A Dauphin man is facing numerous charges as part of an ongoing investigation by police.

Rashid Noor, 52, has been arrested and charged with a number of offences under the Excise Act, and the Tax Administration and Miscellaneous Taxes Act (TAMTA).

The charges stem from the execution of two search warrants by Dauphin RCMP at a Main Street Business over the span of four months.

On Dec. 12, 2024, police executed their first search warrant at theestablishment and seized the following:

• 994 unstamped cigarettes;
• 970.2 grams of unstamped tobacco;
• 4,050 Canada stamped cigars being illegally sold as singles;
• 5,025 canada stamped cigarettes; and
• 251 unstamped vaping devices.

On Apr. 3, at approximately 8:30 a.m., as part of the ongoing investigation, Dauphin RCMP executed a second search warrant at the business.

When officers arrived, there was one maleemployee inside who was also the owner.

During the search, the following was seized:

• Four bottles of liquor being sold without a permit;
• 33 pouches -138.6 grams of unstamped tobacco pouches;
• 179 Pouches - 2,178 grams unstamped flavoured nicotine pouches;
• 289 unstamped cigarettes;
• Canada stamped cigars being illegally sold as singles;
• 2,900 Canada stamped cigarettes;
• 106 unstamped vaping devices;
• 432 Canada stamped vaping devices; and
• 47 Bottles -2,970 millitres Canada stamped vaping liquid.

Noor was released from custody for a later court date.

On the fifth anniversary of Melinda Lynxleg’s disappearance, RCMP Major Crimes Services says it is closer than ever before to providing the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve woman’s family some answers as to what exactly happened to her.

Lynxleg, 40, had been missing for over three years when her body was located on June 7, 2023, at an abandoned property in San Clara.

Police located Lynxleg’s body after searching the property, which contained a small house and several outbuildings.

RCMP Forensic Identification Services, RCMP Search and Rescue and a Forensic Anthropologist were all on scene assisting with the search.

An autopsy confirmed her death was a homicide.

“The RCMP does not give up on missing people,” Sergeant Laura LeDrew, a Manitoba RCMP Major Crime Services investigator said at the time.

“More than three years of searching, conducting interviews, collecting evidence. We never stopped. Finding Melinda is an important part of this investigation. She can now go home. But our work is not done.”

Since that time, RCMP Major Crime Services, with assistance of the Roblin RCMP, have been working tirelessly to find answers as to what happened to Lynxleg.

More than 130 people were spoken to by police, as investigators followed up on every lead, while canvassing the entire community.

Police say thousands of hours have been spent looking for answers, including a complete review of the entire investigation, which recently led to new information coming to light.

This development has given the investigation forward momentum and officers are confident they’re even closer to finding those answers.

RCMP Major Crime Services continues to seek out any information someone may have.

If you have not reached out to police before, speak up now.

The RCMP Major Crime Service Tip Line is 1-431-489-8042.

Health care facilities, schools and post-secondary institutions across the province will soon open new high-quality and flexible child-care spaces for children up to six years old, thanks to a partnership between the governments of Canada and Manitoba

Earlier this month, the two governments signed the action plan under the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund, detailing how Manitoba will invest $20.9 million in federal funding over three years to support the creation of approximately 324 child-care spaces in health care facilities across the province.

Through the Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, 256 new child-care spaces will open in six schools, in addition to the 36 new school-based facilities, building additions and renovations previously announced, for a total of over 2,600 new infant and preschool spaces in partnership with 19 school divisions across all regions of Manitoba.

In addition, through the Canada-Manitoba Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, 128 new child-care spaces will be created at Red River College Polytechnic and University College of the North’s Thompson campus. These spaces are in addition to those previously announced at nine other post-secondary campuses across the province, for a combined total of over 800 new spaces at Manitoba post-secondary institutions and a total investment of $60.5 million.

