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The new CEO of Prairie Mountain Health says she is honoured to have been warmly welcomed into her new duties by staff and stakeholders across the region.
Treena Slate was hired to replace Brian Schoonbaert, who retired from the position earlier this month.
She sees recruitment and retention of health staff being both the biggest short-term and long-term issues facing PMH.
"We have a very high vacancy rate, which of course leads to excessive overtime and agency use to fill the needs to staff our programs and units. It is an issue that has been plaguing us more so since the pandemic. And I think it is incumbent on us as health leaders in the province to work to re-invigorate health care and to develop that passion that existed to work in health care."
Slate says the need for more doctors, nurses, and lab technicians has also played a big role in the closure or reduction of hours at several emergency rooms throughout the PMH coverage area.
"We always work to ensure that we are looking at things from a geographical perspective. Making sure that we have services available within a geographical area, that people have access that is required, and ensuring that they are aware of what to do if they are in need of emergency service. And just trying to shore up those resources so that we can provide as much service as possible."
Slate adds while Dauphin is well-staffed with physicians, the same can not be said for other parts of the region, where she says there are significant gaps with regards to primary care coverage.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
UPDATE: (April 18 @ 10:13 a.m.)
The RCMP has safely located Gunter.
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Spruce Plains RCMP is on the lookout for a 35-year-old from Minnedosa.
On the morning of April 16, the RCMP received a report of the missing female, 35-year-old Ashley Gunter, who was last seen three days prior at a residence located on White Swan Street in Brandon. A possible sighting was reported earlier on April 17 in the Delta Bay area in Brandon.
Ashley is described as being 5’2”, 140 pounds, with brown hair and hazel colored eyes.
The RCMP are concerned for her wellbeing and are asking anyone who may have seen her, or have information on her current whereabouts, to contact the Minnedosa RCMP at 204-867-2916 or call Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Secure online tips can also be made at Crime Stoppers.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
While the moisture of this week is welcomed by many people looking forward to spring, it's certainly put a damper on the RM of Gilbert Plains.
Reeve Jim Manchur mentioned some of the challenges they're facing this year on the roads.
"We had about 82 roads that experienced some kind of flood event on different levels and a little less on others we had about 82 roads that experienced some sort of washout in the past week."
Updated Road Closure Map as of April 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Posted by Gilbert Plains on Thursday, April 11, 2024
Flooded roads aren't the only problems the RM, as the golf course and campground areas struggle with the excess water.
"We want to get it up and running because the season will be starting soon, but there's a lot of clean up, a lot of damage to the fairways, the greens, the campground buildings, and such."
Most of the roads have re-opened, but Manchur also noted drainage issues still need to be more thoroughly addressed.
With more precipitation on the way, it could be a while before The RM is looking a little less water-logged
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
Several children were likely late to school on Monday morning after they witnessed the arrest of their bus driver.
At roughly 9:30 am, Manitoba First Nations Police Services responded to Procure Road in Waywayseecappo on a report of a school bus driver found under the influence while transporting students.
When officers arrived on the scene, they acquired a breather sample that was twice the legal limit of alcohol.
Officers did note that while there were students on the bus at the time, no one was injured in this case.
The driver was arrested, but released with a pending court date.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
A Mental Health First Aider clinic is set for next Monday and Tuesday in Swan River.
The event, which will take place from 8:30 to 5 both days at the Veterans Community Hall, was rescheduled after being postponed last month due to bad weather.
Participants will not only gain confridence and skills needed to help someone with an emerging mental health problem, but will also gain greater recognition of mental health problems.
The cost to participate is $125, and you can register by contacting Lana Parker at 204-638-2118 extension 1713, 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
The annual Kin Club of Dauphin Business Expo is set for this weekend at Credit Union Place and the Parkland Recreation Complex.
Candice Taylor with the Dauphin Kin Club says they are adding a few new wrinkles to this year's expo.
"Western Bakery is going to be guaranteeing $1,250 each day of minimum payout for our 50/50 table. We are also hosting a Kin Bar this year, so we are going to try something a bit different and a bit new, and Grandview Liquor Company has come forward to sponsor our Kin Bar this year. So we are excited to bring them aboard and have them join us in this new adventure. We will also have a Kids zone in the curling rink."
Entertainment over the weekend includes Doodles the Clown, who appeared in the movie Billy Madison, as well as local dance groups and drummers.
It is set for Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm as well as Sunday from noon to 5.
Taylor says this year's Business Expo is completely sold out.
"With 103 businesses coming, we have a lot of returning businesses, but it is also quite surprising that we have so many businesses that have never been to Expo before. So I am excited to have them join us this year and display their products and make some connections."
