Ever wonder what the Dauphin Herald online papers look like? Ever thought about switching from your paper copy to an online edition? 

Now is your chance to check it out and see how you like it with the Dauphin Herald's Total Market Coverage for March 2024.

Read below, enjoy!

Both the City and RM of Dauphin have new leadership.

Below are the results. Be sure to check next week's Dauphin Herald for plenty more!

 

 

OTHER PARKLAND MUNICIPALITIES 

For the final instalment of our mayoralty candidate series the focus shifted to infrastructure, which is perhaps the most important responsibility for a municipal government.

We asked, “From buildings and facilities to sidewalks, roads and the systems buried beneath them, infrastructure is arguably the most important responsibility of a municipal government. Where does infrastructure sit in your list of priorities and what plans do you have to drive maintenance and renewal of existing infrastructure along with additions to the City’s list of assets?”

Below are their answers. Remember to get out and vote on Oct. 26.

David Bosiak

Infrastructure affects people’s lives every day. It is the literal foundation we build our community on. We drive and walk on it. We turn on our taps, we flush our toilets, we play in our recreation facilities and our parks. We expect our infrastructure to meet our most basic needs. As such, it is the most important responsibility of a municipal government.

The City is well positioned to deal with the ongoing challenges of managing and operating our different types of infrastructure. This is primarily due to our current financial position of little debt, healthy capital and utility reserve funds, and the relatively good condition of much of our visible infrastructure. We don’t want to “get behind the eight ball” and constantly be trying to catch up, though. We need to make smart investments in our infrastructure and ensure it is keeping pace with our ever-changing needs.

One specific action that I will encourage new council and staff to address is our capital asset management plan. An asset management plan is used by municipalities to determine the life cycle management of its major infrastructure and provides an outline for infrastructure and equipment upgrades and/or replacement. It generally allows a municipality to ensure it has the resources and timeline to replace infrastructure when necessary and to keep the city operating in the most effective and cost-efficient manner possible.

An effective asset management plan helps save the city money. Major breakdowns usually have a ripple effect causing costly disruptions to city services and operations. A well executed plan avoids these situations by making sure the city’s infrastructure is in good working condition.

I will ensure that new council puts review of the plan at the top of our priority list. We need to keep it a relevant, current template that guides our city in making the appropriate repairs, upgrades and replacements at the most cost-effective time with the least disruption in service.

Adhering to a well-developed plan will allow us to regularly review our priorities, and measure them against grant opportunities from other levels of government. We must further ensure efficiencies found in sustainable development initiatives be maximized. Inputs from council as they meet with community members must be communicated effectively to administrative staff and vice versa. We have to continually revise and update this plan – and use it to guide our annual capital budgeting process.

Much of our city infrastructure is visible, and most of this is in reasonable to very good condition. The recent announcement of funding for upgrades to our lagoon suggests our sewage treatment system will have the capacity to serve the growing needs of our community for many years to come. We have a relatively new City Hall and our recreation facilities are in their “mid-life”, meaning they are in good condition but will require certain mechanical and system upgrades as they continue to age. Our public works shop is in relatively decent condition considering its age, but will require significant improvements soon. These issues must be identified in our plan and be addressed appropriately by council.

The city also has a considerable invisible network of infrastructure, most of it buried beneath our community. Some of this system consists of old and leaden pipes that need to be replaced or re-lined. Upgrades must be considered, which may ultimately save us money in the long run, as water main break repairs are a costly item in the city budget.

Can we do this all at once? Not likely. We have to be logical and plan, budget, execute, learn and focus on best practices. We will start this process by ensuring our asset management plan is current, and being used appropriately. We need to invest wisely.

If elected mayor on Oct. 26, I will ensure council and staff work together to provide citizens the best possible value for the infrastructure we all need, rely on and have come to expect from our great little city.

Kerri Riehl

We cannot move forward unless we have a solid foundation. There have been many changes within the last two years thrusting the city into an environment of great upheaval. Inflation is the highest it’s been since 1983. That changes every aspect of community and daily life for us all. Great change requires strategic planning. Once a strategic plan has been completed the next step is an organizational review. The City of Dauphin’s strategic plan was released in 2021 outlining goals and priorities to lead decision making between 2021 and 2024. The first goal of the strategic plan is a sustainable community. That encompasses everything mentioned in the question from buildings, facilities, sidewalks and roads.

The question is do we have the infrastructure planning, internal processes, analyses, and the blueprints for change in place? Have our priorities shifted since the strategic plan was developed? We can’t keep doing what we were doing two years ago. There have been drastic changes.

