Doug Zywina
Emergency department returning to existing hospital
Emergency medical services in Dauphin will have a bit of familiarity to them as plans have been made to open a tempory emergency department in the existing hospital.
Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced yesterday that the temporary emergency department will operate on the main floor of Dauphin Regional Health Centre, using temporary power, water and other infrastructure, while restoration work continues in other areas of the hospital.
When it opens, Sept. 7, the temporary emergency department will provide emergency services 24-7. A mobile CT unit will also be up and running within several weeks.
“We promised the people of Dauphin we would work as quickly as possible to bring emergency care back home, and we are on track to deliver,” Asagwara said.
“A tremendous amount of work has happened in a short period of time to make this possible. I want to thank the health-care workers, tradespeople and everyone who has been working around the clock to get emergency care back up and running safely in Dauphin.”
Physicians, nurses and other health-care workers have been directly involved in planning the temporary emergency department. Staff orientation and walkthroughs will take place before the department opens.
Other health services will continue to be provided in nearby sites ,while restoration work progresses. Dialysis patients are currently receiving care in Brandon, Russell, Swan River and Ashern, chemotherapy is being provided in Brandon, and labour and delivery services are available in Neepawa and Brandon. Transportation supports remain available for patients who need to travel for dialysis and chemotherapy.
“Bringing emergency care back to Dauphin is a major step forward for patients, families and health care workers who have been dealing with the impacts of this flood,” said Agriculture Minister and Dauphin MLA Ron Kostyshyn.
“We know people want their hospital back, and so do we. There is more work ahead, but we will keep moving as quickly and safely as possible to restore services and bring more care back home.”
The Community Health Services building attached to Dauphin Regional Health Centre will continue to provide outpatient community care including IV therapy.
Walk-in diagnostic services temporarily being provided at the provincial building in Dauphin will also be moved back to the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
“The reopening of our emergency department is an important milestone for Dauphin and the surrounding region,” said Treena Slate, CEO, Prairie Mountain Health.
“While work to fully restore the hospital continues, reopening emergency services in their original space means people can once again access urgent care closer to home. This would not have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our facilities teams, contractors, clinical leaders, physicians and staff. I want to sincerely thank everyone who worked tirelessly to bring this essential service back to our community.”
Restoration work is continuing throughout the health centre as teams work to safely return additional services to Dauphin including surgery and endoscopy.
Further updates will be provided as additional services are restored.
Pack leads Mavericks to road win
The Parkland Mavericks improved to 8-2 on the season with a convincing 56-19 win over the Winnipeg Wasps, Saturday, in Winnipeg.
Julien Lopez and Ronin Mouck had two tries each, while Owen Tyschinski, Garrett Fletcher, Nate Yury, Riley Keith and Colten Miner had one each.
Mouck also added four converts and a penalty kick.
Fletcher was named Man of the Match for his efforts.
“He stuck some huge tackles out there. Even though a lot of players scored, he got Man of the Match for how he led on the field,” said Mavericks captain Jordan Campbell.
Campbell said the team’s pack was a major factor in the win.
“Our pack won us the game. They played perfect. They didn’t pick up any penalties. They played as a unit. We blew them out in the scrums. Physically, they had way bigger players than us, but we were just hitting with everything we had,” he said, adding a lot of the backs did the scoring, but it was all off of the play of the pack.
A game like this will give the Mavericks added confidence as playoffs draw near.
“It gives us a better taste of their Div. 2 team. All season we’ve been playing a mixture of Div. 1 and Div. 2 guys, so we’re really anticipating anything,” Campbell said.
“We’re ready for the best of the best to come play. To be honest, we’re dialed in right now. We’re playing as a unit and we’re practicing that way, as well. Even practices I’ve noticed the intensity is picked up.”
The game against the Wasps was the best team play Campbell has ever seen from the Mavericks.
“We really lifted each other up and held each other accountable out there,” he said.
The Mavericks are 3-0 in Division 2 play and will end the regular season, Sept. 12 in Winnipeg against the Wombats.
