On Monday April 24th all branches of Girl Guides including Sparks, Embers (formally known as Brownies), Guides, Pathfinders and their Guiders came together to celebrate Earth day and tidy up our community.
Girls gave up their weekly meeting time, gathered in pairs and set out to pick up trash.
Before heading outdoors girls had a brief safety discussion and were geared up with gloves, garbage bags and t-shirts thanks to Tim Hortons.
A total of 30 Girl Guides and 11 Guiders left from the Anglican Church heading towards Devon Park and the walking path collecting anything that didn’t belong to Mother Earth.

The tri-community area held a few different events to commemorate National Red Dress Day. KB Memorial, in partnership with MKO MMIWG Liaison Unit, hosted a Celebrate and Commemorate Vigil to remember the murdered and missing Indigenous people (MMIP) from the area.
Friends and families of MMIP gathered around a sacred fire to celebrate the lives, share stories and memories of their loved ones.
“The event went so much better than I personally could have expected,” said Gloria Ballantyne-Packo. “I went in with no expectations and it was so beautiful to hear the different stories from impacted families, and have that sense of community at the vigil. Seeing everyone with lit candles around the sacred fire, the sun setting at the perfect time, it was just a beautiful evening overall. There was about a dozen MMIP being represented and remembered at the vigil.”

It’s one of the nicest, best kept secrets of our area. Parkland Linc Inc has been around for decades. For just about twenty years, their office has been located at 20 William Place. And even that isn’t well known.

It’s tucked into the south corner of what used to be the Peace Park - now the location of the new Twin Valley Co-op food store.

While there’s so much more to the entire Parkland Linc Inc program - they employ 16 people in their independent living program – the building at 20 William is home to their day program and a commercial kitchen.

Simply - and officially put - Parkland Linc Inc delivers otherwise unavailable services to intellectually challenged individuals in our region with services that provide individuals with the opportunity to live, work and develop to their fullest potential in their home communities.

The day program is an important part of their operation. During the week, clients can attend to this program that encourages daily life skills. “The people who are in residence tend to have less dexterity, they may be aged or have a lower cognative scoring,” Parkland Linc Inc’s Executive Director Roberta Senek explained. “ And our mandate is to encourage daily living,” The daily living can take on many forms, whether it be cooking and cleaning or planting and nursing seeds to be transplated into the raised garden beds at the centre.

Check out the full story in this week's Banner!

SVRSS theatre students, SVSD staff, SVRSS alumni, and other community members collaborated for the musical production of Mamma Mia!, presented for four performances at the SVRSS from May 18-21. The Broadway hit set in a remote Greek island and filled with the timeless tunes of Swedish sensation ABBA tells the story of a 20-year-old woman looking to learn who her father is the week before her wedding, with three suspected gentlemen arriving to recomplicate the love life of her mother...

Members of the public gathered outside of the Town of Swan River Office to express their support for the North-West Regional Library (NWRL) on Thursday (May 11), which they felt may have recently been put in jeopardy...

Brittney Stratuliak and Payton Dudar played badminton together for the first time in Grade 6 at Ethelbert School.

Due to the pandemic, they did not get the chance to play together again until Grade 9. They worked hard to hone their skills and keep each other positive when they went up against difficult teams.

Last year, their hard work paid off and Stratuliak and Dudar were given the opportunity to travel to Winnipeg for the provincial championships, where they battled hard and ended up securing a fourth place finish.

This year, Stratuliak and Dudar set an even higher goal, top two. They challenged themselves throughout the competitive season in various competitions where they played up in the senior category. When they qualified for provincials, they were excited that they were given the opportunity to reach their goal. They were on their way back to Winnipeg, May 4 to 6, and they knew they were going to be up against some tough teams. Being an A school, at times it was daunting being matched up against AA, AAA and AAAA teams, but they kept their heads held high, finishing second in their pool after the round-robin.

Entering playoffs, Stratuliak and Dudar were determined to try their best and enjoy the experience.

