The Westwood Inn and Conference Centre was home to PC Party leadership candidate Obby Khan this past weekend (Feb. 8), learning and connecting with Khan about Manitoba...

The Pas and Area Animal Shelter held an open house and Pet Care 101 event last Saturday, January 31. This gave people a chance to stop by the animal shelter and learn more about the organization, but most importantly, meet the pets available for adoption.
There are lots to consider before becoming a pet owner. People need to understand all the responsibilities associated with being a pet owner.
“Families should discuss and make sure they are ready to take on a cat or dog before doing so,” said The Pas and Area Animal Shelter Manager Tina Donaldson. “Things to consider are costs involved when getting a pet, making sure one can vet and feed them, give them the exercise and attention they need. It also helps to research the breed of pet to help owners get a better understanding of the pet’s traits.
“When adopting from a shelter, be patient. Training may be needed with some of the pets. Some have come from abusive or neglectful backgrounds. Give them time to adjust to their new environments, to gain your trust and make them feel safe and loved.”

The announcement of Peavey Mart closing spread like wildfire when the franchise first announced it was closing operations only in certain parts of Canada. That quickly changed into the franchise closing its doors permanently and leaving Swan River with another loss.
The Star and Times reached out to Peavey Mart for comment and they declined to answer any questions but released the following statement,
“Peavey Industries LP ("Peavey" or "the Company"), Canada’s largest farm and ranch retail chain, announced today that it has sought and obtained an Initial Order for creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) from the Court of King’s Bench Alberta.
Following the recently announced closures of 22 stores in Ontario and Nova Scotia, the Company will now begin store closing sales at all remaining locations across Canada. This includes 90 Peavey Mart stores and six MainStreet Hardware locations. The closures and liquidation efforts will commence immediately.

The Opasquia Trails are working on becoming fully accessible so that people with mobility issues or parents who have children in strollers can soon enjoy the trails. As a result of the work being started, some parts are closed off to the public.
“Right now, the snowshoe and forested hiking trails are closed,” said Opasquia Trails Secretary Heather Perchaluk. “However, the boardwalk and trailhead area remain open for public use. We also ask that people stay off the ice road for safety reasons.

Manitoba Harm Reduction Network (MHRN) released their 2023-2024 yearly report with the focus being to create a safer, more inclusive Manitoba by challenging harmful systems and advocating for respect and safety for all.
“There are many positive outcomes which you can see in our annual reports and evaluation on our website at mhrn.ca,” said MHRN Executive Director Shohan Illsley. “We have engaged people who use substances and are impacted by colonial and structural harms, also known as peers. We have over 800 peers engaged in the province, most of who were not accessing any services before connecting with MHRN. This has increased in peers engaging with social and health care services, including STBBI testing and linkage to care through peer-led events and access to addiction services including RAAM and treatment.
“There has also been an increase in education through community-based outreach and education events in line with national and international activities such as Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Week and others. We have over 300 service and health care providers engaged in local harm reduction networks where they identify and address local community needs regarding sexual health, STBBIS, and substance use.”

As the health region spending the most, Prairie Mountain Health has been directed to reduce private agency nursing costs by 15 per cent by the end of this fiscal year.

Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara issued the directive last week as part of a systemwide effort to refocus funding on nurses in the public system.

“Prairie Mountain Health has consistently been dealt a bad hand,” said Asagwara.

“Alongside the challenges in the area, the previous government gave the region little to no support by cutting services, closing ERs and firing nurses resulting in millions overspent on private nursing agencies. Enough is enough. It’s time to put a hard stop on private for-profit nursing agency over-spending and re-invest in the public system. Our government is committed to working with all health regions to bring nurses back into the public system.”

In an emailed statement Prairie Mountain Health indicated patient care will be a priority as it works to fulfill the government’s directive.

“Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) is committed to providing consistent, safe, reliable and quality care. PMH commends the work of the Province in reducing reliance on agency nursing. We are diligently working to reduce our dependency on private agencies,” the statement read.

“The recent issue of the request for proposal referenced in the provincial announcement is a step toward redirecting nurses into the public system. In addition, reducing the number of agency organizations will assist in streamlining administrative processes, and in reducing costs. Utilizing the provincial travel nurse team is also proving to be an effective way to reduce agency nurse usage.”

The statement also indicated the health authority remains committed to hiring nurses into the provincial system.

“We remain focused on recruitment strategies including promoting the advantages of working for PMH versus agency.  PMH offers robust staff wellness resources, a pension plan and benefits that are not usually available through private employers,” the statement read.

