Oscar’s Place is providing a very much needed service in the tri-community as an emergency shelter. It has been faced with some challenges such as not enough space to meet all the demands for emergency shelter and finding casual and on-call staffing, which has not been uncommon for make organizations and work places.
“Oscar’s Place currently is a 12-hour overnight emergency shelter, which is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., 365 days per year and provides individuals who require safe overnight services with a warm space to sleep, a warm meal, laundry service, public washrooms, and shower facilities,” said Canadian Mental Health Parkland and The Pas Region Chief Executive Officer James Wigley. “As an overnight emergency shelter, both male and female clients can spend the night who are 18 years of age or older.

The Town of The Pas has completed their Asset Management Plan thanks to the assistance of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Recently a report about the Asset Management Plan was published on the town website; it is a report summarizing the process, not the actual study itself.
“We have some information out about our Asset Management Plan on our website,” said Town of The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy. “The thing about asset management plans is that they are complicated spreadsheets to understand if you are not working with or directly involved in the process. The study takes the assets in one’s community and determines the life left in these assets, what needs to be replaced and how a council can make those decisions going forward.

Swampy Cree Tribal Council held their Annual General Assembly (AGA) in the beginning of August. The council is made up of eight First Nation communities in northern Manitoba that consists of Chemawawin Cree Nation, Mosakahiken Cree Nation, Mathia Colomb Cree Nation, Misipawastik Cree Nation, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation and Marcel Columb First Nation. At the AGA, the election for the Swampy Cree Tribal Council was held and a new Grand Chief was elected.
“When the Swampy Cree Tribal Council holds their AGA, there is an election that is held every two years,” said Swampy Cree Tribal Council Grand Chief Elwood Zastre. “There are eight First Nations that make up the Swampy Cree Tribal Council and every Chief from each of those communities can run for the position of Grand Chief.

