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North West Regional Immigrant Services (NWRIS) is a settlement agency funded by the federal and provincial governments to provide settlement and integration services to newcomers to Swan Valley and The Pas. The goal of the organization is to make sure newcomers have the help they need to integrate and stay in the community for the long term, which in turn helps the area deal with the ongoing labour shortage. 

Gillian McGrath, executive director of NWRIS, said that every newcomer they've had recently is currently employed.

"We do have local employers who ask us if we know of anyone suitable for their workplace and we refer people where possible," McGrath said.

McGrath also said that they've had around 30 Ukrainians — adults and children — arrive recently and every single one of them that wanted to work is currently working, even if they don't speak English.

"We found them employment with employers that had staff that already speak Ukrainian and they were willing to pair them up to have an employee," she added.

More information on NWRIS and the services they provide can be found on their website.

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UPDATE: As of 7:47 p.m., the severe thunderstorm watches that were in effect for many communities in the Dauphin - Russell - Roblin - Winnipegosis and Ste. Rose - McCreary - Alonsa - Gladstone areas have ended.

The previous update follows:

As of 5:24 p.m., the severe thunderstorm warning for Riding Mountain National Park has ended.

The third update follows:

At 5:09 p.m., Environment Canada issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Riding Mountain National Park.

The severe thunderstorm warning for the R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River is no longer in effect.

More information on the severe thunderstorm warning for Riding Mountain National Park can be found on the Environment Canada website.

The second update follows:

As of 4:52 p.m., the tornado warning for the R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River has ended.

As of 4:23 p.m., the severe thunderstorm warning for the Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville has ended.

The first update follows:

At 4:21 p.m., Environment Canada issued a tornado warning for the R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River and Riding Mountain National Park.

More information can be found on the Environment Canada website.

The original article follows:

Environment Canada has issued multiple severe thunderstorm watches, as well as a severe thunderstorm warning, for Dauphin and surrounding areas.

The severe thunderstorm watches are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

Furthermore, there is also a severe thunderstorm warning that is currently in effect for the Gilbert Plains Mun. incl. Ashville and the R.M. of Dauphin incl. Sifton and Valley River.

According to Environment Canada, they are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter-sized hail and wind gusts in excess of 90 km/h.

They also said that at 3:33 p.m., their Doppler radar indicated that this thunderstorm was located about 10 km northwest of Ashville and was moving toward the southeast at 20 km/h.

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The Parkland Crop Diversification Foundation's getting ready for its annual field day on July 27th, and they've got some great things planned for the day. There will be two field visits and lunch, with industry specialists speaking during the sessions.

James Frey, an Applied Production Specialist for Manitoba Agriculture, works with the Foundation, and he says it'll be a very informative day.

"In recent years we've been looking at test grass as a crop, and that's pretty new to Manitoba, fairly unknown, so it's a great opportunity for people to come out and see that," said Frey, "It has quite a lot of forage potential."

Frey says this is the first full field day they've had since 2019, as the event was canceled in 2020, and they only held a smaller field event last year.

"We're really looking forward to a return to the way things were with some ninety people or a hundred people in attendance in pre-pandemic years," said Frey, "That's definitely our hope, to see quite a lot of feet in the field."

PCDF Annual Field Day Flyer July 27 2022

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Grand Valley Strawberries — a pick-your-own strawberry farm located right outside of Brandon — was hard hit by hail and almost 40 millimetres of rain during a storm last week.

According to George Neudorf, who operates the farm with Barb Neudorf, many people from Dauphin visit the farm to pick strawberries and then sell them here in Dauphin.

He estimated that around 40% of the crop has been badly damaged and said that the bruised strawberries will be sold at a reduced price.

"We'll still get some out of it. People are coming... and they make jams and there's nothing wrong with the berry itself... but there's still a lot of damage," Neudorf said.

He expects the farm to remain open until the season ends next week.

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UPDATE: The heat warnings have ended.

The original article follows:

Environment Canada has issued multiple heat warnings covering Dauphin and the surrounding areas.

