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The Parkland Chamber of Commerce held its State of the District address this afternoon at the Watson Art Centre. The main theme was a new regional initiative called Stronger Together, which encourages municipalities in the region to work together.

Stephen Chychota, executive director of the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, said that the event was a platform for municipalities to work together and that by doing so, they would be stronger together. He also said that there's a group working on bringing skilled labourers to the area to help alleviate the challenges brought on by the labour shortage.

It's not the be-all end-all for anything, but... if we bring [more workers to the area], we can start filling these jobs and bring more opportunity because they bring family and maybe they deviate from what they're doing and they go out on their own business sort of thing.

Robert Brunel, mayor of the Municipality of Ste. Rose, spoke at the event. He said that it's important for municipal leaders to work together and that municipalities, such as McCreary, Ste. Rose, Lakeshore, Mossey River, Dauphin, Grandview and Ethelbert, are working in close collaboration in many areas. These areas include wastewater and solid waste regulations, housing, and economic development. It was also brought up that if municipalities take similar positions, they would be in a stronger position to lobby the federal and provincial governments. He also announced a new tourism partnership that will include the launch of a new website called Hello Parkland.  

There was federal and provincial representation at the event.

Dan Mazier, MP for Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, addressed the event virtually with a pre-recorded message that included support for scrapping the carbon tax and suspending the GST on fuel to make life more affordable.

Brad Michaleski, MLA for Dauphin, gave a speech at the event expressing his support for the Chamber's Stronger Together initiative by agreeing that working together is the right move for a challenging time. According to Michaleski, the whole region has to be strong and things should be approached in a regional way.

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The Manitoba Government announced the approval of the province's first potash development today. Potash and Agri-Development Corporation of Manitoba (PADCOM) can start extracting and producing potash near Russell.

Premier Heather Stefanson made the announcement earlier today. She said the government and PADCOM have been working with local indigenous communities and leaders to encourage participation in potash production. PADCOM has partnered with the Gambler First Nation, which is participating as a 20% equity owner.

Canada is the largest producer of potash in the world, at nearly 15 million tonnes, and according to the PADCOM website, their mine would add an additional 2 million tonnes of capacity.

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David Bosiak has announced he's running for Mayor of Dauphin in the October 26th municipal election. He says his years of working in the community development field would help him in the position of Mayor.

"I like to view it as finishing the job." said Bosiak, "I moved back to town when I just finished university and got a three-month term position that I thought I was gonna be here for three months and then be gone. Three months turned into a year, turned into five years, turned into opening my gym. A series of fates ended up in me being here forever."

Bosiak said he spent his whole professional life in Dauphin and really grew to love the community and feel like a part of the community.

"I worked for the provincial government for eleven years in community development, so I saw how Dauphin operated, I saw how all the communities in the Parkland operated," said Bosiak, "I'd like to think I've seen just about everything, how effective councils work, how some communities are a little bit less effective and what they might do differently."

Bosiak is the second candidate to announce they're running, joining Kerri Riehl, making it the first contested election for Mayor of Dauphin since 2010. Bosiak said he's happy to have the contested race, saying it benefits the community, and will bring important issues to the forefront.

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The Dauphin City Council held a regular council meeting this evening. Some highlights from the meeting include:

There was a public hearing for a variance report to allow the construction of two single-story 2,158 sq. ft. triplex dwellings consisting of two single-bedroom dwelling units and one two-bedroom unit at 218 Buchanon Avenue West.

John Yury and Jerry Wheeler were at the meeting in person to answer questions about the application, as well as other variances that had been previously approved.

During her report, City Manager Sharla Griffiths talked about the upcoming city plan and the events that took place last week.

Through a request for proposals, the review of the Development Plan project was awarded to Urban Systems, a consulting firm with offices in western Canada including Winnipeg. Part of the review process was a 'Development Plan in a Week' blitz in the community, which took place last week. During that time, the consultant set up a 'studio' in the Committee Room at City Hall and used that as their home base office to conduct their consultations with Council, Staff, stakeholders, and the public.

When the online survey closed today, there were 150 responses, which according to Urban Systems, is an outstanding number for a community this size.

The next Dauphin City Council meeting is scheduled for June 27th. You can watch today's Regular Council Meeting on the City of Dauphin YouTube page here.

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The Red River North RCMP got a report of human remains in a field in the RM of West St. Paul on June 6th. When they arrived, officers were able to determine the deceased was a female around 40-50 years old.

Upon investigation, the RCMP determined the deceased was 53-year-old Lori Ann Mancheese from Ebb & Flow First Nation. Police are waiting for the results of an autopsy, as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death, which they believe is non-criminal at this time.

If you have information, please call Red River North RCMP at 204-482-1222, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online here.

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After having to pause operations while looking for a new Driver/Coordinator, the Grand Plains Handivan is back in operation as of today. According to Larissa Love, after weeks of looking, they were finally able to find the right candidate.

We interviewed a couple of people on Friday, and we were successful in hiring somebody.

The Handivan provides transportation services to residents of Gilbert Plains and Grandview, with Daily trips to Dauphin, and would've been a huge loss for the community had they not been able to fill the position. Anyone needing the Grand Plains Handivan services can call them at 204-638-2464.

