Dauphin city councillors honoured the passing of Murray Sinclair, who died the morning of their Nov. 4 regular meeting.
On top of serving as Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and a member of the Canadian Senate, Sinclair served as chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2009 to 2015, and was instrumental in charting the path towards reconciliation.
Sinclair was 73.
Accounts approved
Council authorized the issuance of 39 cheques totalling $219,688.73 to cover outstanding accounts.
Grants
Council received correspondence from Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Ian Bushie informing them of two successful grant applications under the 2024-25 From the Ground Up - Safe Healthy Communities For All program.
Funding of up to $40,000 was awarded to the City to help cover the costs of its current zoning bylaw review and a grant of up to $80,000 was awarded to help cover the cost of phase 1 of renovations to the Makerspace on Second Avenue Northwest.
From the Ground Up - Safe Healthy Communities for All is a new provincial funding program, which supports the government’s commitment “to build safe, healthy communities where individuals, children, youth and families can thrive.”
Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund
Council drew attention to an Oct. 21 provincial government news release announcing funding to expand Dauphin’s CCTV system. Under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund, the City received approximately $24,000 to support the installation of 15 new high resolution cameras at city-owned or city-affiliated facilities in the community.
Since its inception in 2009, the Criminal Property Forfeiture Branch has disbursed more than $30 million to promote safer communities throughout Manitoba. The program seizes and liquidates criminal assets and redirects funding to projects and initiatives designed to protect Manitobans and enhance public safety. The funds are provided to organizations across Manitoba whose important initiatives build community, prevent crime, invest in youth and support victims of crime.
Treatment equipment
Council awarded a contract for the supply of the required wastewater treatment equipment needed for the lagoon upgrade project to Nexom Inc. of Winnipeg, for $3,812,800 plus GST for the supply of the treatment equipment and $659,500 plus GST for the installation of the equipment. As part of it’s agreement with Nexom, the installation portion of the agreement will be transferred to the general contractor, who will carry Nexom as a subcontractor. As a result, the City would be invoiced directly by Nexom for the supply of the equipment, and the installation will be invoiced through the general contractor.
The City’s portion of the equipment purchase will be paid through a combination of the Water and Sewer Reserve Fund and the Gas Tax Reserve Fund. The remaining portion will be paid by funding provided from the provincial and federal governments through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Lease extension
Council authorized a lease extension and amendment agreement with the Province for space leased at CNR Place by Manitoba Prosecution Service for 2,957.38 square feet of office space on the second and third floors of the building along with 280.08 square feet of storage space.
The original lease was signed in 2011 for a term of five years and extended for a further five years in 2016. In 2021 the lease was converted to month-to-month and in 2022 a three-year agreement was reached for $25.72 per square foot for office space and $5 per square foot for storage space including water, electricity, gas, maintenance, cleaning services and insurance.
The new five year agreement will see increases to $29.33 per square foot for office space, while storage rental will remain at $5 per square foot.
Watershed reps
In response to a request from the Inter-Mountain Watershed District, council appointed Mayor David Bosiak and Gerry Miller as City of Dauphin representatives on the Vermillion River Subcommittee for a one-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
Crime Stoppers
Council received an update from Manitoba Crime Stoppers, which included for continued support by way of a 25 cent per capita donation to help fund its operations. Council referred the request to its 2025 budget deliberations.