New Director At ACC Parkland Campus

Carol Stewart is the new Director of the Parkland campus at Assiniboine Community College (ACC). She takes over the position from Gabe Mercier, who was Director for eleven years.

Stewart grew up in Dauphin and graduated from the DRCSS.

"I'm so pleased to be moving back here, it's an adventure for sure, [and] this time I'm bringing my family with me", commented Stewart.

After finishing high school in Dauphin, she went on to attend Brandon University. She then went on to graduate school at Western University in London, Ontario. Her time at Western led her to become an instructor for a few courses in geography and international development. Following that, she got a job with the Employment Sector Council in Ontario which is a network of organizations in southwest Ontario that deliver employment training and education programs.

"It really was a great sphere to be engaged with because it really demonstrates the importance of building a great work force, of supporting job-seekers and students, and engaging employers so that they know where they can find the talent that they need to grow their businesses as well", said Stewart.

When it comes to being the director of ACC's Parkland Campus, she mentioned she looks forward to getting to know everyone, as well as building on the existing relationships and partnerships that ACC has developed with the community.

"Our biggest aim is to always be responsive to what employers and the business community need in terms of talent so that we can help to prepare students and eventual graduates to enter great jobs in their fields."

Stewart also mentioned the school hopes to grow the already significant population of Indigenous students at ACC, citing the population and the community-based contract programs as one of ACC's strengths in the Parkland.

"We welcome Indigenous students, faculty and staff, and community organizations to partner with us in any number of ways, and my plan is to grow that more."

Stewart welcomes people reaching out and you can contact her by calling the ACC Parkland Campus main phone line at 204-622-2222.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Nov 19, 2022 - 6:00 am

Pork producers across the province continue their fight with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea(PED), as the province longest running outbreak to date enters its 13th month.

"The number of new cases has declined significantly, so I think we've turned a corner, but we're still in the outbreak that started October 17th of 2021, so it's been over a year."

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says the organization has been working hard to find the right solution to dealing with PED. The Manitoba Pork Council has formed a working group with industry representatives says, Dahl.

"We brought together key stakeholders in the industry, including of course producers from all parts of the province, the commercial vets from across the province as well, our integrated producers in HyLife and Maple Leaf, as well as the Chief Veterinary Officer, to really look at what we can do to ensure we don't have an occurrence of this every two years because that's not sustainable."

The group shared some details of the plan with producers at the Manitoba Pork district meetings recently, and Dahl says they'll be giving more information once it's complete.

"At our district meetings, which we just held recently, we gave a little bit of an update, but we don't have a document yet. We're going to have a document that outlines what that plan is, and some of the best management practices, but we're not quite there yet."

Dahl says the Council looked into what other jurisdictions have done to handle outbreaks in the past.

To give your listeners a little bit of a summary, we've looked at how PED has been addressed across North America, to see if there are best practices, and from that, it is really clear that trying to just live with the disease as something that's endemic isn't the best solution, and that aggressively moving towards eradication is the right outcome. So that's the question, how do we do that, what are the best management practices to have that eradication policy in place."

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 18, 2022 - 6:00 am

The provincial government's work on PTH 5A has been pushed back because of a delay in receiving information from the Engineering Service Provider, but the project is expected to move forward soon.

According to a provincial spokesperson, the project is expected to be advertised for tender within the next month, and once it's been awarded, they believe the work will start as soon as possible, with a proposed completion date of the fall of 2024.

The project was announced in May this year and will run 1.7 km from Whitmore Ave. to Triangle Road. Work will include:

Surface reconstruction with the creation of a divided highway.
All local accesses will connect to service roads and service roads connecting to PTH 5A at upgraded intersections to improve safety.
Creating a signalized intersection at the local mall entrance.
Adding service roads to both sides of the highway.

The City of Dauphin will also be funding a portion of the project, which will see an underground land drainage system built to handle future development in the area.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 17, 2022 - 3:13 pm

Farm Credit Canada is getting ready for its Young Farmer Summit in Winnipeg next Tuesday, November 22nd.

