With 20 plus centimetres of snow falling across the area over the space of a few hours last week and temperatures plummeting to below normal values, the Parkland is now firmly in the grips of winter.

And for the City of Dauphin, winter means one very important thing. Snow clearing is the main function of the Public Works Department throughout the season and with last week’s weather event, crews jumped on the task of clearing the community’s roadways and sidewalks.

When major snowfalls occur the focus of clearing efforts fall on priority areas, such as the downtown core and clearing of urban highways.

“And the life and safety stuff. The hospital and that sort of stuff,” director of Public Works and Operations Mike VanAlstyne said. “Once we finished priority routes and the highway stuff, then we are doing streets so that the furthest anyone would have to go to get to a plowed road would be about 75 metres.”

Where that clearing of residential streets begins is dependent, VanAlstyne added.

“It just depends on what day of the week it is. If it’s garbage day somewhere, we try to go elsewhere so that we’re not moving around bins and whatever else,” he said. “And then we methodically go throughout the city.”

The city has been running clearing operations around the clock on 12 hour shifts and will continue to do so until the all streets are cleared, VanAlstyne said. When it comes to an event of this magnitude, cleanup should take around 72 hours, he added, assuming everything goes smoothly in terms of staff staying healthy and equipment not breaking down.

And in many cases, other city operations draw staff away from snow clearing.

“We still have to operate our landfill and we need an operator there who is trained to be compliant with our regulations and our license.” VanAlstyne said. “So we’re kind of juggling staff to make it work.”

In the end, VanAlstyne expects the price tag for that 72 hours of work to be average for a citywide cleanup, somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000.

“It really depends on what we end up with and what day of the week, because when you go into Saturday and Sunday all a sudden we’re paying double time on everything,” he said.

“It’ll be 50,000 by the time we remove extra snow because of how much we’ve had to pile.”

Prior to the weekend, all streets had been plowed and work shifted to clearing avenues, as well as removing the windrows from Main Street and the city centre. After plowing is finished and crews have had some time to recover from the long hours, they will finish off the cleanup by lowering some of the big snowbanks throughout the city to improve visibility.

The priority, VanAlstyne said is getting the snow off the streets and people need to be patient while public works crews put the finishing touches on the clean up.

“It’s all a matter of trying to do the best we can with what we’ve got,” he said, adding many city residents do not realize how good they have it when it comes to snow clearing. “We provide a higher level of service - a level of service that’s just outrageously high for the citizens of the city,” VanAlstyne said. “And it would be a lot worse if they were anywhere else I can almost guarantee that.”

Physician and nurse shortages, as well as closed ERs, are issues that aren’t going to be solved any time soon, especially for rural and northern Manitoba communities, but there is another option.

The online service Q-Doc has had a successful year in providing patients with virtual appointments with physicians and nurse practitioners, to help people who don’t have access to immediate healthcare in their community and to prevent unnecessary visits to the ER.

More in this week’s issue.

January is a month known for the promotion of mental health wellness and the Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention Committee of Prairie Mountain Health has come up with a new venture for people to express the state of their mental health through a creative process.

The committee, formed during the pandemic to promote mental wellness and help eliminate the stigma associated with mental health illness, has put a call out for art submissions to be part of a travelling art exhibit called “Creative Reflections” to express feelings related to peoples’ mental health.

Check out the rest of the story in this week’s Review.

Having something stolen is more than a disheartening experience, but when it’s something that has sentimental value, the loss that is felt is that much more. On the evening of Boxing Day, 2023 Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival Fur Queen Gloria Ballantyne-Packo had the unfortunate experience of having her family’s vehicle broken into while in Winnipeg, and amongst the valuables stolen was her 2023 Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival Fur Queen parka.
This parka is a one-of-a-kind article of clothing that each of the Fur Queen Court receives. It’s tailored made for each person and has a unique design that reflects the theme for the Trappers’ Festival. Each parka also has the name of the Fur Queen court member embroidered on it.
“The Fur Queen jacket is so special to me because it represents the hard work and dedication that I have put into the fur queen competition and Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival,” said Ballantyne-Packo. “It also reminds me of the experiences I have had with my fellow reigning court. We decided on every detail about the jackets including the colour, embroidery, and fur.