Campbell said they want to get as many players into that game as possible, so they can rest some of their starters.
Campbell expects to host a playoff game, Sept. 19 or 26.
Youthful Kings begin working towards season opener
This year’s Dauphin Kings will be younger than what fans are used to seeing.
The local junior A hockey team held its training camp at Credit Union Place this weekend, with 37 players hoping to make the team.
Kings head coach and general manager Bryan Kromm liked what he saw throughout the weekend.
“I think, for the most part, it was very competitive. I think we got what we needed out of this camp and now moving forward, it’s the real test against some other teams in the league to see how some of these kids fare,” he said.
The plan is to carry 27 players into the preseason schedule, which began last night when the Kings hosted the Northern Manitoba Blizzard.
“There will be probably between 10 to 15 kids that will be moving on after Monday,” Kromm said.
Camp, Kromm said, resembled summer hockey style of play and he will begin to introduce some structure to the team’s play as they enter the preseason.
“Some five-on-five stuff that we’re looking for and see which guys can pick that stuff up once we get into some real hockey,” he said.
The Kings will begin to work on special teams the following week before opening the season, Sept. 18, in Selkirk against the Steelers.
A number of local players were in camp, including returning players Quentin Fisk, Luke Myhre and Sam Swanton along with prospects Landyn Garton, Jake Myhre and Benjamin Gardner.
For Kromm, having local players on the team is important for several reasons.
Fans, he said, like to see hometown players on the local team.
“Those kids have some really important ties to the community, as well. So they’re helpful in that aspect with kids that are not from here,” he said.
“So there’s a lot of benefit to having local guy in the mix. And I think a lot of kids grow up wanting to be Dauphin Kings. So to give some kid the opportunity to play for the Dauphin Kings that’s from here, that’s special, as well, to me.”
There are three players attending Western Hockey League camps that may return to Dauphin.
Noah Smigelsky is in Everett with the Silvertips, while Forrest Karlson is with the Red Deer Rebels. Veteran defenceman Brody Wytinck is with the Kamloops Blazers.
“We might see those kids come back into the fold maybe early next week. So we’re waiting on those kids, plus a few others that we have on our radar,” Kromm said.
Landyn Garton scored twice and Soren Hayden had three assists to lead Team Myles Fee to a 7-3 win over Team Barry Trotz in the annual JoFo Cup, Saturday.
Cooper Johannsen, Kale Pratte, Jake Griffiths, Kurtis Kinoshita and Liam Spencer also scored, while Ander Reyes, Landon McGregor and Luke Ratzlaff shared goaltending duties.
Gavin Smith with two and Max George replied for Team Barry Trotz. Benjamin Gardner, Bryson Yaschyshyn and Piet Mierau each played one period in goal.
On Monday, George had a goal and two assists to lead the Kings to a 5-2 win over the Blizzard.
Collin Freidrich, Ashton Shields, Jake Myhre and Nic Collins had Dauphin’s other goals, while Reyes stopped 11 of 12 shots he faced and Mierau made 10 saves on 11 shots.
The Kings will play a home-and-home with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines, Friday in Dauphin at 7 p.m. and Saturday in Waywayseecappo at 7:30 p.m.
Temporary ER was always on the table, says premier
Dauphin will have an emergency room department by Labour Day, said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who made the announcement, last week after touring the Dauphin Regional Health Centre.
“We know that everyone in the community wants the emergency department services back. And that includes the doctors and the nurses, who have been very understanding and very flexible,” Kinew said.
The existing emergency room, Kinew added, will be a big project to get back up and running, knowing people need such a facility close to home.
“So we’re going to set up a temporary facility to deliver that by Labour Day. In the coming weeks you should start to see a lot of activity on site as it starts to take place,” he said.
“And it’s part of the bigger picture, meeting the health care needs of people in Dauphin and the surrounding areas in the Parkland, as well as getting this facility back up and running again.”
The temporary ER will be located on the hospital grounds, although the exact location has yet to be determined.
