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Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick has passed away after collapsing outside of the Law Courts Building in Winnipeg on Friday.
Merrick was speaking to media about a case when she collapsed.
Merrick was elected as the first woman to lead the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in October of 2022.
The former chief of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation was re-elected to the position in July of this year.
In a statement his afternoon, Premier Wab Kinew said flags at the Manitoba Legislature have been lowered to half-mast in honour of Merrick.
He added he will miss her counsel, her drive to get things done, and most of all - her hugs.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The McCreary Heritage Advisory Committee is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and is holding a special Music at the Museum night to celebrate.
The free event was originally set for August 23rd before being postponed in the wake of the deadly murder-suicide in that community.
It will now take place this Saturday at the McCreary Heritage Museum, beginning at 7 pm.
It will feature music from Kaitlyn Griegson, as well as a 50/50 draw.
You are asked to bring a lawn chair if you are going to be attending.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Two high-profile cases in the Swan Valley were back in court this week.
New court appearances were set for 29-year-old Dean Bell and 40-year-old Tyrone Guiboche, in connection with the stabbing death of a 33-year-old man this past January.
The two Swan River men are each charged with Manslaughter and remain in custody until their next appearance on October 16th.
And a new court date has also been set for a man charged following a May incident on the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation.
An arrest was made after reports of a man wielding a weapon and threatening people on the reserve, before allegedly stealing a vehicle and possibly hitting someone on an ATV.
26-year-old Errol Leask remains in custody on multiple charges, and will make his next appearance in Swan River Court on Wednesday.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
It was an incredible weekend up on the hill and the good times are set to roll on.
Dauphin's Countryfest will return in 2025 during the Canada Day Long Weekend.
"We certainly are coming back, we're in the planning stage as we speak," said Duane McMaster, President of the Board of Directors.
If you are a member, a pre-member ticket sale will begin on Monday, September 9. Head to Countryfest to secure your tickets for next summer on Monday if you're a member.
Ahead of the 2025 event, McMaster confirmed a couple of changes will be made with one of the most significant changes being the return of the festival on Thursday. While gates opened on Thursday this year, there was no entertainment.
While McMaster does not know what the Thursday night will look like as of yet, he does say those plans are well underway.
"That was in response to our fans, we had a lot of feedback that people missed the Thursday night party," ended McMaster. "We may have to adjust our ticket prices a little bit, but we want the people to be happy. People like that extra night so we will be bringing it back."
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
An offender who'd been on the run from police has been nabbed after a month on the lam.
Clay Byron Starr, also known as Chad Crate, Clayton Starr, Richard Starr, Clay Richard, and Byron Richard, was wanted for breaching conditions imposed upon him when he was released from federal custody on June 20, 2024.
Initially to reside in Sandy Bay First Nation, Starr had been evading police and was considered a high risk to reoffend.
The RCMP thanks the public for their assistance in apprehending this individual.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The Dauphin RCMP Detachment will be closed for a portion of September 9 and the entirety of September 10 and 11.
The closure is due to staff training. The Detachment will close at 2:00 p.m. on Monday and re-open on Thursday at 8:00 a.m.
While officers will remain on duty, counter service will be unavailable. For emergencies call 911 or 622-5050.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Two of the three accused in a series of armed robberies in Dauphin this past March have made new court appearances.
30-year-old Desmond Parenteau of Duck Bay, and 24-year-old Mallory Catcheway of Brandon both had their matters adjourned to September 10.
Meanwhile, a warrant has been issued for a Duck Bay man after he failed to show up for a pretrial conference in relation to a drug investigation in Thompson.
31-year-old Christopher Cordell was initially charged in March of 2021 of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, and was originally scheduled to stand trial in Thompson last week.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The City of Dauphin has announced September 21st and 22nd as the dates for its annual curbside giveaway weekend.
It is an opportunity for residents to give away good condition, re-useable items for free by placing them on their front curb.
Past items have included CD's and DVD's, furniture and small appliances, electronics, clothing, sports equipment, toys, kitchenware, and tools, just to name a few.
You are encouraged to place any items that you want to give away on your curb on those two days, and remove any other items in your yard that you do not wish to give away for that weekend only, in order to avoid confusion.