Although January brings the start of a new year, it can also be a difficult time of the year for people in terms of managing mental health. The aftermath of the Christmas holidays and excitement, combined with the winter months can take a toll on people, as they try to keep their mental health in check.
“The winter months in general, and the month of January in particular, can be very difficult for many people in terms of how it affects their mood, energy, and general sense of mental health and well-being,” said Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Swan Valley Branch Peer Support and Public Education Coordinator Rod Seib. “Of course, the shorter daylight hours have a real impact on mood, as light exposure has long been known to have an impact on mental health.

If you did your round of online shopping or were receiving a gift from someone through the mail for this past Christmas, you may have encountered longer wait times than what is the industry standard when it comes to mail delivery services in Canada. Many residents of The Pas and area vented on social media during the month of December about parcels being held in Flin Flon, due to insufficient space at The Pas Post Office.
The longest wait time that residents shared on the post, was over 11 days, that their parcel was sitting at the Flin Flon Post Office, waiting to come to The Pas.
The Opasquia Times reached out to Canada Post to ask why the continued delay to deliver parcels around this time of year and when this issue will be addressed.
“The Pas Post Office has been very busy this year,” said Canada Post Media Relations Lisa Liu. “Our staff has been working hard to process and move all mail and parcels to ensure customers receive their items during the holidays.

One of the changes in the automotive landscape in recent years is the increasing prevalence and push to convert to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs).
While vehicles designed to move from electric power instead of an Internal Combustion Engine come with many benefits, there are new challenges as well, one of which being the large battery often holding 10s of kilowatts-hours made out of components like lithium metal that pose a unique fire hazard, especially for emergency responders who are having to learn how to deal with new dangerous situations.
On Dec. 10, several Swan Valley Fire Department (SVFD) firefighters along with firefighters from Benito, Minitonas, Birch River, Barrows, Winnipegosis and The Pas attended an Electric Vehicle (EV) extrication and fire suppression information session hosted by the Swan Valley Mutual Aid District.
“Kevin Patterson, from the Banff Fire Department, presented the most current information on how to extricate occupants safely and effectively from EVs, along with several extinguishing methods for EV battery fires,” said SVFD Captain Kurt Rewerts. “He also helped dispel many common misconceptions about working with EVs.
“As part of the presentation, Patterson presented both in class and utilized a cutaway Tesla Model X car, split down the middle, showing what a normal EV looks like on one side and the unique electrical components, safety systems and major potential risks of EVs on the other side.
“This hands-on presentation gave firefighters an excellent vantage point to view some of the additional reinforcements located in the A-posts that would be undetectable behind the vehicle’s interior trim. It also served as an excellent reminder to firefighters providing vehicle extrication to disable the power system and ‘peel and peek’ before cutting into a vehicle. There are many safety airbags discretely located in many spots within the vehicle, all of which pose a significant risk during extrication operations for both the vehicle occupants and first responders.”
Rewerts noted how it came as a surprise to himself and others that the battery packs in these vehicles are made of several thousand – between 7,100 and 8,500 – lithium-ion batteries not much larger than a household AA. The pack of batteries is located deep within the floor of the vehicle and surrounded with a highly reinforced frame and skid plate to prevent damage from normal daily usage.
“The issue for firefighters in the event of a battery fire comes from a motor vehicle collision or hitting the ditch filled with large stones that may potentially damage the cell pack,” said Rewerts. “Even if one of the battery cells becomes compromised, it may self-ignite and start a chain reaction within the battery cell pack. During the fire suppression portion of the presentation, it quickly became clear that a battery fire in an EV will be a major event, involving significant amounts of water and time on scene.”
The last 10 years has had a dramatic rise of EVs in North America. In 2021, roughly 86,000 were registered in Canada alone.
“There are many advances in tools and methods to assist in extrication and fire suppression involving EVs,” said Rewerts. “However, currently there is no one new tool or method that a department has to quickly extinguish a battery fire. The SVFD and surrounding fire departments are very capable in conducting extrication and fire suppression on all vehicles. This course was another incredible tool for the firefighters to use on scene.”
SVFD Fire Chief Darren Fedorchuk added that the member municipalities of the Town of Swan River and the Municipality of Swan Valley West have been very supportive of their local fire departments.
“The SVFD is a very well equipped and highly trained department, and we continue to be proactive in advancing our tools and skills to ensure we provide the most efficient and effective service to the Valley and to support our surrounding fire departments,” he said.
“EVs are new and require special considerations such as the location of the battery cell and requiring large amounts of water. The water supply on two pumper trucks currently may not be adequate to provide complete extinguishment, especially if the incident originates outside of Town limits (with no fire hydrant accessible). The SVFD does have supports in place from Mutual Aid and local water suppliers to assist in the event additional water is required. There may come a time when a water tanker truck may be required to assist with these specialized fires and other events where large amounts of water are needed.”
How can firefighters work with Electric Vehicles
The first issue firefighters have to do when arriving at a scene of a vehicle incident is determining whether a vehicle is gas/diesel, hybrid or electric, as many manufacturers use very similar chassis/body with just different internals.
“On the side of the road, there are only a few different ways to tell if you’re dealing with an EV and that is an electrical port on the front corner, whether or not there is a gas door, or unique decals,” said Rewerts.
Due to the battery pack being located on the underside of the vehicle, fire crews have limited access to get water to the cells to cool and extinguish, and using foam to cool and smother isn’t effective on lithium-ion batteries fires either.
“Even once the fire is out, fire crews will need to provide a fire watch for several hours after the incident to ensure no other batteries have been compromised and no re-ignition of fire,” said Rewerts.
“Typically, an EV fire burns at roughly 5,000F – or 2,760C – while a gasoline engine vehicle fire burns at 1,500F or 815C. There is also a much more highly toxic, carcinogenic smoke as a result of off-gassing from a battery cell.”
Rewerts added that the danger of a battery fire means that procedure of controlling the scene would be adjusted.
Often the ultimate solution to control an EV battery fire is to either let itself burn out if there are no other exposure risks, or constantly apply water for several hours. Either method comes with the risk of air pollution or water pollution as well.
Fire crews would also need to work with secondary responders such as tow trucks to ensure that batteries do no re-ignite after they are removed from the scene, stored securely and monitored.
“The big question for many firefighters from this course is ‘How can I cut up the car without electrocuting myself?’,” said Rewerts. “To date, no firefighter has been electrocuted while conducting extrication or fire suppression of an EV. Extrication of occupants is similar to gas engine vehicles, but emergency staff must be extra vigilant isolating the battery and drive system of an EV and ensure proper extrication practices are used.
“Manufacturers of EVs have added several safety features to allow emergency crews to quickly disable batteries and drive systems of their vehicles. This in turn allows first responders to quickly extricate occupants. Manufacturers are also providing First Responder Rescue sheets for EVs which can be found on their website or emergency responder apps.”
The SVFD has not yet dealt with an EV fire directly, but expect they will account for a very small percentage of the car fires in the Swan Valley.
“EV technology is advancing at a light speed pace and first responders have the daunting task of continually upgrading their education and skills to ensure up-to-date, safe, efficient and effective services are provided to the public and themselves,” Rewerts concluded.