Inveastments are also being made in professional training and curriculum:

• The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) is receiving funding to continue its programming that educates and helps employ up to 50 Ukrainian newcomers.
• The Urban Circle Training Centre is receiving funding to support programming to train 30 Indigenous students to work in the child-care profession.
• The Outdoor Early Childhood Education Grant is providing funding to child-care facilities to enhance current outdoor and land-based programming or create new nature education programming. Grants are available for licensed non-profit centres and nursery schools of up to $25,000 and licensed home-based providers of up to $2,500.
• Tuition reimbursement is available to all Manitoba students and offers up to $5,000 per school year to help cover out-of-pocket tuition-related costs at recognized early childhood education programs offered at post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. Since 2022, the program has provided more than $6.1 million in tuition reimbursement and since this January, the program has supported more than 510 early childhood education students.

To date, in partnership with the government of Canada, the province has opened more than 4,300 child-care spaces for children up to age six.

Police are looking for the public’s help in identify a would be robber.

On Feb. 10, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Dauphin RCMP received a report of an attempted robbery at a business on First Avenue Northeast in the city.

When officers arrived at the scene, they were advised by an employee that a man had entered the store, waited for other customers to leave, before presenting the clerk with a note stating he had a bomb.

The note also instructed the employee to not press the panic button, and demanded cash.

The suspect fled the business on foot empty handed. There were no injuries reported.

Officers began patrols immediately but were not able to locate the suspect.

The suspect is described as wearing a black face covering, a black hoodie, grey pants, and possibly black Converse shoes.

Dauphin RCMP are asking anyone with information to call the detachment at 204-622-5020, call Crime Stoppers anonymously toll-free at 1-800-222-8477, or to submit a secure tip online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.

Eight members of the Parkland Gators Swim Club competed at Swim Manitoba’s junior provincials in Brandon this past weekend, with two swimmers winning gold.

Here is a look at the top 10 results for each of the swimmers.

Lile Montagnion: first place in the girls 50m backstroke; fourth place in the girls 100m backstroke; sixth place in the girls 200m backstroke; seventh place in the girls 50m freestyle; eighth place in the girls 50m flystroke; and ninth place in the girls 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle.

Chayne Paziuk: First place in the boys 50m flystroke; second place in the boys 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle and 50m freestyle; fourth place in the boys 50m breaststroke; and 10th place in the boys 100m breaststroke. 

Frankie Fjeldsted: second place in the girls 200m backstroke; fifth place in the 50m backstroke; and seventh place in the girls 100m backstroke.

Renee Fee: third place in the girls 200m backstroke; sixth place in the girls 100m backstroke; and seventh place in the girls 50m backstroke.

Meredith Cottrell: fifth place in the girls 200m freestyle relay; and seventh place in the girls 200m medley relay.

Polly Fjeldsted: fifth place in the 200m freestyle relay; seventh place in the girls 200m medly relay; and eighth place in the girls 200m backstroke.

Ena Morrisseau: fifth place in the girls 200m freestyle relay; seventh place in the girls 200m medley relay; and eighth place in the girls 100m breaststroke.

Dylan Phillips: fifth place in the girls 200m freestyle relay; and seventh place in the girls 200m medley relay.

Public health officials are notifying the public of five confirmed cases of measles in southern Manitoba, all connected to an outbreak in Ontario.

These cases involve five individuals living within the same household, all of whom were contacts of lab-confirmed cases while recently traveling in Ontario. The individuals have been asked to isolate at home.

As of Jan. 29, 81 cases - 54 confirmed and 27 probable - of measles have been reported in Ontario in 2024 and 2025.

People who were at the following locations are being notified of the possibility of having been exposed to measles virus:

• Reinland Mennonite Church in Winkler – Sunday school and main service, Jan. 26.
• Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg – first floor children’s laboratory and waiting rooms of Clinic X and Clinic W; Orange Bison Zone Level 1 in and around Guildy’s Eatery and adjacent corridors; and the fourth floor cardiology clinic and waiting room in Children’s Hospital, Jan. 31.

