Dauphin's Culture Days Begins Tomorrow

A unique set of events will take place over the next few weeks starting tomorrow, with the goal of showing off Dauphin's creative community.

Dauphin's Culture Days is back in full force this year after having to scale things back slightly due to COVID concerns. First up is Yardfest which gives you an opportunity to take in some outdoor music shows during the afternoon followed by the Route 10 Collective playing at the Watson Arts Centre at 7 pm.

The first show, Jazz With Johnathon Pacey, will be at 4 pm at 7 Macleod Avenue West. After that The Fret Shredders will play a show at 311 Wellington Crescent. Admission for those shows is Pay What You Can ($5 is suggested). The music keeps going at the Watson Arts Centre where the Route 10 Collective will play a show at 7 pm. The performance will be a tribute to the music of George Harrison. Tickets are $30 and you can phone 204-638-6231 to get yours.

On Sunday, the always highly-anticipated Yardfringe will happen around town. This is a one-of-a-kind event where you will be able to join in on a group of people biking around to different venues. Each venue features a different display of Dauphin arts and crowd participation may be required at times so be prepared to have some fun. Admission is free and since locations will be all over town, it is highly recommended you get on a bicycle and ride along with the group. If you do not have a bicycle, the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club will have fat bikes available to use. They are free to use but you must register by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It is first come, first served for use of them. A map will also be provided to anyone travelling by vehicle.

Beyond the events this weekend, there will also be a Pechakucha Night at the Dauphin Public Library on October 13th, a live reading of Gunsmoke at the Watson Arts Centre on October 15th, and Film Day at the Countryfest Community Cinema on October 16th. Also keep an eye on the Cultural Intersection at Main Street and 3rd Avenue NE. Most events are free to attend or pay what you can.

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Sep 23, 2022 - 5:28 am

A small amount of cocaine, cash, a sawed-off shotgun and drug-related paraphernalia were seized after police searched a home in Fairford last Thursday, September 15^th.

According to the RCMP, officers with the Manitoba East District CREST unit, who were assisted by the RCMP Emergency Response Team and the North District CREST unit, executed a search warrant at the residence in Fairford.

After finding a firearm, drugs and cash inside the home, officers seized the items and arrested 29-year-old Greyson Ryle, 25-year-old Jeremy Beardy, 55-year-old Andrea Ryle, and two male youths, ages 17 and 16.

Police say that they were all remanded into custody on numerous firearm and drug-related charges.

The RCMP continue to investigate.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 3:05 pm

UPDATE (Sept. 22^nd, 5:52 p.m.): According to the Municipality of McCreary, water service has been restored.

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The Municipality of McCreary is advising residents that they will be conducting repairs to improve isolation valves, which will cause a temporary water supply interruption as well as low water pressure in some portions of the town today.

They say that the valve at the east end of Fletcher Ave. will be replaced and that the areas south of Highway 50 will be affected.

The Municipality recommends that residents of the affected areas take necessary measures to avoid undue inconvenience.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 9:35 am

The RCMP are hoping for the public's help in identifying a man who was in possession of a stolen vehicle when he stole from a gas station in Neepawa last month.

The theft occured on Thursday, August 4th a little after 4pm at a gas station on Main Street in Neepawa. The vehicle has been recovered but the suspect is still at large.

Anyone with information related to the theft or the identity of the suspect can get in touch with Neepawa RCMP at 204-476-7340. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or going online to manitobacrimestoppers.com.

The full release from the RCMP is below, along with pictures of the suspect:

Spruce Plains (Neepawa) RCMP are looking for assistance in identifying this male who was in possession of a stolen vehicle when he stole from a gas station located on Main Street in Neepawa. The theft occurred on August 4, 2022, just after 4:00 pm. The vehicle has since been recovered but the suspect remains at large.

If you have any information in relation to this theft or can identify this suspect, please contact the Neepawa RCMP at 204-476-7340. Anonymous tips can also be made through Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Image - RCMP

Image - RCMP

Details: Contributed by Alec Woolston; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 9:34 am

The Dauphin RCMP responded to four incidents that happened between Sunday and Today.

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Theft of Vintage Vehicle

UPDATE from the Dauphin RCMP: At approximately 9:00 am, members of the RCMP's West District Crime Enforcement Support Team and Dauphin RCMP located the stolen 1961 Ford Falcon being driven through the City of Dauphin. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle but it evaded police. For the safety of the community, a pursuit was not engaged.

The vehicle was found stopped in an alley south of Memorial Boulevard. A female occupant was taken into custody while the male driver fled the scene and was not located. An investigation is ongoing.

ORIGINAL: Early this morning, the Dauphin RCMP received a report that a vehicle had been stolen from a house on Davidson Avenue in Dauphin. The owner saw the vehicle pull away with the suspect inside. Officers responded to the area, but the vehicle was not found.