I was asked numerous times what I wanted to accomplish in my first 100 days as mayor, and this was my response. An organizational review. The city does a financial plan and a financial yearly audit. I don’t see that an organizational review has been completed. The two go hand in hand. The organizational review helps understand how work needs to be structured to achieve desired goals.

An organizational review is an assessment of jobs, tasks, and how positions are related and inter-related. It is a targeted effort to understand how work gets done now, what work is most important to accomplish, and how it may need to flow differently. It seeks to identify the levels and nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that the city has or requires if it is to match resources with priorities.

There are free resources to assist municipalities with an organizational review. The timing is right to view things with a fresh lens with the best and honest intentions. Any bias, positive or negative, must be parked. It is not an assessment of people or of their level of performance. It’s conducting a position analyses. This is not about targeting staff or reducing positions. It is about focusing the organization on excellence and the work and processes that support it.

For example, our roads and back alleys. They require maintenance and repair. We have excellent staff who can address this infrastructure. Is it finances? Do we have enough staff? Are there too many other critical priorities? Can we obtain services of other trades? Is it a lack of equipment? We have roads in town that are the province’s responsibility. These include River Avenue, Main Street, 2nd Avenue NW, and 1st Ave NE. The city is responsible for the parking lane and gutter. Imagine how that works for snow removal and the predicament this causes for our snow clearing staff. The snow piled in the middle of the road down Main Street is the province’s responsibility to remove. Is there not an opportunity to work with the province to address this which would facilitate a better solution for our city staff regarding snow removal? A win/win for both?
Some roads in town have a six-inch drop in pavement from the road to the gutter. Sidewalks need repair with large drops in some cracks. We need to consider mobility of our citizens. During a parade this summer a long-term citizen fell crossing the street from one side of the road to the other on Main Street. This individual tore their meniscus, hurt their shoulder and back. They still are receiving treatment 2-1/2 months later from infrastructure.

The city draft plan recently released has many great ideas and demonstrates a snapshot of where we are currently, and where they would like to go in the next 25 years. It doesn’t align with the cities’ first strategic plan’s goals that was completed a year ago. Does the strategic plan need to be redone even though it was implemented in 2021, or is this the new strategic plan?

Therefore, the organizational review is critical. It removes people and positions from the equation and identifies how to achieve goals. There has been a high level of staff turnover in key critical positions within city staff over the last four years. Mayor Irwin died in November of 2017. There will be four different mayors for the city in the last five years. We need consistency over time. At 54 years old, I am dedicated to seeing the long-term vision for Dauphin to become a reality. Change requires time.

We cannot blaze a path forward until we know where we are headed, how were going to get there, and determine if our current infrastructure can provide us with the solid foundation, we require to achieve our goals. How can we do better if we don’t know better?

I would appreciate your vote on Oct. 26. Thank you.

With polling day just two weeks away, mayoralty candidates take a look at sustainability.

We asked the question, “Over the last number of years the City has undertaken development with eye towards environmental sustainability. Is this a focus you would like to see continue and what initiatives have you included in your platform to proceed down that path?”

Here are their responses.

Kerri Riehl

The current options and opportunities are limitless when it comes to environmental sustainability. We are fortunate to live in a time where sustainable development and environmental stewardship are being fostered by every level of government. Elaborate plans, and research is not required.

Endless grants and funding opportunities are laid out for us. We need to capitalize on these opportunities. There are many grants and incentives available through Efficiency Manitoba, (provincial), the Green Municipal Fund under the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (federal), the federal government and Manitoba Hydro.

The key is changing mindsets and getting “buy in” from the community including council. To me, public engagement means sharing a vision, sharing what the city of Dauphin is currently doing and engaging knowledge. Communication, and sharing of information is key. We have incredibly knowledgeable people in our community on numerous subjects, but we must be willing to invite them to participate.

I am fortunate to have the ear of a power engineer, a niece who is an environmental engineer currently working for the City of Regina, and her husband who is a petroleum engineer working for the Province of Saskatchewan. They are incredible information resources. Visionaries, with endless possibilities who just recently revamped my compositing system.

Competency in the role and job is key. The city draft plan states that in March of 2020 they finalized a community and energy emissions plan. Plans are a great starting point and a snapshot of existing infrastructure, but they require competent action with measurable goals and sufficient competent resources for implementation.

While working for two international diamond mines, technology from Israel, South Africa and Australia was incredible. Virtual meetings were held daily.

In 2018 when I was elected to council, paper agendas were still being utilized and there was no IT position. I suggested an online upload version of agendas. In 2020 Justin Tokarchuk was hired as Information and Communications Technology manager. With his knowledge and competency, he has made incredible strides in bringing the City of Dauphin into the technology era within two years.

