A dream that was conceived eight years ago was realized, last Thursday, when Vermillion Growers LTD., hosted the grand opening of its greenhouse facility.

Vermillion Growers Ltd., uses an innovative, fully-automated control system for growing vegetables under glass greenhouses. The greenhouse showcases industry-leading Gakon Netafim irrigation and greenhouse technology that reduces the amount of water and energy used by 50 per cent.

Phase 1 of the operation is a 10-acre glass greenhouse that will grow vine tomatoes for distribution to central Canada. It will employ close to 35 fulltime staff.

The greenhouse was the brainchild of John “Lucky” Deschauer, who came up with the idea eight years ago.

Deschauer explained he was doing construction in Dauphin in the winter right before Christmas during a snowstorm.

“And I’m looking at my guys working and we’re trying to close up the building and put windows in and I said, ‘what am I doing this for? It’s time to do something different with my life.’ So I started looking for other opportunities to enhance the community,” he said.

Since he always enjoyed greenhouses, Deschauer began looking into modern greenhouses and spent some time in Leamington, Ont., home of Great Lakes Greenhouses, and traveled to Netherlands, Germany and Belgium to learn about the greenhouse industry.

“And once I discovered what it’s all about and how it impacts your food security and how it creates jobs, I decided I wanted to give it a try,” he said. “And, literally, from that point on, I committed a lot of years of my life to learning, discovering and, finally, building a greenhouse.”

Deschauer received a lot of community support when plans for a greenhouse were announced, support he appreciates.

“It means a lot to have community members get behind you. Our city and province have been very good working with us. And I look forward to working more with them on our expansions,” he said.

With the grand opening celebrations now behind them, Deschauer said it is time to get to work.

“Now it’s time for the grow team to hustle, find good employees to work, work with Assiniboine Community College in training the people. Basically, utilizing our youth to make careers. Keep them in our community,” he said. “We’ll be doing a basic apprenticeship program with qualified students through the ACC Brandon and Dauphin facilities.”

Deschauer said it was a momentous day for him and his family.

“It’s very satisfying to have accomplished this,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the future. I’m looking forward to expanding this, working with the city in the development of affordable housing and things like that.”

An announcement on Phase 2 will be made soon, Deschauer said.

John’s sister Maria Deschauer, Vermillion Growers managing director, said a project of this magnitude, which they did not realize at the time, takes a long time to put together.

“There are a lot of parts and pieces to get this project up and running,” she said.

All three founders - John and Maria, along with Mark Kohan - were looking for something meaningful to do that would also be good for the community.

“And that’s where we decided to act upon Lucky’s vision, Lucky’s idea to do this,” Maria added.

With the facility now open, Maria said it was an incredible feeling to finally see it become a reality.

“When you pour so much time and energy into a project, it’s so satisfying to see it finally come to fruition, just knowing that this project will be employing so many people in the community,” she said. “It’s a huge relief, also, that we are now at this stage and actually operating in a sense, because we’re setting up for the plants to arrive shortly.”

Plans are to expand the facility to include growing peppers and cucumbers in the not too distant future.

“If all the stars align, we are hoping that we will be adding another five acres next year,” Maria said, adding they are currently working on getting the facility completely finished and ready to receive plants. She anticipates planting will be done in early September with the first harvest in early November.

“So we will be having fresh tomatoes in our local stores in November,” Maria said, adding she is grateful to the community for its support. “Without their support and their investment, this project wouldn’t be here today. And also just to mention that the opportunity is still there to get involved. We’re very, very grateful for it,” she said.

Dauphin deputy mayor Christian Laughland said the opening of Vermillion Growers means a lot to the city.

“It’s both the beginning and the end of a great journey for the city. Of course, with the opening it’s the end of the construction for the first phase and the beginning of something so great for our community,” he said. “Being a big fan of tomatoes, I’m really excited for this, but I know a lot of people that were at the event and others in the community are so happy and thankful that the group has decided to build and invest in Dauphin and create over 30 jobs to start.”

