Public Mtg: Binscarth Curling Club Future

There will no longer be any curling at the Binscarth Curling Club.

Back on March 6, the board of directors announced that their plant was decommissioned because they were notified that the existing ammonia plant could no longer be used.

They did look into a repair so curling could return to the community; however, the cost of said repairs was not in the budget. They received a quote for a new ammonia plant for more than $600,000. They also received a quote for a geothermal plant and another one, but the cost exceeded more than $300,000.

They were approved for a $160,000 grant from the Province of Manitoba, but that is well short of what would be needed and as Drew Douglas says, there wasn't enough interest.

"With the amount of interest, we just didn't believe it worth be worth it to spend that much money," said Douglas, who serves as the Club's president.

As a result, there will now be a public meeting so area residents can share their suggestions on what should be done with the building.

On Wednesday, January 3 at 7:00 p.m., you're invited to head to the Binscarth Curling Club to share your ideas.

"I know there has been a lot of talk to put concrete in," said Douglas. "Right now it's just the pipes with dirt. So some people are interested in putting concrete in and turning it into a big Rec Centre, something for the community."

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jan 3, 2024 - 5:00 am

Two suspects have been identified while three others have not after a violent robbery on New Year's Eve.

On December 31 at about 2:20 a.m., Ste. Rose RCMP responded to a report of a robbery with a firearm at a residence on Provincial Road 278, in Ebb and Flow.

There were five male suspects, three of whom were armed with a firearm while another one had bear spray. They entered a property and assaulted two men (46 and 33 years old) and two females (41 and 40 years old).

The 33-year-old male was taken to Dauphin Hospital in serious condition and has since been transported to a hospital in Winnipeg. The three other victims that had been bear sprayed were treated on the scene.

The suspects, who arrived in a white coloured pickup truck, stole a vehicle belonging to one of the victims, and both vehicles fled the scene.

A Warrant of Arrest has been issued for Braden Moar (27) and Mason Moar (19). They're facing charges of Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and several firearms-related offences.

If you have any further information that could help the RCMP while the investigation continues, you're asked to call the Ste. Rose RCMP at 447-3082.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Jan 2, 2024 - 2:30 pm

Dauphin Fire Department is reminding all residents to frequently check their smoke alarms in order to make sure they are working properly.

The reminder comes following the first call for service in 2024 for the fire department.

Just before 11 pm Monday night, crews were called to a residential smoke alarm going off at a home north of Dauphin.

When they arrived, it turned out to be a false alarm, as no evidence of smoke or fire could be found in the home.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 2, 2024 - 12:22 pm

With the New Year now upon us, Manitoba Public Insurance has come out with its list of the top 5 Frauds from 2023.

Topping the list was a vehicle collision claim where the driver and vehicle owner could not remember what had happened to cause the damage.

After an investigation, it turns out the same vehicle was seen driving erratically and causing damage to property, as well as colliding with another parked car and almost hitting a pedestrian.

Police also seized open drugs and alcohol from the vehicle.

With that claim being denied, MPI says the cost savings to ratepayers as a result was over $60,000.

Among the other cases that made the top 5 was a vehicle damage claim that was denied after it was determined the vehicle was traveling three times faster than the claim of 60 km an hour.

Also included on the list was a case where it turned out a vehicle had rear-ended another one, although the driver claimed no fault in the instance.

The driver also claimed that they were in the vehicle with their spouse at the time, although the investigation determined that the driver was actually alone at the time.

That was also a no-no, as the driver had licence restrictions requiring that they had to have a supervising driver with them at all times.

Another case involved an individual who was receiving benefits from MPI's Personal Injury Protection Plan.

The individual claimed injuries suffered in a collision led to dizziness, headaches, and other ailments that prevented them from working, adding they could also not walk or drive for more than 30 minutes at a time or lift any items more than 5 pounds.

But thanks to surveillance, the claimant was seen carrying a full water jug, shoveling snow, and running after a garbage truck with no indications of pain or dizziness.

In total, MPI's Special Investigations Unit closed over three thousand investigations in 2023, which resulted in claims savings of over 10.5 million dollars.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 2, 2024 - 12:20 pm

2023 was another good year for the Dauphin Hospital Foundation, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary with a number of generous donations.

