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.

Travelling to Canada has become a highlight and a must for many foreign travellers. If you recall a story that ran back in March of this year, in the Star and Times, a couple from Chile were travelling from their home country to North America. Macarena Orozco and her family fell in love with the Valley so much that they made Birch River their home. Through connections, they had a friend travel from Argentina to come and visit them while documenting the journey here.
“I’m originally from Patagonia, Argentina, and a couple of years ago, I started a project to restore a 1970s Ford Falcon, which is a vehicle made and very common in Argentina, and undertake a road trip from Ushuaia in Patagonia all the way to Alaska,” said Fabián Viaja.
“I went to Birch River because I knew that a family of Chilean travellers was living there. My plan to reach Alaska is divided into two stages. These Chilean travellers have spoken highly of Birch River and the Swan Valley, so in the past few days, I have been exploring the area and getting to know more about the local community. I have been documenting the entire trip on my YouTube channel, FABIANVIAJA, which to date has nearly 50,000 subscribers.
“The first stage is to reach Canada and leave my Ranchero, that’s what I call my Ford model, in Wadena, Saskatchewan,” said Viaja. “This is where there is another family of Argentine travellers residing and they will take care of the vehicle during the winter. After leaving the car, I will return to Argentina and then fly from Argentina to resume my journey to Alaska when the weather permits.”
Viaja has been on this journey for quite some time and has gone through five countries, from Central America to North America.
“I have been travelling for almost a year,” said Viaja. “My journey has taken me through Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Then, I crossed Central America by boat to Mexico and subsequently travelled through the United States, where my wife joined me to explore various places across the country.
“After that, I entered Canada through Saskatchewan and stayed a couple of days in Wadena at my Argentine friend’s house. Later, I coordinated with La Maca and El Gabo, the Chileans, to reach Birch River and get to know the area. It took me nearly a year to arrive at the Valley.”
There has been so much for Viaja to see and take in as he made his way to Birch River. He has had nothing but positive experiences in his interactions with Canadians.
“Overall, it has been a very pleasant journey without major setbacks, only some mechanical issues that I have been able to resolve along the way,” said Viaja. “I have been pleasantly surprised by Canadians. They have been very kind and friendly. They have shown great interest in getting to know my vehicle, and despite my limited English, I have managed to understand their good wishes for my adventure.
“This is my first time in Canada. Although I have only been here for a couple of weeks, I have a lovely and positive impression. People are truly friendly and always willing to help. They have been very curious about my car and have stopped me more often than in other countries. The forests I have encountered are truly beautiful. While I have visited very small towns in Canada, my stay has been very pleasant, as there is a sense of tranquillity and silence, something highly desired in large cities.
“I have visited many towns and cities that have caught my attention,” said Viaja. “Due to the uniqueness of their landscapes, I could highlight the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Grand Canyon in the United States, and the Canadian Prairies, which remind me of the Patagonia region in Argentina because of their vastness and sense of solitude.
“I have spent very little time in the town of Swan River,” said Viaja. “I have been mainly in Birch River and its nearby lakes. Although it is a very small town, the neighbours have been very kind and affectionate with me. Some have even come to where I have been staying just to greet me and welcome me. Such a lovely gesture!
“Additionally, I have participated in some antique car shows in the United States, where I won the Most Unique Car Award, and also in the Sturgis motorcycle shows in the USA. Regarding Canada, although I have travelled little, the lakes north of the Swan Valley are very beautiful, complemented by their lovely forests with autumn colours.
“In the second stage of my trip, I plan to explore more of Canada,” said Viaja. “My car is not prepared for winter, so I hope to return to Birch River in April next year to continue my adventure when the weather conditions permit.”
Viaja’s stay in Birch River seemed like a short one, but he vows to return next year.
“I stayed in Birch River for one week and then returned to Wadena to prepare my car for the winter, and subsequently travel back to Argentina,” said Viaja. “In Argentina, I will continue with another project I have. I’m remodelling an old Mercedes-Benz motorhome and will be travelling through Patagonia. As winter ends and the good weather returns to Canada, I will come back and visit the Valley again with the Ranchero.
“I hope to return in April to resume the second stage of my journey. Perhaps around that time, you might see the Ranchero parked somewhere in the Valley.”

The Swan Valley Farmers’ Market hosted their annual Christmas market on Friday (Nov. 15) at the Swan Valley Historical Museum, with plenty of opportunities for holiday gift shopping.

Creative Common Inc. is set to begin work on its planned makerspace thanks to a recent grant from the province’s new  From the Ground Up - Safe Healthy Communities For All Program.

Up to $80,000 was awarded to the group to help with renovations to the main floor of its building on Second Avenue Northwest.

“It’s a $100,000 project to get the upstairs open, which is where the 3D printers are and the soldering stations and the classroom and a wood shop,” said Creative Common spokesperson Martijn van Luijin.

“So we are now going to be able to do all that, because we have enough to match the funds. We were a little bit short, but that’s why we were fund raising.”

van Luijin added two new bathrooms will be added to the space, while the building’s owner is planning to add a new facade and upgrade the electrical panel.

While it seems as if the project has been stalled, van Luijin said the group is ready to execute its plan in short order.

“We have already started the plan. We’re already getting contractors to come in and take a look at it and electricians,” van Luijin said.