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June is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month and there is no better time than now to get help if you need it. 

It's estimated that roughly 11 people die by suicide each day in Canada and that adds up to about 4,000 people losing their lives to suicide each year in the country. Statistically, men have committed suicide more often due to a mental illness with the 50-59-year-old age group topping the list. Of the 4,000, it's reported that 90% were living with a mental health problem or illness.

11.8% of people report thoughts of suicide in their lifetime while 2.5% of people report thoughts of suicide in the past year. While it is men's mental health awareness month, now is the time to reach out for help as well if you're a female and you are struggling. The big message is you're not alone.

Eleanor Snitka is the community peer support worker for Peer Connections Manitoba in Dauphin and the area.

"Mental health issues are not weaknesses," said Snitka. "When you reach out for help, it's actually related to strength. Reaching out for help can save your life."

Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in men in Canada and it's the second leading cause for children and youth between the ages of 10 and 19. 

"It can't be said enough, taking care of your mental health is so incredibly important," offered Snitka. "We are all in this together. Reaching out may not be easy, it is hard but it can be so extremely beneficial. If you are having trouble, reach out and someone is here to help you."

If you are having trouble, Eleanor says the first step is to talk to your family doctor to see what options you have. 

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There are a number of closures at Riding Mountain National Park due to damages caused by flooding.

The following trails are closed until further notice:

    • Clear Lake North Shore Trail
    • Clear Lake South Shore Trail
    • Cowan Lake Trail
    • Grey Owl Trail
    • Kinosao Trail (from Kinosao Lake to the Grey Owl Trail junction)
    • Beach Ridges Trail
    • Boreal Trail
    • Bead Lakes Trail
    • Ochre River Trail
    • Grasshopper Valley Trail
    • Tilson Lake Trail
    • Bald Hill Trail
    • Reeve Ravine Trail
    • North Escarpment Trail
    • Scott Creek Trail
    • Burls and Bittersweet Trail
    • Breezy Hill Trail
    • J.E.T. Trail
    • East Deep Lake Trail

A detailed map of the trail closures can be found on the Parks Canada website.

In addition to numerous trails that have been closed, there are also a number of closures in the Lake Audy area.

This includes the Lake Audy campground, day-use area, boat launch, bison enclosure and horse corral. Lake Audy Road has also been closed — in both directions — from the intersection with Lake Audy Dam Road to the eastern crossing of Jackfish Creek.

More information on those closures can be found here.

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The beef industry in Canada is rallying against a proposed regulation by Health Canada that would see a warning label placed on the front of ground beef packaging, saying it's high in saturated fat.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association says it could send the wrong message to consumers. Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager, Carson Callum, says it would really hurt the beef industry across the country by reducing the confidence of the consumer.

"A lot of other whole food ingredients are exempt," said Callum, "butter, milk, those types of things. Even full cuts of meat are exempt"

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has set up a website, dontlabelmybeef.ca, to let people know why they're fighting these regulations.

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The City of Dauphin's City Plan events wrapped up this week. The open house was held on June 8th and the open planning studio took place the day after. Martijn van Luijn, economic development manager of the City of Dauphin, felt that the events were very well attended and said they were pleased to see so many people show interest both in-person and online.

[The city is plan] is a forward-thinking plan of who we want to be and where we want to go as a city.  We had lots of good engaging conversations with people about that and when people think about it a little more, they also start thinking about things they would like to see and do it in a positive and encouraging way.

The ideas presented to the City by residents were mainly focused on safety, active living, sustainability, shopping opportunities, and transportation.

I'd like the public to know... that we listened and that we will include some of the comments into the plan.

The City worked with a consulting company to collect data during the events and is expected to present a draft plan to the City by the end of August. From that draft plan, the City would then have to develop a formal plan and present it to the community.

The next step would be to present the plan to City Council and it would be up to them to decide whether to implement it.

This year — an election year — in way, [it'll be]... up to the voters to turn these things into action items and choose which ones are the most important and what we're going to do next.

Dauphin residents still have the chance to share their ideas with the City by answering the online survey here. The survey will be open until Monday.

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June of 2019, that's the last time the Lundar Agricultural Society had the opportunity to host its fair. While it's been a tough couple of years waiting for a return, that return is officially here as the Society is hosting their fair Friday and Saturday.

The event started with a pancake breakfast Friday morning from 7 to 10 and runs until when the fireworks fire up at 10:15 p.m. There is also a midway if you're looking to get on some rides and there's a wristband special from 6 to 10 Friday.

Friday's events also include the R/C Airplane Display in the Lundar Arena and the Antique Tractor Pull. 

Mike Kostyshyn is the president of the Lundar Ag Society and he says hosting the annual fair and rodeo is a long time coming.

"We're all so extremely excited about hosting this event again," said Kostyshyn. "We've been very busy setting up this week and the entire crew is so happy to be doing what they are doing."

Another pancake breakfast kicks off Saturday from 7 to 8 in the arena and a parade starting by the school grounds starts at 11:30. There's also a petting zoo, beef dinner and beer gardens. 

"We welcome everyone to Lundar, this is always a very special event and everyone is welcome," ended Kostyshyn.

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