Registration night in Swan Valley

Spring Mass registration night in Swan River is set for tonight.

This is for spring and summer activities, leisure events, organizations, and sports in the Swan River Valley.

This event goes from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Swan River Centennial Arena.

Numerous organizations will all be under one roof for you to sign up for their activities.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 8, 2025 - 1:15 pm

Manitoba Pork will hold its annual general meeting this Thursday at the Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says there will be other key presentations during the day.

"We will also have a review from RBC on what the economic outlook is for the industry and for agriculture in general. We do have some visitors coming up from Iowa, so that is going to have a positive conversation with them."

Dahl adds. trade will be a key topic of discussion during the meeting as well.

"I think that we have been given some time to work on our policies and work on our positions, as well as work with goivernments on outreach, and to develop our strategy for going into the review of the Canada/U-S/mexico trade agreement, which is something that is going to start very quickly after our election."

The day then wraps up with an evening banquet.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 8, 2025 - 3:00 pm

The finalized list of candidates for the Riding Mountain constituency for the April 28th federal election has been released.

A total of 5 people are seeking the seat, including incumbent Dan Mazier of the Conservatives, Terry Hayward for the Liberals and Andy Maxwell for the NDP.

Also on the ballot are Liz Clayton for the Green Party and Jim Oliver for the People's Party of Canada.

Advanced voting is slated to take place April 18th to 21st.

The Parkland Chamber of Commerce will host an all-candidates forum on April 22nd at the Dauphin Active Living Centre.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 8, 2025 - 11:32 am

Unionized workers at Dauphin's Michif Child and Family Services are back at work today after their union announced an agreement to resolve outstanding contract issues through arbitration.

Michif CFS workers in Dauphin, Brandon, and The Pas had been on strike since March 25th, along with Metis Chid, Family, and Community Services workers in Winnipeg.

They have been without a contract since January 31st, 2023.

Their union - The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union - announced late Monday night that it has reached an agreement with the agencies to resolve outstanding contract negotiations through interest arbitration, effectively ending the strike by the roughly 330 workers.

They were seeking a new agreement that matched the four-year, 14 per cent wage increase members represented by the MGEU in other civil services got last year.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 8, 2025 - 9:40 am

The golf season is right around the corner, and the Gilbert Plains Country Club is setting the stage for what should be another great summer.

Scott McCallum is looking forward to hosting the 'Tee Off to Summer' event at the Event Centre. This will be the second year it's been held, and is on May 3 this year.

"It's an opportunity to have a fun evening to open the season," said McCallum. "It's also a good opportunity to raise funds that can go towards some of the projects to help put our course back together."

Last year's event was an overwhelming success with entertainment provided by the Dueling Keys.

"It was better than expected; people really enjoyed the entertainment and had a great time," continued McCallum. "Everyone was into it, and we're happy to bring it back this year."

McCallum also says it's a great chance to show off the Event Centre, which is a beauty in itself.

"We're very happy about the Event Centre; we're getting more bookings all the time," ended McCallum. "It's been very good, and we're looking to showcase the building again."

Dueling Keys will once again provide entertainment this year. It's $50 for an individual ticket or $400 for a table of eight. The doors will open at 7:00, and there will be a bus available to and from Dauphin for $20. There will also be prizes and food available.

If you're interested in being a part of this night, call or text Scott at 648-7834.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Apr 8, 2025 - 5:00 am

A review of the 2025 financial plan for the Municipality of Gilbert Plains is the focus of a public hearing in that community on Thursday night.

The meeting begins at 7 at the Richardson Pioneer Community Hall, and Gilbert Plains Municipality CAO Courtney Roehl says it is important for residents to show up and provide their input.

"Especially with the strategic plan that we just finished this past year, council is basing their priorities off of what we heard from the public. So we just want to keep the communications open and be transparent and consistent with all of our ratepayers."

Besides discussing the council's priorities for the coming year, Roehl says they will also discuss deficit recovery and provide an update on the fraud situation that occurred within the municipality.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 7, 2025 - 8:30 pm

A special light is being shone on organ and tissue donation today (Monday), as it is Green Shirt Day.

The day was created on April 7th, 2019 - exactly one year to the day that former Humboldt Broncos defenceman Logan Boulet donated his organs following his death as a result of the Broncos bus crash one day earlier.

