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A new art display has opened at the Watson Art Centre.
"His name is Tengnamoe and he is a Filipino artist, and all of his artwork is spray painted," according to Cam Bennett from the Watson. "I took a quick picture the other day of a Beatles piece that he has and it is really cool. I think most of the art is for sale as well and quite reasonably priced so I would encourage people to drop into the Watson and have a look at that."
Bennett adds Tengnamoe will also be in town this Saturday for a special open house.
"Saturday from 5 until 7 pm, there will be a bit of an open house (at the Watson). We will have the bar open and the artist will be there to tell us how he makes this fantastic spray paint artwork."
The show is on display until late February.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Manitoba Land Stewards are hosting a town hall meeting this Wednesday in Erickson to discuss the Parks Canada Ecological Corridor Program, and how it affects the public.
Landowners, homeowners, cottage owners, business people, and outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will also include speakers from the Manitoba Wildlife Federation.
The meeting is set for 7 pm at the Erickson Legion.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Manitoba's Independent Investigation Unit is investigating the use of a police dog by Manitoba First Nations Police Service during an investigation in Sandy Bay, which led to injuries for an adult male.
The incident occurred last Thursday at about 6 am when police attempted to stop a vehicle involved in an earlier incident.
The car slid into the ditch and a man fled on foot to a nearby mobile home.
While inside, police say he brandished a weapon and threatened to shoot officers.
As he was taken into custody, the suspect is said to have lunged at officers with an object, which led to a police dog being deployed, biting the suspect. The suspect was taken to Portage Hospital with injuries, which also triggered the automatic investigation by IIU.
Any witnesses are asked to contact the IIU at 1-844-667-6060
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn series is returning in 2025.
The first Lunch and Learn will take place on January 21st, and Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota will go over some of the highlights.
"We are going to go through a bit of a highlight reel and see where the Chamber has been over the past few months and where we are going to go. But we also want to give a platform to some groups in the area and give them an opportunity to shed some light on what they have been doing and what is to be expected for their future. So a little panel discussion type of thing and some good highlights. "
The Chamber will also be announcing the destination for their 2025 International trip at this luncheon.
It will take place at Aspen Lodge at the Parkland Rec Complex.
More info can be found on the chamber's website.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The race for a new liberal Leader Now has a timeline, after Trudeau announced his departure from the role of Prime Minister.
In a press release, the party says a new leader will be picked on March 9. Leadership contestants must also declare by Jan. 23 and will be required to pay an entrance fee of $350,000, giving potential candidates limited time to fundraise.
current candidates include former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, and former B.C. premier Christy Clark.
other possible choices include cabinet ministers Melanie Joly, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Jonathan Wilkinson and Steven MacKinnon
Whoever wins the leadership will have just two weeks in their new job before the House of Commons is set to return on March 24.
The new leader could also quickly face a general election, as opposition parties have signaled they will move to bring down the Liberal government at the first opportunity.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Seniors, caregivers, and community members of Gilbert Plains are encouraged to attend a meeting regarding Senior Housing in the Parkland community.
The municipality of Gilbert Plains and SML Construction are joining forces to host the meeting on Tuesday from 1-3 at the EMS Building on Main Street.
Discussion will include updates and future plans for senior housing in Gilbert Plains.
There will also be an opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions and provide feedback.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
More information has become available after a cybersecurity attack stole Student data from PowerSchool, a program used in multiple Manitoba schools.
Students' names, dates of birth, home phone numbers, gender, and sibling information may have been stolen during the cyber incident.
PowerSchool hired a firm known as "CrowdStrike" to negotiate with the Ransomware Hackers, and have paid a fee to ensure the data has been deleted.
The province notes that 80 percent of school divisions in Manitoba have likely been impacted by the data breach.
According to Education Minister Tracy Schmidt, 28 out of 37 Manitoba school divisions are currently using or are in the process of converting to PowerSchool.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Brandon’s Keystone Centre has reported a net operating loss of almost $727,000 in 2024, an improvement over $ 1.2 million in losses the previous year.
The financial report also said revenues were up 24% last year in part to rising attendance as the event industry continued its recovery from the pandemic.
The facility also participated in an Economic Impact Assessment, which showed it contributed 78.1 million dollars to the provincial economy and supported over 2,000 jobs.
Work on the facility in the past year included renovations to Westoba Place, with new seating, the addition of 13 large boxes, and air conditioning and dehumidification upgrades.
2024 also marked the 50th anniversary of the Keystone Centre.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
More labour strife might be on the way in the province.
More than 500 front-line workers at three child welfare agencies in Manitoba are poised to strike, after voting against their latest contract offers.
170 members of Southeast Child and Family Services have been without a contract since March of 2022, while workers for the Métis Authority — including 221 at Métis CFS and 111 at Michif CFS — have been without a new deal since January 31st, 2023.
They’re asking for increases in line with the four-year, 14 per cent-plus general wage increase MGEU members doing the same work in the civil service received in the fall.
There has been no monetary offer from either Métis or Michif CFS, while Southeast CFS offered wage increases totalling nine per cent over four years.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Manitoba First Nations Police Service has named Jason Colon as its Interim Police Chief.
Colon, who was an Inspector with MFNPS, replaces former Chief Doug Palson, who died in a house fire at his home earlier this week.
In a news release announcing the promotion, MFNPS says Chief Palson was a remarkable leader, devoted public servant and beloved member of the policing community.
It adds Palson led with compassion, empathy and integrity, and was a tireless advocate for Indigenous-led, culturally safe, community-based policing.
MFNPS says there will be a more formal tribute in the upcoming days which will celebrate his life and his career in policing which spanned over 35 years.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Dauphin Fire Department observed a very slight decrease in their Incident Report tally for 2024.
232 calls were responded to, 4 fewer than in 2023 and 2022, but still seeing a lot of similar issues like false alarms, vehicle incidents, and kitchen fires.
Percentages of Incidents, Courtesy of the DFD Facebook page 
The largest sections; False Alarms and Motor Vehicle Collisions, made up 86 and 45 calls respectively.
Fire Chief Cam Abrey notes that while structure and kitchen fires may be smaller portions, they can represent a serious threat to the scale of damage.
Abrey reminds everyone to have smoke alarms on every level of the homes and check them every month.
The Dauphin Fire Department committed over 4500 hours to all of these responses, and another 2400 hours in training, a testament of the hard-working people who keep Dauphin safe.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