The event is free to attend for anyone under 40 that's involved in agriculture and food. FCC Manager of Content Marketing and Events, Jason Fiske, says it's a great opportunity to meet other people in the industry.

"We've been doing our learning events for almost 20 years now. I think it's an opportunity for us to be where people are and provide the time away from the farm to work on their knowledge and their business management skills, or just to connect with people in the industry, which seems to be a really popular component of what our events have to offer."

The event will feature a number of speakers from the industry, who will focus on topics like The Keys to Collaborative and Effective Teams, How to navigate financial risk in farming, and Entrepreneurship & Emotional Profit.

You can register for the event, and find more information about the speakers here.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 17, 2022 - 6:00 am

The Dauphin Fire Department is once again going up against the Dauphin RCMP for a good cause.

The 3rd annual Food Bank Challenge is underway, and you can choose to either Pack the Pumper or Cram the Cruiser. From now until Sunday, you can donate non-perishable items that will then be given to the Dauphin Food Bank. Items accepted include dry cereal, pasta and pasta sauce, canned meat and canned fish, canned beans, canned soups, canned fruit and vegetables, mac and cheese, and cartons of juice.

The Dauphin RCMP has had the upper hand in the first two years in this fun challenge. Cam Abrey says you can also donate cash if you would like to do that.

"Last year we (DFD) had around $700 in cash that was donated as a part of this challenge," said Abrey.

Abrey says it has been an excellent experience working alongside the RCMP in a non-emergency response situation. You can take any donations to the Dauphin Fire Department between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. until Sunday. If you can't drop off your donation, call to arrange for pick up at 622-3100.

You can also deliver any donations to the Dauphin RCMP Detachment.

Details: Contributed by Darnell Duff; Published: Nov 17, 2022 - 5:00 am

Manitoba Hydro has submitted its General Rate Application with the Public Utilities Board.

“While we know rising costs are tough for many of our customers right now, and that no one wants to pay more for their energy, the rates we’re asking for are necessary to ensure we’re able to provide our customers with the safe and dependable service they need today and in the future,” said Jay Grewal, Manitoba Hydro’s President, and CEO

Hydro is seeking confirmation from the Board on the 3.6% interim rate increase it awarded in January of this year, as well as further increases of 3.5% on October 1^st, 2023, and another 3.5% on April 1^st, 2024.

“These proposed increases will help ensure Manitoba Hydro has the financial resources available to handle the risks created by our $24 billion debt load, and factors that are out of our control like fluctuating interest rates, export market prices, and water levels,”

During last year's drought, Manitoba Hydro Experienced a $248 million loss, while high precipitation and better prices on the export opportunity market this year mean the utility is projecting a net income of $559 million.

The Public Utilities Board has released a public notice about the application, and there are three ways that Manitobans can voice their opinion on the issue.

As a Presenter – If you want to make a virtual or in-person formal presentation to the Public Utilities Board on this matter and are willing to respond to questions about your presentation, please go to www.pubmanitoba.ca and apply to become an approved Presenter. Presentations are limited to a maximum of 10 minutes.
Written Comment – If you would like to comment in writing on the rate increase, please go to www.pubmanitoba.ca and provide your written comment.
As an Approved Intervener – If you want to actively participate in the public hearing as an Intervener, please go to www.pubmanitoba.ca and apply for Intervener status. Interveners are required to represent the interests of a significant group of customers and may be required to combine their intervention with others representing similar interests.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 16, 2022 - 1:40 pm

The Dauphin R.I.D.E. (Reducing Impaired Driving Everywhere) Program has returned for its 30th year.

The service provides people in Dauphin and area with a safe ride home for them and their vehicle if they have been celebrating the festive season with alcohol or cannabis. The program begins on Friday, December 2nd, and Saturday, December 3rd, operating from 10 pm to 3 am each night.

Spokesperson for Dauphin R.I.D.E., Sarah Shuttleworth, says there is a need for volunteer drivers.