Laughland added the opening of the facility marks the start of many big things for the community with a number of improvements and additions coming in the near future.

“The next few months and years are going to be very exciting for Dauphin,” he said.

The Roblin Chamber of Commerce along with the Municipality of Roblin Recreation Department has partnered to offer an amazing celebration of community and the season of harvest.

Roblin's first annual Fall Harvest Festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 16.

Read more in this weeks' REConnection.

Poodle skirts remain as one of the most memorable  symbols of the ‘50s in the US and are frequently worn as a novelty retro item as part of a nostalgic outfit.

Teen age girls wore them as everyday wear and to school dances.

Read more in this week's Review.

A provincial roundtable was held a couple of weeks ago in Winnipeg focusing on MMIWG2S+, with families who were impacted by it in attendance. Nine Indigenous organizations, along with some funding from the provincial government, put on the Giganawenimaanaanig Manitoba MMIWG2S+ Regional Roundtable that was held over two days.
“I’m actually a member of Giganawenimaanaanig, which was known as the MMIWG2S+ Implementation Committee,” said Renee Kastrukoff. “That committee is comprised of several organizations from around the province and is tasked working to implement the 231 Calls to Justice. We organized the Manitoba MMIWG2S+ Regional Roundtable on July 13 and 14 in Winnipeg.

A series Moose Management Town Hall Meetings are scheduled to take place to discuss moose hunting in the Duck and Porcupine Mountains areas. The event is hosted by the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), Manitoba Natural Resources and Development along with the Canadian Section of the Wildlife Society.
This is an opportunity for all licensed and rights-based hunters, community members and local stakeholders to learn and share about the current state of the moose population in the Duck and Porcupine Mountains.
“The Manitoba government is actively engaging with local Indigenous communities, licensed hunters, outfitters and other stakeholders to guide the development of a long-term sustainable moose management plan for the Duck and Porcupine Mountains,” said a spokesperson for the Province.

The Town of The Pas held a regular council meeting on July 19. During the council meeting, Town of The Pay Mayor Andre Murphy gave a report about the MMIWG2S+ roundtable that he and Councillor Atkinson participated in the week prior, in Winnipeg. The Pas was the only municipality in Manitoba to have their mayor present, after all mayors were invited to the event.
“It was an unbelievable event for me personally to learn,” said Town of The Pas Mayor Andre Murphy. “It was very sad, painful to hear of the loss that has impacted families and friends of MMIWG2S+. When I heard the families speak about the journey they are on and how they’re trying to make things better, I could feel the support in the room from all the allies present and I was thankful to be a part of that.

The Swan Valley Immigrant Services Day Camp group toured the Swan Valley Historical Museum this past Thursday (July 20), teaching the youth all about the history of the Swan Valley.

Summer is the time to take advantage of the many beautiful lakes the Swan River Valley - swimming, boating, fishing or just enjoying the beach. Here, a lone fisherman sits on the dock at East Blue Lake, looking to reel in a catch.

Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival weekend is almost upon, but before all of the cultural celebrations take place at Selo Ukraina, the annual Parkland Chamber of Commerce Street Fair is set to bring a section of First Avenue North West to life on Aug. 3.

The kickoff to the August long weekend gets underway at 8 a.m. with a pancake breakfast and wraps up at midnight following a street dance.

And in between those two bookends there is no shortage of things to do.

Entertainment from local performers run all day on the outdoor stage. Further down the street family-friendly fun activities, such as face painting, bouncy toys and a dunk tank will keep you entertained, as will a display of antique farm implements courtesy of the Dauphin Agricultural Heritage Club and a plethora of shopping opportunities for those with a little money burning a hole in their pockets.

Great food is available when you need to refuel from all of the fun happening and an outdoor beer garden is stocked with cooling beverages.

Call the Parkland Chamber of Commerce office at 204-622-3140 for more details on the day and how to get involved.

If you think after 57 years you know what Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival is all about, get ready to be surprised.

The annual celebration of Ukrainian culture and heritage has plenty of new and different attractions to keep fesitvalgoers interested and entertained.