With the design and details still being worked on, the cost of setting up the temporary ER is still unknown.
Kinew stated they will look at moving other hospital services to other locations within the city. He credits the work of those involved in getting diagnostic services set up in the Provincial Building.
“I think the folks that brought the diagnostics to the Provincial Building did a great job. I’m very appreciative of that. And I think that shows that we can be creative and flexible in meeting people’s health care needs,” he said.
Local physicians, Kinew stated, have been clear about the services they need for the facility to be a fully functioning ER. The next step will be trying to locate as many of those needs as possible.
“You might see a few other locations getting pulled in, as well,” he said.
“And nurses have been also very patient and understanding. We want them to work close to home. Part of this is making sure that those nurses who do need to travel, that we’re going to make sure to the health authority that they’ve got to meet their needs.
“This is not business as usual. We’ve got to support staff, including nurses through this challenging time.”
The challenge now, Kinew said, is to recreate what was in the hospital into a new temporary ER.
“So that, if you show up after Labour Day, you’ll be able to get the doctor to take a look at you, the nurse to assess your vitals, the scans and other tests that you might need and then, of course, whatever treatments. All within a facility that would be up to the highest standard that you expect,” he said.
“It’s pretty big job, but I’m very encouraged by the teamwork and the creativity that we’re seeing from health care experts, engineers, the construction folks, the restoration folks, everybody who is coming together to work on this.”
Kinew toured the hospital, Aug. 14, and saw the damage first hand.
“The flooding was terrible. Huge damage. I think being on site extinguished the last hopes that I had that we could get back into the main building by Labour Day for emergency services,” he said.
“Labour Day has been our internal target and we were talking about how do you get back in there? But once you see condition of the basement and how much electrical and mechanical equipment is damaged, you start to realize how big this project is.”
That said, the needs of the people of Dauphin to get an emergency department, Kinew said, is just as strong, just as concrete as the impact from the hospital.
“Seeing it first hand meant that we had to say, ‘okay, those contingency plans about a temporary facility for an emergency department, that’s the way we’ve got to go. We’ve got to lean into that now.’ So I think that was the big take away from the walk through that we did,” he said.
“Plus the appreciation for all the work that the restoration folks are doing. It’s just a huge job.”
Kinew hopes as people see the work being done to get the temporary ER set up, they will start to feel reassured that Dauphin will have ER services back by Labour Day.
Locals compete at Tamarack tournament in Clear Lake
The annual Tamarack Golf Tournament was held at the Clear Lake Golf Course, last week, with several Parkland golfers taking part.
John Tomlinson lost his match in the men’s fifth flight, dropping him to the consolation draw, where he went on a run, winning three straight matches to win the fifth flight consolation.
Scott McCallum and Riese Gaber won the men’s scramble championship flight, winning four matches in the process.
Dale Murray of Gilbert Plains won three straight matches to win the men’s masters championship flight.
After he was eliminated in the junior fourth flight finals, Brier Odut went on to win the consolation draw.
Christian Laughland qualified for the championship flight after the qualifying rounds, before losing his opening match, dropping him to the consolation bracket, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinal.
Former Dauphinite Jason Yates qualified for the men’s second flight, where he lost his opening match, before he was eliminated in the consolation quarterfinals.
In the men’s fourth flight, Tyler Carefoot lost his opening match, then lost in the consolation quarterfinals.
James Stoesz went head-to-head with Robert Bouchard in the men’s fifth flight, with Stoesz coming out on top. He then made it to the quarterfinals and was eliminated.
Bouchard lost in the consolation quarterfinals.
Competing in the men’s sixth flight, Lawson Yates lost his Round of 16 match and went on to win the consolation, with three straight victories.
Bart Michaleski opened the sixth flight with a win and reached the semifinals before he was eliminated.
Gerald Thiessen won his opening match of the sixth flight, before he was eliminated.
Also in the sixth flight, Noah Wiens lost his opening match to drop to the consolation, where he lost in the quarterfinals.
