The Parkland Crisis Centre and Women’s Shelter in Dauphin was among the recipients sharing $750,000 courtesy of the province’s  Criminal Property Forfeiture (CPF) Fund.

A grant of $35,000 was provided to the organization, which provides support services to women and children escaping intimate partner abuse, a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter, counselling, child and youth programs, support groups, referrals and advocacy.

“The Parkland Crisis Centre and Women’s Shelter is excited to announce the newly-formed partnership with Victim Services to improve service accessibility within our community,” said Kari Prawdzik, executive director of the Parkland Crisis Centre.

“The shelter is passionate about empowering individuals to break free from the cycles of violence and building healthier futures. Our organization’s goals are to assist in providing life-changing support to those affected by family, intimate partner and gender-based violence.”

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the money  provided last week is meant to support victims and surviving family members of serious crimes, including homicide, sexual assault and intimate partner violence,

“November is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and our government is strengthening its support for victims of intimate partner violence and other serious crimes throughout the province,” Wiebe said.

“Our public safety strategy commits to supporting Manitobans victimized by crime and we are able to help victims and their families rebuild their lives by redirecting the proceeds of criminal activity in Manitoba to valuable community programs.”

The Parkland Crisis Centre and Women’s Shelter and WMWC are receiving CPF victim services grants for the first time, the minister noted.

The CPF Fund distributes proceeds from the sale of seized criminal property to organizations in the province that focus on community safety.

The CPF Fund also includes a funding stream for the Manitoba Justice Victim Services branch, which offers support to all individuals under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. Last year, the province increased the fund to $750,000 from $500,000 in previous years.

Read the full story on this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

A teen offender is facing several firearms charges after being found with a prhibited weapon.

On Nov. 10, Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP received a call with information that an 18-year-old man was observed walking around the community of O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi (Crane River First Nation) with a firearm.

Officers respoinded to the residence of the man in question and arrested him without incident after locating a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition in a bag at the rear of the residence.

The investigation also determined the suspect pointed a firearm at several youths in the community.

The teen, from O-Chi-Chak-Ko-Sipi, was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of weapon for  dangerous purposes and pointing a firearm.

The man was released with an order to appear at  a future court date.

Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP continue to investigate.

Dauphin RCMP interrupted two men in the process of  stealing copper building supplies from a house under renovation in the south end of the city, at the end of October.

In the mid morning of Oct. 23, Dauphin RCMP received a report of a break and enter in progress at a vacant residence on Third Avenue Southeast.

Officers responded immediately and noticed the back door was damaged and was a point where someone could have possibly entered the residence.

As police approached the door, movement could be heard inside.

A call out was made for the occupants to exit the residence, but they did not comply.

Officers then observed an unknown man trying to crawl out of a side window. The man was notified he was under arrest and eventually complied after repeated demands from one of the officers.

Another unknown man was then seen crawling out the bottom of the back door carrying a backpack. He was arrested without incident.

During a search of the residence, extensive damage was observed in the basement where large holes in the drywall were evident in numerous places.

Police also seized two hockey bags full of copper wire and piping.

Two men aged 36, and 47 from Dauphin, were charged with breaking and entering.

Dauphin RCMP continue to investigate.

• • •

Late last week, multiple RCMP units joined forces to arrest a prolific offender following a  chase through the woods.

On the morning of Oct. 30, Dauphin RCMP received information that a wanted man was near Keld.

RCMP officers from the Dauphin, Ste. Rose du Lac, and Roblin detachments, as well as the Manitoba West District Crime Reduction Enforcement Team (CREST) and RCMP Police Dog Services all  headed to the area to search for the man.

Following an extensive search, the suspect was observed near a gravel pit and was seen running into a wooded area.

PD Services officers Marook and Skipper, with assistance from a drone, were deployed and began tracking the suspect through difficult terrain, including thick brush and a deep river.

After approximately three hours of searching, 27-year-old Jordy Robertson was located and safely taken into custody.