The Province of Manitoba is committed to improving the safety of the intersection which claimed the lives of 17 Dauphin area seniors last June.

That was the message shared by Premier Wab Kinew and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, who were in Dauphin to meet with families and survivors of the collision at the intersection of PTHs 5 and 1 near Carberry.

“Minister’s (Dauphin MLA and Manitoba Agriculture minister Ron) Kostyshyn, Naylor and myself, along with our political and technical staff had the honour to sit down with the family members of folks that we lost in this province in this terrible, tragic accident,” Kinew said, adding they were joined by accident survivors first responders and community leaders.

“I want to acknowledge all of these people, first and foremost in the generosity of their spirit to come and sit with us today and to relive some very difficult times that they’ve been through. “For the family members and to the survivors, I want to acknowledge that we cannot make things right, or make you whole, but we are going to work our hardest to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

Armed with the findings of a road safety review undertaken one week following the accident, Kinew and Naylor also announced the next steps for the intersection, including a $12 million investment to provide medium-term solutions to public safety concerns.

“This collision will be remembered as a tragic event that profoundly affected many Manitobans and beyond,” said Naylor. “While we cannot undo the pain these families are experiencing, we are committed to taking steps to improve safety at this intersection for the future.”

The Province is moving forward with a functional design study based on the third-party in-service road safety review, which includes recommendations of the three safest options to improve the intersection.

Those options include median widening, the construction of a roundabout or the construction of a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT) intersection and the province has committed to choosing the best option for improvements to the intersection, said Naylor. It will engage the public in the near future as part of the functional design process to gather information and feedback around the project.

“The functional design piece would be expected to take about six to nine months. That does include at least three consultation steps with the community, as well as other users of the highway,” she said.

It is expected construction of intersection changes could begin in the latter part of 2025 with completion by the end of 2026.

