Accessibility Tools

SECOND UPDATE: Wilfred James Chartrand was arrested by Winnipegosis RCMP this morning.

---

UPDATE: The RCMP has arrested Carson Richard. Wilfred James Chartrand (JJ) is still wanted by the police.

---

The RCMP is looking for two men after a double stabbing in Camperville over the weekend.

On Saturday at about 5:15 a.m., Winnipegosis RCMP received a report of a double stabbing in Camperville and when officers arrived, two males were lying on the ground in need of medical attention.

As a result, the RCMP is looking for Wilfred James Chartrand (goes by JJ) who is 18 years old and Carson Richard who is 20 years old.

A 26-year-old male was transported to Winnipeg hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he remains in critical condition. A 21-year-old male was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

As of this time, the RCMP says a fight broke out between two groups of people in front of a residence after a female that was walking on the street was robbed. 

If you have information, please call Winnipegosis RCMP at 204-656-7003.

The City of Dauphin has moved the normal garbage and recycling schedule up by one day this week because of Canada Day on Friday. This week's schedule is:

  • Monday, June 27, 2022 - Day 1 Pick-up
  • Tuesday, June 28, 2022 - Day 2 Pick-up
  • Wednesday, June 29, 2022 - Day 3 Pick-up
  • Thursday, June 30, 2022 - Day 4 Pick-up

Another state of emergency has been declared on the Peguis First Nation because of flooding.

More than 18-hundred people had to leave due to flood damage in the spring and have not yet returned, and Chief Glen Hudson says 80 more were added in the past week.

Hudson says his community needs the federal and provincial governments to step up and help create long-term solutions.

He says his community is fatigued and frustrated, and they want their summer break just like every other Manitoban and Canadian.

If you're driving down Main Street in Dauphin Monday morning, you can expect a detour.

A small portion of it just before A&W going south is closed this morning. 

There is no timetable for when it will reopen. 

Countryfest Returns to the hill this weekend, but how will the festival be dealing with the crazy amount of mosquitoes this year? President Ann Ransom says they're doing what they can to make sure the bugs are under control.

"You know, keeping the grass cut, it's well-drained at the site right now, so it's nice and dry. I know sometimes people don't think Countryfest and it being dry, but it is, the site is quite beautiful right now."

Ransom says that having the events take place in an area that's pavement and gravel definitely helps as well.

With the festival just a few days away, they're still looking for both individual and group volunteers. You can find out more about the perks of volunteering and register here.

Craig Aitchison was already late on his seeding because of the moisture that hammered much of the province this spring. That rain; however, isn't much compared to what recently happened, although it's the rain that has caused the most recent damage.

A major storm brought strong winds and heavy rain across a large swath of southwestern Manitoba and the Interlake on June 19. Environment Canada issued tornado watches for the region, although there were no reports of a tornado touching down. Craig farms near Foxwarren and his farm was right in the thick of things.

Lasting only about 15 minutes, it was like something Aitchison has only seen a couple of times in the past.

"We knew a storm was coming but we didn't expect it to be as bad as it was," said Aitchison. "We saw the roof was lifting, it was very intense for a short period of time."

What Craig didn't realize until after the fact is what happened to his bins. Four 24,000-bushel grain bins and several hopper-bottom bins blew over on Aitchison's farm. While Craig continues to wait for an assessment on damages -- which he expects will take quite some time with all of the damage -- he estimates it will be in the $400,000 range. 

craig aitchison farm damage 2

Thousands of people lost their power during the storm across the province and the Aitchison family was one of them, they just got their power back four days after the fact. 

The family will now have plenty of added work to do over the summer months before harvest.

"We've got to get all these bins replaced, because this is all my grain storage, and we have to get them all replaced before harvest," offered Aitchison.

The Aitchison family has been farming near Foxwarren for 20 years and Craig can only remember a storm in 2005 that was as close to the one last month. However, that storm only took out some maple trees as the family only had small bins at the time.

"We were recovered from that one and then this," he said. "It is what it is; we'll do what needs to be done."

The Sod Turning Ceremony to celebrate the Maamawi Park project was held last Thursday at the old Dauphin Brewers diamond. According to Lindsey Kyle, assistant general manager of Dauphin Recreation Services, Maamawi Park is truly about building reconciliation and bringing people together and the space will be accessible to all.

