The Swan Valley Animal Protection League (SVAPL) has some incredible people who go above and beyond the call of duty to rescue, care for and most importantly, love animals that have been either surrendered or abandoned. One of these remarkable people is Dan Grazier. If you know Grazier, you know he is a true animal lover and has dedicated many hours to the shelter.
“Pets are great companions,” said Grazier. “They are always there for you with a wagging tail and a wet nose. They don’t ask for much and offer unconditional love in return.
“When we can save an animal from an unfortunate situation or circumstance, and offer them safety, love and hope, you can tell they understand and appreciate it. Once we put in the work, time and effort to get them to trust people again, you can tell they are ready to begin the next chapter of their lives with their new forever families.”
Many pet lovers are either a dog or a cat person. Grazier loves all animals, but he has a favourite type.
“I grew up a dog lover, but as I grew older, cats seemed more aligned with my personality,” said Grazier. “I’ve got three of my own at home: Dagger, Dart and Dash. We are the DA Gang. In addition to that, we have nearly 50 cats and kittens at the shelter that I consider my unofficial children as well.”
Grazier started getting involved with SVAPL by watching his father help out the organization. Between the love of animals and being able to use his skill set for volunteering, it became a natural thing for him to do.
“My company, Grazier Custom Manufacturing, has built things for the SVAPL for a number of years, and my late father Cliff was always very happy to help them out,” said Grazier. “I started by just bringing food and donations to the shelter. I saw that the volunteer base was extremely female-heavy. I noticed things that could be helped with my skill set.
“We started by building and donating catios that give the cats access to the outside, fresh air, bird watching etc. It’s grown to now have three different catios, catwalks, pedestals, wall crates, and bridges. A real cat paradise. It’s become a very unique place in the world of animal rescue.
“We have worked hard to create a wonderful and fun, stress-free, comforting atmosphere for the animals to enjoy as they wait to meet their new families,” said Grazier. “Many shelters cannot do this, and lots of times the animals are confined to smaller individual cages, which is the unfortunate reality. We are doing our absolute best to try to maximize the space for them.
“I also use the time there as my form of therapy. I dealt with some pretty tough times after my father passed away, and this has given me something positive to channel my energy towards. I’ve become very attached to every animal in our care and know every one of their names.”
Grazier has seen the Swan Valley come together and help out the SVAPL. People are more than willing to help the shelter provide quality care for those animals until they find their forever homes.
“We have some amazing sponsors in this community, and are very lucky that they are big animal lovers,” said Grazier. “The big one I can think of this past year was the Swan River Kinsmen Club, which I am also a member of and recently elected the Vice-President. They voted to fund the Kinsmen Kennel, a functional dog run behind our facility, so we will be able to handle dogs that come into our care as well. We are almost near completion.
“Before this, we could only take in dogs if a foster home could be arranged. This will give us a few more options in case of emergencies. That is just the start of the amazing group of sponsors that we have. Come to the shelter and look at the huge list on the wall sometime and see for yourself. “
Grazier has seen the shelter expand over the years in terms of space and features, as well as in need and animals that need homes.
“The shelter has evolved over the past few years, growing from a few rooms with cat trees, to an amazing playland with items and features changing and being added constantly,” said Grazier. “The number of animals coming in never seems to decrease, especially coming into the winter months when animals are seeking shelter. We are always operating at or beyond our capacity when it comes to felines.
“We have been lucky to be able to have dedicated foster homes for the dogs currently in our care. Near 50 cats and eight to 10 dogs are currently in our care and foster homes. We have an unbelievably dedicated, caring and compassionate group of volunteers who never let a day go by without all chores being done, every animal fed and cared for. They are the real unsung heroes of our shelter, and the place would not run without them. I am so proud of them for their work every day.”
Grazier has been part of a few comedic fundraising campaigns to help bring much-needed dollars to the SVAPL. Usually, he finds humour not only the best medicine but a good way to engage with people when it comes to fundraising.
“The ladies and I like to have an unofficial, good-spirited competition when it comes to selling tickets,” said Grazier. “We always have some amazing prizes and a large 50/50 draw for our Spring banquet, which is coming up on March 22, so the more eyes we get on the draws and our event the better.
“The more ridiculous the posts we make, the more engagement and sales for these tickets. The real winners in the end are the animals, and deep down, I have the utmost respect for my fellow sales competitors... but mostly because they know I am going to win.
“They also talked me into doing a 2025 fundraising cash calendar featuring myself this year,” said Grazier. “It sold out all 250 copies very quickly, becoming one of our best fundraisers to date. It’s not what I would choose to hang up in my house to look at every day but to each their own. I have somewhat leaned into the role of being one of the faces of the shelter. I can certainly be a character, and anything that brings eyes to our adoptable friends and our shelter is a good thing. I decided to go with the flow while people still find it entertaining. Strike while the iron is hot, as they say in my industry.”
The list of needs is never-ending for the shelter. Whether it be food or money, both go to good use.
“As you can imagine, food is always the highest in demand,” said Grazier. “The animal’s mouths never stop, so we are constantly going through food. If you have one or two animals at home that you feed, you can imagine the volume that 50 cats and 10 dogs would require per day.
“People have been so generous to us with their donations. We even have a bin for donations at the Co-op, and an Amazon wish list for those out-of-towners. Donations can always be dropped off directly at the shelter as well, or we can arrange a pickup.
“Alternatively, money is always useful to help with our monthly bills, supplies or whichever food or treats we are requiring that month,” said Grazier. “Any cash donations over $25 are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
“Our next major project is installing another window in one of the cat rooms. Grazier Manufacturing will donate a fourth catio once it is installed, but we could always use the money for that or things such as these that pop up.”
Grazier does a lot around the shelter to help out, from building things to bottle feeding. He encourages people in the Valley to give in any capacity they can, whether it be through donating or volunteering.
“I assist directly with the animals quite often, helping to administer vaccines and medications; take weights; give baths, that’s always fun; bottle feed; play with the cats to help socialize them; comforting cats that are new and scared or feeling under the weather and giving them some company while they are in the quarantine section,” said Grazier. “I try to stay useful, from lifting heavy things to building and fixing, right down to cleaning the gunk out of the cat’s eyes.
“I’m working hard to try to break misconceptions that men can’t be involved with animal rescue. You can be young and male and also have compassion for animals. Caring for animals is cool, and I can always use more guys’ help because I am definitely outnumbered.”
“If people are looking to help us out, we are always looking for donations of either cash or supplies,” said Grazier. “If you are unsure what to buy or what we need, I would encourage you to send a message to the SVAPL Facebook page. We would be able to tell you in real time what we are in most need of.
“If you are interested in volunteering, also contact us through the page or email us through our website at SVAPL.ca. Visit our site to see current animals looking for a new home if you are considering one. Fill out an application. Book a meeting with the cats and see which one speaks to you. Support us. Come to our events. We are an entirely volunteer-run non-profit organization kept alive by a group of people with big hearts and I’m very honoured to call them all my friends. And also, as one of my heroes always said, ‘Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.’ RIP Bob.”