Ultimately, an interchange or overpass is the safest option for the intersection and will be part of a long-term solution when traffic volumes require such a major expenditure, estimated at more than $100 million, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure officials said.

In addition to releasing the report and outlining next steps to increase safety, Kinew announced the Manitoba government will provide financial support for community efforts to commemorate those involved in this tragedy.

“As you move forward to memorialize and commemorate the people that we lost and to remember this terrible tragedy, we will be there to support you,” Kinew said, adding the provincial government will leave it to the community to design any tribute. “We will help find the resources and we will deliver the funding to ensure that an appropriate memorial here in Dauphin, as well as a fitting tribute at the site near Carberry will be a part of Manitoba’s future.”

Following the collision on June 15, 2023, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) developed a road safety strategy to identify immediate and long-term safety improvements at the Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 1 and PTH 5 intersection.

Get the full story in this week's Dauphin Herald!

Four local football players were part of the Manitoba Selects football program which took part in the Winter Showcase, Dec. 27 to 29 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Lars Gudbjartson, Owen Tyschinski, Sully Fox and William Miner put their football skills to the test, hoping to impress American college and university scouts.

Fox said the four players were invited by the Selects head coach Frank Devine to attend tryout camps every Saturday in Winnipeg.

“It was a pretty cool experience going to Minnesota this past weekend,” he said.

Fox said it was pretty cool to make the Selects program.

“It felt great. It was a good experience. I was really glad to be out there in my Grade 11 year, just to get lots of experience playing football and try to come back to help the team here at home,” he said. “I think more people should get into it, because it’s an open tryout. You just have to go there, work hard. If you make it, they want you there.”

Miner said the showcase consisted of individual skills, where players were expected to show the coaches what they could do.

“And you basically tried to show off what you could do. It’s not a team thing, hence the name showcase. You want to show off,” he said.

Fox added they had a couple of practices the first day and attended the facility where the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild practice, where a combine was held for players attended the football camp.

On the third day, he added, players visited the Minnesota Vikings stadium, which was a new experience for the young players.

Fox and Miner hope the experience will help them in their football careers.

Fox noted Joseph Lopez played on the Selects last year and received a couple of offers from different schools.

“So we’re kind of hoping for the same for both of us,” he added.

The 35th year of the Dauphin Hospital Foundation drew to a close in 2023, and it had the organization taking stock of the past and looking ahead to the future.

Looking back at accomplishments and highlights during 2023, the foundation was again touched by the many significant contributions made throughout the year.

“We continued to receive great support from the community and Parkland area,” board chair Greg Thompson said. “Individuals, businesses and organizations found ways to contribute to the Dauphin Hospital Foundation despite 2023 being another difficult economic year. We can’t say thank you enough for all the heartfelt contributions we received last year, and we certainly acknowledge that we are putting those contributions to good use.”

One of the key equipment purchases in 2023 was a specialized operating table for the Dauphin Regional Health Centre’s (DRHC) surgical suite for $59,000.

“We had a $10,000 contribution from the RBC Foundation that was placed within the Delha Cort Educational Fund to upgrade nurses’ skills. There were also significant contributions from the Dauphin Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Dauphin Memorial Ride and the Under 18 AAA Parkland Rangers – Hockey Fights Cancer Night,” Thompson said.

“We’ve had a couple of recent donations of shares from individuals in 2023, which were new to us. We plan to promote further opportunities like that and other estate and legacy information in the new year. These are all significant ways to leave lasting legacies through the foundation as we look forward to our next 35 years.”

Anyone interested in making legacy bequests or estate contributions can talk to their lawyer or investment advisor or contact the foundation through the hospital at 204-638-3010 or online at www.dghf.ca.

The foundation has added some background information and an online application form to its website for the Delha Cort Educational Trust Fund. Hospital employees can request access to enhance their education and skill set. DRHC staff should contact their supervisor to see how the fund can fit with their future professional development or career plans.

Foundation Public Relations director Blaine Kraushaar says a one-day workshop was held this past June, and centred around the foundation’s goals, objectives and opportunities for improvement.

“The organizational workshop, facilitated by Maggie Campbell, helped us streamline our vision and mission and put us on a solid path forward,” he said. “We reworked some policies and plan to be more visible in the community. There is an exciting event planned for mid-2024 that we will partner on that will bring a smile to people’s faces. More information on the initiative will be forthcoming in the next few months.”