The final game against Reston was a true battle for first. Losing the first set, Stratuliak and Dudar were determined to give them a tough game and worked hard to win the second set. By the third set, both teams could see that first-place finish.

The girls from Ethelbert played hard and secured silver, the first provincial finalists for Ethelbert badminton since 1978.

The Dauphin and District Community Foundation (DDCF) announced 13 grant recipients at the State of the City address, hosted by the Parkland Chamber of Commerce, May 9.

DDCF’s spring intake allowed them to hand out $73,738 in grants to 13 groups and organizations.

Here is a list of the grant recipients.

• Almost New Store - $15,000 for front door repair, including replacing cement footing;
• City of Dauphin -$2,500 for a digital kiosk to provide customers with accessible and low barrier tools;
• Dauphin and District Handivan - $7,500 to assist with the conversion costs of a van to accommodate a ramp allowing larger wheelchairs;
• Dauphin Church of Christ - $6,687 for the Whitmore School food program for the weeks before and after the Food for Thought program is running;
• Dauphin junior recreation hockey - $2,116 for goalie equipment;
• Dauphin Neighbourhood Renewal - $10,000 toward the repair of the DNRC auditorium roof;
• Dauphin Pickle Ball Club - $1,500 toward the purchase of nets, equipment and school rental;
• Dauphin Pottery and Ceramics Club - $4,083 to replace two 50-year-old potter’s wheels;
• Loray Manor (Parkland assisted living) - $7,000 for security panel repair;
• Mackenzie Middle School - $4,352 to replace disposable dishes and cutlery with sustainable products;
• Mountain View School Division - $3,000 toward rent for the alternative education program;
• Maamawii Park - $5,000 part of DDCF’s $30,000 commitment over three years; and
• South Parkland Healthy Child Coalition - $5,000 to establish an indoor playground and family room at Parkland Crossing for child programs, family resources and parent education.

For more info, check this week's Herald!

The City of Dauphin’s capital plan is set for 2023 and Public Works crews will be busy throughout the community.

“It’s going to be a busy year again, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running in the next week or two,” director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said. “We’ll start with some of our sidewalk work, get going on that and everything should fall into place.”

More than $13.8 million in capital expenditures is included in the plan for 2023, ranging in scope from the design and construction of a south end drainage system to the purchase of a carpet cleaner.

“It’s about the same as we’ve done the past few years. We have a little bit more paving and road reconstruction this year than normal, but that just meant we were doing less than the previous year, but it’s because we had more utility work last year,” VanAlstyne said.

Coming in at a cost of $8,196,415, the south end drainage system accounts for the majority of the capital budget. While $46,415 of the costs will be borne by reserves, the remaining $8.15 million will be debentured.

Road work is also planned at a cost of $643,330. That involves road reconstruction projects on Aster Bay at a cost of $168,000, as well as Fourth Avenue Northeast from First Street to Second Street at a cost of $215,500 and 10th Avenue Southeast from Main Street to First Street at a cost of $158,000.

Milling and overlaying work is also planned for Second Street Northeast from Fourth Avenue to Mountain Road at a cost of $101,830.

Sidewalk work will take place along with roadwork projects, but there is additional sidewalk work planned outside the capital budget, VanAlstyne said, specifically on Main Street.

The east side of Main Street South will see the paving stones replaced with poured concrete from Sixth Avenue to Eighth Avenue at a cost of $51,000; Eighth Avenue to 10th Avenue at a cost of $46,000 and a half block from Fourth Avenue to Fifth Avenue at a cost of $19,600.

A pedestrian crossing with flashers will be installed on Buchanon Avenue at Johnson Street at a cost of $15,000, which will be borne by reserves.

The project was originally slated to be completed last year at the intersection of Buchanon and Jackson Street.

“After talking with the province, they didn’t like it at the (original location) just with how busy the rail crossing is there,” VanAlstyne said.

“So we’re moving that a little bit to the west.”