Admission to the business expo is free.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
A Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation woman has been sentenced after pleading guilty in relation to the death of a woman on the reserve last summer.
26-year-old Fantasia Prince was originally charged with second-degree murder but pled guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in Portage court this week.
On top of the time already served, Prince was sentenced to a further 1,528 days in jail, along with a 10-year weapons ban.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old resident of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation has pleaded guilty in relation to a February 2022 stabbing of three men.
Terrance Kematch entered the plea in Dauphin court on Monday and was sentenced to time already served, along with 18 months of supervised probation.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak was feeling a large sense of pride while attending last week's Association of Manitoba Municipalities Spring Convention in Brandon.
With lots of discussion during the conference regarding conflict resolution and communication between councils and senior administration, Bosiak was proud to say these are not issues they are having to face here in Dauphin.
"Hats off to our administration that does a great job of doing their job. And then, our council is very competent and engaged, And that is notable for me as I looked around and just got a sense of how involved our council is in the day-to-day business of our community."
Bosiak also took note during the city's caucus about the amount of money some cities are spending to replace recreation facilities.
Flin Flon and Thompson are spending millions of dollars to build new swimming pools, while Steinbach is spending close to 70 million to build a new arena.
Bosiak says that made him think about some of the outstanding infrastructure that our city has, that might be beginning to show its age,
"I think it becomes really incumbent upon us as a municipality, and also on the Rural Municipality (of Dauphin) to contribute a fair proportion of capital towards infrastructure, so we do not have to replace these facilities, so that we can keep them operating effectively, because the cost to replace either our pool, or our curling rink, or our arena down the road will be far more than what we ever paid to build it that many years ago."
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
Mossey River Municipality is cautioning residents in Winnipegosis that the water plant is experiencing higher than normal water consumption.
Residents in that community are being asked to check their water lines, toilets, basements, and crawl spaces for any water leaks.
If you are experiencing water loss, you are asked to call the municipal office at 204-656-4791.
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- Contributed by Jeff Henson
The Parkland Chamber Of Commerce State of the District wrapped up this afternoon with a full house in attendance.
Chamber Executive Director Stephen Chychota was proud to gather the Parkland community together to share what's going on.
"This is always a fun one because it's so dynamic and we get different presentations from different people from all over the region"
Several municipal leaders spoke at the event on various items throughout their RMs.
Reeve James Manchur of Gilbert Plains had a lot to talk about for new developments. Some of these included new housing in the area, a doubling of their waste disposal capacity, a new cannabis shop, and a new fire rescue vehicle expected for 2025.
Manchur noted that it wasn't all good news, as the RM also saw 82 washed-out roads, pointing to provincial drainage that may not have been maintained.
Lyle Morran of Grandview was next to speak on the state of his district, which included programs for hiring new physicians, and a sizeable water/wastewater management project that could cost nearly $1.8 million.
Mayor Robert Brunel then took the stage to talk about the unique projects in Ste. Rose, which includes further development of the Turtle River Trails, the campgrounds, and the Ste. Rose Court Project, which already has kids playing pickup games after the snow melted.
Rm of Dauphin's Reeve Ernie Sirski also spoke, highlighting the growth of the region, the expanse of the city's water to rural areas, and a local successful program. He was proud to announce that the first family through the Immigrate Parkland project has already settled into the area, with more on the way.
Other Speakers included local businesses and development:
Greg Crisanti, a local Tim Hortons Franchisee presented the plan for this year's Smile Cookie Campaign.
Mike Csversko announced plans for the Fourth edition of the Fusion Credit Union "Community Infusion" project.
And, Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corporation showed off their tool kits allowing easy data quantification in rural sectors.
Overall, it was a packed event with lots of development across the Parkland area.
To stay tuned with everything the Chamber of Commerce is up to, Be sure to visit their website at parklandchamber.ca.
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- Contributed by Darnell Duff
The federal budget is being released right now, and it's looking to level the playing field for young home buyers and entrepreneurs.
One of the biggest factors contributing to this is an increase in taxes on capital gains for Canada's top earners, which is projected to pull 19.3 billion dollars in revenue over the next five years.
This new tax would target the wealthiest .13% of Canadian taxpayers as well as corporations and trusts that make over a certain amount.
This change would go into place as of June 25th of this year. Notably, it would not impact 99.87% of Canadians.
Roughly $25 billion has been slated for housing, $2 billion for a national school food program, and a deficit projection of $39.8 billion moving into next year.
Overall, the 2024 federal budget includes $52.9 billion in new spending plans – some of which is loan-based and reliant on provincial buy-in – as well as an estimated $18.1 billion in new tax revenue.
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- Contributed by Michael Brossart