Writing and publishing a novel is something that a few people dream of, but sometimes never find the actual time to do. A former Valley resident, despite his extremely intense schedule and career, has found an opportunity to achieve that very thing he has dreamed of. Dale Fedorchuk has a career that is beyond impressive; one that really sounds like it’s out of a book all its own.
“I was born in Swan River and my parents are Bill and Rose Fedorchuk,” said Dale Fedorchuk. “I grew up on a farm in the Big Woody District. After I graduated from the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School (SVRSS) in 1977, I started at the University of Manitoba in the same year. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1980, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the U of M in 1983. I was called to the Bar in Manitoba in 1984. I practiced law in Manitoba from 1984 to 2001.
“In 1994 I participated as a Controller in a joint military, intelligence and police field training counter-terrorism exercise in advance of the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C.. Three years later, I was offered a contract to develop military exercises and provide instruction part-time for the United States Air Force Special Operations School. United States Special Operations Command – Joint Special Operations University picked up my contract and I became part of a team briefing Special Operations Forces, which is mostly Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets before they were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I served in this capacity part-time for 16 years from 1997 to 2013, while I continued to practice law,” said Fedorchuk. “In May 2001, my wife, Anika, and I moved to Calgary. I was called to the Bar in Calgary in 2001 and I have practiced criminal law here since that time. In 2010, I was appointed a Queen’s Counsel. After King Charles was crowned, I became a King’s Counsel. I am a criminal defence lawyer and I litigate most of my cases before a jury. I live in Cochrane with Anika and our pets, and I practice law in Calgary and its surrounding regions, with no plans to retire.”
The dream of writing and publishing his own book was something that had intrigued Fedorchuk at an early age. He had a love for reading books that turned into a flare for writing, but it wasn’t until much later that he took the plunge and wrote his first novel.
“Since I was a teenager, I wanted to write science fiction stories,” said Fedorchuk. “I was an avid comic book and science fiction reader from the age of 10. I spent many hours as a youth devouring a hamburger nip, a cold Pepsi in a glass bottle, and numerous comic books at Dick’s Café in Swan River. The owners of Dick’s Café had been so kind to me; they would allow me to sit and read comics for hours while Mom and Aunt Jean Fedorchuk shopped.
“In high school, my English teacher challenged me to write a science fiction short story and publish it in the Star and Times. I wrote it and, to my surprise, the Star and Times printed it in its entirety. I still have the article buried somewhere in my personal papers. After I left high school, though, the pursuit of a legal career swept my ambition to write under the carpet, until last year.
“I had attended a family wedding in Swan River, where I sat with my nieces, Micayla and Nadia Krahn,” said Fedorchuk. “In the 1980s, I wrote poetry, including a series of poems about a fictional character called Tul’ran the Sword. I gave a copy of my poetry to my sister, Connie, many years ago, and my nieces read the poems. At the wedding, Micayla and Nadia told me how much they enjoyed Tul’ran’s poems and asked me why I never wrote a story about Tul’ran. They challenged me to write a novel and I accepted the challenge.
“Writing my novels is one of the strangest experiences I’ve had. When I sat down to start writing my first novel, the words poured out of my mind, through my fingertips, and onto the keyboard. I couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts sometimes. I see passages of the book like scenes from a movie in my mind. I try to record those scenes as accurately as possible.”
The storyline of Fedorchuk’s book has an ironic sense of what he has experienced in his career but with a more Sci-Fi/Fantasy twist.
“The novel starts in an oasis in the desert near the city of Ur in Mesopotamia in 2005 BC,” said Fedorchuk. “The lead male character, Tul’ran az Nostrom, known as Tul’ran the Sword, is brooding under a palm tree about his life. Although Tul’ran is wealthy and legendary, there is no peace within him. He hears a woman’s scream, and rides his stallion, Darkshadow, to the aid of Erianne of Kabolon. Erianne is an intelligent and courageous woman running from assassins.
“Together, they flee and fight various assassin groups, as they try to rejoin her fellow travellers. As they do so, they learn truths about one another that take this story far beyond the ordinary. This is not a typical fantasy, historical romance novel; it has twists and turns drawing the reader into an unexpected journey. The series is centred around Tul’ran and Erianne, and their efforts to administer justice against violent crimes perpetrated against men and women alike. As the books go on, other characters join them.”
Fedorchuk wrote his first novel in record time, but the real challenge was determining the best course of action to get it published.
“It took only eight weeks to complete the first draft of the first book, The Ballad of Tul’ran the Sword,” said Fedorchuk. “My wife, Anika, is also my paralegal. I turned the draft over to her for editing and she did an excellent job of it. Once she edited the first draft, I created a second draft and emailed it to my beta reading group.
“The group consisted of men and women ranging in age from 14 years old to 72 years old. I received an enthusiastic response and suggestions for edits. After incorporating the edits, I began the process of trying to get the first book published.
“All the articles I read about publishing suggested a traditional publisher would not entertain a manuscript submission unless I had an agent,” said Fedorchuk. “I prepared a query letter and approached several agents, who either rejected my proposal or ignored it. On the last weekend of April 2023, I attended the Calgary Expo. I met Amanda Muratoff there, who co-authored a fantasy series. She was kind enough to speak to me at length about her experience with self-publishing, more commonly described as indie publishing.
“I formatted my manuscript to meet the requirements of Kindle Direct Publishing. Using Artificial Intelligence drawing programs, I created images for Tul’ran and Erianne, as well as a desert scene. I manipulated the images with Corel Photoshop and created the covers. The first novel was then published on July 13. It is being distributed through Amazon worldwide. Since publication, I’ve learned the bookseller, Barnes & Noble, has picked up my book and is selling it in the United States.”
Since his first novel, Fedorchuk has actually written a series from The Ballad of Tul’ran the Sword.
“The series currently consists of The Ballad of Tul’ran the Sword (Book I), A Time, and Times, Half a Time (Book II), and Abandon Hope (Book III),” said Fedorchuk. “I have written two-thirds of the fourth book, Wolf’s Den. The second book, A Time, and Times, and Half a Time, will be published on Nov. 6.
“I will publish the third book, Abandon Hope, on March 24, to coincide with my mom’s 85th birthday. There is no set publication date for Wolf’s Den just yet, but I anticipate it will be published in the summer of 2024. I’ve sketched the concepts for the fifth book, When the Sky Falls, but I haven’t started writing it.”
Fedorchuk has found writing the easiest part of the process, but when it came to finding ways to publish his novel, that proved to be more trying.
“I am blessed in that writing, so far, has been the easiest part of the process,” said Fedorchuk. “As I’ve said, the passages in the book appear as scenes from a movie in my head: all I must do is record them. The most challenging part has been the attempt to engage a traditional publisher.
“The advantage to having a traditional publisher is their expansive ability to market a novel. In my experience, it was as difficult to secure an agent as it was to secure a traditional publisher. I hope my books are regarded well enough to engage the interest of a traditional publisher. Sometimes a traditional publisher will sign an author who is an indie publisher.
“The most enjoyable part of the experience has been sharing it with my wife, Anika, my 14-year-old niece, Payton Goller, and my 72-year-old military brother, Mike Bennett,” said Fedorchuk. “Mike is a retired Green Beret, having left the US Army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He wrote the Foreword to the book.
“These three people have read all the manuscripts and commented on them, giving the books a much richer depth. I’ve spent hours talking to each of them about the nuances of the characters I’ve created in the novels, and the emotional waves the reader will coast as they progress through the series.”
Fedorchuk’s books are available to purchase on Amazon, but he is currently exploring other retail platforms.
“My books are available on Amazon worldwide, although only the first has been published to this date,” said Fedorchuk. “As well, my American friends can purchase them from Barnes & Noble. I am currently in discussions with Chapters/Indigo bookstores for the distribution of my novels in Canada.”
Fedorchuk is working to finished writing his fourth book and has now moved on to writing the fifth, with no shortage of ideas or writer’s block stopping him.
“I’ve completed 225 pages of the fourth book, Wolf’s Den, which means it is two-thirds complete. All my novels are over 350 pages long. I have plans to start writing the fifth novel, When the Sky Falls, as soon as Anika has begun editing the publisher’s proof copy of Wolf’s Den.”

