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Parkland area residents are beginning the process of digging out this morning after the first major snowfall of the winter season.

Plows are already out clearing major roadways in Dauphin this morning after Tuesday's dumping.

The Winter Storm Warning remains in effect, as another 5 cm of snow is expected to fall today.

The big issue today will be gusty northwesterly winds, which will blow this fresh snow around and cause snow drifts and reduced visibility, especially in open areas. 

More local highways are now reopening following the recent snowfall.

Manitoba 5-1-1 says Highway 20 from Ochre River to Winnipegosis, and Highway 5 from Ochre River turnoff to Roblin have opened, along with Highway 10 from Ashville junction to Cowan.

All of these roads are listed as being snow-covered with reduced visibility/

Highways still closed as of 1 pm Wednesday include Highway 5 from Ochre River turnoff to Riding Mountain, Highway 10 through Riding Mountain National Park, Highway 50 from McCreary to Silver Ridge and Highway 68 from Ste Rose to Ebb & Flow.  

All schools are closed today in the Mountainview, Turtle River, and Park West School Divisions, and all buses in those three divisions are also not running today.   

In the Swan Valley School Division, all buses are not running today, but all schools are still open. 

As for Frontier School Division, schools in Duck Bay, Pine Creek, Birdtail, Rorketon, Waterhen GYpsuville and Skownan are akk closed today. 

Also, this morning, the Kin Aquatic Centre will be closed until a lifeguard can be sent in. 

As well, all swimming lessons have been cancelled for today (Wednesday).

And Happy Space Children's Centre in Winnipegosis is also closed today, as is Magical Horizons Day Care in Dauphin.

The Manitoba Government opened a new legislative session, with Premier Wab Kinew laying out plans for the future through the Throne Speach.

 Among the commitments made in the throne speech are healthcare, economic growth, the New Public Safety Strategy, planning for schools, and more.

In health care, the plan includes building on the 870 net new health-care workers and new clinics in Winnipeg and Brandon with a new ER wait times strategy.

it would also look to add 800 new hip and knee surgeries at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre and applications for an improved plastic health card rolling out before the end of the year.

Plans for economic growth would explore a new critical minerals strategy, highway twinning, and a new Indigenous loan guarantee program.

For community safety, the province has already shared its new "tough on crime" plan, titled the Public Safety Strategy.

In schools, we could see expansions to the universal school meal program, updated science and finance curriculum,  and a commitment to ensure all First Nations people are able to vote in school board elections.

There are also plans to address anti-competitive contracts that make groceries more expensive, a plan to freeze Manitoba Hydro rates for one year, and new steps to provide relief to renters and homeowners.

A new mother and child bison statue to be built on the front lawn of the legislative building grounds, and a new honour for veterans and other Manitoba heroes is also in the works.

Premier Kinew noted, "We’re starting to see progress on these important priorities and we won’t stop working to make life better for all Manitobans.”

You can watch the full throne speech at the Government Of Manitoba's youtube channel.

As Dauphin gets pounded with its first winter storm, many homes are without power.

Manitoba Hydro has reported an outage that is affecting 956 customers. The outage was first reported at 6:54 p.m. and the estimated restoration is 10:00 p.m. 

The outage was unplanned 

Shopping at local businesses has a lot of benefits not only for shoppers but also for the local economy.

 Martijn Van Luijn, Dauphin Economic Development Manager, describes an economic metaphor known as "The Leaky Bucket".

"Imagine yourself that the community is a water bucket, and the water that comes in, that's our economy. that's all the goods we produce and all that we sell. the more we can keep in the bucket, the better it is. When we talk 'leaky bucket' that's all the money that leaves the community"

The real question is how much stays in this bucket?

"Money that stays in the bucket can rotate as much as nine times. So if you think about a $20 bill being re-spent in the community, up to 9 times."

In addition, Van Luijn notes that money spent at local big box or chain stores still rotates in the community, but only 3 times instead of 9.

Another great example of how putting your money where your house is keeps it local and helps grow the local economy!

Due to the current winter storm, this Wednesday's ID Clinic has been postponed.

The West Region Tribal Council has rescheduled this Clinic for the 20th of February.

This will act as a great opportunity to renew or acquire IDs like status cards, driver's licences, birth certificates, and more.

If you have questions on where else you can update IDs or acquire them, you can call Sandra McKay at 204-622-9450.

The Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba has released the partial list of speakers for the next edition of Manitoba Ag Days, which will take place from January 21st to 23rd at Brandon's Keystone Centre.

Opening day will feature David Mielke with an outlook for oils and fats, with a focus on its implications for Canadian Canola, as well as Dickson Delorme - also known as Quick Dick McDick 

January 22nd will feature Brian Hefty talking about pushing the limits to get more bushels per acre, and Patti Durand to discuss farm transition.

The final day will include Jacob Shapiro discussing geopolitics, and Kristjan Hebert with a presentation titled "Farming Roots to Corporate Suits". 

The remaining speakers are expected to be announced in December. 

The next session of the Manitoba Legislature opens today (Tuesday) with the Speech from the Throne.

Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville will deliver the government's plans for this session at around 1:30 this afternoon.

Continuing improvements to the province's health care system and measures to make life more affordable for Manitobans are expected to be highlighted in the speech.

This session of the Manitoba Legislature is scheduled to run until December 5th

The cookies are not the only things smiling these days at the Dauphin Tim Horton's restaurant.

Monday marked the start of the Holiday Smile Cookie campaign, and it got off to a bang as Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy purchased 139 boxes of cookies, with each box containing 12 cookies. 

The current edition of the Smile Cookie campaign continues until Sunday, with 100 per cent of all Smile Cookie sales being split evenly between the Dauphi Rotary Club and Tim Horton's Camp Foundation.

During the last campaign in the spring, the Dauphin restaurant finished #1 in the country for Smile Cookie sales. 

A winter storm warning has been issued for the RM of Dauphin, including Sifton and Valley River.

Tonight,  freezing rain will be icing up our streets, which could shift to snowfall as Tuesday progresses.

Tuesday and Wednesday will see the bulk of the snow, winds gusting at 70-80km/h, low visibility, and blowing snow.

This system is moving in from the west, blanketing western Manitoba with this warning and potential snowfall.

The combination of rain and snow will make driving, and even walking, very hazardous. 

Plan ahead, be prepared, and stay safe, as it appears these extreme winter conditions are not going anywhere for a while.

Local businesses can offer a lot to customers like personalized service, and local convenience, but there's so much more.

Local Entrepreneur Joe Houston, owner of Go Beyond Games, says that local businesses build community too.

"Specifically, with my store, we focus on being a third-place. you have work, you have home, where is your third place that you feel welcome, a part of the community, and appreciated? many small business create that space for people"

Houston notes that creating this space is key for both the community and the business to thrive.

"I think if you're in small business long enough, you very firmly understand that without community, you don't exist. One way to ensure you connect that community is to help create a space where they feel welcome and included. So, we do that out of necessity."

Stay tuned throughout the week as we highlight the many benefits of putting your money where your house is.

The City of Dauphin has announced new operating hours for the Waste Disposal Site, effective December 2.

The updated hours are as follows:
Monday – 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday – 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (new time)
Friday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Site is closed on Sundays.