The public health investigation is ongoing and additional exposure locations may be added. As more contacts are identified, individuals may be asked to isolate and consider vaccination.

Public health is asking anyone who was in these locations during these times to check their immunization records and ensure they are up to date with a measles vaccine, either measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) or measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV).

It is unlikely people born before 1970 or who have ever received a measles vaccine will get the disease.

However, as a precaution, watch for symptoms of measles. To learn the symptoms of measles and what to do, visit gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/diseases/measles.html.

If symptoms develop, Manitobans are advised to isolate at home and contact their health-care provider and advise them of the potential exposure to measles.

It is best to call ahead so health-care staff can take steps to reduce the exposure of other people to the virus.

Symptoms of measles generally appear seven to 21 days after exposure. Initial symptoms may include fever, runny nose, drowsiness, irritability and red eyes.

Small white spots may also develop on the inside of the mouth or throat.

Several days after the initial symptoms, a red blotchy rash appears on the face and progresses down the body.

Measles can lead to complications including ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia (lung infection) and encephalitis (brain inflammation).

Measles is a highly infectious communicable disease that is spread through droplets in the air formed when coughing or sneezing.

An infected person can spread the virus from four days before the rash appears until four days after.

The disease tends to be more severe in infants and young children and can be life-threatening.

Dan Mazier is backing Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s promise to crack down on those convicted in the trafficking, production, and distribution of fentanyl by imposing mandatory life sentences, should Conservatives form government after the next election.

“Fentanyl is destroying families across Canada. This deadly drug has seeped into our once safe, rural communities,” the Dauphin Swan River-Neepawa member of parliament said.

“Making and selling fentanyl is murdering our loved ones. It’s time we stop the criminals who are poisoning our streets and hold them accountable with the toughest penalties possible,” he added.

Under the plan, life sentences would be imposed on anyone caught trafficking, producing, or exporting over 40 mg of fentanyl. As well, a mandatory 15-year sentence for traffickers caught with between 20 mg and 40 mg of fentanyl was promised. According to data, 40 mg of fentanyl is enough to kill 20 people.

Since 2016, 49,000 Canadians have died of opioid overdoses – a 200 per cent increase. Mazier said that the rise of organized crime “superlabs” has turned Canada into a drug manufacturing hub, with fentanyl not only devastating our communities, but also being exported abroad.

According to the RCMP, last year federal investigators took down the largest, most sophisticated drug superlab in Canada with enough ingredients to produce 95 million lethal doses – enough to kill every Canadian twice.

Mazier criticized the current federal government for enabling the situation.

“Despite this crisis, the NDP-Liberal coalition weakened Canada’s drug laws, eliminating mandatory jail time for fentanyl production and trafficking through Bill C-5. Their failed drug legalization experiment has unleashed crime, chaos, and addiction, leaving families and communities to suffer the consequences.” Mazier said.

“I’m hearing so many traumatizing stories about the devasting impacts of drugs in our region. It breaks my heart knowing that families no longer feel safe raising their children in our beautiful communities.”

Mazier said moer than 80 per cent of accidental opioid deaths in Canada involve fentanyl.

“We can’t allow this rise in fentanyl production and distribution to continue. We will lock up the traffickers, crack down on production, and stop the flow of deadly drugs into our streets,” he said.

Mazier has also pledged to support the reversal of bills C-5 and C-75, which he says are responsible for the catch-and-release of repeat offenders.

Boaters are once again looking forward to enjoying some time on the waters of Clear Lake in 2025 after Parks Canada announced it’s plans to permit watercraft on the lake, reversing a complete ban imposed last season.

The decision was made after the discovery of hundreds of live juvenile zebra mussels attached to docks and infrastructure near the east end of Clear Lake in the fall of 2024.

