The Town of the Pas held a Special Meeting for the 2024 Budget on March 25.
Council received the final amount from the Kelsey School Division, which results in a slight increase from what was indicated in previous discussions and leads to a 0.66 mill rate increase. The total amount which the Town of The Pas is required to levy under Section 188 of The Public Schools Act for 2024, is $2,981,347. Town council has no control over school tax portion.
Some additional expenses were also added to the 2024 budget. The Tri-Com Recycling forklift final amount was $7,850 that the request was for.
Initially, there were some expenses for truth and reconciliation were added to the amount of $10,000.
As well, the clean-up costs for 220 Edwards Avenue, The Lido Theatre, is put at $50,000 in the budget, but the controller felt that is a low amount to budget for this expense. Two quotes have been received so far. Mayor Murphy said it’s just a starting point to work toward and didn’t feel it had to be done all at once. He said council should work towards that budgeted amount rather than the scope of the work that needs to be done, and go from there.

The Dauphin Kings and Blizzard Jr. A Hockey Club are going the distance in their best-of-seven quarterfinal series.

Cayden Glover’s goal 10:46 into the fifth overtime period lifted the Dauphin Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Blizzard in game six, Monday in Dauphin.

After taking a two-games-to-none lead, the Kings saw their first-round opponent capitalize on some breaks to score three straight victories.

The Blizzard got back into the series with a 5-3 win in game three, Mar. 26, in The Pas.

Miguel Bouvier’s goal 4:34 into double overtime, Mar. 28, in Dauphin, evened the series at two games apiece.

The Blizzard then took the series lead with a 3-2 win in game five, Mar. 30, in The Pas, setting the stage for what turned into an epic battle between two evenly-matched teams.

Following Monday’s game six victory, Kings head coach and general manager Doug Hedley said was proud of how hard the team worked.

“And (goaltender Cole Sheffield) Sheff, outstanding. Both goaltenders were outstanding,” he said.

Sheffield finished with 71 saves, while his Blizzard counterpart Tomas Anderson made 61 stops.

Hedley said the Blizzard got a few breaks which allowed them to take the series lead after five games.

With the Blizzard leading 4-3 late in game three, the Kings hit a couple of goal posts before the Blizzard sealed the win with an empty-net marker.

“Come back here and they win in double overtime. And then going back up there, it was a real tight game. I really liked the way we pushed back up there. We got outplayed the first period and we didn’t get off to a great start. We got down 2-0, but came back and made it a game. We outplayed them in the last 40,” Hedley said. “Both teams are so evenly matched.”

The pushback continued in game six with the Blizzard twice taking a one-goal lead only for the Kings to come back to tie it, with Alex Senf’s goal with 54 seconds remaining in regulation forcing the issue to go into overtime.

Both teams had quality chances in each of the overtime periods, but Sheffield and Anderson were equal to the task until Glover threw the puck at the net and it eluded Anderson sending what was left of the 1,041 fans in attendance home happy.

“I just can’t say enough about our pushback and our never quitting. Never giving up. This could be a galvanizing moment for us. We were talking in the room about how this could be the start of the journey, not the end,” Hedley said. “We found a way to get it done. We believed. (Sunday) we met and the whole room believed that we could find a way to get this done. Now they’re going back, getting home late. They’ve got to make two trips to our one.”

The key to success in game seven will be to keep things simple, Hedley said.

“Just like what we’ve been doing. We were relieving pressure by rimming pucks. We’ve been hitting, sticking and pinning the whole time. A lot better low in the D zone,” he said. “They had some opportunities, but we had some good opportunities, too. In fact, I thought it was over about three times, with (Jordan) Bax with an empty net, Zalischuk an empty net on rebounds and Glover walks in on a breakaway. Both goaltenders played well. You’ve got to give both teams credit for working hard and never quitting.”

Game seven will go, Wednesday in The Pas at 7 p.m.

