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.

The end of any year is a time for celebration and reflection. It is also a time to cast thoughts towards the future to wish and to plan.

With 2024 coming to a close, Dauphin’s elected officials at all three levels of government did just that.

Here are their hopes for 2025.

Dauphin-Swan River- Neepawa

For Dan Mazier, MP for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, the goals for the coming year focus on building on his work completed throughout his time as MP for the riding.

As a member of the opposition, Mazier keeps hearing people are ready for an election, due mainly to the policies of the current Liberal government.

Affordability, he said, is the number one issue that he keeps hearing about, along with other issues such as a housing shortage, inflation and crime.

Last year, Mazier spearheaded a private members bill C-299 for connectivity and internet service providers.

Looking ahead, Mazier said the focus will shift to cell phones.

“With my bill, they have to be a lot more transparent in what kind of service they’re selling you. That is going to, hopefully go over to cell phone service,” he said.

During his travels throughout the constituency, Mazier has noticed there are holes in cell phone service.

“There’s something going on in our cell phone service area and I know why it is. It’s because they’re going up in spectrum and they need to install more infrastructure, but they’re just not in rural Canada,” he said, adding that is something he plans on addressing to hold service providers more accountable.

Mazier hosted passport clinics throughout the riding in the summer, which proved to be popular, with more than 400 people taking part.

“So we plan on, again, providing that service that government just doesn’t provide in rural areas,” he said.

The primary focus in the new year, Mazier said, will be to hold the government to account until such time as an election is called.

“That’s our job. Bottom line, that’s our job,” he said.

“My number one focus is representing the Parkland and the riding in Ottawa on your behalf. It’s an honour every day to do it. And I have to honestly say, it’s been an honour of my lifetime to be doing this. I do do it with great enthusiasm and vigour on behalf of all the people in the constituency.”

Dauphin constituency

For Manitoba Agriculture minister and Dauphin MLA Ron Kostyshyn, his hopes for the constituency centre on the successes his NDP government has enjoyed over the past year.

“It’s great to be working with a government that’s been proactive in the last year,” he said.

“We’ve got some challenges ahead of us, but we’ve made some progress.”

Looking at the big picture, Kostyshyn is proud of the progress that has been made across the province in the areas of health care, education and making life affordable for Manitobans.

If he had his way, that progress would continue in the coming year.

“Not only in the Dauphin constituency, but all through Manitoba,” Kostyshyn said.

“If I had a big wish, and if I could make that happen, that’s probably going to be my number one opportunity.”

Focussing a little closer to home, Kostyshyn said the constituency has realized some major accomplishments over the last year.

Pointing to the success of the Manitoba Summer Games and the facility legacy left by that event. He also pointed to the redevelopment of Main Street South in Dauphin and the scheduled construction of Prairie Park Place, a new day care facility, and the growth and potential of the Northgate Trails system as examples of why 2024 was such a good year in Dauphin Valley.

“Also the financial support towards the Gilbert Plains golf course. You know, there are so many things,” he said.

“We can go back on a number of other things from the ground up”

And while some might be inclined to sit back and revel in those triumphs, now is not the time to rest on our laurels, he said.

“Specifically being my backyard, me being the MLA for Dauphin, we need to make things progress, and I think we’ve made some major inroads this year,” Kostyshyn said.

“I think we’re going to continue to grow the opportunity in the Dauphin constituency and the surrounding area.”

As a producer and minister of agriculture, Kostyshyn knows the importance of agriculture across the Dauphin constiuency. Celebrating some of the successes that have been realized, particularly in the area of  Crown land leases.

Looking forward, he hopes the conditions are right to continue along the path to prosperity for everyone through further successes in agricuture.

“We look forward to, hopefully, a profitable year for all agriculture producers and in the industries directly or indirectly associated with agriculture,” he said.

And while success is never a guarantee, Kostyshyn added he will be doing his part to make sure every opportunity is seized on behalf of Dauphin area residents and Manitobans as a whole.

“Our government, we are going to be proactive trying to make life affordable for everybody. one of (the steps) being we’re going to freeze Hydro rates as a beginning to the New Year,” he said, adding he will be doing his part to make 2025 as successful and positive as it can be.

“As the MLA for Dauphin, I will be talking to the Health minister, be talking to the Education minister, be talking to the Finance minister. We’re talking about economic growth in the province of Manitoba and throughout the Dauphin constituency.”

