Shannon Dueck

The regional wastewater treatment facility that is currently being planned for the southeast, received a shot in the arm Tuesday morning. The governments of Canada and Manitoba have announced a $22 million grant through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF). This fund encourages investment into rural infrastructure projects that build or upgrade the critical infrastructure needed to develop more homes and meet the growing demand for affordable housing.

The price of gasoline continues to drop in Steinbach. Last Monday, the average price in Steinbach was 130.9 cents per litre. It then dropped five cents on Tuesday, five cents on the weekend, and another five cents on Monday. As of today, some pumps in Steinbach are selling regular gasoline for 115.9 cents per litre. According to GasBuddy, this is now the lowest price since January of 2024, when the average price in Steinbach was 114.9 cents per litre. As you may recall, there was a gas tax holiday in Manitoba at that time, resulting in lower fuel costs. Patrick De Haan is Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy. He explains that Southern Manitoba is finally starting to see the full seasonal factors pushing prices lower all at once. De Haan says oil prices are at multi-year lows. He notes a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil is down another per cent today to $58. In addition to that, De Haan says there is weakening gasoline demand as our weather gets cooler. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(do

A local travel agent says the political climate in other countries is definitely impacting the vacation plans of Southern Manitobans. Mary Jane Hiebert owns Oyster Travel Services in Steinbach. She says her clients are avoiding locations near Venezuela, such as Honduras and Aruba. Earlier this month, the United States launched a military strike on Venezuela, capturing its President. Hiebert says Manitoba does not have direct flights to Aruba anyway, and so there is generally less travel to that country. Hiebert says people are also avoiding Cuba these days, but that is for a variety of reasons. First of all, she says resorts in Cuba are owned by Russian enterprises, with supplies coming from Russia. Hiebert says Cuba has had electrical deficiencies where the entire country goes black, and the island is also suffering from a lack of water. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/stol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064325258-bbm1'); s.setTarge

After years of planning, a massive regional wastewater treatment facility in the southeast is a go. That is according to Jim Funk, Board Chair of the Red-Seine-Rat (RSR) Wastewater Co-operative. The board announced Wednesday morning that it has approved the construction contract for the first phase to AECON. The first phase of construction includes building the treatment plant itself.

One person was taken to hospital following a two-vehicle collision early Friday morning several miles west of Mitchell. At 6:43 am, St. Pierre RCMP responded to the crash along Highway 52, near Road 23E, two miles east of Highway 59. The initial information to police was that both lanes of traffic were blocked and that the collision involved a semi truck and mini van. Police responded immediately and learned that a semi truck was travelling east on Highway 52, when it attempted to turn north, but it collided with a westbound mini van. St. Pierre RCMP report that the male driver of the mini van was transported to hospital as a precaution. The scene was cleared just before 8 am. There was thick fog in the area at the time and police say it appears fog may have been a factor in the collision. St. Pierre RCMP would like to remind motorists to always drive to the road conditions. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/stol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-

A motorist is lighter in the wallet after receiving a pair of fines earlier this month while driving along Highway 12. According to RCMP, the motorist was driving 152 kilometres per hour in a 100 zone along Highway 12 in the Rural Municipality of Hanover. The speeder was caught on Friday, February 6th at 8:15 pm. According to police, the speeding ticket cost the 21-year-old $731. Upon stopping the motorist, officers also discovered that he had a Class 5A license, which requires him to have a front seat supervisor. Police say that because he did not, he was fined an additional $203. RCMP urge motorists to slow down and not to drive without a license. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/stol-all-bigbox', [300, 250], 'div-gpt-1648064325258-bbm1'); s.setTargeting('URL', [window.location.pathname]); s.setTargeting('position', [1648064325258]) s.setTargeting('story_id', 'motorist-receives-multiple-fines-after-driving-52-kmh-over-speed-limit-in-han

Council for the Rural Municipality of Hanover has given the green light for a group home to open in Mitchell. Representatives for Initiatives for Just Communities (IJC), also known as El'dad, appeared before Council with the proposal. The organization would like to open a residential home in order to support up to six adult females living with intellectual disabilities. In her proposal to Council, Bella Harder said the home would have two staff on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to support these individuals with things like household tasks, building positive relationships, community engagement, and encouraging independence. IJC would be the leaseholder, and their maintenance staff and safety committee would ensure the maintenance and safety of the property. According to Hanover Administration, IJC has stated that its staff and management would develop support and safety plans to address safety concerns regarding residents, visitors, and the community. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).w

The Mayor for Tache says the timing is very good for construction of a regional wastewater treatment facility in the region. Armand Poirier is referring to the massive facility that is planned for construction just north of Niverville. Earlier this month, the Red-Seine-Rat (RSR) Wastewater Co-operative announced that it has approved the construction contract for the first phase to AECON. The first phase of construction includes building the treatment plant itself. Project details revealed prior to the pandemic The project was first announced in December 2019. At that time, Hanover, Tache, Ritchot, and Niverville entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to create the RSR Wastewater Cooperative, with hopes of creating a regional wastewater collection system and plant to enhance wastewater management. At the time, it was announced that the plant would be located just north of Niverville at a cost of nearly $110 million. However, the project would be contingent on nearly $80 million in provincial and federal fu

Environment Canada tracking two different Montana Lows over the next 10 days

Environment Canada is warning that conditions are favourable once again today for the development of funnel clouds. A Special Weather Statement has been issued for most of Southern Manitoba, including Steinbach and Niverville. How dangerous are these funnel clouds? According to Environment Canada, these types of funnel clouds are generated by weak rotation under rapidly growing clouds or weak thunderstorms. This weak rotation is normally not a danger near the ground. However, there is a chance that this rotation could intensify and become a weak landspout tornado. If conditions become more favourable for the development of landspout tornadoes, watches and warnings will be issued by Environment Canada. Environment Canada says landspout tornadoes do not usually cause significant damage but can still be dangerous. They can be strong enough to topple trees, damage roofs or toss debris short distances. googletag.cmd.push(function() { if($(document).width()<900) { s = googletag.defineSlot('/50748803/stol-all-bigb