Construction of a new back lane will take place in the west end between West Street and King Street at a cost of $23,000 which will be borne by reserves.

A design and refurbishment of the Buckwold Bridge over the Vermillion River on Fourth Avenue Southwest is also slated at a cost of $969,036, which will also be paid for out of reserves.

Several civic buildings will also see work done this year.

The Watson Arts Centre windows have already been replaced at a cost of $111,782, with the General Fund budget covering $60,891 and the remainder coming from reserves.

The building will also undergo some brick repointing work with the General Fund and reserves equally covering the $88,000 cost.

Finally, the Public Works Shop will see the addition of a lunchroom at a cost of $50,000 and exterior lighting will be installed at City Hall at a cost of $35,000. Both projects will be paid for out of reserves.

The Fire Department has a couple of capital purchases set for the year. The most substantial is a new pumper truck at a cost of $750,000 with $262,500 of the cost borne by the General Fund budget and $487,500 coming from reserves. The department will also receive a new hydraulic rescue tool valued at $6,000, paid for by the general fund.

A $10,000 upgrade is planned for the Diversion Centre at the waste disposal ground with the costs borne by reserves, while reserves will also pay the $12,000 required for a new computer server at City Hall. The cost of a new digital information kiosk will be split with the budget covering $7,500 and reserves the remaining $8,000.

An addition to the city’s statue inventory celebrating our Indigenous heritage will be erected at a cost of $107,000 with $100,000 coming from the General Fund and the remainder being drawn from reserves.

Several recreation-related capital expenditures are planned, such as additions to the Active Transportation system at a cost of $215,000 with $70,016 coming from the budget and the rest being borne by reserves.

As well, a new Parks lead hand truck will be purchased for $35,000, along with a new riding mower for $20,000, both of which will be covered by reserves.

Reserves will also cover completion of the toddler playground at Meadowlark Park for $20,000 a boiler and compressor replacement costing $103,558, the purchase of a carpet cleaner for $4,860 and lighting upgrades at Vermillion Park costing $23,000.

Machinery purchases planned for the year include a new garbage truck with a price tag of $405,521, a new Public Works truck for $60,000, refurbishment of the waste disposal site compactor for $153,399 and a new loader valued at $279,000. All will be paid for from reserves as will a new plasma cutter valued at $7,500.

Utility capital

On the Utility side of the budget water main renewal projects are planned for 10th Avenue Southwest from First Street to Second Street at a cost of $127,700 and Seventh Avenue Southwest from Main Street to First Street at a cost of $104,300.

Water main relining projects are set for Dunfield Avenue from Dorothy Street to Elmay Street at a cost of $100,000 and Main Street South from Ninth Avenue to Fourth Avenue at a cost of $305,000.

Sewer main relining is set for 10th Avenue Southeast from Main Street to First Street at a cost of $45,000 and Fourth Avenue Northeast from First Street to Second Street at a cost of $45,000.

Other utility capital projects include Manitoba Water Services Board supported upgrades in the amount of $177,452, the majority of which will be split evenly between the Utility Fund budget and reserves.

Lagoon dredging and design work is planned valued at $525,000 with $220,000 in the current budget and $305,000 being borne by reserves.

The purchase of a new flow metre at the booster station valued at $30,000, a new water metre reading device valued at $12,000, SCADA modem upgrades worth $15,000 and the purchase of a new trench cage worth $20,000 will all be paid for out of reserves.

After years of mill rate reductions and freezes, Dauphin residents will see an increase in their property tax bills for 2023.

Dauphin city council passed the 2023 financial plan at a special meeting, May 11, which will see the mill rate rise from 18.332, which raised $6,382,457 in 2022, to 18.937 this year, which will raise $6,827,186, representing a 6.3 per cent increase.