And that is reflected in ticket sales.

“We are so excited. Actually our ticket sales are going phenomenal, so good, in fact, we had to release more upper camping spots,” CNUF president Kayla Gillis said. “We haven’t done that since our 50th anniversary, so we’re very excited to have a lot of ticket sales in advance and to need some more upper camping.”

One of the changes this year involves moving the showcase performance up in the schedule.

“Our extravaganza show is going to be on Saturday night instead of on Sunday night this year. The dance group can only make it for the Saturday night, they had to travel back to Alberta on the Sunday,” Gillis said adding ticket sales for Saturday are heating up. “So we’re just changing things up a little bit to see if it makes a difference. Our Sunday night show is going to feature something special, as well. So you’ll have to come to check it out and see what it is.”

The extravaganza show features the Edmonton-based dance group Shumka.

Established in 1959, the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers is Canada’s only professional Ukrainian dance company. Shumka presents dance-theatre touring productions, as well as intimate concerts across the country and around the world and has been seen by millions on international television broadcasts. The company has presented command performances for queens, prime ministers, and presidents, and has performed alongside many big name entertainers. Along with Alberta Ballet and Edmonton Opera, Shumka is a resident company of the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

Fans will be treated to a first-class performance as more than 60 years of history has shaped Shumka’s signature music and dance style. While maintaining deep respect for their heritage, Shumka challenges conventional boundaries to define the experience of Ukrainian dance in the context of modern society. Shumka has completed nine cross-Canada tours, and toured China and Ukraine on two occasions, including with one of its biggest productions, Shumka’s Cinderella which premiered in 2000.

Shumka will share the festival stages throughout the weekend with many other top-notch entertainers including Vohon Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Trembita, Zirka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Zabutnyy Dance Company, DJ Gordo, Mashyna, Tyt i Tam, Chaban Ukrainian Dance Group, Druzhba Ensemble, Prairie Fire, Rushnychok Ukrainian Folk Dance Association, Bratstva, Lyra Vocal Group, The Sparkling Tones, Party Time Orchestra and Sche Raz, among others.

Between performances, Gillis said patrons can check out some of the other changes being made this year, including the Farmers’ Market on Saturday afternoon in the cultural village.

Another change includes holding the talent competition on Friday only this year, due to a low number of entries.

“And then on Saturday to replace it, we are offering a dance workshop with our adjudicators, so that’s pretty large for all the young dancers,” Gillis said. “We just needed to do what we had to, to make sure that everybody still had something to do on the Saturday morning.”

Another attraction this year involves the 50th anniversary celebration of Canada’s Riding and Dancing Cossacks and Company.

“They’re having a celebration on the Saturday in the Cultural Village, as well in their Cossack Camp and all alumni are invited to join in,” Gillis said.

Another new attraction this year is the Friday Night Festival Social.

“A next-gen social at our Polka Party stage, trying to get that younger crowd to come up to the hill,” Gillis said.

Of course, there will still be five amazing grandstand variety shows in the spacious amphitheatre, she added, as well as four sponsor stages with ongoing hourly entertainment all weekend, evening zabavas and polka parties, ongoing entertainment in the heritage village, a vendors pavilion, food booths, early morning pancake breakfasts all three days, a return shuttle service from Dauphin and on-site shuttle service, children’s entertainment and activities, fresh clay oven bread, Saturday fireworks, a perogy eating contest and the popular Festival Parade, Saturday at 10 a.m.

It all adds up to an exciting weekend at Selo Ukraina, Aug. 4 to 6.

“Obviously we’re doing a little bit of shuffling. I don’t know if that’s the reasoning for our ticket sales to be significantly higher or if everybody’s out of COVID and ready to party again, I’m not sure. I think probably a little bit of both,” Gillis said. “We have new things and there are also some new things that I didn’t mention. So even if you’ve been before, come because it’s going to be different. We’re still going to honor our Ukrainian culture and heritage, but we’ve added a few new flares. Bring a buddy that’s never been and please come out and support us, so that we can keep going for next year and many, many more years to come.”