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The saying is 'April Showers bring May Flowers' but it appears that more than just rain could be coming to the Parkland.
A winter storm watch is in effect. Major spring blizzard poised to wallop southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan mid-week...with widespread snowfall accumulations of 30-50 cm accompanied by northerly winds gusting 70-90 km/h giving zero visibility at times in snow and blowing snow.
A Colorado low will move towards Minnesota Tuesday night bringing a heavy swath of snow from southeastern Saskatchewan through most of southern Manitoba. The snow will start early Tuesday evening near the International border and then push northward throughout the night. By Wednesday morning heavy snow will be falling in much of the area as the storm continues to push northward, and snow accompanied by strong northerly winds is expected to continue right through to early Friday morning as the low slowly pivots through Minnesota on its way into northwestern Ontario.
By Friday morning widespread snowfall accumulations of 30 to 50 cm are expected...with possible accumulations approaching 80 cm in the higher terrain of western Manitoba and the western Red River Valley.
Travel will become increasingly difficult as the day progresses Wednesday, with widespread highway closures a near certainty. By Wednesday evening even travel within communities may become impossible as the heavy snow and strong winds continue... and more of the same is expected on Thursday.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
Ryan Murray moved to Dauphin from Brandon in July of 2020 and it didn't take him long to start serving and protecting the community. Just a month later in August, Murray approached Fire Chief Cam Abrey and expressed his interest in joining the Dauphin Fire Department.
Murray went out for a Wednesday evening practice and the rest is history. Murray says working with the department is a great opportunity to do good in the community.
“It’s a great group of guys and gals, it’s like a big family,” said Murray. “Everyone sacrifices a lot of family time to give back to the community.”
Now less than two years since he joined the DFD, Murray has won a prestigious award as Fire Chief Cam Abrey announced late last week that Ryan is the Firefighter of the Year. He was presented with his award at the department's Appreciation Night.
“I’m very honoured and humbled,” said Murray. “Every member on this team is deserving of this award. I’m speechless, to be honest.”
Ryan went on to say that when they are needed, the Dauphin Fire Department is here to serve and protect.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
When Indigenous delegates visited Pope Francis in the Vatican, elders shared stories with him about their experience in residential schools. Others were there to share parts of their culture with him according to Métis delegate Alex Kusturok.
"I was there providing music, I had to show the Pope a part of our culture that is still there and alive and well.”
After a week of meetings with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegates, Francis apologized for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system and said he would come to Canada. Kusturok talked about what the reaction was like after the apology.
“To be in the room and to see the elders and to hear them share about how they felt after the apology, it was completely moving. The Metis elder, Angie, you know her heart was full, and she felt that with this apology she waited years for, then she could continue on with her healing.”
Finally, Kusturok talked about what needs to happen to continue the process of healing and reconciliation going forward.
“We need to follow up with action and whatever these elders need is what they have to get. There needs to be action that follows up, but the apology was a great first step.”
There is no date set for the Pope’s visit to Canada, but it could happen as early as this summer.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
A special weather statement has been issued for Southern Manitoba and it warns us of some winter-like weather possibly headed our way Tuesday night.
The heaviest snow is expected to occur near the U.S. border, but our area could see somewhere in the range of 20 to 40cm or more.
Some heavy winds are also expected. The full statement from Environment Canada is below:
Heavy snow, strong winds and blowing snow for southern Manitoba beginning late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning.
A Colorado low will move towards Minnesota Tuesday night bringing a heavy swath of snow from southeastern Saskatchewan through most of southern Manitoba. The axis of heaviest snow looks to remain through North Dakota but large accumulations are still expected in southern Manitoba, notably near the international border. Storm-total snowfall accumulations near the US border may approach 60 cm. North of this region, general storm-total accumulations of 20 to 40+ cm are possible, including for the city of Winnipeg.
As the low moves towards eastern Minnesota on Wednesday, strong northerly winds will develop over the region. Winds of 60 to 70 km/h are likely, with the strongest winds being in the Red River Valley with gusts up to 80 km/h at times Wednesday night into Thursday.
These strong winds, combined with the heavy snow, will produce widespread reductions in visibility. Blowing snow is possible Wednesday but is more likely Wednesday night through Thursday as temperatures cool somewhat. These conditions will likely result in a deterioration of travel conditions.
Conditions should begin to improve by Friday as the winds taper off and the heaviest snow moves into northern Ontario.