“So we’ve been waiting for this, because we’ve been sitting on our hands. For about six months we just talked about it and now we are  hitting the go button.”

The project’s schedule will depend on how quickly tradespeople can begin, but the group is not resting on its laurels as planning is well underway to the develop the basement space with further amenities.

Plans already include a podcasting studio and a sewing lab, but there is additional space available

for other disciplines.

“We are tossing around some ideas, but we are at the beginning stages,” van Luijin said.

“We’re thinking about a VR room where you can wear virtual goggles and do programming and stuff like that, but we haven’t really talked about that very much. That’s expensive, so we’ll see.”

He added there are also code issues to consider such as egress. With just one set of stairs currently leading to the basement, a second exit will need to be incorporated.

The group is also exploring some strategic partnerships and is in discussions with the local library to increase accessibility.

“So, say you don’t have the money to get a (Creative Common) membership, but you still want to try 3D printing,” van Luijin said.

“If you have a library membership you could borrow a membership card for say three weeks and get introduced to it and get to meet other people doing it.”

The same kind of partnership is being worked out with Community Futures Parkland.

“For new entrepreneurs that want to maybe work on a prototype of something,” he said.

“But nothing is firmed up yet. We’re just all trying to figure this out.”

In the meantime van Luijin said the fund-raising will continue in an effort to make the space as special as possible.

“I have another grant program application in for some green initiatives around the building, but that hasn’t been decided yet,” he said, adding you can never have too much money.

“There’s no such thing.”

Calico Corners kicked off the Christmas craft markets at the Veterans Community Hall on Nov. 1, allowing people to get in their holiday gift shopping and raising money for the Association of Community Living.

The Swan River community held the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Veterans Community Hall yesterday (Nov. 11), recognizing and honouring the men and women who have fought, served and died for the sake of our freedoms...

There will be some new faces, and one familiar one, around the Mountain View School Division board table following a byelection, last Wednesday.

Floyd Martens will return to the MVSD board as a trustee for Ward 1 along with newcomer Conrad Nabess, while Ward 2 will see Scott Lynxleg take the empty seat and Jarri Thompson will represent the City of Dauphin as a Ward 4 trustee.

Martens, who earned 203 of the 420 ballots cast in Ward 1, was one of three trustees to resign in June. He is looking forward to getting back to work.

“Every time there’s an election and you have people coming to the table. It’s a new board in lots of ways, so we’ll see what happens, what takes place,” Martens said, adding his initial focus will be on the budgetting process and ensuring what is happening in classrooms is benefitting students.

“Things within schools that are happening, that obviously are going to need to be the focus. For me that’s my priority.

“We need to focus on the things that are really significant. The province has been looking at a funding model and may have shared that information with the board, I don’t know. 

“Obviously we’re at budget almost now, so it needs to get in place relatively soon. My thought is where’s that at and what does that look like and what does that mean for Mountain View?”

For Lynxleg, the election was a learning experience that he is looking forward to continuing at the board table.

“My first priority was to get on the board, which is done and now it’s to attend first meetings, catch up on housekeeping of what a board member does. I’d like to hear from all board members now that we have a full board, to hear everybody’s thoughts on what we’re going to do as a board going forward. It’s time for some change, and good change, I think we need it, obviously we do,” he said, adding his goal is to bring the focus back to the children whose education should be the board’s main priority.

“My priority is the kids, all the kids. We kind of lose sight of that and I think somewhere along the road that was lost. What I’m going to be focusing on is working with the board, parents, staff, anybody that wants to contribute, and getting things focused, I guess back where they’re supposed to be.

“First of all we need safe schools and respect for everybody and inclusion and then you go from there.”

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

 The Royal Canadian Legion Br. 39 organized and paid for banners of local War Veterans to be displayed on the streets of Swan River, specifically the ones that were Killed in Action that the Legion has photos of. In the future, Swan River’s Legion
branch hopes to expand the list of banners to include all Veterans, and hopes families will be willing to sponsor the banners and supply the Legion with a good quality photo and information on their Veteran. 

Children and their parents and guardians enjoyed their evening dressing up and going home to home collecting treats on Halloween (Oct. 31).

Dauphin city council took an opportunity to honour Brenda Gregory as they gathered for its regular meeting, Oct. 21.

Gregory is one of four inaugural winners of the City’s new Sunshine Award, but was unable to attend the Oct. 7 presentation of the awards to co-winners Jerry Joss, Clayton Swanton and Carla Wolfenden.

In presenting the award, mayor David Bosiak referred to Gregory’s commitment to the community spanning decades and continuing to this day.

“In the early ‘90s when she was on the rec commission, she was a sports mom, an activity mom involved with her kids in the community and doing a lot of great things in our community. I saw her yesterday at Northgate with the next generation, with her two grandsons, still being up there and caring a great deal,” he said, adding all of the Sunshine Awards winners are similar people in the way they contribute to the betterment of the community with no expectation of acknowledgment or reward.

“Brenda in particular has marshaled the Dauphin Derailleurs Cycle Club since its inception in 2017 and has been like the mother hen of the organization and has nurtured it and supported it. The only other thing I’ll say is that for the last couple of summers in particular, she’s been out on the trails in plus 35 degrees working with the green team with a leaf blower backpack or a weed eater or running kids back and forth on the trail system just making sure that we have this tremendous asset up there at Northgate.”

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