Property Tax Changes Coming In New Budget

Plans to scrap some education-tax rebates in favor of a single $15,000 property tax credit for every home are expected to be in the next provincial budget.

The change proposed for next year would mean every Manitoba household subject to $1,500 of provincial property taxes or less in 2025 won't pay any provincial property taxes at all.

This move would eliminate both the 50-per-cent provincial property tax rebate and $350 education tax credit in 2025, and In their place, every property subject to provincial property taxes would receive up to $1,500 off those taxes.

Conversely, residential properties with higher valuations would pay more provincial property taxes next year.

The NDP government would not say how much additional revenue Manitoba would raise from provincial property taxes in 2025 as a result of shifting the tax burden to more valuable properties.

Notably, The change in property tax credits will not affect municipal property taxes, which are applied on the same bill.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 29, 2024 - 2:06 pm

Now that construction on the first phase of Maamawi Park is set to begin later this year, the focus of the committee behind the project is starting to shift its attention towards phase two.

Project co-chair Stacy Penner discusses some of the ideas being considered for phase two.

"Multi-use trails, as it is really important to us that we have good lighting in the area because we want it to be a safe place for youth visiting it, especially in the evenings. So electrical and lighting will be a big part of phase two. We have also discussed nature play areas and possibly maybe at some point a skating oval."

Some playground pieces are also being considered for phase two.

Way into the future, Penner says they hope to focus on the Indigenous learning aspect of the park, with the addition of art, signage, and other learning elements.

Costs for phase two range from between 2-3 million dollars. And Penner says their fundraising for it will focus on support from the community.

"A couple of weeks ago, Barker School made a $1,700 donation towards the project. They had a family night that brought in some funds to the school. And the teachers there are wanting to teach their students how to give back, which is pretty incredible. And then we had CUPE call up and say they had a $2,500 donation that they wanted to go towards this awesome project."

Besides accepting donations, the committee is also preparing sponsorship packages for businesses looking to sponsor certain segments of the park.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Mar 29, 2024 - 11:10 am

The future of Manitoba's health cards is looking very sturdy, as The Province announced they'll be upgrading to plastic health cards instead of paper ones.

In an announcement Thursday, Wab Kinew Stated "Work is already underway and we will deliver the first cards by this time next year."

The Manitoba government is actively working to develop and launch a new, modernized card, including plastic and digital options, to replace the existing paper health card.

After a substantial backlog of health card delivery in late 2023, the Province has more than doubled their staff to reduce that time and develop this new card faster.

More information is expected on the design and material of these new cards is expected to come in the next few months.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 29, 2024 - 7:45 am

Co-op Gas Stations

Friday, March 29^th- 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th- 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st- 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.*
Monday, April 1^st - 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

*The Mountain Road Co-op Convenience Store will be open Sunday from 8:00 AM-9:30 PM

Walmart

Friday, March 29^th- 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st — 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday, April 1^st — 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Safeway

Friday, March 29^th — 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th — 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st — 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday, April 1^st — 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

No Frills

Friday, March 29^th — 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th — 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st — 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Monday, April 1^st — 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Co-op Grocery Store

Friday, March 29^th — Closed
Saturday, March 30^th — 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st —Closed
Monday, April 1^st- 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Dauphin Liquor Mart

Friday, March 29^th - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th — 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st — 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, April 1^st — 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Banks

Scotiabank - Closed Friday, March 29^th - Sunday, March 31^st
CIBC - Closed Friday, March 29^th - Sunday, March 31^st
RBC - Closed Friday, March 29^th - Sunday, March 31^st
All banks will be open Monday, April 1^st with regular hours.

Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy

Friday, March 29^th — 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 30^th — 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 31^st — 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Monday, April 1^st — 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

City of Dauphin

Friday, March 29^th — Closed
Saturday, March 30^th — Closed
Sunday, March 31^st — Closed
Monday, April 1^st — Closed

Dauphin Vet Clinic

Friday, March 29^th — Closed
Saturday, March 30^th — Closed
Sunday, March 31^st — Closed
Monday, April 1^st — 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

When the clinic is closed, a vet is on call for emergencies at 204-638-4602.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 29, 2024 - 7:00 am

with the big spring thaw right around the corner, Riding Mountain National Park will be putting in some road restrictions.

Beginning April 1st, Highway 19 a limit of 6006 lbs, or 2730 kgs. this is roughly the weight of an unloaded 3/4 ton truck or a fully loaded half ton.