Roberston, of the RM of Gilbert Plains, faces several charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, operation of a motor vehicle while prohibited, flight from a peace officer, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, mischief over $5,000, and three counts of failing to comply with a probation order.

Robertson was remanded in custody.

Manitoba’s opposition Progressive Conservatives are upset with Premier Wab Kinew and his NDP government for voting against an Opposition Day motion they say would bring labour equality and equity to construction job sites in Manitoba.

The motion would have immediately reversed what Borderland MLA Josh Guenter, PC Critic for Labour, calls the divisive “Manitoba Jobs Agreement,” which favours unionized workers ahead of non-unionized workers.

“This so-called jobs agreement is clearly discriminatory,” Guenter said.

“The policy penalizes non-unionized workers. It needs to be scrapped immediately and replaced with a strategy to ensure that all Manitoba tradespeople can benefit from large government contracts, regardless of their union status.”

Last month, Kinew signed an agreement with a coalition of trade unions to prioritize unionized tradespeople on major public infrastructure projects in Manitoba. Contractors hiring workers for government-funded construction projects valued at $50 million or more are required to hire Manitoba unionized construction workers first, followed by non-unionized Manitobans, followed by Canadian union members, then non-unionized Canadian construction workers.

The Winnipeg Construction Association and the Construction Association of Rural Manitoba, which represent hundreds of construction companies that will be bidding on the government-funded projects, were not consulted in developing the Manitoba Jobs Agreement.

The organizations fear that the agreement will lead to higher construction costs and create a two-tiered system that favours unionized workers over open shop companies.

An estimated 80 per cent of construction workers in Manitoba are not unionized.

“This was a backroom deal between Wab Kinew and his union-boss pals,” Guenter said.

“Discriminating against non-unionized workers will drive those workers out of Manitoba, adding to the shortage of skilled labour. Taxpayers deserve the best possible value for their dollar and all qualified contractors should be able to bid on these contracts, whether they’re unionized or open shop.”

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) has recruited eight new physicians to the region through the Medical Licensure Program for International Medical Graduates (MLPIMG).

The recruitments were made in collaboration with the Province, Shared Health and community partners. The MLPIMG Program assists foreign-trained doctors in obtaining their medical license to be able to practice as a family physician in Manitoba.

“During the past year, the region sponsored eight physicians to participate in the MLPIMG program” said PMH CEO Treena Slate.

“After much consideration, physicians that successfully graduated from the program were placed at various sites within PMH communities that require additional sufficient physician resources.”

The newly-recruited physicians are Dr. Uche Adediji, Dr. Toyin Oluwatuyi and Dr. Oghenekevwe Ekrebe in Swan River, Dr. Louis Eleche in Neepawa, Dr. Anahita Yousefiadib and Dr. Zoia Khattak in Roblin,  Dr. Sylvia Oranika in Virden and Dr. Rilwan Azeez in Souris.

In return for regional sponsorship, MLPIMG doctors agree to practice in their respective communities for four years.

The placements come on the heels of five MLPIMG physicians placed in the communities of Deloraine, Grandview, Russell, Ste. Rose and Virden in 2024 and six placed in Glenboro, Hamiota, Russell, Swan River and Virden in 2023.

During the next rotation, which is already underway, PMH is sponsoring seven  physicians who commenced their training in June. If successful, they will be able to commence practice in the health region next fall.

Manitoba’s Auditor General, Tyson Shtykalo, released a report late last week examining allegations of wrongdoing involving several of the province’s municipalities, including two in the Parkland.

The report confirmed allegations that a former head of council at the Municipality of Ethelbert acted unilaterally, violating governance norms and conflict-of-interest rules.

Shtykalo indicated documentation provided by the municipality showed several instances of improper governance by the person in question, most of which involved circumventing the policies and procedures of the municipality and The Municipal Act.