“It became apparent very early in the 2023 deliberation process that we could no longer provide the same level of service without needing to raise some taxes,” Mayor David Bosiak said. “So therefore for 2023 there will be a 6.3 per cent Municipal tax increase or a 3.3 per cent increase in the mill rate in order to continue to provide a consistent, if not better level of service to our residents. So those were some decisions and discussions that we’ve had to get to this particular point and I think that we’ve balanced both a need for generating revenues to support our operations and also to hold the line as best we can on, I’ll call it frivolous or any spending that is not absolutely necessary for us as a community.”

The plan also includes increased income from grants in lieu of taxes and “other” revenue for a total revenue/expenditure balance of $13,295,966.

On the expenditure side of the ledger, General Government Services will see an increase in its budget to $1,433,111 from the $1.389 million budgetted in 2022. That represents a 4.19 per cent increase driven mainly by regular staff wage increases and in-person conferences and training, community grants and appropriations of $58,000 and a Dauphin Regional Airport Authority subsidy of $98,000.

The Protective Services budget will see a six per cent overall increase to $3,754,132 in 2023, mainly due to increased RCMP costs resulting from retroactive unionization costs and wage increases. Other areas covered under the budget category include fire, emergency measures, building inspection, animal control, insect control and bylaw enforcement.

Transportation Services expenditures will increase by 7.58 per cent for 2023 to $1,945,576. The budget category includes administration and operating costs for Public Works and engineering, such as maintenance of curbs and gutters, lanes and roads, as well as general pavement repairs, crack sealing, sidewalk repairs, drainage maintenance, mowing, street cleaning, snow and ice removal, bridge maintenance, street lighting and signage.
Environmental Health will also see a slight increase of 1.64 per cent to a total of $1,030,239 to cover operations such as collection of garbage, yard waste and recycling, as well as maintenance and operation of the waste disposal grounds. Plans are to purchase more garbage and yard waste bins.
Public Health and Welfare Services again remains unchanged at $33,749 as the category consists entirely of a one-tier social assistance payment to the Province.

Environmental Development Services sees a decrease of 24.35 per cent to $222,407 as the Development Plan review nears completion. Other areas covered under the budget category include Dutch Elm Disease tree removal, Communities in Bloom, weed control and city events, such as parades and Remembrance Day services.

The Economic Development Services budget, which fluctuates depending on development, will see a sizeable increase of 30.39 per cent to $525,733 for 2023. Areas covered by the increase include economic development incentives programs for residential and commercial developments, tipping fees, spec homes and operation of the Dauphin Business Park. The category also includes Tourism related costs such as the Adventure Guide and place branding program, as well as merchandise costs, displays, the City’s website and photography and ideography expenses. Other areas include Tourism

Accommodation Tax Project and the Veterinary Services Board appropriation.

Recreation and Cultural Services will also see an increase, 7.93 per cent overall, to a total of $2,164,866. While over 86 per cent of that budget consists of operating funds for Dauphin Recreation Services, the money also includes appropriations for other facilities, such as the Watson Arts Centre, Fort Dauphin Museum, the Dauphin Rail Museum and the library. Also included is money for the Community Band and the Community Jazz Band.

Fiscal Services, which outlines capital expenditures and reserve transfers totals $13,994,146 in 2023 about $650,000 more in capital spending and transfers. Also included is the City’s portion of the Main Street South twinning project, which involves $8.15 million in borrowing.

Utility Fund

Income in the utility ledger will decrease in 2023 due mainly to less in the way of Provincial grants to $3,660,006.

The bulk of that income will come through residential water sales budgeted at just over $2.3 million and sewer service charges totalling $663,273.

On the expenditure side, operation and maintenance of the water supply system accounts for the majority of expenses at just over $2 million while sewage collection and disposal accounts for another $415,145. There is also $863,026 in capital work planned, transfers to reserves in the amount of $250,000 and $83,517 in debenture debt charges.

For the third year in a row, Fusion Credit Union is proud to present “Community Infusion”, the business idea competition that infuses economic growth and prosperity into our local communities.

“At Fusion, we are ‘here for good’, and to us, that means we are committed to our communities today and for the long term,” says Fusion CEO Darwin Johns.

Find out more in this week’s Review.