Anthony Wiens lost in the Round of 16 in the seventh flight. He then won his consolation quarterfinal match, before losing in the semifinals.
After losing in the Round of 16 in the eighth flight, Luke Michaleski won the consolation quarterfinal match before he was eliminated in the semifinal.
Mark Odut and Lance Delamare, as well as Steve Desroches and Jake Wiens lost in the men’s scramble championship flight’s Round of 16, before they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket.
In the men’s scramble first flight, Mike Sparrow and Jerron Kyle won their opening match, before losing to former Dauphin Kings Brett Piper and Brendan Arnold in the quarterfinals.
In the men’s scramble second flight, Dave Campbell and Chris Todoruk were knocked to the consolation draw, where they won their first match before they were eliminated.
In the men’s scramble third flight, Brad Carefoot and Perry Farnsworth won their opening match, before they were knocked out of contention in the quarterfinals.
Dean Cooley, competing in the masters third flight, lost in the quarterfinals and dropped his semifinal match on the consolation draw.
Dean Murray of Gilbert Plains lost his opening match of the senior men’s championship flight, before losing in the consolation final.
Chris Carefoot and Kathy Farnsworth were eliminated after losing their match in the ladies scramble first flight quarterfinals and consolation semifinals.
Cash McCallum, competing in the junior championship flight, lost his first quarterfinal match, before he was eliminated in the consolation semifinal.
Ethan Zalischuk reached the final of the junior first flight before bowing out.
Assassins forfeit, Mavs hit the road
The Parkland Mavericks’ game against the Winnipeg Assassins, scheduled for Saturday in Dauphin, was cancelled after the Winnipeg squad forfeited the game.
Mavericks captain Jordan Campbell said it was disappointing the game was cancelled.
“We were getting the field ready. We spent some money on the paint. Guys took time off of work making sure they were available. And, yeah, a lot of people were pretty upset. But it happens,” he said.
Campbell said the relationship between the Assassins and the Mavericks has always been a good one and he expects it to be a one-off event.
“I know that they played Thursday and they had 30 guys and they only had nine for the Saturday game,” he added.
Now the Mavericks will shift their focus to their next game, Saturday in Winnipeg against the Wasps.
The Mavericks want to play as many games as possible to be fine-tuned for the playoffs and they will be ready to go against the Wasps.
“We’ll just have to work on some more things and maybe have a little intrasquad game this week,” Campbell said.
Campbell is looking forward to the final two road games as they get ready for the playoffs.
“The boys are excited. We want to have the chance to go to Winnipeg and beat up on some Winnipeg teams,” he said.
The final game of the regular season will take place, Sept. 12, when the Mavericks play the Winnipeg Wombats.
Street fair rescheduled to September
The Parkland Chamber of Commerce has set a new date for its Street Fair.
The annual event originally scheduled for July 30, will now be held, Sept. 18, at CN Park and along 1st Avenue NW.
With a lot going on in September with Culture Days just starting, Chamber executive director Kamryn Winters said competing with different events on weekends is not something the Chamber would like to do.
“So the Friday made the most sense for the Chamber to put it on. The issue with kids being in school that day is something that we’re aware of,” she said.
“We’re hoping to have more day care kid-friendly activities during the day and then keep the kid zone open later into the night so that kids that are in school can still come to the street fair after school or on their lunch hour if they’re in high school and just enjoy the street fair into the night.”
With the Dauphin Kings playing their home opener the next night, Winters also wanted to tie the street fair in with that.
“We ideally wanted to do something like a food truck war with the Kings for their home opener. A tailgate party on the Saturday. We even extended an invite to our vendors from the street fair to stay for a second day and come to the tailgate party,” she said.
“Hopefully, we get some taking that. We really just wanted to promote a whole weekend of activities. There’s a lot of Chamber members that are doing things over the weekend.”
The Chamber is now looking for vendors who want to set up a booth at the street fair, as well as volunteers to help set up and tear down.
Anyone interested can visit the Chamber’s website at parklandchamber.ca.