Swan Valley cattle rancher Bruce Anderson is coming close to watching his family’s way of life hit a milestone in celebrating 100 years of breeding cattle. Anderson can remember his time growing up on the family farm, how very different it is from today’s generation and way of doing things.
“When I was growing up on the farm, there was a lot more manual labour back then,” said Bruce Anderson.
“It was really hard to balance any sports or school activities with farm responsibilities. We had outside chores before and after school from the time I was ten or so.
“We made over ten thousand square bales each year for use in the barns and for the cattle shows.
Working on the show cattle in very cold barns and travelling to the shows across Canada and U.S. without cell phones is something I think about a lot.
“Things have gotten a lot more automated and our equipment and infrastructure has improved considerably,” said Anderson. “The requirement of off-farm income to support the family farm has added a lot of pressure and time constraints.”
Anderson’s father learned to manage money very early in life and passed that skill on to Bruce. He grew up knowing that there would be years where things would fluctuate and that it was important to have some extra in waiting, for those times. Anderson also embraced the advances that came with cattle breeding, which helped with the succession of not only the breeding of cattle but operations in general.
“My dad was very frugal and taught me to be careful with my money and that has helped us through the tough years of growing our farm,” said Anderson. “We implanted some of the first embryos in the early seventies and that technology has improved our herd considerably through the years.”
Cattle farming was something that was in Anderson’s blood, so it was no surprise that he would continue on with the family farm and breeding cattle.
“Our family had been raising Angus since 1933, so it was all I knew, and in my heart,” said Anderson.
“I purchased my first Angus cow when I was nine and now almost 50 years later, she is still the breed of momma cow I want to have on my farm.”
There are a lot of factors to consider when breeding cattle, particularly when establishing a purebred line such as Anderson has done.
“You need patience to watch the animals develop, it takes 36 months from conception to the first calf off a female you bred to see the results of your matings,” said Anderson.
“There have been fads in the purebred industry through the years, but we have always strived to produce a consistent product as our customers are the commercial cattleman and whatever we produce has to work for them. We source genetics from across North America to constantly improve our herd, through the use of artificial insemination and embryo transplant. “
Anderson has heard from his father and experienced the impacts of what a drought year can do to cattle operations. His father experienced one of the worst droughts in history in 1930s and then Bruce himself recalls the drought from 1960.
“I remember my dad talking about his mom walking the cattle up to the Roaring River to water daily, where our farm is located now,” said Anderson. “This would be a two-mile walk with small children and literally a hill both ways. We were fortunate in the Valley to not feel the effects of the severe drought like the southern parts of Canada.
“Dad and his brother also cropped land and were somewhat diversified so that helped.”
Anderson can recall the work put into their first bull sale in the Valley and now the event has grown both in size and work involved in putting it together. In 2014, the Andersons began hosting their bull sale directly on their farm.
“We started out in a group sale called the All Breeds Bull Sale with other local breeders,” said Anderson.
“Their efforts and cooperation improved our marketing options and helped make Swan Valley known as a place to purchase bulls. We always deal with distance living here, and over the years technology has helped bridge the miles. We have sold bulls by private treaty as well and established our own sale in 2010, and holding it on the farm required facility for the sale.
“We advertise through a lot of different venues and now produce our own catalogue, taking videos and pictures ourselves. Technology has broadened our target markets and we often have bulls go across the prairie provinces and into the US; however, the majority are within a 100-mile radius. We always wanted to keep our sale local as we are firm believers that supporting your local community is the secret to keeping it thriving.”
Bruce is now watching as his children carry the torch and looks forward to watching the family legacy reach the milestone of 100 years.
“At times it is hard to let go of the reins, but I’m very proud of the integrity and work ethic our kids have,” said Anderson. “My dad would have been also. He loved the cattle industry and the Swan Valley, and both Austen and Breanna respect the legacy he left. I hope that I have helped to instill that in them. Watching our grandchildren grow up and knowing our love of this industry is my greatest reward. I look forward to our 100-year milestone in 2033.”

Captured during Easter weekend, a wild rabbit sits around a silage pile on a Swan Valley West farm

Dauphin city councillors chose to add several outstanding accounts and unpaid water invoices to the tax rolls as part of their regular meeting, Mar. 25.

A total of $27,358.57 in outstanding accounts was comprised of an unpaid demolition permit valued at $70 associated with 24 3rd Ave. SW, while $53.20 was owing at 36 King Street for a water connection fee, $53.86 was outstanding at 4 Kirby Ave. W for a property standards fine and $27,181.51 in demolition costs was unpaid at 301 3rd Ave. NE.

A total of $379.24 in water accounts was made up of $27.89 owing at 209 6th Ave. NE, $162.87 at 107 10th Ave. SW, $162.87 at 213 4th Ave. NE and $16.61 at 306 Wellington Cres. In all cases, the previous or current owner or tenant did not pay the final utility bill.

Main Street funding
Council received correspondence from Ian Bushie, Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations indicating his department will provide funding contributions of up to $3.8 million for the Main Street South Reconstruction and Drainage Improvements Project, under the Municipal Economic Development

IMWD levy
Councillors approved the payment of a $19,300 invoice from Inter-Mountain Watershed District for the 2024 levy as per Schedule 4 of the Watershed Districts Act.

Emergency plan
Council received word from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure that the City’s emergency plan submission was received and approved by the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization under provisions of The Emergency Measures Act. Senior regional emergency manager, Bob Schkawritka informed council he is available for a discussion of the plan and would be pleased to provide informal feedback.