An early spring sun rises on the Swan Valley, peeking behind one of the vintage tractors on display at the Swan Valley Historical Museum.

The annual Jimmy Jackfish Ice Fishing Derby was a resounding success drawing more than 400 participants from across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and even as far as Ontario and Alberta.
“We were excited to host such a great turnout,” said Johanna McLauchlan, chairperson of the derby. “It’s amazing to see so many people come together for this event.”

The Pas and Area Animal Shelter (TPAAS) is still operating on an intake freeze, due to reaching maximum capacity at the shelter and through the fosters available. All of these animals are looking to be adopted into their forever home or even fostered until a home becomes available for them.
“The shelter usually has a cap of 30 cats, but we currently have 38,” said TPAAS Shelter Manager Tina Donaldson.

The closure of The Pas Association for Human Development (TPAHD) has been a tough one for not only the tri-community but the board, staff and clients who were directly involved with the organization. What many may not realize is that program funding for people with disabilities hasn’t been increased in a very long time.
It wasn’t that long ago that wages for support workers and staff that worked with people with disabilities were amongst the lowest paid jobs in Manitoba, yet held some of the highest responsibilities. This was a challenge that TPAHD faced.
“We’ve been looking for an increase in funding for at least 15 years,” said former TPAHD Board Member Darryl Shotton.

Many who have spent time growing up in the tri-community area and then moved on, got their initial start in life through some of the things the area had to offer. For former resident, D’Arcy Lussier, this was no different. His family was well-known in the area for their roles in education, and it was no surprise that Lussier, himself, would become passionate about knowledge, but on a different level.
“My parents met in The Pas when they both taught at MBCI in the early 1970s,” said Lussier. “We moved back in 1985, when my Dad took a position as a Dean of Keewatin Community College, now known as UCN. In 1987, he became the president of the college for four years and then was a vice principal at Joe A. Ross school from 1991 to 1993. In the summer of 1993, we moved to Winnipeg.”
Lussier’s interest in technology started at an early age when his family was living in The Pas. Over the years, that grew into a need to learn more at a post-secondary level.
“I didn't think of a career in IT until I started looking into career choices a few years after being done with high school,” said Lussier.