Confidence regarding the track of this Colorado low is slowly improving but remains uncertain. Deviation in the track could lead to significant changes in the projected storm-total accumulations, precipitation type (rain/snow/ice pellets) and wind speeds over the region.
Please consult your local forecasts as the event draws closer for updates, including any watches or warnings that may be issued.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tweet reports using #MBStorm.
You can also find the statement by clicking here.
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- Contributed by Alec Woolston
The DRCSS Class of 2022 is holding their safe grad festivities this year.
As the event approaches the graduating students and their parents are helping to raise money to pay for all the festivities.
Right now they’re running an online 50/50 draw and everyone is encouraged to purchase tickets.
The tickets are 1 for $5, 3 for $10 and 10 for $20 and when you buy them you’ll be able to enter your phone number and e-mail address so they’ll be sent directly to you.
The draw date for the 50/50 pot is April 25 and the winner will be contacted directly once the draw occurs.
You can purchase your tickets to help out the students here.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
Early this morning, Spruce Plains RCMP responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 16, about 21 kilometers east of Neepawa. Police found that two pickup trucks had collided head-on.
Both male drivers, a 44-year-old from Gladstone and a 50-year-old from the Sandy Bay First Nation, were pronounced deceased on the scene. There was no one else in either vehicle.
Spruce Plains RCMP is investigating.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The City of Dauphin's Yard Waste Collection Program is back next week, however, due to Good Friday, the first week's schedule is slightly off. After next week it will return to the normal Tuesday to Friday Schedule. Next week's schedule is as follows;
- Zone 1 will be picked up on Monday
- Zone 2 will be picked up on Tuesday
- Zone 3 will be picked up on Wednesday
- Zone 4 will be picked up on Thursday
Yard waste includes grass clippings, leaves, pine needles and pine cones, small branches, wood chips, sawdust, and non-animal food scraps like fruits, vegetables, and coffee grounds.
You can sign up for the Yard Waste Collection Program on the City of Dauphin website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Manitoba government has announced that school divisions across the province will be receiving 7 million dollars in funding for educational assistants and other resources to support students with special needs.
Education Minister Wayne Ewasko made the announcement as part of a lead-up to the Provincial Budget that'll be released on April 12.
Ensuring learning continues throughout the pandemic while prioritizing safety and health has been a priority of the government and the education system, noted Ewasko.
This funding will provide all Manitoba school divisions with an increase in their Special Needs Level 2 and 3 funding, which can be used to provide student-specific supports to help address special learning needs.
School divisions will not be required to submit applications, with some exceptions.
We'll have more on this when the budget is released next week.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
The pork industry in Manitoba is trying to contain a number of challenges right now. The first is an outbreak of Porcine Endemic Diarrhea, which has a mortality rate of 80-100 percent in piglets under two weeks old.
The province is currently experiencing its worst outbreak of PED ever according to Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl.
We've had 92 cases since October. The PED outbreak remains top of mind and is one of the main issues we're working on as Manitoba Pork.
The other issue the province has been monitoring is the feral pig population. According to Dahl, the province is trying to stay ahead of the issue before it's too late.
Recently the province has announced funding to help support our wild pig work so that is ramping up now. We're looking at increasing trapping and increasing tracking, thats really where we are right now. Trying to ensure that we have a good handle on where the pigs are, where they're growing, where they're expanding, and where they're going into.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce is continuing its lunch series with an event on Tuesday. Art Alexander is the featured speaker at the event according to Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota.
We have Art Alexander coming out from Winnipeg to go over a presentation on making connections, networking, working a room, and being around people again.
There are several ways to be a part of the event, including four partner communities, Gilbert Plains, Grandview, Winnipegosis, and Ste. Rose, where people will be able to participate in a group of their own if they can't make it in person.
You can sign up for the event at the chamber's website here.
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- Contributed by Sam Brownell
The Dauphin RCMP with the assistance of multiple tactical units from the West Division of the Manitoba RCMP executed a search warrant at a home in Dauphin on March 31.
As a result of the search, the Mounties seized the following:
- Two firearms
- Four machetes
- Bear spray
- Approximately 43 grams of crystal meth
- A quantity of cocaine
- Hydromorphone
There were a total of 7 people arrested at the residence with 6 being released from custody without charges at that time.
The one occupant that was charged is a 34-year-old female from Dauphin who's facing charges of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm x2 and Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking x2. She will appear in court at a later date.
The RCMP continues to investigate.
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- Contributed by Eric Fawx
