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Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the death of an RCMP officer who was based in Waywayseecappo at the time.
 
Constable Dennis Stronquill, who was born and raised in Barrows, was shot and killed on December 21st, 2001 when he and his partner stopped a truck that matched the description of armed robbery suspects.
 
Constable Strongquill was a 20-year veteran of the RCMP, having previously been stationed in Churchill, Powerview, Amaranth, and Rossburn prior to his posting in Waywayseecappo. 
 
A baseball field in his hometown of Barrows was named in his honour after his death, as was a lake near Flin Flon.
RCMP in the province is advising businesses to keep an eye out for individuals attempting to purchase goods using counterfeit U.S. currency.
 
Last Friday, a business on Saskatchewan Avenue in Portage la Prairie reported that a male suspect bought items using a $100 U.S. bill, that upon closer inspection was determined to be fake. 
 
The banknotes look authentic, but the texture and feel of the paper are what alerted staff to the possibility of it being counterfeit.
 
Mounties believe other businesses may be targeted, and are urging those that accept $100 U.S. currency to make sure ti examine them carefully. 
 
Businesses can go to https://www.bankofcanada.ca/bankn.../counterfeit-prevention/ for tips on how to spot counterfeit bills.

A 25-year-old Gilbert Plains man will be back in Dauphin court in the new year in relation to the recovery of stolen property. 

RCMP executed a search warrant on a rural Gilbert Plains property on October 12th.

they seized several items with a combined value of around 375 thousand dollars, including heavy machinery, trucks, off-road vehicles, trailers, and snowmobiles. 

Jordy Robertson is slated to return to court on January 23rd. 

More performers have been announced for the 2024 edition of Canada's National Ukrainian Festival.

Festival organizers recently announced the addition of Za Okeanom band from Saskatoon to the list of performers for the August 2nd to 4th show. 

They have also unveiled the Masters of Ceremony for the event.

Hannah Picklyk and Kaitlyn Vitt host a Ukrainian dance and culture podcast based out of Winnipeg called Vsi, where they explore Ukrainian traditions, folklore, and historical and modern-day culture. 

Weekend passes and camping spots are now on sale through the festival office on 3rd Avenue North East, as well as online at www.cnuf.ca

One man is dead after a structure fire Tuesday morning in San Clara.

Roblin RCMP says the fire occurred around 6:20 that morning at a residence on Provincial Road 367. 

Once the blaze was brought under control and extinguished, firefighters entered the home where they found a man who had died inside of the home. 

His death, as well as the cause of the fire, are currently being investigated by RCMP and the Fire Commissioner's office. 

He is gone, but never forgotten. Adrian spent 10 years as an RCMP officer in Roblin. 10 years ago, Adrian took his own life, but his memory will live on.

Quick to call Roblin his home, Gulay was an animal lover and his love for dogs was as genuine as love can get. While patrolling Roblin and surrounding communities, he would carry dog food in his RCMP cruiser and he would feed any stray dog that he would come across. 

Adrian and Brian Onofreichuk became great friends and to this day, Brian still remembers the great times they spent together and in Adrian's memory, Brian has started collecting donations of dog food.

The food will then be sent to the Parkland Humane Society in February. Last year, more than 5000 pounds of food was collected.

Hundreds of pounds of dog food has been donated as of today. The total is expected to rise as donations are being accepted until January 17. You can drop off your donations at Roblin Ford and the Roblin Review. There will also be a Roblin Ford vehicle stationed at Parkway Co-op on Thursday and Friday where you can make donations. Brian says the support has been incredible.

"It's just overwhelming," said Onofreichuk. "I tell people, if you walk down the street and mention Gulay's name, everyone remembers him. RCMP come and go, but he lives on."

Brian remembers Gulay for being a great man who was extremely kind to people and always wanted to make you smile.

"He had such a big heart and such a great sense of humour, I had so many great times with him," ended Onofreichuk. "The way he dealt with people, he was so nice and so fair. He respected people, it was unbelievable how great he was."

Brian wants to thank everyone for their incredible support and he's looking forward to sending all donations to the PHS early next year. 

Before he makes his much-anticipated trip around the world on Sunday night, Santa Claus will be paying a visit to Ashern tomorrow night. 

Organizing committee member Tara Schoenberger says the community's Santa Claus parade will begin at 6:30 tomorrow night from the Ashern Centennial Hall. 

"It will travel East onto Highway 325 until 2nd Avenue North, then to 1st Street South, before it heads East towards Railway Avenue. where it will head North towards Main Street.  From there it will turn West onto Main Street until we get back to 2nd Avenue North, where will make our way back to the Centennial Hall"

Schoenberger says they will be accepting entries right up until the 6:30 start time for the parade.

"I have about five floats registered, but I find that people do not often want to register, they just show up and go into the parade.  They can show up at the Ashern Centennial Hall, I would say to be there by 6:15, because the parade starts at 6:30." 

Schoenberger adds there is an added treat for residents before the start of the parade.

"We are offering hot chocolate and cookies that are donated by the local Tim Horton's at six o'clock at the chamber booth."

One youth has been charged following a break-and-enter on the Waywayseecappo First Nation.

Manitoba First Nations Police Service was alerted on December 10th by a homeowner that a suspect had broken a window to gain access to the home.

The suspect left before police arrived on the scene, but officers were able to track them down at a nearby abandoned residence, where they were also able to seize a large amount of cash, individually wrapped packages of suspected cocaine - totaling 8.5 grams in weight, as well as other drug paraphernalia. 

The suspect, who can not be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with break and enter with intent and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

A 53-year-old Ethelbert area man has entered a 12-month Peace Bond in relation to a break, enter, and theft in Grandview.

Because Marc Dorais entered into the Peace Bond with the victim, the Crown Prosecutor has stayed the charges laid against him.

 On October 2nd, a suspect broke into a Grandview business and stole several items including power tools. 

Eleven days later, RCMP seized multiple power tools, lawnmowers, a snowblower, and an ATV while executing a search warrant at a rural Ethelbert property. 

The Mossey River Municipality has released some details around the repairs being made to the Winnipegosis arena.

The Municipal office received an update from their contractors that work is going ahead smoothly, and the new electric heaters have been installed.

A new Mass Tank for said heating system is expected to arrive today, and some of the damaged ice cubes have been disconnected.

The next phase will involve removing the faulty heating units from their current location and then replacing them with brand-new models. 

The Mossey River Municipal Council notes that they will continue to provide updates as they come along.

A few days after closing the Lawrence Community Centre hall in Rorketon due to safety concerns, the RM of Lakeshore has re-opened the facility.

In a letter posted to their Facebook page, the RM said an insurance compliance walkthrough of the building on December 13th led to the discovery of significant cracks and damage to the ceiling of the hall.

Two days later, a building inspector suggested the hall be closed until an engineer could assess the situation.

That assessment took place yesterday, with the engineer suggesting repairs that needed to be done as soon as possible, but also giving the green light for the building to be re-opened.

In that letter, RM of Lakeshore CAO Michael Besser stated that the safety of their ratepayers and guests was their number one priority, adding that he hopes everyone can respect and support these decisions in the future.