The report included three examples:

• The former head of council purchased a vehicle through an online auction from Alberta, then travelled there to pick it up. The individual was reimbursed for their travel without any knowledge or approval of council.
• When the municipality offered surplus property for tender, the former head of council’s son was one of the bidders. Conflict of interest rules would require that the former head of council excuse himself from all discussions and council decisions of the sale. The former head of council refused to excuse himself from the discussion. Ultimately, the property was sold to his son.
• The former head of council ordered water and sewer lines for a project on his own instead of involving Public Works. He ordered the wrong size lines, resulting in an expense of several thousand dollars.

In another investigation, allegations that the Municipality of Swan Valley West purchased fire trucks without tendering, violating the municipality’s purchasing policy, were examined.

Shtykalo concluded the allegations were partially confirmed as two of the three fire trucks were not purchased in accordance with the Municipality’s purchasing policy. Additionally, one of the fire trucks was purchased without a council resolution until several months after the purchase.

The main focus of the report, requested by the Minister of Finance under Section 16 of The Auditor General Act, a cybersecurity incident involving the Municipality of Westlake-Gladstone.

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.

Donna Davidson and Shelley Love shot a 75 to win the championship flight at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Ladies Open Two-person Scramble, Saturday, at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club.

Three shots behind the winning duo was the team of Lane Prokopowich and Linda Kitching, while Marilyn Schwitzer and Pearl Maksymetz were third after shooting an 82.

Ally Warkentin and Kayla Hagenson were fourth after carding an 83 and Colleen Johnson and Verna Vanrobaeys shot an 86 to finish fifth.

Deannie Boraskavich and Noella Kilimnik won the first flight on a countback over Barb Hrehirchuk and Lori Mathieson after both teams finished with a 90.

In third place were Melissa MacQuarrie and Nadine Soloway, while fourth place went to Jill Watt and Lois Bednarski on a countback after they tied with Karen Todorian and Morgan Kropelnicki with a 92.

A 95 put Donna Campbell and Marie Sawyer in first place in the second flight, one shot ahead of runners-up Colette Robinson and Terri Rampton.

In third place, with a 97, were Amber Tarrant and Beth Tarrant and in fourth place, with a 99, were Evelyn Beyette and Jean Geiser. Eleanor Snitka and Tesse Memme were fifth with an even 100.

The Canadian Red Cross response to 2025 wildfires is the largest  operation in the organization’s recent history.

Since May, the Red Cross has been providing humanitarian assistance to people impacted by wildfires across the country with operations in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada, surpassing operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s wildfire response includes operating a mega-congregate shelter with capacity for more than 3,000 people, deploying 1,200 personnel, registering 52,000 people, securing 815 flights for 10,000 people, and securing 200,000 hotel nights.

Data collected from this year’s wildfire season reveals a new threshold for both the size and complexity of response operations in Canada, and it is critical to prepare for future events, the organization said in a press release.

The Red Cross recommends the need for:

• strengthened capacity to respond to all-hazard events in Canada;
• a permanent investment in a civilian operational response capacity such as that of the Red Cross Humanitarian Workforce; and
• enhanced co-ordination across government and whole-of-society response actors.

This year’s rise in response operations demonstrates a year-over-year trend in rising emergencies across Canada.

Continued investments in pan-Canadian civilian response capacity, such as those made possible through the Government of Canada’s humanitarian workforce program, are critical to maintaining the response capacity needed to respond to rising events and must be maintained.

“We have reached a critical tipping point this response season, with more than 1,200 Red Cross personnel deployed to support fire operations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. This represents the largest volume of domestic response operations in our modern history, with needs continuing to rise,” said Conrad Sauvé, Canadian Red Cross president and CEO.

“We continue to surge our response with specialized expertise to meet rising demands. Continued investment in our Civilian Response capacity is critical as we can no longer treat these events as exceptional.”

