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A new General Investigations Section unit is being created for the Swan River Valley.
Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced on Thursday that the province is providing nearly $265,000 towards the hiring of three officers for this pilot project.
The goal for the unit will be to crack down on drug trafficking and other serious crime in the Swan Valley, while also alleviating some of the strain experienced by the RCMP in that area.
The GIS program is a serious crimes investigative support unit that will assist with complex and multi-jurisdictional investigations while working with detachment members to identify crime trends.
The Town of Swan River, the municipalities of Swan Valley West and Minitonas-Bowsman, and the Rural Municipality of Mountain all signed a new five-year agreement to establish this GIS unit based out of Swan River.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A bit of an early Christmas gift from the federal government as a 2 month goods and service tax cut has been announced.
Between December 14th and February 15th, GST and HST will be shaved off of dozens of popular holiday items.
This list includes the following:
- Prepared foods, including vegetable trays, pre-made meals, salads, and sandwiches.
- Restaurant meals, whether dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
- Snacks, including chips, candy, and granola bars.
- Beer, wine, cider, and pre-mixed alcoholic beverages below 7 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).
- Children's clothing and footwear, car seats and diapers.
- Children's toys, such as board games, dolls, and video game consoles.
- Books, print newspapers, and puzzles for all ages.
- and Christmas trees.
The prime minister also announced a new "Working Canadians Rebate," in the form of a $250 rebate who worked in 2023, making no more than $150,000
Rebates are expected to roll out in the early spring of 2025.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
This week, CKDM has highlighted a lot about how local businesses build community, and one organization knows all about that.
Kit Daley with the Dauphin and District Community invests a lot of money back into the community, and their fund comes from donations, including those from Local philanthropists.
"in 2023, we awarded 23 grants totaling over $142,000 to projects which included Citizens On Patrol, the food bank, Parkland Humane Society, Henderson School and Mackenzie Middle School the Summer Games, the Handi-Van, Lorray Manor. It's such a huge range of organizations that reach out to us and if our board looks at the project, and they think it will be beneficial to the community, we are so thrilled to be able to provide support"
Keeping money where your house is can benefit many different initiatives, and shopping at local businesses is an important part of this local economic environment.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
November 30th is shaping up to be a busy night in Dauphin.
Following the Festival of Lights parade that night, the Parkland Chamber of Commerce will hold its second annual Small Business Holiday party at the Watson Arts Centre.
The party begins at 6:30 with appetizers and a cash bar.
Cam Bennett with the Watson says the two groups have combined forces to bring in the Sean Taylor band as entertainment for the evening.
"They are the Manitoba Country Music Association Group of the Year, as well as Album of the Year winners. I saw them at the MCMA's a few weeks ago and these guys are the real deal. This is going to be a banger of a show. You do not want to miss this show it is going to be talked about."
Tickets are $45 for the entire evening, or $25 for just the concert - which begins at 8 pm.
They are available through the Parkland Chamber's website or at the Watson Arts Centre.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
One of the accused in a January stabbing death in Swan River was back in court on Wednesday.
40-year-old Tyrone Guiboche had his matters put over until November 28th.
Guiboche remains in custody, as does co-accused Dean Bell.
Both face one count each of Manslaughter, with the 29-year-old Bell slated to return to court on December 4th.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Manitoba Nurses Union is raising concerns about safety issues in the emergency room of the Swan Valley Health Centre.
Among the issues outlined in a release by the MNU are escalating violence in the ER, random people walking off the elevator and into random rooms or staff rooms to help themselves to items in the fridge.
Another specific concern is that most of the hospital's security cameras are not working, which is especially troublesome when nurses have to go into the parking lot to administer harm reduction kits. They say this leaves both themselves and patients vulnerable.
Other issues include a triage system that the MNU calls unsafe, and the overhead paging system in the building being down, making it difficult to alert people in the building about hospital codes.
MNU President Darlene Jackson says top priorities right now for the union include getting all on-site cameras working and having consistent security at the facility.
She adds they would also like to see an institutional safety officer in the emergency room.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Snow clearing crews will be putting the pedal to the metal tonight as snow clearing ramps up.
The city announced that crews will be running 2, 12-hour shifts, starting tonight, until all roads and sidewalks are cleared.
These efforts will start in the downtown/business area tonight at 8 pm, clearing Main Street and 1st Ave NE
It's recommended to keep vehicles off these roadways and keep an eye out for windrows as clearing continues.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Markets are always changing and growing, and Economist Michael Shuman from the US says there are some big trends.
"We are moving from an economy that's focused on good to one focused on services. when I was a kid growing in New York in the 1950s, my family spent 60-70% of its household income on various goods. today in our countries, goods expenditures are about 30%"
Michael H. Shuman is an economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur, and a leading visionary on community economics.
Shuman's expertise is on Local Economic growth, and something he thinks can't be beaten is the services provided by local businesses.
"It's much more personalized, that shoppers get to know the shop owners, and that people are investing in businesses that they know and love. And businesses are at a scale where the employees know the managers"
Putting your money where your house is allows you to form lasting relationships with businesses, and create great return business!
You can learn more about Michael Shumans work at his website michaelhshuman.com
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
The Manitoba RCMP is rolling out regular body-mounted camera usage, to ensure accountability and transparency, between November 22nd and April of next year.
Four-Hundred-Ninety RCMP officers across 44 detachments will be equipped with these cameras.
This will be a phased release through the following communities:
Commanding Officer Scott McMurchy was proud to roll out this initiative, saying that communities have been asking for more accountability and transparency in policing.
Officers usually wear their body-worn cameras on their chests, and the public will know they’re recording when a red light is visible and flashing below the camera's lens.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
A holiday time tradition returns to Dauphin this weekend, as the 5th annual "Pack the Pump/Cram the Cruiser" Food Bank challenge begins.
Between November 22nd and 28th, Dauphin residents can donate non-perishable food items or cash donations at either the Dauphin Fire Hall, or in the back seat of a special Christmas-lit police car at the Dauphin RCMP detachment.
RCMP Constable Marc Leroux says assisting the Food Bank is something near and dear to his heart.
"It is Christmas time, and there are a lot of people out there in Dauphin who are not as lucky as most of us. Really, the big goal would be to get a really nice Christmas table for a lot of these families that are not as fortunate as others."
Dauphin Fire Chief Cam Abrey describes what kind of items the Food Bank is looking for.
"Their recommendations include dry cereals, oatmeal, pasta and pasta sauce, any canned goods like beans, meat, vegetables, fruit and fish. Mac and cheese is always popular along with coffees, soup, and crackers. They are also able to take some monetary donations, which is used to purchase perishable items on the days of their giveaways."
Donations can be dropped off at either the Duphin Fire Hall, or in the back seat of the specially lit police cruiser at the Dauphin RCMP detachment.
You can also call the Fire Hall at 204-622-3100 to pick up your donation.
Final weigh-ins will take place on November 29th.
Weather permitting, the Fire Department also hopes to have fire trucks and members at Dauphin's three grocery stores between 1 and 3 pm Saturday to collect donations.
The RCMP has won three of the previous four years of this Food Bank Challenge.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A total of three openings on RM of Lakeshore council will be filled through a by-election scheduled for January 15th.
The vacancies include one council position in each ward one and two, as well as the position of Reeve for the Municipality.
Clayton Watts resigned from the Reeve position in September, citing health issues and personal family reasons for the decision.
Interested candidates can now submit nomination papers, with the deadline to do so being December 10th.
You can pick them up by contacting Senior Election Officer Jenine Norman at 431-738-7788 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
