Dauphin’s Utility Fund is trending toward a deficit in 2024.

City manager Sharla Griffiths informered councillors of the situation at their regular meeting Nov. 18.

“One of the reasons that we’re looking at a possible deficit is that the City of Dauphin last September, so over a year ago now, applied for a rate study with the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and we anticipated, we knew that it was going to take a long time. So we gave them basically a year and anticipated that we would have received approval of the increased utility rates by Oct. 1,” Griffiths said, adding they have been told the review will start soon.

“We’re well into November, so fingers crossed for January 1. But that’s the primary reason that we may be running a deficit for 2024.”

Griffiths added there was some capital work that was not completed this year which might help the situation, but on the flip side there was extra capital when they were doing the Lagoon sludging.

“So we are really kind of waiting for the numbers to come in as to where are we are,” she said.

“We’re going to evaluate at the end of November and probably there’s not a lot of room to cancel things in December, all of our projects are done. So we’ll know in a couple of weeks where we’re at.”

The City requested the water rate review as a result of inflationary pressures. While the last review included a built-in inflation factor, it only covered a set number of years.

“After that we can’t inflate the rates, so we just have to keep them stagnant,” Griffiths said,

“So there was at least one year where there, 2023 I believe, did not see an increase and neither did 2024. We were hoping that three-quarters of the way through 2024 we would see an increase and then continue on from there.”

In its application, the City was seeking an 11.7 per cent increase in 2024,  along with a 4.2 per cent in 2025 and 2.3 per cent in 2026.

When the new rates will kick in depends on when the PUB decision comes down as the City prefers not to change rates in the middle of a billing cycle.

“It would be great if we could get it started for Jan. 1, but if we can’t then it won’t be until Apr. 1,” Griffiths said.

“It’s tougher to get the kind of messaging out for people to understand that their rate changed halfway through. It’s a cleaner process when it’s at the beginning of a quarter.”

The request before the PUB is for a short term, Griffiths said, acting as a bridge with the lagoon expansion project looming. Once construction costs are firmed up and operating estimates are determined, the City will ask for another rate review to ensure the utility is a strong position to finance the project.

“We have had hugely fluctuating estimates for the project. When we applied for the grant way back in 2019 it was $13 million. During the pandemic, when we got awarded the grant, it was thought that the project could be upwards of $17 million,” Griffiths said adding the grant requirements were that any expenditures over the original $13 million had to be covered by the municipality.

“But as we’re coming out of that high inflation time, we’re finding that the costs are coming down, not quite down to $13 million, but it’s not as high as $17 million. Once we have a more solid idea of what those costs are, then we can determine if (the project will be covered) 100 per cent by water rates or if there’s some on taxation, as well.”

If you like thrift shopping and were disappointed to learn that New to You closed its doors, you won’t be disappointed for long. A new thrift shop, Thrifter Sisters, run by two residents, is opening up and getting ready to serve the tri-community.
“This all happened quickly and wasn’t something we really planned,” said Thrifter Sisters Co-Owner and Operator Karen Hall. “Conversations just developed after we learned of the sudden closure of New to You. We were both very concerned for the well-being of our community, especially with today’s current cost of living. The thought of not having a local thrift store is very damaging to our area.”
“We are both huge thrifters and love to save money,” said Thrifter Sisters Co-Owner and Operator Jasmin Titterton. “We’re always looking for the best deals and love to visit other thrift stores when we travel.”

The Pas OCN Chamber of Commerce held a big community event on Thursday, November 21, at the Wescana Inn in the Rendezvous Room. It was the return of their annual Citizen of the Year and Business of the Year, along with their Annual General Meeting.
This year’s Board of Directors consists of Dan Quesnel as President, Roy Osmond as Vice-President, Donna Dawe as Secretary and Asia Melnick as Treasurer. There are also directors and representatives appointed, which include Johnathan Lalonde as a Director, Jim Berscheid as a Director, Lee Sinclair with Paskwayak Business Development Corporation, Randy Manych as a Town of the Pas Representative, Keith Jaeger as an RM of Kelsey Representative, Judy Mayer/Val Uffelman (alternated) as the MMF Representative and currently there is no appointed representative with Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Tushar Thakkar from Westoba Credit Union recently joined the board, and Sandra Shapiro is the office manager.

Another successful event was held by The Pas Guest List a few weeks ago. The Pas Guest List combined a superb dining experience along with music to help raise funds for projects in the community.
“The Pas Guest List held a fall dinner in collaboration with Untamed Acres Chef Delaina Parker at the Anglican Church Hall on November 16,” said The Pas Guest List President Alexis Yahnke. “We included an auction and live music by Gordi Munro, which created an exquisite evening for our community.
“We had an amazing turnout. We sold out for the event and were able to fundraise $3,000. We had two beautiful art pieces generously donated by Jackie Traverse to auction off at this event, which helped with the success of the event tremendously.”