 As summer gets closer to the end and crops come in, plant life is abundant for wildlife, and this deer is living life to the fullest with nature’s buffet in front of her, unbothered by passing traffic.

The Parkland Humane Society (PHS) is in dire need of volunteers.

According to PHS office administrator Jenn Langlois, the shelter has been inundated with an influx of cats and dogs.

“There’s lots of dogs coming in from the pound. The same with cats coming in from the pound. And we are up to 20 dogs in the shelter and only a few are in foster. So we are also short of fosters,” she said. “And we have only one summer student hired and then my fulltime position. I’m supposed to be on office, but I’m also taking care of the dogs a lot.”

Langlois added there are currently 10 to 15 people who are on the schedule to come in and care for the animals at the shelter.

“Lots of times we’re running with only one person here. We’re lucky if we get two. So we are desperately in need of more volunteers to care for all of these influx of animals that are coming though,” she said.

Every day, Langlois said, they receive calls about pregnant cats or cats with kittens.

“And we just don’t have places to put them We are full here. Our fosters are full. We also get lots of calls for dogs, again lots when they get pregnant and need a place to go and we just don’t have that room,” she said.

At times, animals will be sent to other shelters, but those other shelters are also full and are unable to accommodate any more animals.

“We are definitely over the maximum right now for the dogs and the cats. And when we’ve only got one or two people per shift you can’t devote all of your attention, you’ve got to get everybody fed and watered. And by the time you get even that (far), then your shift is done and you haven’t had play time or walking time,” Langlois said. “These animals need more than what they’re getting.”

Of the 20 dogs, eight are housed inside the shelter itself, while the rest are housed in the kennels, sometimes with two or three per kennels.

And there are between 20 and 30 cats, as well, with a long waiting list for cats to come in.

“So no sooner that we get some out, more are coming in,” Langlois said.

Another problem facing PHS is no one is currently adopting animals.

“We’re at a standstill for adoptions. So therefore, no other can even come in. Lots of people are surrendering or they’re in the pound. They’re just not going anywhere,” Langlois said.

Anyone interested in volunteering or fostering can call the shelter at 204-638-6966, or visit the organization’s website at parklandhumanesociety.com and fill out the foster or volunteer form, which can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or dropped off at the shelter.