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

Dauphin MLA Ron Kostyshyn recently honoured the legacy of John Shuttleworth through his contributions to ensuring community safety through Dauphin’s Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program with a special Member Statement read at the Legislature.

Following the statement, Kostyshyn presented a framed copy of the speech to Shuttleworth’s wife Anne and daughter Sho-Sho Shuttleworth-Lafontaine, along with granddaughter Sarah, and son-in-law Cory.

John Shuttleworth’s dedication to ensuring that residents of Dauphin and surrounding areas had a way to get home safely after holiday celebrations lives on through three generations of volunteers.

His vision has been carried forward by his family and many committed community members, making the RIDE program one of Manitoba’s longest-running and most impactful initiatives.

The Dauphin Friendship Centre provides a safe space for  RIDE to operate each holiday season and the organization’s ongoing support has been invaluable.

Now in its 32nd season, RIDE continues to play a vital role in reducing impaired driving and keeping the community safe.

For Kostyshyn, it was a privilege to recognize the incredible work of RIDE volunteers at the Legislature and extend gratitude to everyone who dedicates their time and effort to ensure its success.

RIDE operates Fridays and Saturdays throughout December, and New Year’s Eve. Anyone wanting to access its services can call 204-639-5707.

Dauphin and District Community Food Bank (DDCFB) received an early Christmas present from Dauphin Consumers Co-op last week.

Reflecting on its 85 years of serving the community, Co-op wanted to round out 2024 in a way that honours its position in the community, by giving back.

To that end Robin Gambler of the DDCFB was lured down to the Co-op Food score under the guise of having a photo taken with a donation from Co-op. It wasn’t until she got that Gambler learned she wasto take part in a surprise shopping spree in aid of DDCFB.

Rather than simply having a photo taken, Gambler raced through the store pushing a shopping cart while Co-op employees filled it items necessary for the food bank to provide vital support to those in need.

In the end DDCFB received more than $850 in groceries.

“Co-op you are amazing. That was so much fun and on behalf of the Dauphin and District Food Bank we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Gambler said.

As the co-operative celebrate its history of service and success, Marketing and Community Relations manager Joan Chetyrbok said it' is important to remember that giving back to the people that helped aachieve that success is what truly makes the community stronger.

“This shopping spree is a way for us to say thank you and give back to an organization that has made such a positive impact,” she said.

“Our goal is to help stock the shelves of the food bank, ensuring that families and individuals in need have access to the food and resources they require. It’s a wonderful way to give back, especially as we head into the holiday season when donations and support are so important.”

A well-respected producer from the Ste. Rose is being honoured by the Manitoba Forage Growers Association.

Shauna Breault, along with former MFGA board chair Lawrence Knockaert, a dairy farmer from Bruxelles, was announced as the organization’s 2024 Wall of Fame inductees during the MFGA’s seventh annual regenerative agriculture conference, last week.

Breault, a regenerative agriculture rancher from Toutes Aides, was an integral voice in forage and lease matters on Manitoba’s Crown agricultural landsas part of the MFGA board before leaving in 2023.

“I have had the privilege of sitting on the MFGA board with Lawrence and Shauna, both who have contributed above and beyond to our MFGA organization,” said Mike Duguid, MFGA chair. 

“Shauna was a key board member on the MFGA board. Consistently, her thoughts on important matters were always in line with where we needed to go, and often we did. Shauna, husband Clayton and their family, are leaders on regen ag at their large ranch operation, including operating on Crown lands leases north of Ste. Rose. Shauna’s leadership on Crown lands both as a leaseholder and as MFGA’s lead on the file led to many meaningful, solutions-focused conversations with ministers and senior leaders at Manitoba Agriculture that, to this day, continue to showcase the importance and connectivity of the MFGA and including our voices at the table in key discussions.”

Breault is being inducted in the Agriculture Leadership/Government Relations category while Knockaer will join in the area of Organizational Leadership.

The 2024 recipients bring the number of MFGA Wall of Fame honourees to 12 over four years.

The MFGA Wall of Fame resides on MFGA.net.

Duguid said the nominations were collected in conversations and at board meetings and the elected 2024 recipients were unanimously approved by MFGA board members during meetings leading up to the conference. He added a main principle of the induction process is that the inductees cannot be current board members or staff members.