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas with the snow falling and the Christmas decorations coming out of storage.
Soon, the Swan Valley Historical Museum (SVHM) will be all alight with the luminous and colourful displays of Mistletoe Magic will be hung from the historical buildings and outdoor equipment with care.
The preparations of the SVHM volunteers will culminate in an opening night celebration on Dec. 7 that will be the official first evening of Mistletoe Magic. From 5-9 p.m., everyone is welcome to drive through or walk through the grounds of the SVHM and view the Christmas displays, as well as join the fellowship in the main hall, where hot chocolate and hot dogs will be served, with admittance to everything free of charge, with an opportunity to give a donation if people wish to do so.
“We find a lot of people are happy to come on out and feel like they want to give something to the project,” said Mistletoe Magic organizer Candace Balbo. “We’re always happy to have donations, and people can specify whether they are giving towards the cost of Mistletoe Magic or make a general donation to the museum.”
Those that come by to visit in the hall also have the opportunity to take a picture with Santa Claus in an antique sleigh.
In addition, a horse-drawn wagon ride will be in the works, provided that the weather will be appropriate. Everyone will be welcome to take rides with their friends and family around the grounds.
For the rest of December, and up until after traditional Ukrainian Christmas, the lights will stay on and anybody is welcome to drive around the SVHM grounds on any evening, free of charge.
“We on the board of the museum do a lot of ground work and organization of putting this together, but so many people also come out to volunteer their time to decorate these buildings,” said Balbo. “And, there might not be people that want to decorate the buildings, but are willing to donate so we can get more lights. Lights last a long time, but sometimes they do break.
“Anything anybody is willing to do is a nice thing.”
While the SVHM isn’t necessarily able to collect feedback from all the people that visit Mistletoe Magic in a year, Balbo mentioned that she receives positive comments on occasion when she is around town and generally finds that people really enjoy visiting the light display in what has become a fairly new annual tradition in the last half decade.
“During COVID when people had to supervise who came on the grounds, it was remarkable how many people came,” said Balbo. “It’s a lovely event and we’re happy to do it.
“It’s a bright spot in the dark part of the winter.”

It appears that winter has unofficially arrived to stay for the season with multiple days of heavy snowfall last week, starting on Tuesday (Nov. 19) and continuing with another heavy dose on Sunday morning (Nov. 24). Temperatures are also expected to be colder than -10C until well into December.

The Manitoba government has announced a three-year West-Central Immigration Initiative pilot project that would see the government partner with seven rural municipalities and Gambler First Nation to support west-central Manitoba employers.

It is estimated the region will need 240 to 300 people to address labour shortages within the next three years.

Find out more in this week’s issue.

Justice is one of those concepts that means different things to different people.

For some, justice lies in the black and white world of the court system, while for others, a more nuanced approach is needed to arrive at a suitable outcome when dealing with crime.

Restorative justice is the process of bringing the accused, victim and the community - represented by a community justice committee -  together to resolve a crime.

Dauphin is home to one of Manitoba’s oldest community justice committees and during this year’s Restorative Justice Week, Nov. 17 to 23, hopes to add to its membership to better focus on addressing harm caused by crime and meeting the needs of those involved.

The restorative justice process works best when the victim has an empowered voice, when the accused is truly held responsible for their actions, and when community justice committee members facilitate the process, said Michelle Funk, a restorative justice facilitator with Westman Mediation Services, which supports community justice committees - including the one in Dauphin - through training committee members.

“Hopefully, you’re getting to those risk factors of why the individual committed the crime in the first place, so hopefully they won’t do it again,” Funk said, adding victims play more of a role in the process than in a formal courtroom setting.

“The victim can have a say in the process and hopefully get some sort of healing out of it, because that doesn’t happen in the criminal justice system.”

While there are critics who say restorative justice is soft on crime, that is not the case, Funk said, likening the restorative justice process to a parent dragging their shoplifting child to apologize to a store owner.

“Because you actually had to face the person that you harmed and you had to actually see the effects and the consequences of your behaviour. And for me that always means more than hiding from it,” she said.

“You’re being held accountable for what you did.”

The restorative justice process is proven to lower recidivism rates, as well as reduce costs by avoiding expensive courtroom appearances.

There are also immeasurable benefits, through increased community safety and offenders who have an opportunity to be contributing members of society. The process also results in a marked increase in victim satisfaction, and victims receiving monetary restitution that they would not normally get through

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

A former resident of The Pas and Cormorant has spent her working career teaching others about residential schools as part of Truth and Reconciliation. Melody Dumas and her family members have been impacted and experienced residential school in some capacity. Dumas’ childhood recollections of what residential schools were have followed her in this journey.
“I lived in The Pas until I was six and then my parents decided to move to Cormorant,” said Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC) Languages and Cultures Instructional Resource Analyst Melody Dumas. “Living in Cormorant was a great experience. Swimming, berry picking, hunting, fishing, family, outdoor activities, and eating traditional foods were a huge part of my life. I loved going hunting with my family. My dad had a camp on the river. We lived in Cormorant until I was eleven years old and then we moved to Dauphin.

Opaskwayak Cree Nation’s rising star Rhonda Head is now part of a Grammy-nominated album for this year’s upcoming awards. Head collaborated with Antonio Vergara on his album The Fury and it recently was nominated for the Grammy’s Best Contemporary Blues Album.
“Antonio is from Ecuador and is a fantastic musician,” said Head. “He had messaged me through social media and asked if I would be interested in collaborating with him on his next album. I was excited and more than happy to. He sent me the final song and I sat on it awhile, listening to it before I recorded my vocals.
“Once I recorded my vocals, I sent it off to him. Next thing I know, the Grammy For-Your-Consideration nominations came up and his album was selected to be one of the nominees on the ballot. When I heard his album was nominated for a Grammy, I called him up and congratulated him. He then said to me, ‘Rhonda, you are part of the album too, so we are celebrating this together.’ This didn’t dawn on me at first.
“The days went by and Antonio started sending me things to post on Facebook mentioning this Grammy nominee,” said Head. “ Just last week, he shared with me press release information to share with local media on this. It wasn’t until I looked at the press release that it sunk in that I was part of a Grammy nomination. I was shaking, then I cried and laughed once it hit me, and I’m still processing it. It’s hard for me to accept it.”
Vergara worked with several musicians for his album and he shares his success with The Fury with every one of them.