Those interested in fostering will receive everything they may need to care for a dog or cat.

“For fostering, you don’t need anything. We give you everything you possibly need. Leash, collar, bowls, litter, litter boxes. There is absolutely no cost to a foster to take a dog or a cat,” Langlois said. “We just like that you’re able to bring the dog or a cat if they need to be seen or if they have vet appointments.”

Langlois added they also look for fosters who are able to care for animals that may need medical attention.

“It could be simply giving a pill, that they’re comfortable with doing that,” she said.

Shelter shifts are 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week year round.

“We need somebody here all the time,” Langlois said.

Unseasonably dry conditions have enabled City of Dauphin Public works crews to progress well into the 2023 capital plan.

“Things are going really well. Our capital projects have all been started,” director of Public Works and Operations Mike Vanalstyne said. “We’ve got the majority of our capital sidewalk work complete, water main renewals have been ongoing and road work started two or three weeks ago.”

One of the higher profile projects has been the replacement of paving stones with poured concrete on Main Street sidewalks.

The plan this year was to complete the sidewalks on the east side of Main Street from 8th Avenue South to 10th Avenue South to progress the multi-year project and things have gone flawlessly, VanAlstyne said.

“We have all the downtown left to do, too. So I’m going to hope in the next four to six years we have it all complete,” he said, adding the weather has been a real boon for the crews. “It’s been great. It has let us get a lot of work done earlier than normal.”

But that does not mean that Public Works crews will be standing around with nothing to do.

“We have got lots of other projects and maintenance work away from the capital stuff that we can get caught up on a little bit,” VanAlstyne said. “There’s always something to do.”

Inter-Mountain Watershed District (IMWD) has been conducting important environmental work throughout the area for many years.

And last week, IMWD staff had the opportunity to share some of its successes with their peers from around the province when the district hosted a two-day tour of the area.

IMWD’s boundaries extend from the Rural Municipality of Mountain in the north to Riding Mountain National Park in the south and from The Municipality of McCreary in the east to the Rural Municipality of Riding Mountain West.

And with the district covering a total of 12,508 square kilometres, an area larger than Prince Edward Island, there was a lot to look at, said IMWD general manager Jeff Thiele.

“We started in Ste. Rose and looked at a lot of the bridges and waterways and shale problems we’re having down there and things we’re working on down there,” Thiele said, during a stop for a presentation at the farm of Ernie and Jan Sirski, northwest of Dauphin.

Get the full story in this week's Dauphin Herald!

The tender to find a contractor to lead the redevelopment of Main Street South has closed, but higher than expected estimates have resulted in further delays to the project.

“It’s closed, but it’s not awarded officially yet. We’re working out money,” City of Dauphin director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said. “It came in well over budget. I don’t have any indication why right now. We were somewhat surprised by the pricing, for sure.”

Originally estimated to cost $13.5 million, the 1.7-km project covers a section of PTH 5A from Whitmore Ave., south to Triangle Road, and includes surface reconstruction with the creation of a divided highway.

The plans call to improve safety in the commercial area by having all local accesses connect to service roads, and service roads connecting to PTH 5A at upgraded intersections. Those service roads will be constructed along both the east and west sides of highway from their existing points south to Triangle Road.

As well, a new intersection allowing access to Dauphin Market Place Mall will be developed, complete with traffic signals.

Included in the project is a new drainage system design for the south end, which had been estimated to cost $8.15 million which the city will debenture through the province.

“We’re trying to work the financing out on our end here and we’re just waiting to hear back from our provincial partners. We’re waiting on the province right now to see how they can help us out,” VanAlstyne said. “We hope to have something settled in the next few weeks, I hope, and see some dirt moving by the fall.”

All the effort put in to the fair and rodeo by members of the Roblin Agricultural Society and its volunteers has paid off.

From the exhibit hall and the King Farmer competition to the rodeos and the Roblin’s Got Talent contest, the weekend show was another successful one.

“It was good,” said ag society president Ellen Arnott with a chuckle.

Read all about it in this week’s Review.