Quick facts

During the wildfire response, the Red Cross:

• deployed 1,200 personnel to support response operations –including 630 volunteer deployments contributing more than 88,000 volunteer hours;
• secured 815 flights carrying more than 10,000 passengers requiring evacuation from their communities;
• operated 45 reception sites across four provinces; and
• operated 11 congregate shelters, including a mega-shelter with capacity for more than 3,000 people in Winnipeg.

Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek) hosted a four-person scramble golf tournament, Friday at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club.

The team of Peter Genaille, Stacy Genaille, Faron Genaille and Tristan Genaille won the championship flight, finishing with a 51.

In second place was the team of Darcy Malcolm, Rene Hunter Jr., J.C. Houle and Eric P., with a score of 54. One shot back in third place were Darryl Lacquette, Elvis Nepinak, Tyler Lacquette and Jose Lacquette.

Winners of the first flight on a countback, with a score of 59, were Marvin Traverse, Koby Shorting, Faron Shorting and Darren Summer. In second place was John North, Braden North, Cody North and Johnny North.

Larry Nepinak Jr., Earl Thompson, Ian Moosetail and Brent Moosetail were third with a 60.

The second flight was won by Nelson Kematch, Sean Cook, A.J. Cook and Ivan C., finishing with a 62. Calvin Campeau, Nelson Leaske, Able Gott and Dennis Chartrand were awarded second place on a countback over John Sinclair, Lou Shorting, Albert Shorting and Kyle Sinclair as both teams shot a 63.

Bert Mekish, Pat Mekish, Stacey Mekish and Joseph Nepinak won the third flight on a countback, shooting a 65, the same score as runners-up Nelson Nepinak,  Henry Nepinak, Fred Nepinak and Larry Nepinak Sr.

In third place were Chief Derek Nepinak, Keewatin Nepinak, councillor Kevin McKay and Shawn Woods.

Closest-to-the-pin winners were Nelson Leaske on no. 2, Dave Contois on no. 6, Kyle Sinclair on no. 9, Faron Genaille on no. 11 and Johnny North on no. 14.

Skins winners were John North, Darryl Lacquette, Peter Genaille and Darcy Malcolm, while Jeffery Roulette won the longest drive contest, Lou Shorting won the putting contest and Dayce Roulette won the shoot-out.

The Dauphin Kings’ top scorer from the last two seasons will take his talent to the Niagara University Purple Eagles of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, a Division 1 school.

Cayden Glover joined the Kings early in the 2023-24 season from the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars.

He led the team with 48 points in 50 games, including 20 goals. This season, Glover led the Kings with 33 goals and 52 points in only 38 games, missing the final six weeks with an injury.

The Kings continue recruiting for next season, with Quebec City’s Emrick Gagnon being the latest player to sign a letter of intent.

Gagnon played for Nichols School in the United States High School Preparatory, where the 19-year-old scored 19 goals and added 29 assists for 48 points in 66 games.

Registration is now open for the Kings’ development camp, which runs, Aug. 25 to 28, for ages seven and up.

Instructors will include former Kings Aidan Brook, Carson Cherepak, Brayden Dube, Riese Gaber, Nakodan Greyeyes, Grady Hobbs, Owen Wareham and Cole Sheffield, as well as current players and coaches.

Battle for the Belts

Spots are still open for this year’s Battle for the Belts.

The sixth annual two-person scramble is set to return, July 20, at the Gilbert Plains Country Club and will feature a $10,000 hole-in-one prize.

The entry fee is $160 and must be prepaid by contacting the Gilbert Plains Country Club at 204-548-3030, Dan at 204-572-7552, or Chris at 204-648-7989.

There will be equal flights, closest-to-the-pin contests, a meal and prizes, with all proceeds going to improvements at the golf course.

Track provincials

cancelled

The Manitoba High School Athletic Association’s track and field provincials, scheduled for early June, were cancelled due to poor air quality as a result of the wildfires throughout the province.

There were athletes from Dauphin who were going for the first time, but also repeat athletes. Some of their ranked times for the 100-m were in the top eight and for the 400-m in the top four in the province.