The decision has sparked a country-wide movement known as the Logan Boulet effect, with over seven thousand Manitobans alone signing up at www.signupforlife.ca since that day.

Besides signing up as a donor, Dr. Owen Mooney with Transplant Manitoba says it is extremely important to discuss your decision with your loved ones.

"Our consent rates for people that are all for donations are around 50 per cent. But we know that just having ne conversation around the dinner table = if you let your family know your intent or thoughts or wishes when it comes to organ donation, it increases that consent rate up to 90 per cent. So it has a huge impact just opening the conversation."

There are currently over 4,000 Canadians waiting for an organ donation.

Here in Manitoba, over 200 people are waiting for kidney transplants while a further 30 wait for either heart, lungs or liver transplants.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 7, 2025 - 6:00 pm

Today begins the week long process of opening up registrations for campsites at Manitoba provincial parks and protected spaces.

A new area in the province will open up every day, with registrations being accepted from 7 am to 6 pm.

First up is bookings for cabins, yurts, and group-use areas.

Registrations for campsites at Parkland-area parks such as Rainbow Beach, Manipogo, Asessippi, and those within the Duck Mountains open on Thursday morning.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 7, 2025 - 3:30 pm

A number of local municipalities will be providing updates on what is happening within their jurisdictions during the latest Lunch and Learn event put on by the Parkland Chamber of Commerce.

The "State of the District" event will feature representatives from Gilbert Plains, Grandview, Mossey River, and the RM of Dauphin, as well as a small presentation by the City of Dauphin.

Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota says that, being a regional organization, it is important for the Parkland Chamber to host an event like this.

"These communities, even though there are miles between them, we are all connected in some way. The region as a whole, when a community has something going on with it, whether it is good or bad, it does play a factor on the other communities around it. The idea behind this is that we want to make sure that people are aware of opportunities."

The event begins at 11:45 Tuesday morning at the Parkland Rec Complex.

Tickets are available through the Chamber's website.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 7, 2025 - 1:01 pm

Mecca Productions in Brandon is set to roll out it's presentation of Mamma Mia starting on Thursday night, and there is a familiar face to Dauphin residents in the cast.

City Economic Development manager Martijn van Lujin, fresh off of directing Theatre Amisk's recent presentation of Nana's Naughty Knickers, will play the role of Bill in this musical.

van Lujin says he has been a part of Mecca Productions for a number of years.

"Just before COVID had actually started, when I first got wind of an adult production that took place in Brandon called Spamalot, which was a musical based on Monty Python. I had always wanted to do a musical, but I always thought that I can not sing, so maybe I should not do musicals. But it was a bucket list thing so I signed up, I auditioned, and I got a part. And the rest is history."

van Lujin admits it is a big time commitment for him and his family.

"We always joke that we are not a hockey family - we are a theatre family, but it feels the same way. We are on the road a lot with travel to Brandon sometimes 2 - 3 times a week for rehearsals. It is pretty intense, but it is a short-term thing from January to April timeline. But we love it."

The show will go from April 10th to 13th at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

If you are interested in checking out Martijn's performance, tickets are available at the WMCA box office.

Details: Contributed by Jeff Henson; Published: Apr 6, 2025 - 2:00 pm

The snow is disappearing, and the bears are appearing.

Tim Sallows with Parks Canada has confirmed a few different bears have been spotted around Riding Mountain National Park over the past few weeks. While seeing bears can make for a cool moment, safety around them is paramount.

"If you come in contact with one, stay calm, watch what it's doing, and act accordingly," said Sallows. "Don't approach it; watch from a safe distance."

While it's very rare that a black bear gets close to a human, it does happen from time to time, and you mustn't act out of character.

"Make yourself look big and make some noise," continued Sallows. "Try to avoid dropping anything that you have. And if you have a backpack, it may serve as some sort of protection, so keep it with you; don't throw it to the side."

Also, keep in mind that feeding any bears you see is a big no-go. Fines can be up to $25,000 if you are caught and convicted.

"Do not feed bears, it's as simple as that, never feed them," said Sallows. "If you feed wildlife, it becomes habituated and then seeks human food, which is very dangerous for the public."

When driving through Riding Mountain National Park, if you happen to spot wildlife, Sallows said you're welcome to take photos, but don't spend long in one spot.