"Our last year was 2019, so our volunteer list has dwindled quite a bit since then, [and] we run solely on volunteers", commented Shuttleworth, who's grandfather John Shuttleworth headed the committee that started the R.I.D.E. Program 30 years ago

Volunteer drivers must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver's licence. The program also needs people to help with setup and to provide snacks to the volunteers. To sign up, you can call 204-638-1463 and leave a message, or contact their facebook page. The program is also welcoming donations of money to help with the cost of running it.

It is important to note that if you need to use the Dauphin R.I.D.E. Program, you must have a vehicle to bring home as well, and they will only take you home.

"We aren't a taxi service, you must have a vehicle. We will also not drive you from one party to another, we drive you straight home", noted Shuttleworth.

If you need to use the R.I.D.E. service, you can call 638-5707. It will be available from 10 pm to 3 am on the following nights:

Friday, December 2nd

Saturday, December 3rd

Friday, December 9th

Saturday, December 10th

Friday, December 16th

Saturday, December 17th

Friday, December 23rd

New Year's Eve, Saturday, December 31st

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Nov 16, 2022 - 8:22 am

The Dauphin Christmas Parade of Lights is just ten days away, on November 26^th, but it's not too late to sign up. Registration is open until this Friday, November 18^th.

Parade Chair Pam Werbiski says they have five categories that people can sign up for.

"The categories are educational, religious, service club or group, commercial, and personal. We'd like to see everybody out, and there will be hot chocolate stands on route as well"

CKDM will also be playing Christmas music during the Parade on the 26^th. You can register for the parade by texting 204-647-1155, or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 16, 2022 - 6:00 am

The Manitoba government will be testing its Alert Ready system tomorrow afternoon. This means that TVs, radios, and wireless devices across the province will get an emergency at 1:55 p.m.

Alert Ready is the National Public Alerting System, which is used for anything from Amber Alerts to Natural Disaster Warnings. The test is to ensure the system is working properly, and identify any areas that need improvement.

However, not all devices in the province will get the alert. This can occur for a variety of reasons including device compatibility, connection to an LTE network, cell tower coverage, and device software and settings.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 15, 2022 - 12:30 pm

The Dauphin and District Community Foundation has their giving challenge running until Sunday this week. Executive Director Kit Daley says it's a great time to make a donation to the DDCF.

"The giving challenge started in 2014 as a way to help community foundations in Manitoba grow their unrestricted funds. For every five-dollar gift you make to your local donation, the Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba government each add a dollar, increasing your donation by 40 percent."

The Foundation is also hosting its first in-person event since 2019 on Friday, to celebrate its giving challenge.

"We will be celebrating and promoting the giving challenge, we'll be announcing and celebrating philanthropist of the year, we are having award-winning artist Emma Peterson Performing, and we'll have appetizers and a cash bar. Tickets are 35 dollars a person and can be purchased at our office at City Hall."

You can also call the DDCF to get tickets at 204-638-4598.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Nov 15, 2022 - 6:00 am

Manitoba Ag Ex was a hit in Brandon this year, bringing exhibitors from across the prairies to the event. Provincial Exhibition General Manager Mark Humphries says they were very happy with how this year's event turned out.

"It went very very well, We were thrilled with the attendance, of obviously the livestock producers, and also the general public coming to view. It's nice to come out of COVID and people are moving around again, so we're really pleased with the overall attendance, and the exhibitors."

It was Humphries' first large event since being named the General Manager of Provincial Ex, and he credits the people around him for all their help.

"Well for me, we've got a really good team of staff here at the Provincial Ex, and a fantastic volunteer base of directors. So they've really helped my first event along. The staff team members are the ones that are responsible for the animals and the agricultural side and they did a fantastic job with all the bookings and entrances, and you know, all the paperwork that runs with that."

Provincial Ex is now getting ready for its Winter Wonderland Market at the Dome on December 2^nd and 3^rd.