The discovery confirmed fears that zebra mussels are not isolated to the Boat Cove area of the lake, where they had previously been found and where the containment curtain had been installed and prompted a review of management actions.

With input and advice from Indigenous advisors, the Province of Manitoba, and leading scientific and international experts, it was determined that eradicating zebra mussels from Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park is not feasible.

But while access to the lake will be restored, it will not be a free-for-all as Parks Canada is looking to implement a “one boat, one lake” aquatic invasive species prevention program.

The program will be similar to 2023, where boat owners had their trailers tagged to only be used in Clear Lake and nowhere else.

The idea is that although controling the invasive species in the waters of Clear Lake is not possible at this time, zebra mussels are a real and significant threat to downstream waterbodies. These waterbodies flow through five First Nations, are important for agriculture, industry, and recreation, and provide drinking water for tens of thousands of people.

Within RMNP, Parks Canada is committed to managing the impacts of zebra mussels on the natural environment and the vitality of the local tourism economy.

As it decides how the one boat, one lake program will be applied this year, Parks Canada is seeking public input into the process.

Representatives will be set-up near the skating rink behind the Wasagaming Visitor Centre, Feb. 1 and 2 from noot to 4 p.m. People are invited to contribute input to the 2025 AIS Prevention Program as part of the Winter Adventure Weekend.

The information collected will be used to inform the management of Clear Lake’s aquatic invasive species prevention program for the coming year.

There is also an opportunity to provide input through an online questionnaire available until Feb. 28, at www.parks-parcs.simplesurvey.com/f/s/Clear-Lake-Riding-Mountain-2024

For more information and updates about zebra mussels, boating and aquatic invasive species prevention in Riding Mountain National Park visit www.parks.canada.ca.

A recent traffic stop by Dauphin RCMP has landed two city residents in jail facing numerous charges.

In the early morning hours of Jan. 18, police stopped a vehicle on First Avenue Southeast in Dauphin.

When officers approached the vehicle to speak with the male driver and female passenger, they noticed the odour of cannabis coming from inside the vehicle. They also observed open liquor in the front seat.

Both the 25-year-old driver, and 29-year-old passenger were arrested on scene.

After a subsequent search of the vehicle officers located oxycodone, methamphetamine, cocaine, codeine, and Canadian currency.

Troy Pruden and Angel Chartrand were charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime less than $5,000, as well as violations under the Highway Traffic Act.

Both individuals were remanded in custody.

The Manitoba government has introduced several new measures to help improve student safety and bring greater accountability, discipline and transparency for teachers through legislative amendments.

The new teacher certification and professional conduct framework through the Education Administration Amendment Act includes a public registry of certified Manitoba teachers who have a teaching certificate, as well as information on whether a teacher’s certificate has been suspended or cancelled.

The teacher registry is now available to the public online.

The new teacher professional conduct review process has now taken effect. The review process will be led by an independent commissioner, Bobbi Taillefer, who will receive and investigate complaints, facilitate consent resolution agreements and refer cases to a hearing panel for adjudication. The hearing panel will be made up of teachers, representatives nominated by the Manitoba School Boards Association and members of the public, which include:

• Erin Bockstael (public representative), manager of family and community programs at the Women’s Health Clinic;
• Gavin Bruce Strang (public representative), a professor in the department of history at Brandon University;
• Gord Schumacher (public representative), the executive director of the Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police;
• Raven-Dominique Gobeil (public representative), the senior in-house attorney for the First Nations Family Advocate Office;
• Kevin Sterner (independent schools representative);
• Morgan Whiteway (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Elizabeth Mitchell (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Alison Bourrier (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Charles Cochrane (Manitoba School Boards Association representative);
• Vinh Huynh (Manitoba Teacher Society representative);
• Jesse Thomaschewski (Manitoba Teacher Society representative); and
• Nicole Lavallee (Manitoba Teacher Society representative).

The registry is available to the public at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/profcert/registry/index.html.