“Regional recruitment initiatives also include attendance at career fairs, offering student practicums, and local and provincial grants and incentives.”

PC Health Critic Kathleen Cook said attempts by the government to shift the focus to PMH is simply a distraction from their own failures to address problems in the system.

Documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests show agency nursing costs in PMH have increased by 25 per cent this year, with the province on track to spend more than $25 million on agency nurses in Prairie Mountain Health alone.

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

Grade 4 students from the Swan Valley and area converged at the SVRSS on Wednesday (Jan. 29) for My Vision 4 My Education, where the elementary-level students get a sneak peek at the opportunities that await them at the secondary regional school where they are projected to attend in less than five years...

The Roblin Grandview Gilbert Plains Raiders high school hockey team is hosting a benefit for the Van Wingerden family later this month.
The Raiders will be taking on the Russell Trojans Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Centennial Arena with all proceeds of the game going to the family. Game time is 1 p.m.
More in this week’s issue.

The former chief administrative officer of Gilbert Plains Municipality has been officially charged in connection with allegations of fraud following a two-year investigation.

On Jan. 16, as part of a joint investigation involving the Dauphin RCMP detachment and Manitoba RCMP Cyber and Financial Crime Unit (CFCU), Amber Fisher, 40, was arrested and charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and use of proceeds knowing it was obtained by the commission of an offence.

The investigation began following a complaint  in 2022 that Fisher had defrauded the municipality of upwards of $500,000 while employed there.

Reeve Jim Manchur said the municipality has been anticipating this day for some time.

“We initiated this process over two years ago, so we had hoped it would happen sooner than it did, but we’re glad that we’re at this point,” Manchur said.

The investigation involved numerous witness statements, along with the obtaining and review of extensive financial records and other reports.

“Any time you have an investigation of this duration that reaches the charge stage it’s a major milestone. However, the work is not complete,” said Const. Ricky Perkins of the Manitoba RCMP CFCU.

“We realize for the people affected, a lengthy investigation can feel as if there is no progress being made. In reality, there are many investigative steps taking place behind the scenes, and we’ll continue to work with the Dauphin RCMP Detachment until it’s conclusion.”

However the municipality has not been idle while they have been waiting for the investigation to process.

One step they have taken, Manchur said, was to sue Fisher in an attempt to recoup their losses.

“We’re still in the process of that. That’s another, kind of, frustrating thing, it takes time so we’re hoping that will move forward as time goes by,” he said.

He added the municipality has also been working closely with it’s insurance company in an effort to minimize its losses.

“I would say that of the $500,000 plus that we lost, $400,000 did come back from insurance, but we still have other funds to recover in terms of  legal fees and interest and those sorts of things,” Manchur said.

“Ultimately, we’d sure like to recover all our funds and go back to business as normal.”

But it will not be business as it once was.

“We’ve really tightened up everything on our financial side. We revamped our whole administration staff and all our financial controls are really, really tight now. So I really don’t think this could happen again, certainly in our municipality,” Manchur said.

Those changes include  eliminating the ability to etransfer from municipal accounts without dual authorization and requiring council approval on all financial reports. There have also been increased controls put in place to ensure bank statements are reconciled on a regular basis, as well as requirements for regular and up-to-date audits.

“You wouldn’t believe the stress and the frustration that this did cause for us on council over the past few years and, you know, it’s hard to believe that we’d be the victim of it, but that’s what we ended up with. I think a lot of ratepayers aren’t totally happy with how it happened, but in the end we have to continue to be vigilant and go from there,” Manchur said.

“We appreciate the efforts of the RCMP. We were in contact with them through the whole process and they did a great job.”

Fisher was released from custody with conditions and will appear in Dauphin Provincial Court on Mar. 18.

There is a program dedicated to ensuring people can get help with meals being delivered to their homes if they are facing challenges cooking for themselves. The Meals on Wheels Program has been long-running in the community and has seen only a few minor changes since its conception.
“The Meals on Wheels Program started in The Pas 36 years ago,” said the NHRA Client Service Coordinator Brian Duncalfe. “Originally it was run by a board and was independent of the Regional Health Authority (RHA). The only thing the RHA assisted with was the meals prepared by the kitchen.
“The RHA took up the billing for the program around 20 years ago, so there was no need for a board. I stayed on to help run the program. If anyone wanted to join, it all went through me. This allowed me to deliver the meals to clients for seven months straight as part of my job. I enjoyed doing this and visiting with people when I delivered their meals.
“At that time, we didn’t have a team of individuals, but I did have a few friends I could call on to cover for me when I was away,” said Duncalfe.