They are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

According to Environment Canada, humidex values reaching 35 are expected for the next 3 days and daytime highs between 30°C and 35°C and overnight lows of 16°C and warmer are expected over the next few days.

They also said that humidity will also be a concern over eastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, where humidex values are forecast to approach 40 throughout the weekend.

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The ongoing labour shortage has forced the Town of Swan River to temporarily suspend its stray animal program.

According to Derek Poole, chief administrative officer of the Town of Swan River, the program was mainly about giving traps to residents with stray animals around their properties and offering to help them catch the animals with the help of a by-law officer. Once it has been caught, the animal would then be transported to the local vet board building and they would be housed there until they're adopted.

Since they don't have enough staff to be able to look after the animals on evenings and weekends, the Town had no choice but to suspend it.

"A person can buy their own traps and deal with that animal... it's just [that] the Town is not providing those services right now," Poole said.

He also said that the Town will be meeting with the Swan Valley Vet Clinic and the Animal Protection League to discuss the matter in the coming weeks.

The program will remain suspended until an agreement on how captured animals will be cared for on evenings and weekends has been reached.

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The Parkland Horseman's Association was ready for its 28th annual Chuckwagon and Chariot Races to return to Ste. Rose this weekend, but mother nature had different plans. Due to the constant rain, the PHA Race Track in Ste. Rose couldn't be used this weekend according to Secretary Faye Soucy.

"Unfortunately, the grounds are still sopping wet. We tried to get in there to assess our track and everything, but everything is just way too wet." said Soucy, "We ended up getting our truck stuck. Just trying to get the lawn cut was impossible, getting the hay cut for the field was impossible, so we just weren't able to take care of our grounds."

Luckily, the McCreary Ag society stepped up and is letting PHA use their racetrack for the weekend, meaning the races can still take place.

"To keep the safety of our racers, and the safety of our horses at the utmost priority, we asked the Ag Society in McCreary if we might be able to piggyback onto their races and use their racetrack, and they were gracious enough to allow us to use their racetrack."

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UPDATE: Charles Gott has been safely located. 

The original article follows:

The Swan River RCMP is searching for a missing man from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. 32-year-old Charles Ray Edward Gott hasn't been seen since the end of June when he was briefly at a family member's house.

Gott is described as 5’6” and 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black jeans, a black and red short-sleeved shirt, and a black baseball cap. Both his family and the police are very concerned for his well-being.

If you have information, please call Swan River RCMP at 204-734-4686, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

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Health Canada has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years. It's officially the first vaccine the country's regulator has approved for that age group and will be given in one-quarter doses.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic. it is now up to each province to expand eligibility however they see fit. 

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The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce's Tourism Rebate Incentive Program (TRIP), which took place from May 6th to May 16th, was a provincewide success this spring. According to them, more than 10,600 Manitobans took advantage of the program, spending $2.33 million on staycations and earning $1 million in rebates.

Stephen Chychota, executive director for the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, said that it was also successful here in the Parkland.

"We saw some pretty good uptake from... local residents, but also some other individuals from across the province coming to visit the area," Chychota said.

According to Stephen Chychota, about 350 rebates — which equates to $35,000 — were given back to Manitobans for staying at one of the 44 partnering hotels in the Parkland. He also felt that the money visitors spent while visiting the area certainly helped local businesses and estimated that — in total — visitors spent $50,000 to as much as $100,000 over the course of the program.

More information on TRIP's impact on Manitoba’s hospitality & tourism industries can be found on the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce website.

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Chuckwagon and Chariot Races return to McCreary tomorrow and Friday! The McCreary Ag Society puts on the races, and Treasurer Debbie Johnson says it's always an exciting event.

"There's lots of action. It's amazing to watch those horses run, and scary sometimes too, how close the carts come. It's exciting to watch."

Along with the races, there will also be a 50/50 draw, food, and beer gardens. The Fair Ground gates open at five, and the races start at six. Daily admission is $15 for adults, youth aged 6 to 17 only $10, and kids aged 5 & under are free. A 2-day pass is $25 for adults and $15 for youth.

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