"A spot for the young and old to gather to learn about culture, heritage, language and so much more," she said.

Mayor Christian Laughland spoke at the ceremony and said that when Maamawi Park is complete, it'll be a true monument of what can be accomplished when people come together and work together with respect for one another. 

Stacey Penner is — as Lindsey Kyle said — the brainchild behind the project and she has dedicated her heart and soul to it, as she knows how important Maamawi Park is for the city and surrounding area. Penner said that the name of the park, Maamawi, is an Ojibwe word that means us, being together, working together and that the park is a place for everyone to play together.

"We want free recreation for all and we want to be together post-COVID and look at this as an opportunity to heal after what our community and what the world has been through the last few years," Penner added.

According to her, phase one is already in the works. An accessible tobbagan run hill and launch, as well as viewing space, will be included in phase one. People in wheelchairs and people who use walkers will be able to access it. Since they want it to be used year-round, it'll be a summer sled structure as well. It will also be very well lit because of the long winter nights and the park will feature a grand entrance highlighting the large Indigenous presence in the community. A biking pump track is also in the works.

Penner also said that phase two will start five to ten years from now, depending on the progress of phase one.

The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) has responded to a decision made by Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba regarding tree-clearing undertaken by the province to prepare for the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin channels project.

Karl Zadnik, chief executive officer of the IRTC, is very pleased with the decision.

"I have to credit Judge Joyal... He's a judge and he's a judge for a reason... That being said, I respect him. I respect his decision. I'm very happy with the results, of course," Zadnik said.

In his decision, Justice Joyal said that the Province of Manitoba did not provide adequate notice, nor did it engage in meaningful consultation with the IRTC or its member First Nations before going ahead with the tree-clearing of what the IRTC describes as largely untouched public land that First Nations rely on to exercise their Treaty rights.

Joyal also said that the absence of any such notification and consultation, in his view, constitutes a breach of Manitoba’s obligation and is not in accordance with the honour of the Crown.

More information can be found on the IRTC website.

Ste. Rose du Lac & Dauphin RCMP have arrested two men from Dauphin and one woman from Winnipeg after an early morning crime spree that took place on June 19th.

Officers arrested 30-year-old Jimmy Pruden and 28-year-old Curtis Pruden from Dauphin, as well as 33-year-old Jill Johnson from Winnipeg and have remanded them into custody for a court appearance scheduled for July 21st in Dauphin. They have been charged with multiple offences, including three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, one count of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, and one count of assault.

This comes as the result of numerous incidents in which the suspects have been involved. They tried to steal a truck parked on a rural property located north of Laurier and then tried to steal a pickup truck on another one. Officers found them travelling westbound on PR 480 and tried to make a traffic stop, but they began speeding away. Police continued northbound on PR 582 from PR 480 and found a vehicle, which was later discovered stolen out of Selkirk, abandoned on the road. The suspects then entered Dauphin, where they were met by Dauphin RCMP. They then tried to make a traffic stop, but the suspects wouldn't stop for the police. Later, in the afternoon, Dauphin RCMP found the suspects trying to flee on foot after driving into a flooded roadway and becoming stuck.

The investigation has led to the seizure of a handgun, break-in instruments, small amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, drug paraphernalia and recovered stolen property.

More details on the crime spree and the full list of charges laid can be found here.

Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP continue to investigate.

After a few years off, Countryfest is Returning next week. The festival committee wants to make sure that after the hiatus, festival-goers know their way around the grounds. President Ann Ransom says the new festival app will do just that.

"They can see which vendors are coming, they can check out our sponsors, they can check out our stages and who's entertaining where and when."

Ransom says some of the sponsors are going to be different, as not all were able to make it through two years without events, and she's hoping that people will be supporting the vendors that are there.

Winnipegosis RCMP responded to a report of a man having been stabbed at a residence located on the Pine Creek First Nation yesterday, June 23rd, at around 9:05 p.m.

Officers arrived on scene to find a 51-year-old man with life-threatening injuries. He was then transported to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. His death is being treated as a homicide.

A 40-year-old woman was arrested on scene and remains in police custody.

Winnipegosis RCMP, along with Major Crime Services and RCMP Forensic Identification Services, continue to investigate.