Spring is underway and many are eager to get out and about after what has felt like a long, cold winter. The Opasquia Trails has been undergoing some maintenance and upgrade work to accommodate more trail users and become an accessible trail for all people to use. The work started this winter and is continuing, with quite a fair bit accomplished so far.
“A winter ice road needed to be constructed to haul gravel to the wooded trail area,” said Opasquia Trails Board Member Marilyn Meyer. “The earlier mild winter temperatures and heavy snowfall did not allow the ice to naturally thicken enough to support heavy gravel loads to be safely hauled across the ice. Snow needed to be cleared from the lake surface and through a continual cycle of pumping water and allowing it to freeze, the desired ice thickness was created.

An event that aims to bring people together is coming to the tri-community. Beatrice Wilson Health is hosting a 2-Spirit Gala next week as a way to create a safe and more inclusive community.
“This came about from some harm reduction funding and there have been a multitude of things that Beatrice Wilson Health has been doing to work on harm reduction,” said Opaskwayak Health Authority Healthcare Consultant Derrick Sanderson. “This is just one of many things. Because we know that the 2SLGBTQIA+ group is a marginalized area, we took a positive spin on this and made it a gala.

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative Party is getting ready to elect a new leader for the party. PC leadership candidate Obby Khan has been getting out to rural communities with plans to come to northern Manitoba to engage with PC party members and Manitobans alike.
“Travelling all over Manitoba, grassroots party and new members are talking about bringing the party together and having a strong positive voice going forward, that representing strong conservative values, while representing all of Manitoba,” said PC MLA and Leadership Candidate Obby Khan. “Across the board, people are excited for what I’m doing with my big tent party, staying positive, working with everyone, and that is the only way we will win back government and people understand that. It’s been going very well and positive.”

The tax bill for those living within the boundaries of Mountain View School Division will have a different look for a variety of reasons.

Presenting a draft 2025-26 budget at a public forum, Mar. 6,  MVSD secretary-treasurer Lori Slepicka indicated the division has increased its budget requirements by approximately $2.6 million from $50,816,934 last year to $53,487,961 in 2025-26.

The increase is driven mainly by increases of $2.25 million in the area of salaries and benefits, $83,000 more in nutrition grant costs, $171,434 in the area of supplies and services, a $67,991 rise in insurance costs along with $34,010 more in utility requirements and $96,237 in additional transfers.

The final budget was also impacted by a $30,883 drop in technology costs and a trustee budget decrease of $96,237.

On the revenue side of the ledger, that final budget number will be realized through provincial funding of $38,942,955, federal revenue of $19,715, municipal revenue of $12,036,950, First Nations revenue of $1,283,311, school division income of $448,580, income from private organizations of $536,450 and revenue from other sources of $220,000.

The big changes from last year involve provincial funding, which increased 31.6 per cent from last year, and the municipal portion, which is down 35.6 per cent from 2024-25.

The main reason, Slepicka said, is the introduction of the Homeowners Affordability Tax Credit (HATC) of up to $1,500, replacing the Manitoba School Tax Rebate of 50 per cent and Education Property Tax credit previously provided.

“So it shifts our revenue from our municipal revenue to our provincial revenue,” she said.

An assessment increase across the division of 16.1 per cent, to slightly more than $1.5 billion, was also highlighted with the value of farmland increasing by 23.9 per cent, residential properties by 10.9 per cent and commercial properties by 7.2 per cent.

Those increases allowed the division to lower its mill rate from 13.8697 mills in 2024 to 13.2603 mills this year.

When looking at the effect of taxation, Slepicka said, if your residential assessment increased by more than the 16.1 per cent you will see a higher tax increase and if it increased by less than 16.1 per cent, you wil see a lower tax rate.

Using an example of  a home assessed at $270,538 in 2024 and rising to $300,000 in 2025, Slepicka highlighted what those changes might mean for a homeowner.

In 2024, that homeowner would have owed school taxes totalling $1,688.59. After applying rebates and tax credits the net tax bill would have been $494.29.

This year, assuming an assessed value of $300,000, that property would have total school taxes of $1,790.14. When the HATC is applied that bill drops to $290.14, or 41.3 per cent less than the previous year.

“The only thing more complicated than the provincial funding formula is probably the calculation of municipal revenue,” Slepicka said, adding the calculation of the division’s Special Levy involves considering needs in two budget years.

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.