An elevator fire in Crystal City last year left residents unable to co-ordinate their emergency response due to poor cell service.

Province promises emergency communications upgrade

The province says it will foot the bill for setting up a new multimillion-dollar emergency communications network to be in place by 2021

Manitoba’s FleetNet emergency communications network may soon get a long-awaited replacement. Premier Brian Pallister announced $400 million to replace the communications systems used by Manitoba’s emergency services, police and conservation officers Nov. 25. “The new system will give our police officers, firefighters, paramedics, conservation officers and forest fire crews a superior communication tool that will enable

RMs near halfway mark on hog barn rule revisit

RMs near halfway mark on hog barn rule revisit

The clock is ticking for municipalities to set their own size limits when it comes to conditional use for hog barns

Municipalities have a little over half a year left to review their policy on how big a new hog barn has to be before it sparks a conditional use hearing. The province rolled back its own conditional use requirements in June, part of a list of changes made to the Planning Act around large-scale livestock


James Battershill, general manager for Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP).

Manitoba’s consultations begin on pricing for carbon emissions

KAP members will be looking at what an offset market means for agriculture

The provincial government has released a consultation document on devising a new output-based pricing system (OBPS) related to carbon emissions. The OBPS system, like a cap-and-trade program, will apply to large-scale industrial facilities with annual emissions of 50,000 tonnes or more of carbon dioxide equivalent, requiring these facilities to meet specific emission targets, or pay

The Open Kitchen at Warren is a privately owned rent-a-processing-plant and part of an expanding number of facilities in Manitoba 
towards encouraging more value-added food development, says the site’s co-owner Doug Langrell.

The Open Kitchen

Manitoba’s only privately owned, rural state-of-the-art processing facility supports new food entrepreneurs

Peter Fehr was looking to expand his sauce-making company when he discovered The Open Kitchen last spring. Now the gourmet chef and entrepreneur attributes the growth spurt of his business Gourmet Inspirations to having come here to bottle his product. “It’s been a valuable stepping stone in growing my business,” said Fehr whose finishing and

Winter trail in RMNP.

Winter logging in Riding Mountain’s past

Timber was source for thriving industry in the ’20s and early ’30s

A drive through Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) in winter can be enjoyable. As one approaches from the east or north, the park rises island-like above the surrounding plain. You can see why early settlers termed these hills mountains, even though the elevation at the top averages only 600 to 700 metres. Approaching from the


STARS heavily reliant on donors

Patients are not required to pay for emergency transport

Since its conception 30 years ago, STARS has been a not-for-profit organization and in Manitoba, patients do not receive any request for repayment of the cost of their transport. An average flight runs at approximately, $5,400 and a medically equipped helicopter costs $5 million. Funding for the service comes from donations and fundraising, and the

The axe is falling again at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Union officials predict 400 job losses following Workforce Adjustment notices issued to almost 700 staff May 9. Beef research at the Brandon Research Centre is one of the casualties.  

Hundreds of jobs cut at Agriculture Canada

Farmers question the 
federal government’s 
commitment to publicly funded agricultural research

by Allan Dawson Almost 700 Agriculture and Agri-Food (AAFC) employees across Canada, including 55 in Manitoba, have been notified their jobs are on the line. Their unions say the notifications are part of a plan to eliminate an estimated 400 jobs as the federal government tries to cut spending. The Brandon Research Station’s beef research

Chronic issues must be addressed

Every beef producer in Manitoba has a stake in seeing TB eradicated in the area around Riding Mountain National Park

Farm groups often bemoan the fact that it can be difficult to work with governments. You will also often hear associations complain that one department is pursuing objectives that are diametrically opposite to the initiatives of another branch of government. Unfortunately, these complaints often contain a grain of truth. However, it is also true that


U.S. futures regulator targets commodity speculation

washington / chicago / reuters The top U.S. futures regulator says he would support appealing a court ruling last month that struck down his agency’s attempt to place limits on speculation in commodity markets. Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said his agency drafted the original rule at the direction of

Inglis-Area Farmer Preserves Land In Its Natural State

Future generations will be able to appreciate the beautiful landscape and varied wildlife in this area northwest of Riding Mountain National Park, thanks to a partnership between the Nature Conservancy of Canada and a retired Inglis-area cattle producer. Protecting the habitat in the Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland is important for future generations, according to the