Foundation board chair Greg Thompson says a ten-thousand-dollar contribution from the RBC Foundation was put into the Delha Cort Educational Trust Fund, which allows nurses to upgrade their skills.

The foundation has background information and an online application form for the educational fund on their website www.dghf.ca, if there are any hospital staff that want to improve their education and skill set.

Other significant contributions in 2023 came from the likes of the Dauphin branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Dauphin Memorial Ride, and the Parkland U18 Rangers from their Hockey Fights Cancer night, as well as some first-time contributions from several individuals.

As for major purchases last year, the Foundation was able to add a specialized operating table to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre surgical suite, valued at 59 thousand dollars.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 2, 2024 - 12:17 pm

Prior to the recent dropping of the gas tax in Manitoba, the average price for a litre of gasoline in the province dropped a further 5.3 cents.

According to the website GasBuddy.com, the average price sat at 125.8 cents, which is considerably cheaper than the national average of 138.91 cents a litre.

The latest average price for Manitoba is 19 cents a litre cheaper than exactly one month ago, and 22 cents cheaper than on this day one year ago.

Now that the gas tax has been removed, the average price for a litre of regular fuel in Dauphin is now in the 115.9 cents range.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 2, 2024 - 12:15 pm

Manitoba First Nations Police are looking for three suspects following a violent robbery last week on the Sandy Bay First Nation.

Just before 7 pm on December 28th, officers were called to a home in the 100 block of Townsite Bay.

According to their investigation, three suspects entered the home and demanded money from the male victim, before eventually assaulting him.

At one point, one of the suspects is alleged to have pulled a knife and tried to stab the victim.

The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of cash, while the victim was treated in the hospital for a laceration to his hand.

27-year-old Salita Jean Beaulieu is wanted for robbery with a weapon and aggravated assault, while 21-year-old Ambrielle Angel Beaulieu and 18-year-old Landon Dwayne Desmarais are both wanted for robbery with a weapon.

Police say all three should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with info on the current whereabouts of the suspects is asked to contact the Sandy Bay detachment at 204-843-7701 or Crimestoppers.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 1, 2024 - 10:32 am

RCMP says they responded to a semi-truck that caught fire near Carberry on Friday.

Officers say they were called to Highway 1 outside of the community around 2 p.m.

Investigators say the driver was traveling westbound when he spotted flames coming through the firewall of the truck.

Police say he quickly pulled over and got out safely along with two other passengers.

The semi and nine other vehicles on the trailer were completely destroyed by the fire.

Highway 1 was closed to traffic for nearly an hour

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Jan 1, 2024 - 10:27 am

Former Progressive Conservative cabinet ministers say their government tried to push through a controversial silica sand mining project in Manitoba just days before the new NDP government was officially sworn in.

Premier Wab Kinew claims the former Progressive Conservative government tried to approve an Alberta mining company's proposal to drill for sand in southeastern Manitoba days after the Tories lost the provincial election in October.

Alberta-based Sio Silica wants to set up a mining operation in southeastern Manitoba. The process would extract 1.36 million tonnes of silica sand in an area near Vivian by drilling wells.

According to statements acquired by CTV, Former Kirkfield Park MLA Klein, who served as environment and climate minister in the former PC government, said Jeff Wharton – then minister of economic development, investment, and trade, called him in mid-October in an attempt to push through licensing to approve this operation coming into Manitoba.

These calls were made in defiance of Mantoba's caretaker convention, in which the government is supposed to refrain from making major decisions during an election, – a time when they can't be held accountable in the legislature.

The decision now falls to the NDP to determine the fate of this silica mining operation in the province.

Details: Contributed by Michael Brossart; Published: Dec 30, 2023 - 11:49 am

With the new year right around the corner, many Manitobans are excited to see some savings at the pumps.

Following up with their election promise, A gas tax holiday is slated to start on January 1st. This will remove the 14 cents a liter tax on fuel, as well as the 3 cents a liter tax on marked gas.

This gas Tax holiday will have a ripple effect through industries, as trucking companies are set to save thousands of dollars in fuel costs.

Families on average are expected to save roughly $250 through saving on fuel as well in this time.

Before his election in October, Premier Wab Kinew said the six-month tax break would cost the province $165 million, but that his party is prepared to extend it so long as inflation remains high.