Winters is looking forward to a successful street fair.
“I’m hoping that everybody comes out to enjoy the street fair in fall fashion,” she said.
Mavericks continue to roll in season’s second half
The Parkland Mavericks opened their second half schedule with a 42-10 victory over the Winnipeg Wanderers, Saturday in Dauphin.
Ronin Mouck led the way with three tries and two converts. Joseph Lopez, Will Miner and Daniel Evans also had tries, while Evans chipped in with four converts.
Mavericks captain Jordan Campbell felt the Mavericks were not at their best, but managed to get the job done.
“We looked a little sloppy. But overall, we’re happy with the outcome, that’s for sure,” he said.
The Mavericks were called for a number of penalties throughout the game, but it didn’t cost them as they kept the Wanderers from getting too many opportunities to score.
Campbell was impressed with how the Mavericks supported each other throughout the contest.
“We kind of picked each other up. Morale was high. But the young guys showed up. They were ready to run, which they did really well today,” he said, adding the Mavericks need to pick up the intensity and make sure they are getting ready for the playoffs.
“We’ve got three more games to really hammer it out,” he added.
At 6-2, the Mavericks will look to go undefeated in the final three games.
The next game is Saturday at 2 p.m., when the Mavericks host the Winnipeg Assassins.
“They’re going to come hungry to beat us. I know that they’ve lost a few in Div. 2, so come and watch,” Campbell said.
Love wins ladies club championship
Shelly Love shot an 83 to win the Dauphin Ladies Club Championship, Sunday, at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club.
Donna Davidson finished second, nine shots back of Love. Linda Kitching’s 98 was good for third place on a count back.
Colleen Johnson shot a 99 to win the first flight on a count back. Verna Vanrobaeys was second with a 115 and placing third was Lori Bourque who shot a 122.
Margo Elliott won the second flight on a count back, shooting a 123. Bertha Davis was four shots back to finish second, while Eleanor Snitka was third on a count back with a 129.
Barb Hrehirchuk’s 132 won her the top spot in the third flight, two strokes ahead of Theresa Zabiaka. Leana Compton was third with a 138.
Cindy Schroder won the Most Honest Golfer after shooting a 156. Compton won the closest-to-the-hole on no. 11.
Pine Creek hosts golf tournament at DLGC
Thirty-eight teams hit the links at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club, Saturday, for the Pine Creek four-person best ball golf tournament.
The team of Darryl Lacquette, Tyler Lacquette, Jose Lacquette and Evan won the tournament, finishing with a 56.
Winning the first flight was the foursome comprising of Chief Barry McKay, Chad Facey, Derek and Shawn McQuarrie, shooting a 57.
Larry Nepinak Jr., Earl Thompson, Taylor Fletcher and Al Cote were awarded second place on a countback over Dion Anderson, Adam Anderson, Kyle Sinclair and Lou Shorting. Both teams shot a 58.
Keith Pangman, Shawn Pangman, Tyson Pangman and Brad Belhumeur combined to shoot a 60, good enough for first place in the second flight on a countback.
In second place were Dustin Mousseau, Aaron Lavasseur, Rodger Roulette and Rodger Roulette Jr., while in third place was Chris Stranger, Dwayne McCorrister, Pat McKay and Cooters, with a 61.
Rey Cook, Nelson Leaske, Able Gott and Dennis Chartrand teamed up to shoot a 63 to win the third flight.
Greg Starr, Waylon Eastman, Drake Starr and Wade Aitkens took second place on a countback with a 64. In third place was the team of Russell Beaulieu, Albert B., Rob Mousseau and Mike Prince.
Closest-to-the-hole winners were Darcy Pelletier on no. 2, Farron Genaille on no. 6, Gott on no. 9, Jose Lacquette on no. 11 and Belhumeur on no. 14.
Genaille also had the men’s longest drive, while Mya Kubrakovich had the women’s longest drive. Jose Lacquette won the putting contest and McQuarrie won the chip-off.