The visions are there. They need to be accessed, actioned, and completed. FCM Green Municipal Fund currently has an energy grant for transitioning ice rinks and swimming pools to net zero. Our systems currently are at end of life and require replacing. We could significantly lower our operating costs. The federal government has a $27 billion grant available for electric vehicle transit buses until 2025. We could have a transit bus at no cost. Biomass energy opportunities in this area are available for our agricultural partners. Not only would it be environmentally sustainable, but it would also provide incredible economic development opportunities.

I currently have an off-grid property utilizing biomass heating, solar, compositing, and has net zero impact. At home, food security is key for me growing my own vegetables, microgreens, composting, and I am now experimenting with hydroponic vegetable growth throughout the winter months. I am committed to environmental sustainability.

Stewardship is a key role of council. Council is “responsible for the supervision and care of the municipality’s resources. This means making sure that infrastructure, money, and staff are used properly and effectively. This also means planning strategically for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Only council as a whole can make decisions for the municipality.”

People must understand that the mayor has no additional perceived authority or power over any other member of council. The mayor has one vote. Every council member has one vote. Everyone is to have an equal voice. There are to be no meetings held outside the council chambers excluding other members. There is to be public debate. It is not what “I” can achieve, it’s what we can achieve together through research, knowledge, discussion, and the willingness for progressive change. Seeking individual solutions is not effective. You won’t hear me say “I will,” “I can”, or “as mayor I will,” because it’s not one individual who makes the difference, it’s the entire council.

The possibilities for environmental sustainability are endless and very exciting. We simply need to make it a priority.

David Bosiak

I would like to broaden the definition of sustainability in my response to include more than the environment – and start by saying yes. The City of Dauphin must forge ahead and embrace all forms of sustainability, as it is a key component to building a safe, healthy community.

I wrote a book in 2014 titled If You Don’t Look After Your Body, Where are You Going to Live that focussed on caring for yourself so you would be better able to care for others. In a broader context, we must do the same with our community, we must care for it so it remains a healthy and vibrant place for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities recently produced a report that outlines the role of municipalities in building a greener economy. The report states, “Green economy initiatives can improve a community’s quality of life, foster economic development and drive competitiveness, while creating jobs and enhancing the skills of the local workforce. . . Making municipal operations more energy efficient can produce substantial cost savings, freeing resources for other municipal objectives.”

Former Mayor Eric Irwin strongly believed in sustainability and was instrumental in establishing a pilot project in Dauphin that created a Community Energy Advocate position, the first of its kind in Manitoba. Mayor Al Dowhan also supported the program, and many innovative environmental initiatives occurred under the direction of Steve Sobering, our Community Energy Advocate.

You might recall the various LED lighting projects in Dauphin that brightened our streets, most commercial and all municipal buildings - including the CUP, solar panels at the City shop and #1 Lift Station, our active transportation plan, lagoon upgrades, a recycling and diversion centre at the waste management site, green bins . . . these are all helping us be more sustainable. But we must continue to innovate, to do more.

Selkirk recently hired an Energy Advocate and now leads Manitoba in sustainable energy initiatives. Their city has received considerable funding from the provincial and federal governments because of their actions related to environmental sustainability.

If elected I would immediately urge council to re-establish an energy advocate position, fund it appropriately and initiate innovative projects sitting on the shelves at City Hall and in the minds of our citizens.

That will lead to cost savings and a more sustainable future for all of us.

If elected I will also advocate for a greenhouse gas emission monitoring program that will help us become more efficient in our energy use and help us plan for the future. I will investigate the options of replacing our diesel garbage truck with an electric model, that will reduce both emissions and operating costs, and do the same for the pick-up trucks used by the public works and recreation departments.

However, sustainability is more than environmental. The availability of recreational and cultural facilities is paramount to community sustainability, and if elected I will ensure adequate funding is provided to Dauphin Recreation Services, the Dauphin Public Library, the Watson Arts Centre, Northgate Trail System and museums in our community. I will encourage council to continue its support of the Maamawi Park development at the former DMCC grounds and ensure Vermillion Park and its trails and pathways are always accessible and available for citizens.

I will encourage council to support health and education services and programs offered through the Dauphin Friendship Centre, Parkland Crossing, Regional Connections, Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation and other not-for-profit agencies. These partners are doing tremendous work in helping make Dauphin a great place to live, work and play.

The purposes of a municipality are to foster economic, social and environmental well-being and Dauphin can continue to do that by embracing and encouraging partnerships and productive supportive relationships.

I have a track record of working with others and getting people to get along. Working together to enhance our community sustainability will be a top priority at City Hall if I’m elected on Oct. 26. Forward. Together.

Check the Dauphin Herald's Election Section this week for more on the upcoming Municipal Election ---> VIEW HERE!