Accounts approved
Councillors approved the issuance of 51 cheques totalling $2,656,021.33 to cover accounts.

Recycling
Council received a copy of a Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) Residential Waste Composition Study completed in 2023, which provides data on waste generation and composition, as well as a snapshot of material recovery rates of eligible MMSM and residential recyclable material.

Infrastructure Program.
Council also authorized the signing of a contribution agreement and, as a sign of the partnership, the province requires that the financial contribution be acknowledged on any signage or promotional materials and that all project announcements be undertaken jointly.

Lots more in this week's Herald!

The City of Dauphin got a glimpse into the effectiveness of its waste programs through a recent study completed by Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM).

Results of a Residential Waste Composition Study completed in 2023 were forwarded to the City recently, providing data on waste generation and composition, as well as a snapshot of material recovery rates of eligible recyclable material.

At a recent meeting of city council, Director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said the study results did not contain any surprises.

“Every five years or so Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba conducts audits in all the communities across the province. There’s a rotating audit schedule. Contractors come and investigate the contents of the community’s waste and figure out the amount of recycling and cross-contamination and different things like that,” VanAlstyne said. “So nothing really big came out of the study or the audit, that they provided.”

The study spanned two consecutive weeks in October 2023 with waste collected and sorted from 10 single family dwelling areas consisting of 10 households in each area, as well as from two multi-family dwellings consisting of 30 and 32 units.

Check this week's Herald for the full story!

A Dauphin curler has earned a spot at the International University Sports Federation world games, in Torino, Italy, Jan. 13 to 23, 2025.

Carter Williamson, helped his University of Regina Cougars team qualify for nationals at the Canada West championships, with six teams competing for one of two spots at nationals.

The event was a round-robin format with each team playing five games, with the top two teams advancing to nationals, which were held in Frederiction, NB, Mar. 12 to 16.

The Cougars, which consists of skip Joshua Bryden, third Adam Bukurak, lead Ryan Grabarczyk and fifth Ayden Whittmire, drew the top-ranked University of Alberta Golden Bears on the first day of the competition, losing 7-6 in 10 ends.

It was Regina’s only loss of the round-robin event, with Williamson stating the team went on a winning streak after their loss to the Golden Bears.

“We ended that weekend with pretty high spirits,” he said.

At nationals, the Cougars finished the round-robin with a 4-3 record, qualifying for playoffs, where they got as measure of revenge against the Golden Bears, beating them 7-5 in the semifinals.

The Golden Bears had finished first after the round-robin, with a 6-1 record.

In the final, the Cougars beat Dalhousie University, 8-5, to claim the national title and earn a berth at worlds, next January.

Winning nationals, Williamson said, means everything to him.

“It’s the reason why we curl, is to be called Team Canada one day. It’s the reason my mom and I drove how many hours looking through the windshield just to go to some curling rink in the middle of nowhere just to watch me get absolutely killed out there,” he said. “It’s why we train. It’s why we’re out on the ice every day. All my teammates love the game. So do I. And we’re racing each other to the rink every day it feels like. It’s pretty special.”

The worlds, Williamson said, are basically the university Olympic games. He is looking forward to the trip and so is his mom Jody Romanow, who he said is already looking at flights to book.

Given how well Canada does on the international stage, Williamson is confident in the team’s chances, but he also recognizes that there will also be some pressure on the team to do well.

“It’s a double edged sword, too. Everyone is going to be looking towards us, like, ‘oh that’s Team Canada.’ I curl with Josh and Adam in men’s and we just go there to have fun. That’s really all we do. We show up and we give it our all, but we do it with a smile on our face,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter who we’re playing, when we’re playing at all. It’s all the same four guys out there on the ice.”

The Roblin and District Chamber of Commerce has had an engaging past year with the creation of some new events in the community. A highlight has been the partnerships that were formed to host these new events.

“We had an exciting year,” said Roblin and District Chamber of Commerce office manager Lydia Steciuk. “We hosted a new pop-up craft show during the Rumble Show N Shine. We felt it would give family members another attraction besides the shows.

Find out when in this issue.

The North Western Marquette Festival (NWMF) hosted a wonderfully exciting day of adjudicated dance (March 12), a beautiful day of adjudicated piano and vocal (March 13) and then the weather turned frightful, school buses were cancelled and our planned day (March 14) of school choirs was rescheduled to March 21

With a lot of flexibility and co-operation from many people and organizations the unadjudicated NWMF Choir Fest was delightful.

More in this week’s Review.

The Manitoba government wants you to mark your calendar and start planning your getaway as reservations for campgrounds in provincial parks are set to open on April 8.

Environment minister Tracy Schmidt noted the government has taken steps to streamline the booking process “so Manitobans can reserve their favourite sites headache-free.”

Check out this week’s issue for more information.