Highway 10 will continue its restrictions through riding mountain that bars heavy truck activity, which looks at trucks with 3 or more axles.

However, Vehicles with three axles or more will be allowed access to the townsite, the Parks Canada Maintenance Compound, and the Clear Lake Golf Course from the south entrance of the park only for delivery purposes.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 28, 2024 - 3:42 pm

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says 83 per cent of Manitobans surveyed recently by Leger Marketing want Premier Wab Kinew to tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to cancel the planned Carbon Tax hike on Monday.

The poll showed 57 per cent of Manitobans strongly support the request, while another 26 per cent somewhat support it.

CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich says other premiers are standing up for their constituents by demanding the carbon tax hike be dropped, adding it is time for Kinew to join that fight.

A CTF media release says Kinew is the only provincial premier where the federal carbon tax is directly applied that has not yet called on the federal government to stop its carbon tax hike.

The federal government is set to increase the carbon tax to 17 cents per litre of gasoline, 21 cents per litre of diesel and 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas on April 1.

The release adds that the carbon tax will cost the average Manitoba family $502 a year more than what they get back in rebates

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Mar 28, 2024 - 12:23 pm

The province says a new minor injury and illness clinic slated for Brandon will be the first of many.

It says the clinic is part of a 17-million-dollar plan to open similar ones across Manitoba and reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The Brandon clinic will be staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses, and operate 12 hours a day, every day.

The New Democrats promised during last year's election campaign to open clinics, hire more health-care workers and reduce wait times

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Mar 28, 2024 - 12:21 pm

The crown has stayed charges against a Swan River man charged after a January 13th home invasion and robbery in that community.

22-year-old Alex Ames appeared in Dauphin court earlier this week.

Meanwhile, a Winnipeg man charged after a 2021 drug bust in the RM of Dauphin has been given a new court date.

33-year-old Jory Rowe is set to return to court in the provincial capital on Tuesday.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Mar 28, 2024 - 12:19 pm

An ongoing investigation led to the search of 5 different residences in Fairford.

Multiple RCMP units, including the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team and Manitoba East District CREST unit, attended the scene and executed these search warrants which yielded multiple seizures and arrests.

Officers seized over 2.5 KG of cocaine, numerous firearms, and over 25 thousand dollars in cash.

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As for arrests, Kyle Woodford, 32, from the RM of Woodlands, Kyle Canada, 40, from Winnipeg, and Desnee Woodford, 31, from Fairford, were arrested and charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking and numerous firearm-related charges.

This ongoing investigation continues.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 27, 2024 - 3:58 pm

4-H Manitoba dedicates numerous volunteer hours to grow leadership skills and agricultural knowledge throughout the province.

These efforts were recently recognized by Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, complementing both the long history and dedication of the program.

4-H has existed since 1913, and it was founded in Roland, Manitoba. It started receiving provincial funding in the early 1920s and has continued to be a strong symbol of education and leadership in the agricultural world.

According to Minister Kostyshyn, The Manitoba government has provided $900,000 over three years starting in 2022 to the Manitoba 4-H Council to deliver programming across the province to over 100 4-H clubs for more than 1,000 members.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Mar 27, 2024 - 2:51 pm

The push is on to fill as many of the 1,000 volunteer positions for the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games by May 1st.

Games co-ordinator Bryan Mintenko says there will be some orientation and record checks needed for some of the volunteers, which is why they want to have the positions filled as soon as possible.

He adds even if you will not be here for the August 11th to 17th event, you can still help out with the lead up to the games.

"We have a large organizing committee of about 80 people, and each of those committees need people to assist with the planning stages. From now until the games, we definitely need help with planning. A couple of weeks prior to the games we will need help with venue setup, distribution of items, some work at the warehouse, and help with accreditation."

During the games, Mintenko adds there are about 15 different areas that they need volunteers for.

"Access control, which is somebody just controlling who gets into a certain venue or village. You can help out with the athletes village, which will be at a few different schools. You can work with any sport of choice, you can get involved with hospitality and medal ceremonies, which is a fun one to do. We definitely need some help with promotions, marketing, social media - that is always another fun one to do. There is also athlete entertainment."

Technology, food services, and signage are some other areas in need of help.

Games representatives will be at the Dauphin Co-op on Thursday and Saturday to sign up volunteers.