If you have information on the whereabouts of this vehicle, or information on the theft, please call Dauphin RCMP at 204-622-5020, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or secure tip online here.

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Impaired Operation – Possession of Property Obtained by Crime – Possess Break-in Instruments

Tuesday morning, the Dauphin RCMP got a report that a white F350 had been stolen from a business in town. The RCMP got a report around two hours later of a suspicious vehicle parked in the middle of a rural road east of Dauphin.

Officers found the stolen truck, and 25-year-old Dillon Lebel from the R.M. of Lakeshore was inside. Label was arrested without incident and charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance, Theft of Motor Vehicle over $5000, Possession of Property Obtained by Crime, and Possession of Break-in Instruments. He was remanded into custody.

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Theft of Truck

Around 11 a.m. on Monday, the Dauphin RCMP received a report of a stolen vehicle from a residence in Sifton, Manitoba. The stolen vehicle, a grey 2000 Chevrolet Silverado, Manitoba licence plate FZU 338 has not been located.

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Dauphin RCMP officers assaulted

Early Sunday morning, the Dauphin RCMP responded to a report of multiple people fighting at the Dauphin Skate Park on 1st Ave. SW. When officers arrived, they were advised that two females and a male had been attacking people.

One officer attempted to arrest the accused and one of the females and the male attacked them. The second officer on the scene used a taser to gain control of the individuals and take them into custody.

The 20-year-old male and 15-year-old female were released from custody on an Undertaking to appear in Dauphin Provincial Court for charges of Assaulting a Police Officer.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 9:32 am

A new project aiming to help Ukrainian immigrants and refugees improve their English skills has started in Swan Valley.

The Ukraine ESL (English as a second language) & Tablet Project is centred around providing Ukrainian newcomers with educational materials to help them improve their level of English and their children with tablets to be used at school.

Donna Martin, the executive director of the Community Foundation of Swan Valley (CFSV), says that a project like this helps newcomers participate in the local workforce.

"[The main goal is] to help people that come to our community participate in the community. When your community is healthy, your community is healthier as a whole," she adds.

According to Martin, the CFSV gave a one-time grant to the Immigration Services Branch in Swan River to help them purchase ESL materials and tablets and it is up to the Immigration Services Branch to determine how they will be used.

"[The English-language materials are] at the Immigration Services [Branch]. That's the agency that applied for the grant. They will be using them. They, technically, are keepers of those materials and anybody who needs English-language services can access [them] if they are qualified through Immigration Services," she adds.

Donna Martin says that everyone is welcome to visit the Immigration Services Branch on Main St. in Swan River to have a look at the materials and meet the newcomers studying and working on their English.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 6:05 am

The registration and withdrawal deadlines have both passed for the October 26th municipal election, and we now have a clear picture of who will be on the ballot. The election will feature two candidates for Mayor of Dauphin; David Bosiak and Kerri Riehl, and two for Reeve in the RM of Dauphin; Ernie Sirski and Tom Gibbs.

It's a packed race for City Council in Dauphin as there are 17 Candidates registered to run for six open spots. (In the order they'll appear on the ballot)

In the RM of Dauphin, there are 10 candidates registered for six spots. (In the order they'll appear on the ballot)

Darrell Inkster
Ron Ryz (Incumbent Reeve)
David Johnston (Incumbent)
Tammy Koshowski
Midge Sametz (Incumbent Deputy Reeve)
Ken Plustwa
Jack Bremner (Incumbent)
Todd Boguski
Ken Shewchuk
Wilf Kachurowski

All council candidates that don't currently have a story linked to their name, will be linked once the story has been published.

For Mountainview School Division, three of the four wards had their school trustee spots filled by acclamation, while one ward will have an election.

In Ward 1, which includes the Roblin Municipality, Leifa Misko and Floyd Martens have been elected by acclamation.

In Ward 2, which includes the Municipality of Ethelbert, Gilbert Plains Municipality, Grandview Municipality, and a portion of the RM of Mountain, Paul Coffey and Charlene Gulak have been elected by acclamation.

There are four candidates for two spots in Ward 3, which includes the RM of Dauphin, RM of Lakeshore, Mossey River Municipality, and a portion of the RM of Mountain and McCreary Municipalities. (in the order they'll appear on the ballot)

Gabe Mercier
Ashleigh Yaskowich
Nick Jewell
Jason Gryba

In Ward 4, which includes the city of Dauphin, John Taylor, Kerri Wieler, and Scott McCallum have been elected by acclamation.

Details: Contributed by Sam Brownell; Published: Sep 22, 2022 - 5:47 am

UPDATE (Sept. 22^nd, 5:12 a.m.): As of around 4 a.m., the frost advisories have ended for all areas.