The city also asks that items such as mattresses, bedding, cosmetics and anything else that could be infested should not be made available during this event.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The NDP government has announced details of its long anticipated universal school nutrition program, which was a key promise during last year's provincial election campaign.
$30 million was committed to the initiative in their spring budget, and details of where that money is going to were released today.
Approximately $21 million has been allocated to public schools within the 37 school divisions, with $6 million being specifically earmarked for 50 schools in communities with high socio-economic need.
A news release says ahead of the full rollout of the school nutrition program this fall, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning worked with schools and school divisions to develop and implement nutrition programming to meet the needs of students and families in their community, with the goal of ensuring any child who needs it will be able to access food at school.
Premier Wab Kinew says his government made a commitment to Manitoba families that they would make sure kids across our province had access to food when they go to school, adding they have now delivered on that promise.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Harvest continues across the province, with fall and winter crops wrapping up shortly.
Some rain fell across most of the province, with the Northwest seeing the least moisture.
Strong progress was logged province-wide, with canola harvest being reported in 4 of the 6 regions.
Yields cannot be reported on canola yet, but many cereal crops have been reported.
Yield reports range from 40-110 bu/acre for fall rye and winter wheat, 25-90 bu/acre in spring wheat, 80-180 bu/acre in oats, and 90-115 bu/acre in barley.
Fall rye and winter wheat are 97% finished harvest, 41% of wheat, 49% of barley, and 47% of oats are estimated as complete.
Corn is still developing, ranging from milk to advanced crops in the dent stage.
Oilseeds are still developing, with sunflowers ranging from R5 to R7, flax is mostly beginning seed ripe and canola harvest is 13% complete.
In pulses and soybeans, Field peas near completion, at 81% provincially. Yields are reported between 30 and 65 bu/acre.
Soybeans are between stages R5 and R6, mostly reaching the full seed stage.
The mix of adequate moisture and warm temperatures led to good pasture and forage growth, with more on average than last year, due to the early rains.
Most producers have completed the second cut and spring cereal silage and lots of slough hay will be done.
Dairy producers in parts of Eastern Manitoba are working on the third cut, and Beef cattle producers continue to work on the second cut of tame hayfields.
Corn silage harvest has not yet begun however corn is fully dented and close to 50% milkline. Overall plant moisture remains slightly high, however, we can expect harvest to take off as soon as this drops down sufficiently.
Pastures are looking good for this time of year with rotational grazed pastures in better condition.
Dugouts are at 65 to 75% of normal capacity, and water supplies are reported to be adequate.
Taking a closer look at the northwest region, warm days and several thunderstorms made for damp conditions and heavy morning dews.
The Amaranth station received the most precipitation at 17.9 mm, and some hail was noted.
Some crops remain lodged from previous high winds and will be a challenge for harvest and possibly affect quality with recent rains and heavy dew.
Harvest rolled along, with fall rye and winter wheat reaching 90% complete, field peas at 60%, and spring wheat at 15%.
Canola fields continue to advance toward maturity. Swathing and desiccation started last week on the earliest maturing fields.
Soybean crops continue in the R5-R6 stage and are looking good. The recent heat has helped and advanced the crops quickly. Recent rain will have helped the pod fill.
With canola crops starting harvest, and spring wheat well underway, it's going to be a hectic time in the fields.
Be sure to drive safely around farm equipment, as there is sure to be a lot on the road.
To all the producers out there, here's wishing you a speedy and bountiful harvest.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
As the Skibicki trial comes to a close and the landfill search for the murdered, missing Indigenous women ramps up, The Manitoba Government is set to build some preventive measures by monitoring Waste disposal sites and vehicles.
Premier Wab Kinew stated in a news release today that the "government is committed to taking further action by exploring GPS monitoring to help police investigate crimes while ensuring Indigenous lives are given the value and dignity they deserve.”
The first step is finding a qualified service provider with comprehensive knowledge of the waste management industry and technology solutions to review the feasibility study’s recommendations, which included installing video surveillance at the entrances and exits of landfills, and equipping garbage trucks with GPS to track their location and rear-facing cameras to allow operators to see what is being unloaded.
These measures would enhance monitoring for offenses like those committed against Marcedes Myran, Morgan Harris, and Rebecca Contois.
The premier noted that the assessment for these monitoring projects should be complete by the summer of 2025.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
