Shannon Dueck

It's that time of year when there's an increased chance of thunderstorms. A meteorologist is warning that thunderstorms can be hazardous even if they are not considered severe. 

Natalie Hasell with Environment Canada says they define severe thunderstorms as those that produce heavy rain, large hail, strong straight-line winds, and maybe a tornado. But, even if it is not severe, a thunderstorm is still defined by lightning, which itself can be threatening.

RCMP officers in Manitoba are being extra diligent this week in cracking down on impaired drivers. 

Canada Road Safety Week runs from May 14th to the 20th, which includes the Victoria Day long weekend. Traditionally this weekend, RCMP see more people on Manitoba roadways. 

Construction is expected to begin later this year on rehabilitating the bridge at Ste. Agathe.

According to a provincial spokesperson, the Louis Riel Bridge along Provincial Road 305 is expected to be tendered this spring. It is anticipated that construction will then begin this summer.

The province says this investment will significantly extend the service life of the existing bridge. It will also increase the roadway width on the bridge and provide a dedicated sidewalk that is protected from traffic with a concrete barrier. 

The daughter of a missing woman from the Rural Municipality of Piney says it is very difficult to try celebrating a holiday when she does not know where her mother is. Vanessa Backman made that comment just days before Mother's Day. 

The MLA for La Verendrye is looking for answers after the Woodridge Community Club was given an order to decommission its community well.

Konrad Narth says this order was the result of an inspection done by the Department of Environment and Climate Change through the Office of Drinking Water. He notes the letter to the community club dated April 10, 2024, stated that the community was ordered to make a number of facility upgrades including the installation of a chlorination system. 

The southbound lanes of Highway 75 from Morris to Ste. Agathe have been closed again for the next while.

In May of last year, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) began work on a 24.5-kilometre-long concrete reconstruction project of the southbound lanes. A provincial spokesperson says there is still a six-kilometre long section of the project, just north of Morris, that will be completed this summer.

The Official Opposition Leader for Manitoba says he will continue to hold Wab Kinew to account as he leads the Progressive Conservatives for another 12 months.

The PC Party of Manitoba announced this last week that it will select its next leader on April 26, 2025. Wayne Ewasko has been Interim Leader since January. 

"To get the news of the date being near the end of April, 2025 is good news," says Ewasko. "And I look forward to seeing how the whole process works out and see who we pick to be not only our next leader next April, but the next Premier of Manitoba."

If the opening week for campsite reservations was any indication, campgrounds in Manitoba might be a little less busy this summer than last year.

According to a provincial spokesperson, there were 45,148 reservations made from Monday to Friday during opening week. That is down 2.1 per cent from opening week in 2023. Of those reservations last week, 97.6 per cent were made online and 2.4 per cent were made through the call centre.

Manitoba's Opposition Leader says since forming government, the NDP has shown to be disorganized, disorderly, and dishonest. Wayne Ewasko made that comment this week on the same day that the Progressive Conservatives delayed four NDP bills until the fall legislative sitting.

On Wednesday, the PC Caucus announced it has delayed four NDP bills in order to allow Manitobans more time to provide their input and become fully informed about the costs that the NDP ideology will have on their bottom line. Those four bills are Bill 7, Bill 9, Bill 16, and Bill 21. 

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba has announced the date for its leadership vote.

President Brent Pooles says the party's next leader will be selected on April 26, 2025. He also announced that Brad Zander will serve as the party's Leadership Committee Chair, overseeing the implementation of the leadership race.