Update contributed by Alec Woolston

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Environment Canada has issued multiple frost advisories for Dauphin and surrounding areas.

They are currently in effect for many communities in the following areas:

According to Environment Canada, frost may damage some crops in frost-prone areas and a ridge of high pressure will lead to clearing skies and light winds allowing temperatures to drop below the freezing mark tonight across southern and central Manitoba.

They say that frost is likely to be patchy in nature and that fog patches are also likely to occur in places.

They also say that people should cover up their plants if possible, especially those in frost-prone areas and that they should take preventative measures to protect frost-sensitive plants and trees.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 21, 2022 - 3:40 pm

UPDATE (Sept. 21^st, 3:23 p.m.): Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba's chief public health officer, delivered his remarks on expanding bivalent vaccine eligibility during a news conference earlier today.

Dr. Roussin says that people have to remember that our immunity to COVID-19 does wane over time.

“This booster is a great way to recharge that immunity, boost that immunity once again," he adds.

The province recommends that people wait six months from their last dose to get their bivalent booster vaccine, as this provides the best immune response.

"We know from the evidence that if you wait a bit longer, that six months duration between your last dose and the booster, you can get a stronger immune response," Dr. Roussin adds.

According to the province, 3,216 doses of bivalent vaccine have been administered in Manitoba as of Monday, September 19^th.

They also say in a news release that adults can also choose to receive the original vaccine as their fall booster dose if they don't want to receive the bivalent one and that children aged five to 17 can receive a booster of the original vaccine.

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All Manitobans aged 18 and older are now eligible to receive the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, will provide more information during a virtual news conference scheduled for today at 2 p.m.

Anyone interested in receiving a dose of the bivalent vaccine can book an appointment starting tomorrow, September 22^nd, at 9 a.m. by calling the vaccine call centre at 1-844-626-8222 or by calling pharmacies and clinics directly.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 21, 2022 - 1:13 pm

Dauphin's Terry Fox Run took place at Vermillion Park last Sunday.

Stephen Roznowsky, the local organizer of the Terry Fox Run, says that although he hoped for better attendance, he's still pleased with how the run went.

"We were about 40+... I hope would've hoped that we [would've gotten] closer to 100... Since [it was] the first run after the pandemic, people were kind of uncertain about the weather, and of course, [there were] a lot of other activities that [were] going around... [it did have an impact] on our numbers," he adds.

Roznowsky says that it was wonderful to finally be able to hold an in-person Terry Fox Run and that everyone was waiting to get back to something more normal.

"Even though it was outdoors... people felt a lot braver to attend with their families and with their siblings. I think, all in all, most people were very upbeat about attending the run and being face-to-face with some of their friends, families and neighbours," he adds.

According to Roznowsky, the fundraising target was $2,000 and donation numbers won't be finalized before the end of October because a large portion of donations were made online.

"I think we're... pretty close to my target... so far... we're over $1,000," he adds.

Stephen Roznowsky went on to say that he will be organizing next year's Terry Fox Run as well.

Details: Contributed by Nicholas Iatropoulos; Published: Sep 21, 2022 - 6:15 am

Patti Eilers is looking to remain on Dauphin City Council as she runs in the municipal election scheduled to take place on October 26^th.

Eilers grew up in rural Manitoba, moved to Saskatoon and then moved to Dauphin, where she lived and worked for over thirty-five years.

She says that people should vote for her because she has the strong skills, knowledge and experience needed to continue working on initiatives to further improve the community.

"I always strive to be involved with many community efforts, not only City Council, but to make Dauphin a better place to live, work, play and visit," she adds.

Eilers believes that Dauphin's strongest needs are continuing to work toward providing more affordable housing, more health services with a focus on mental health and addictions, increased public safety for residents and businesses, and high-quality affordable child care and senior care.

"Through Communities in Bloom, we've initiated since 2010 efforts in environmental action by increasing [reforestation], composting, recycling and conservation... I feel we need to continue adapting to the everchanging world and promoting energy efficiency methods as well as collaborating efforts for flood mitigation and other extreme weather-related events," she adds.

As for the crime situation, Patti Eilers says everyone in the community needs to get involved in order to lower the crime rate.

"It means that we have to be more vigilant as community members and do timely reporting, so that we can pinpoint different things that are happening in our community," she adds.

Eilers went on to say that the City is already working with the Inter-Mountain Watershed District to develop flood mitigation techniques, since "what happens upstream affects us here in the city and what we do in the city affects all our communities downstream".

The registration deadline for Council, Mayor, Reeve, and School Trustee has passed. Candidates still have until 4:30 this afternoon to withdraw from the race, and a full list of candidates will be confirmed and available tomorrow.