting all her effort into making this building," said Mitchell.
To mark their grand opening, the clinic has several things going on, including a draw for 20% off referral chips, and 20% off products.
"We're doing 20% off products, which a lot of people do take advantage of our 20% off products during our events," said Mitchell.
For more details about the clinic and their services, click here to visit their website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
The conflict in the Middle East means Canadians are spending more at the pumps, according to an industry expert.
Matt McClain with gasbuddy.com says prices in Canada have already climbed 5 to 15 cents per litre across Canada because of the conflict.
He said one of the main issues right now is Iran has indicated it will close the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, and is the only way to get from the Persian Gulf to ocean shipping lanes. If the Strait of Hormuz is closed, oil prices are expected to continue climbing.
The conflict started after the United States and Israel began missile strikes against Iran on Saturday, which led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, and ahs since sparked escalated tensions and retaliatory action.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
After a successful "I Love to Read" month, the Dauphin Public Library plans to keep the fun going.
"We had a really good month, we had 19 different activities here in the library, we had 18 different outreach events where somebody from the office went and read to kids," said Melinda VenBeukenhaut, Dauphin Public Library Supervisor.
Some of the library's events in February included crafts nights and a partnership with the Parkland Humane Society. In March, VenBeukenhaut says even more fun events are planned.
"For March we have film club, we have one this week and then we have an indegenous film on the 10th...on the 24th is story time in the evening, and then every Monday we have Creative Mondays, where there's an activity for kids to do after school," said VenBeukenhaut.
Looking even further ahead, VenBeukenhaut said they have events planned for students on spring break as well.
"Spring break is from the 30th to the 3rd, so we're going to do something on the 31st, 1st, and 2nd," said VenBeukenhaut.
For more information about the library's activities for March and beyond, visit their website.
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- Contributed by Ian Gillingham
